Trusting the Familiar; Faith in the Unknown

I blinked and it is December 31^st. This year has been a wild ride for sure, full of firsts as well as a few lasts as I finished college and entered the real world. Scary. As I was thinking about all of the things that have happened this year, where it began and how it ended, and how I’ve changed and grown as a person, there is a theme that stands out. Trusting the familiar, while having faith in the unknown.

Trusting the Familiar: January 2-April 6, 2017

This is the day I began Student Teaching. To some, that might seem pretty unknown, but to me it was familiar. I was blessed enough to get placed at an elementary school I had spent quite a bit of time at my Junior year, observing outstanding educators, learning the ins and outs of the school, and working with the children. On January 2^nd, one of my best friends and I drove to this school to begin our 13-week Student Teaching journey. We were going to finish our College of Education adventure just like we started it: Together. I was minimally nervous, but mostly at peace. The building was familiar both inside and out, administration was familiar, and I knew a few teachers from my previous stint at this campus. Trusting this familiar was easy, and I felt at home immediately. During this time, I got to meet, watch, converse with, and learn from even more phenomenal educators that I had not previously known. Little did I know, my Spring Semester was not going to end with the familiar.

Faith in the Unknown: March 31-June 2, 2017

March 31^st was a pretty typical Friday. I student taught all day and was babysitting for the evening when my aunt called. She said something along the lines of “Do you remember {neighbor} that is a principal at an elementary school in BISD? He wants to hire you for the rest of the school year as a long term sub/aid.” I said yes without having much knowledge of what I was getting myself into. I did not really ask a lot of questions other than where to be and when, got my fingerprints done and paperwork submitted, and showed up the Monday after I finished Student Teaching. To be honest, I was terrified at first. Not only did I take a leap of faith saying yes, he took a leap of faith as well hiring me (no pressure, right?). We had met a few times at my aunt’s house over the years and I had sent him my resume since I was beginning the process of applying and interviewing for teaching jobs. That was enough for him to take a chance on me and I am beyond grateful. Not only did I gain experiences and insight that were unparalleled to any of my previous work, but the relationships I formed played a major role in me getting a full time teaching job (interview skills gained, references, etc), and those people mean the world to me. Having faith in the unknown when it might have been more comfortable to say “no” was so worth it.

Trusting the Familiar: Summer 2017

After looking for adventurous summer jobs in Florida and elsewhere, I decided to trust the familiar and work for my boss from the previous summer alongside one of my really good friends. Although I did not spend the summer taking children to amusement parks or looking for the next mountain to climb or trail to hike, this was a good move. I knew the expectations of my boss and my job was flexible, allowing me to come in late or even travel when necessary to interview, and take important phone calls. Sometimes it is better to trust the familiar and play it safe than look for the next crazy adventure.

Faith in the Unknown: July/August/September 2017

If you have been following me for a while now, you know the story of how I got hired as a Kindergarten Teacher in LISD. I interviewed over FaceTime, sitting in the Busch Stadium Parking Lot in St. Louis, wearing a Cardinals T-Shirt, and was hired less than 24 hours later. I accepted the job, sight unseen. Another two-way leap of faith. I had not met anyone from my campus or district and they had not met me (in person). The team of staff members that hired me used what I said over FaceTime, my resume, and my references to take a chance on me and I will be forever thankful for the opportunity I was given. I spent July and August moving to a new city (I know Plano is only an hour from Fort Worth, but still), attending trainings, making connections, setting up my classroom and finally meeting my team. The end of August and all of September were spent meeting and getting to know the little people that live in my classroom.

Trusting the Familiar: Home for the Holidays

I have spent the past week and a half at my parents’ house with my family to celebrate Christmas and spend time together. It has been a time to rest and get rejuvenated for the upcoming year. For me, 2017 is ending like it began: with the familiar.

My hope for 2018 is that I once again find the balance between trusting the familiar and having faith in the unknown. Sometimes it is better to play it safe, and other times, in order to truly live, you have to dive head first into the adventures of life.

Have a safe and blessed New Year!

Yours Truly,

Steph

The Power of YES

Hey everyone! It’s been a while, but life is crazy! I am now 11 weeks into my first year teaching Kindergarten. It’s definitely an exhilarating roller coaster ride, but so worth it! Over the past few days, I have done some reflecting on some things I have done and decisions I have made both in the classroom and my personal life. Through this period of introspection, I have found a common theme: the power of the word YES. It is so easy to say “no” or “not now” or “I don’t have time,” that YES is so powerful. The word YES is just as important to my crew of 5-6 year olds as it is to me. Below are some scenarios and reasons why YES is so significant and wonderful and oh so worth it.

Saying YES to my Kindergarteners

Ms. Huntsman, can you take a picture of us?

Yes. I say yes to this as often as I can because pictures capture memories. It is so easy to say “no,” while we’re on the playground or in class working in small groups because it forces me to stop whatever else I’m doing, but the “yes” means so much to them. They are asking me for a picture because they are proud of what they have created, are being kind, think they look good, or believe something is really cool. Saying yes to a simple picture validates my kiddos’ positive feelings about themselves. Plus, they’re just so cute.

Ms. Huntsman, can I see the picture you just took?

Yes. At first, I would say “not right now,” or “maybe later,” but after showing a few kids pictures I had taken of them and seeing their faces light up or one of my little girls looking at her picture and saying, “oohh pretty,” I stick to saying yes to this request.

Ms. Huntsman, can I hold your hand?

