Thursday, February 07, 2008

overwhelmed

after crying the past 3 out of 4 days this week, i thought i would share my frustrations with the blog-verse to vent a little further! :) teaching has been so consuming, so frustrating and so demanding these past two weeks. i want to do everything i can to make each one of my 42 kindergarteners successful, but sometimes the demand is all consuming. the workload this month is killer, not to mention the stress of my yet-to-be-planned wedding and our future after july 12, 2008. how is one to plan the most important day of her life when 42 young minds need to be shaped, molded, & taught the basic skills of life? 

after deep breaths, hugs from coworkers and reflection, my best advice came from the Bible:

"don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring it's own worries. today's trouble is enough for today." -matthew 6:34, nlt

i remember driving to school back in the fall and listening to kLove (the christian radio station) one morning. the announcer/dj lady reminded those listening that we are all called to service. well it struck home with me and as soon as i got to school that morning, i jotted this down on a post-it note:
"you are anointed. you were called to love and teach these children. be an instrument of Christ's love to everyone of His precious children. be filled with grace in all you do."

this daily reminder of my amazing opportunity as a teacher is now beaten up, taped together and still falling apart (just like me!) however, it's still on my desk. and i plan for it to stay. i'm still putting my all into these children. time spent teaching is never lost, right? 

thanks for listening. i feel better now. :)

3 comments:

A.K. said...

oh darlin'- i hear you! I can't imagine a first year of teaching and planning a wedding at one time- especially to be away from the place you are planning. BUT, because of this- you are going to be a stronger person and when you walk down the aisle that day, you will think about ALL the HARD work you put into getting there in July (and you will be out for summer! just think of that!!!)

let me know if you need any help or ideas with wedding stuff- or just need to talk- i'm here!!

Holliday Family said...

If I were a parent of one of your kids, I would feel so blessed to have a teacher who had such a heart for this job. Keep going - it pays off!

The Laci's said...

Hang in there Ashley! I think we all feel some of your pain. I took a mental health day this week due to the stress and overwhelming work load. Trust me, it helped! You are an amazing teacher and the wedding will be perfect. We are all here if you need us!