First Night of Class

So, tonight was the first night of my last two classes for my Masters. I have to drive to Hanford, as the class is not offered here in Visalia at Chapman...big bummer! Our contracted class hours are 6-10:30 and I've been nervous about driving home from Hanford to begin with, much less in the fog or rain or really, really late (10:30 is really late for me). Turns out my teacher is only going to keep us until 9:00, which is FANTASTIC! He is a kind, older gentlemen and I just have to share what I observed.

He talked a lot. A lot, a lot. He told us all about his qualifications, his educational history and his experiences in administration for public education. Interesting but not spell binding. Then we had our ten minute break. There was an older lady in the student lounge knitting that I noticed. When class started again, he picked up where he left off. He concluded telling us that while he did not make all of the best choices available to him in his career, he did make one good choice...he married a good woman! They have been married for 51 years, he described it as 'happily, happily married 51 years'. His eyes softened and his voice trailed when he talked about her. He mentioned that she was doing needle work in the lounge because she didn't want him to be lonely on the drive to and from teaching his course, and she'd prefer not to be lonely at home either. He said when you are soul mates, you get to be more comfortable with each other, than without, so she'll be joining him each week while he teaches. Of everything he said, that is what I will remember from tonight's course.

Backing up, I recognized my teacher when I saw him at first enter the classroom. He was speaking at a seminar I attended in January of last year. His son was also speaking and giving advice to students attending the job fair from the perspective of a principal for a local school district. He spoke with such enthusiasm and excitement in describing his teachers and his students, that his demeanor has stuck with me for the last year and it rang a bell when I saw his father again. The son, the principal, shared some of his ideas briefly about relationships between students and teachers. What they should look like and how they affect students personally. He is the principal of an alternative junior high, a.k.a continuation school yet their scores are shooting through the roof. He was just honored as administrator of the year through the Office of Education. He is taking a completely different approach to education in this day and age of standards by requiring, actually requiring, that his teachers make personal connections and bond with their students. They are mandated to "mingle" with the students during breaks and in between classes. What does that tell the students....they care enough to want to know more about me. That talk I was spell bound for.

What does all of this amount to? I was thinking on my drive home that perhaps his emphasis on relationships results on how he was raised and the value placed on relationships in his home growing up. His parents are side-by-side at all times. Not only that, but looking at the big picture, how much value do we place on our relationships in our home, with the people we work with, encounter? A father and mother modeled for their son what a relationship of two loving people looks like, and their son in turn is teaching teachers how to be more personal with their students, which in turn is giving their students self esteem and a sense of being valued and important.

It is all a ripple effect of taking the time to develop relationships and then grow them. I was inspired by these two men and what they have accomplished in different ways, but with the same intention. I want to be that kind of role model for my children, that kind of soul mate to my partner, that kind of teacher to my students and that kind of person that others can sense the value I place on my relationships even when they are sitting in the back of a classroom.

Alas!

So, I have been secretly wanting to start a blog to invest some time into recording our family's day-to-day lives. As long as I can remember I've had the ambition to write. Now I have a cheesey excuse to do just that, so here I am!

After spending the last five months student teaching full time, I cannot describe how great it feels to be home with my kids! I WANT to be the one to care for them, and I WANT to be the one to clean my house, do our laundry and prepare our meals. I WANT to be the one to nurture my family. I am not sure how long this will last, but for now I am enjoying every day that I am home! I am finding joy in the least expected places, such as the laundry room! I am coaxing myself into relaxing and spending time with our children, not just entertaining them long enough to accomplish my next task. I am very "busy bodied" and learning to play has been enriching for us all.

I never saw myself being a "blogger" or finding joy in the laundry room for that matter. In fact, it urks me a little just to type it out because part of me says 'how ridiculous can you get old lady!'. But then the other part of me, the part that is always being refined, open to what the Lord has in store for me and free of all concern of ridicule, reminds me that I have been oh so very blessed and denying those blessings, denying sharing the changes that have happened inside of me, would be denying the Lord Himself and the great works He has done!

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:5-7

So I encourage you to find contentness in whatever your daily requirements. Have a great day, you know where I'll be...that's right, doing housework with a smile on my face!