On the Eve of the First Day of School...

What a day! After being involved in 7th grade orientation last year, I had some idea what to expect. However, last year, by the time orientation rolled around, I was finished with all the other preparations to start the school year. This time, not so much. I moved to new office, which is a little bigger and gives the students more access to visit me. However, the back half of the room is being used for storage and was just filled up this morning. That means I can finally start to organize my half of the room and make it more inviting and comfortable. The question is whether or not I can start and finish that by tomorrow morning. It's a race against the clock at this point!

Seventh grade orientation went well, overall. It's fun to see all of the little students with wide eyes and on their best behavior because their parents are with them. We bombard them with lots of information in hopes that they will have a better idea of what high school is like. I talked about 10 Keys to Successful Studying in 5 mini-sessions. Being in front of a "class" was a good warm-up for starting to teach tomorrow, but a strain on the voice. Last year I had at least a half dozen coughing fits at the beginning of the year as my throat just couldn't handle talking that much at a volume the whole class could hear. I'm prepared with cough drops and alternative activities this year just in case :)

If I'm being honest, I haven't been that excited to start school. It feels so strange because I loved teaching so much last year. Why wouldn't I be eager to do it again? I was excited at the end of last year and over the summer, so much that I couldn't sleep sometimes. For whatever reason, I haven't felt that excitement since I've been in Honduras. Until today. After all the 7th graders and their parents left, there was a group of seniors decorating the school for their senior entrance tomorrow (a big celebration before school declaring their status as seniors). I was greeted with hugs, good conversations, and genuine excitement about the upcoming year. How could I not be excited after that? Last year was great, but I was starting from scratch with the students on the first day. I already have relationships with several students in the school, and I can't wait to see how God will use those relationships for His glory this year. Today I was reminded what a privilege it is to spend time with these teenagers every day, and I can genuinely say that I am excited to get started tomorrow even though I feel unprepared and life is a little chaotic. In a situation that would have completely stressed me out even a year ago, it is encouraging to see how God is changing my heart and my attitude from one of anxiety to one of peace that surpasses understanding.

Prayer requests:
-Staying healthy. I can already feel myself getting a little sick, and that's not a good way to start off the year!
-Vocal stamina. Haha. But seriously. Teacher's can't be losing their voices on the first couple of days.
-Relationships with students where they trust me enough to let me into their lives
-That I will learn the college application process quickly and the students will have grace when I don't have all the answers (which is hard for a person who likes to have all the answers)