After a rough couple days (hello super blue blood moon), I arrived at school today. One student decided to sleep through much of his first few classes today, which, unfortunately, isn't that unusual. Another student very unexpectedly called me a witch out of my earshot but within the earshot of a few of his classroom peers. I've had students swear in my class and just be blatantly mean to each her. So today, we did a little lesson combining reviewing our classroom expectations and a short lesson on kindness. I showed my students a canvas quote project I have been working on. The quote is something like "everyone you know is fighting a battle you know nothing about. So, be kind. Always. " I told them about a couple parts of my battle that hat had been bothering me over the course of the last few days. Between Elder Clay Covey (a senior missionary who'd served with his wife in my singles branch a few years ago) passing away after his 4th battle with cancer in 20 years and my parents having to put down one of their dogs (TC), my student's behaviors were really starting to bother me. They (and my coteacher) were shocked at my battles because for the most part, I hadn't told anyone. And that happens so often in life. We don't understand everything a person is dealing with. We, too often, judge others or compare ourselves to them by what we see and don't have the whole picture or idea of the magnitude of their situation.
As I was saying my prayers tonight, as I usually do almost every night , I asked Heavenly Father to bless my kiddos with the things that they need. Then it really dawned on me: what my kiddos need is me.
When I was encouraging students to clean up after themselves because I'm not their maid or their mother, one of my students informed me that because they spent so much time in school, I'm kind of like their mother. Another student mentioned that his mom didn't really care but that our principal was kind of like a mother to him. I didn't quite realize that the students I sometimes say are my kiddos also see the adults at school as their parents because we care even when they screw up and make us mad. We give a darn when so many people in their lives are just giving up on them. Woah!!! What an amazing, eye opening, mind blowing inspiration.
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