This post is dedicated to all the things I am thankful for in the last four months. They've been hard, but here are the things I am thankful for.
1. A job that provides me with enough income to have my own place for the very first time...and how much fun it's been to have my own place.
2. God's daily grace, which is always enough for the needs of that day.
3. Other teachers who have really helped me out in hard times: Stephanie and her awesome lesson plans, tests, encouragement, and help, Marci and her willingness to help me out in my 10th period mess, and my department head who has sat and listened to me when I needed it.
4. Those few students in each class who pay attention to what I say, always do exactly what they're supposed to, and are actually learning some Spanish. Amanda, Rico, Charles, Bobbie, Sergio, Terrence, Devante, Felicia, Trey, Jordan, Abbi, Shyienne, Deidra, Ashley, Nick, Ashley, Amber, Amber, Tithandy, Hyunjun, Brittany, Meghan, Michel'le, Emerald, Jasmine, and Marquies.
5. The students who, although they are not always on track and may not get the best grades, still give it a strong effort (most days) and provide me with good feedback as to how I'm doing. These aren't the top students, but they make a huge difference by their attitudes, their honesty, and their good humor. This is probably about 30-35% of my students.
6. The students who provide humor in my day (in a good way): Montrell, Taiylor, Anthony, Jaleel, and Ashley. Some of these kids could go on tour as professional comedians, and the laughter they provide lightens my heart. Jaleel's running commentary heartens me up even in the middle of the tenth period mess because of its honesty and uniqueness.
7. Those students who are honest enough with me to allow me to learn their culture and their specific dialect, and even teach me things when I ask them: Marquies (I've learned the most from him), Derrek, Anthony, Torrance, Kahree, Maurio, Jasmine, Ciera, Amber, and Dashonnya.
8. The fact that the Lord has placed me in a relatively calm hallway and I haven't had to break up a fight yet.
9. The World Advocates club I sponsor--mostly AP/IB kids who have a heart for service and for the world. They remind me that not every Ben Davis student can be judged by what I see in my classroom all day--there's another world out there, yet within the school.
10. My Eritrean/Ethiopian students, who provide a different perspective on life.
11. My heritage/native speakers, who are not afraid to correct me, teach me different slang, and have even told me on occasion, "wow, your Spanish is better than some of the other Spanish teachers I've heard!"
12. The small victories: a student who comes in regularly for help, and does better, teaching people how to conjugate verbs for the first time, that one student that at the beginning of the year I was SURE wasn't going to make it but is getting it and even seems to enjoy my class, actually building a relationship with several of my students, seeing some of my students who could have been failing not fail.
13. The difficult students: the shocks in life will be much fewer after this year. They have taught me how to respond calmly to insults, insolence, and sheer hatred, all directed straight at me. They've also taught me the value of de-escalating a crisis, and how to do that (mainly by giving me the chance of trial and error).
14. The fear I battle--it makes me run to the Lord. Oh how the Psalms have come alive to me these last few months in a way I haven't experienced since right after we got robbed in Honduras and I was battling fear.
15. The immense emotional pain of these last few months, both personal and feeling it on others behalf (see previous blog post on this) because it has drawn me so much closer to the Lord than I ever would have been.
16. That pain leading me to cling to God's Word for dear life! Reading my Bible hasn't been routine for months!!
17. The immense darkness allows me to see Christ's light so much more clearly
18. My new friends I've been able to make at church, who have listened to my moanings and groanings and seen my tears when life got hard, and loved me through it.
19. The prayers of many--my mom's friends at LifeCenters, the girls in my Bible Study, my small group, Kandice and her family, the prayers of my friends on the faculty at HCS, and other random people.
20. The opportunity to learn that when there is no one else, when I am alone, Jesus is enough, and I need to run to him first.
