Summer Winds Bring Change

Where has summer gone?

Like many teachers I know, there were grand dreams on the horizon during those first days of June, when my hands still smelled of bleach and all the memories from this past school year had been neatly (or, at times, not so neatly) packed away in boxes - dreams to plan and organize for August and the beginning of another chapter (year 7, can you believe it?) in my teaching life...

And here we are...August 4th...a mere 10 days before in-service begins...and what do I have to show for it?

(Don't answer that one.)

Okay, so maybe those grand dreams didn't pan out as planned, but one significant thing has happened, whether I originally planned it or not (which, for the record, I didn't.): I have discovered a renewed sense of purpose. This summer, I have been reminded (through my pilgrimage to the Holy Land, my time at Notre Dame, & my vacation in Michigan) that the most important thing I need to teach my students this year (and in all the ones to come) is how much God loves each one of us and wants us to be with Him. It may sound silly or oversimplified, but that's the beauty of it - Because God loves us...I need to help the students treat each other in ways that build up instead of cut down. Because God loves us...I need to help the students experience an understanding of gratitude rather than entitlement. Because God loves us...I need to help the students strive for service of others in light of the Gospels and Catholic Social Teaching.

Because that, my friends, is the most important lesson of all. We love because God loved us...first.