Yes. Sometimes, allowing a child to hold my hand whether we’re at the zoo, in the hallway, or walking back from recess is so much more important than making sure they are perfectly in line. There’s a reason that kiddo feels the need to hold my hand at that moment, and oftentimes, it’s that little bit of affection, comfort, or silent reassurance that child needs to go about their day in a positive manner. Whether or not I hold a child’s hand can literally be the difference between them having a good rest of their day and them spiraling into an emotional disaster they cannot explain.

Ms. Huntsman, can you read my library book as today’s read aloud before Specials?

Yes. This is probably my most important “yes” of my year thus far. The child that asked me this just wanted someone to read her library book to her. She reads the words she knows and fills in the rest by analyzing the pictures, but unlike the rest of my kids, her mom doesn’t read her library book to her at night because she can’t read English. I wish I could say that reading her book as our read aloud before Specials was my idea. It wasn’t. It was hers. All I had to do was say YES. And to think that I almost said “no, we have to do _____ before Specials today.” That precious angel thinks I made her day by saying YES. She said, “Thank you so much for reading my book today,” with the biggest smile and brightest brown eyes. What she doesn’t know is she actually made mine.

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” –Angela Schwindt

Saying YES to myself and my adult(ish) friends

Will you go to the football game with me?

Yes. You might think this is an easy one for me because I LOVE college football and my Frogs. However, it’s not always an easy “yes.” Tickets are expensive and I have lesson plans to write, a classroom to organize, parents to email, etc. I could come up with hundreds of reasons to say “no,” but every time I go to a game I have a blast. I’m able to enjoy being with some of my best friends and get to forget about my responsibilities as a “grown up” with a real job…if even just for an evening. Sometimes, it’s not about the money or my full plate. It’s about letting go, enjoying myself, loving on my friends, and letting them love on me.

Can we do Friendsgiving?

YES. If you haven’t been following my posts, I was in the same Bible Study with the same ladies for four years. Every year of college (except maybe 1), we had Friendsgiving at our Bible Study Leader’s house. Once we graduated, much of our crew dispersed across the country, pursuing their careers and living out their passions. Lucky for me, there are still a few of us in DFW. Even though we are all crazy busy with jobs, grad school, and adulting, we were able to set aside time to get together and continue our tradition. This is so important because these women have been by my side through the good, bad, and ugly. They keep me grounded while giving me grace at the same time. They are encouragers who point me back to the Father. How could I say “no” when given a chance to fellowship with them? Answer: I won’t.

In a world filled with hectic schedules, deadlines, standardized testing, and pressing agendas, be the YES that a child hears…or the YES that you allow yourself to hear. Sometimes, “no” is so much easier, but YES means so much more.

Have a great rest of your week and enjoy Thanksgiving!

Yours truly,

Steph

Kindergarten Kronicles: September Edition

Happy Saturday everyone!

It’s hard to believe tomorrow is October 1^st. I’m pretty sure the older you get, the faster time goes. As many of you know, I began my career as a teacher at the end of August. I had every intention of writing a post at the end of that first week or even the end of those first two weeks of school, but life happens. Instead, I’m going to give you a rundown on the first month of school.

The school year officially began for me on August 28^th, and my campus does this thing called “Kinder Quest,” where the kids are split alphabetically by last name and go to a different teacher each day the first week of school. It worked out perfectly because there are five days in a school week and my awesome Kinder team has five teachers. At the end of the first week, we split the kids up into their permanent classes. The second week of school, the kids learned who their teacher was, who their classmates were, and we had “Meet the Teacher.”

My class is made up of 19 kiddos, 12 girls and 7 boys (we are just girl heavy this year). Let me tell ya, there is never a dull moment in my room. Each child that makes up our little school family has a unique, special personality as well as different strengths and areas of need. Everyone is already learning to celebrate each other’s differences, however, we are still learning how to appropriately solve conflict and express our emotions in a manner that shows kindness and respect for each individual. Because my little friends are five and six years old and Kindergarten is a whole new ballgame, we continue to review and practice our rules and expectations each day. I would be lying if I said every day is easy, because it’s not, however, the little lives I have the privilege of impacting daily make it so worth it.

Now you may be wondering what we are learning since it is so early in Kindergarten, (other than how to get along with each other). My answer to that is A LOT. Y’all, five year olds are capable of so much more than we give them credit for. Right now, we are studying and doing various activities with apples. On Friday, we got to use our senses (including taste) to explore different apple products. The kids loved it! We are also learning our letters, sight words, how to read pictures, how to listen to and comprehend stories read by others, how to collect data and put it in a graph, sorting by attribute, how to use a 10-frame, and so on. These kids are BUSY all the time and I am constantly amazed with their creativity, willingness to try, and the products they produce.

 Before I wrap up, I am going to leave you with a few funny kid quotes/stories from this week:

*Child crying

Me: “Oh my goodness, what is wrong?”

Child: “She told me I don’t sing as good as Katy Perry.”

Me: “Oh, well that’s okay. I don’t either.”

*I’m standing outside the art room watching my kids clean up and line up (2 skills we are constantly working to improve)

Art Teacher: “I need everyone to get in line.”

Kid who was just standing up against the back wall: “Um excuse me ma’am? I have to wait for everyone. Cuz I’m the boose!” (She was my caboose for the week)

I will try to be better about posting more often because I have so many stories about my spunky children all the time. Stay tuned for some more “Kindergarten Kronicles” coming soon.

Have a great rest of your weekend and a blessed week.

Yours Truly,

Steph