God's Blessing

I am seeing the hand of God at work in my work. This week I have continued to feel successful at my job, handling the little foxes* without losing my cool, and keeping a positive spin on it for my students. I have said, more times than I can count, "I want you to be awesome, and it makes me sad when we have to waste time on talking instead of learning which is what makes you awesome." I've probably used the word awesome too many times already this year. I caught myself saying it so many time today that I asked my class if it was too many.

There are just so many things going well this year.

My tiny choir is continuing to grow. Two years ago I had 9. Last year I had 19. This year I'm up to 24. And I know I'll grow as the year goes on because when kids move in to the school, the counselors send them my way. And so many of my kids are returning 7th and 8th graders. They already know so much of what I expect. It's like starting the year on the second chapter, rather than having to go back to the beginning. More than half of my students are signing up to try out for the all-region choir. I don't think many other programs can say that. OVER HALF!! And not all of them are eligible since only 7th and 8th graders can try out. I'm devoting more class time to helping these kids prepare for region than I did last year. But last year at this point, I only had 3 kids interested in trying out. One was sick the day of the audition, so I only had 2 kids there. Anyway, this year I'm set to have 13 or 14 kids audition, and it's FANTASTIC!

My 6th grade choirs at the big choir school are also doing well. Those classes are all girls' classes and there's a separate class of 6th grade boys taught by the other choir teacher. It's working wonderfully to have them separated. I'm able to be funny with the girls in a different way... I don't know how to describe it. I can say things like, "since it's just us girls..." not that what comes after is somehow different than if there were boys there. I guess it has just helped me to develop the relationships with students quicker. The girls are not inhibited by the presence of boys, and I'm sure the same is true in the boys class. The get to just be guys. First period is one of my girls' classes and the boys' class, and both of those classes come in early to hang out in the room. It's our school's solution to the problem of having kids wait in a common holding area where we had previously had problems. The kids are now in class a little early, and it allows for that no-pressure relational time. I'm loving that time. The boys' class is watching ESPN every morning. In my class, I'm usually getting set up, pushing the piano out (since I teach in the orchestra room), so I end up at the piano playing, "Don't Stop Believing" and the girls sing. It's a good time for singing, "Happy Birthday," as well. I am really loving the opportunity to have the "face time" with kids. If only I could have that with my third period class too...

I can't help but think that the wonderful start to this school year has a lot to do with the meditation on the Psalms that have been sometimes voluntarily and sometimes involuntarily taking place in my mind lately. I do think I'm being a better teacher, but I don't think it's because I'm really anything. It's because I'm allowing God to make me a better teacher than I've ever been. I truly want to be the teacher, the mother, the wife, the daughter, the child of God, that God wants me to be.

I'm finally getting to teach, "I See the Light," from Tangled. So of course that's the song in my head.

* This is a reference to Song of Solomon 2:14-16. "Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes." Often times we let the little things bother us and ruin the bigger things that are good.