Más Fuerte - #LaAventuraDeLaVida

Welcome to my time capsule. 😊 We are traveling back several years to meet a girl much like me, but far younger and more naive. I will be telling you her story through her eyes over the coming weeks and months. I hope you enjoy it and see the many ways her Savior has guided her every step of the way! All of my posts marked with #LaAventuraDeLaVida are a part of this ongoing series.

~ Dec 5, 2013 ~

It’s hard to believe that only 3 short months ago the kids I teach were nothing to me but names on a page and birthdays on a wall. It’s been slow and steady, but praise my loving God, He is shaping me in this race.

The first two weeks were really rough. I didn’t know the names of any of the students (in all 3 classes), and without names, I felt totally lost. I was scared stiff of my 8th graders and trying not to show it, but they could tell. I didn’t know what I was supposed to teach, and every day was a minute-by-minute battle. I felt like all I could do was desperately tread water until the weekend, then try to catch my breath before I got pushed in again.

I still can’t say I really know what I’m doing, but I’m trying more and more to focus on what I came here to do – build leaders for the Kingdom. Shape souls with love. And while there are still some days where I want to duct tape every kid’s mouth shut, and while there are still some days where I want to crawl in my hole and not come out until the weekend, I have come to see my kids not as an unruly mob, but precious (and precocious) individuals. I am able to enjoy their individual personalities and roll with the class instead of constantly living in fear of losing control. I still struggle. I struggle with how much to let go and how much is important to crack down on. I struggle with when to be their teacher and when to be their friend. I struggle with knowing what English is important for them to know and what doesn’t really matter. I’m still swimming upstream. But I’ve gotten stronger.