I survived, but I'm still weeping...

When I took the 12th grade teaching job, I knew it would it be a big challenge to teach high school seniors for the first time.  I knew it would be even more difficult since I would be teaching an Honors level course I had never even taken myself. The fact that there are so few resources for high school statistics would make it harder, and the students and I were not even given a text. (I would be writing it myself from scratch.) I was given no rubric but encouraged to prepare the highest scoring math students in the school for the AP exam while helping the lowest scoring math students in the school to learn basic critical thinking and problem solving skills and simple algebra so they could keep up with the math whizzes in the same class. Furthermore, I sought to tie every single lesson to a Biblical precept and Scripture verse.   So I knew my first year of teaching would be time consuming.  I knew it would take every ounce of energy I had, and it did.  One student noticed my efforts and told me I was the hardest working teacher he had ever had.  I had to work hard to make up for my inexperience and lack of knowledge.   I had hoped to connect with hurting students who had been unreachable by other teachers to minister to their hearts, and God opened that door.  I'm still amazed at the breakthroughs that took place this last quarter.  A gave one student who struggles most the opportunity to take another test (different questions, same material) for his lowest test grade.  We met together after school, and he actually prepared.  His retake test score was 60 points higher than his first test.  What an amazing difference that made for him in terms of confidence and motivation. I could share so many stories like his that show why I enjoyed teaching so much.  Seeing lives change is the best reward ever. All these students know they are loved.  May they grow every day in their understanding of how much God loves them.

What I did not realize when I took this job is how much I would care for these students. Teaching is hard, but I love it.  Investing in the lives of so many unique students, attending their games and events, tutoring them one-on-one after class, praying over them and giving them Biblical counsel have been exhausting and wholly rewarding.  I never dreamed I would grow to love these students so much.  And while I am excited about their bright futures and look forward to attending their graduation and seeing God work mightily in them, I will truly miss them.  And while I'm excited to be starting up a STEM program at the school next year, I wish I could be working with seniors again.  I'm going to miss teaching this class and have advocated relentlessly for the rising seniors during my last few weeks since I will not get to invest in them as I could this past year as their teacher.

I taught my last new lesson yesterday, and it was bittersweet. As I prepared that last lesson, the finality of it all hit me hard. So I stayed up way past midnight praying for them and even laying down my sarcastic, beastly aura to write them a poem that summarized some of the main Biblical lessons which I had incorporated into our academic lessons. Teaching is not for the sappy of heart. I at least tried to make it humorous or "slappy" (my term for a combination of silly and sappy).

A Pirate’s Farewell Ode

I’m a pirate! That I be!
I sail me ship upon the sea!
I stay up late till half past three!
None’s leavin’ till I set ye free!

If ye want that diploma,

Then ye better walk that line.

Live as a sweet aroma¹,

And stay rooted in the vine².

Remember what I told ye

‘Bout the deception all around³.

Shine His light⁴, my dear mateys!

In ye, may His love e’er abound⁵.

This pirate’s gonna miss ye.
As many lives ye go and touch⁶.

Daily pray on bended knee⁷.

And know I love ye very much.

¹ 2 Corinthians 2:15 
 ² John 15:5 
³ 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 
⁴Philippians 2: 14-16

⁵Philippians 1: 8-10 
⁶Mark 16:15 
⁷1 Thessalonians 5:17

Friends & family, if you ever feel discouraged with the direction our country is headed or with the current state of the world, I'd like to introduce you to these graduating seniors who are not only amazing because they decided against skipping my last official class before dead days & exams begin, but primarily because they are remarkable individuals and effective leaders. They can be so much fun, but they are serious about what matters most. They are full of integrity, articulate, and grounded in the truth. They have restored my hope for the future and softened my previously skeptical heart.

The few students who came the day of my last new lesson.

Their rendition of "Sherry Baby" (by The Four Seasons) wasn't bad either....inappropriate maybe, but well received.

Today and the next two school days are "dead days" in which we merely review for the semester exam.  A large majority of my class has been exempt from the exam due to stellar performance, and many skip class during dead week.  I only had four students today. So my high school teaching days are nearing an end, and I'm going to miss it so much.