Ever chapter of my life has been in 4 to 5 year increments. 4 years of high school, then graduation. 4-5 years of college, then graduation. At the end of those 4 -5 years, a major change was in store. A HUGE opportunity to trust the Lord. The thing that blows me away is to look back and see the Lord's hand guiding my path each and every step of the way.
I had no idea what my time at K-State would bring. I had no idea what this whole teaching thing had in store.... And now I am days away from finishing my 4th year of teaching at good ole Southeast High School. It dawned on me earlier this spring that this is MY class. These are MY students. These are MY people. This class joined me as the "new" kids on the block in the fall of 2005. We walked in together having no idea what these next four years would bring. They were starting high school as the class of 2009, just little freshman and I was starting my first job. A job that I really wasn't sure I was cut out for, but a job that I had a peace about. A job that I knew would change me, challenge me, break me, stretch me and grow me in ways I never knew were possible.
Who knew that it would be the most rewarding 4 years of my life? Who knew that it would be the hardest 4 years of my life? Who knew that students could capture the heart of their teacher? Who knew that I would be who I am right now today, when I walked into that dreadfully empty building that day in August just so I could see my classroom before the week of in-services started? Who knew that I would be flooded with names of students that I have had the privilege to call my students? Those names, those faces who have endured my classroom, my teaching, my randomness, my soap boxes, my mess ups...
I am grateful for these past four years. Graduations are always bittersweet and I will probably cry (not too surprising) but it's in those moments that I am reminded that I get to stay. Yes I am a little bit sad to see them go, but I am more excited to see what's next for them. I am grateful for the opportunity to start fresh in August, with a brand new list of students. The thing about students is that they will always be just that, "my students." Each of them hold a special place in my heart. The ones that come back just to say "hi" make my heart soar.
I told one of my favorites the other day, "Go and do something great and make a positive impact on the people around you." She looked me straight in the eye and said, "Miss Call, I will and I will make sure you know about it." Those are the moments I love my job the most. Those are the moments that remind me that I can do this job for a couple more years, maybe even more than a couple but let's not get carried away.
When the class of 2009 walks across the stage, I will hold my head a little higher knowing that we started this journey together and I am grateful for the privilege to walk these 4 years with them.
