This is it.

This is it, it's the end of the school year. The end of my first year of teaching. I can't believe it. It has flown by. Everyone tells you it's going to fly by, but I'm not sure your brain really ever believes them. But, they were right. We still have about 4 weeks left until the last day, but it is approaching fast! I realize it's is a bit ironic starting my blog at the end of the school year when things are starting to wrap up, but I couldn't wait any longer.

Last night, I was in the middle of an evening run when God stopped me dead in my tracks and I found myself standing directly in front of a huge house with a soccer goal and built in soccer field. I couldn't stop thinking about how my students, one in particular, could only dream of living in a home like this. My heart was broken with the injustice and cruelty of poverty. Three times I started to tear up and start crying as God called me to walk and pray with Him, instead of running blindly past these dreams of my students. I held back tears each time, knowing that if I let them pour out I would be sobbing uncontrollably in the middle of suburbia (and that's just awkward). With every emotion and feeling I had inside me all I wanted to do was to give my students my everything. If they haven't been blessed with the material opportunities to grow up in their dream home with a soccer field, then how much more of myself can I give to them to show them that they are provided for and loved? How much more can I pray for their hearts to not learn the common learned helplessness of poverty? How can I enable them to be successful? How can I not become apathetic and obsessed with my own problems? As I wrestled with these questions, I began to ask God for a direction for this excessive passion that was consuming me. For, I believe that He has created me for something more than a job that my selfish desires can tend to treat carelessly (and this job contains 43 of His own precious creations). This is where I'm at. The main reason I'm starting this blog is to show God's redeeming love and purpose in all things (especially in the heart of any teacher who trusts in Him), be honest, real, encouraging, innovative, share resources, and learn from other blogging teachers how be continually better at this profession that is changing the lives of the next generation.

One of my goals in starting this blog is for motivation for myself to create and post new products for teachers to be able to use in their classroom through my Teachers Pay Teachers account (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Trusting-Teacher) and to be an encouragement based on how God is continuing to show me how to TRUST Him in my classroom and beyond every single day. I want to show what I am doing in my classroom throughout the year with the small hope that other teachers searching for something (whether it be content or encouragement) would find it here. As a first year teacher this past year (2013-2014) the internet has been my most helpful resource (besides my wonderful team and specialists) in gathering materials and engaging ideas and I really want to be able to give back to this virtual teacher community in the hopes that we would all become stronger and more innovative and creative teachers because of it.

With love,
Barbara

Oh, also my wonderful, sweet, and inspiring parents sent me flowers today at school for the end of my first year! They are the best! Although, all my students are convinced a secret admirer sent them...or as one student exclaimed a "Cinco de Mayo-er."