Hearts on Fire

What are you looking for?
How will you spend your life?
What is your soul's desire?
What sets you on fire, 
and gladdens your heart?... (c)

Thus begins Steve Warner's (ND Folk Choir) powerful & beautiful new song written for the celebration of ACE's 20th year of its Service Through Teaching program. The Folk Choir debuted this piece during Preparation of the Gifts at Missioning Mass this morning - and I was on the verge of tears. Its message rings incredibly true with the mission of ACE, with our call as teachers and leaders in the faith to bring young people to God through loving actions in our classrooms & schools. It was absolutely wonderful.

And I just can't say enough about my experience this summer - I know you are probably getting tired of me talking about it - but it renewed my spirit and rekindled that fire for teaching I had when I entered ACE five years ago.

Fr. Sean really helped to send us off at the Grotto service Thursday night - he spoke of his sixth grade teacher's retirement and how he had been able to go back for her celebration and speak on behalf his classmates. He said that he was convinced he was the teacher's favorite, and he said this in front of everyone, but then everyone else (including his twin sister) started claiming that each was the favorite instead. And, they were all right. It was true, Fr. Sean had said, because she made each of them feel like he/she was in fact the favorite. He then challenged us to do the same in the classroom - to treat each child as though he/she is our favorite (even though we know they won't all be our favorites - some are definitely more challenging than others), and I just thought that was such a neat perspective to have. What a great challenge to give.

And so, as summer comes to a close (after some family vacation, of course), I find myself asking, how will this year be different? Aside from the fact that my students will be older and I will be teaching different content, what will I do differently as a teacher to better & more consistently show the love of Christ to my students?