Welcoming the Double Digit Years

I just finished my 9th year of teaching middle school math, and I'm feeling thankful- grateful God designed me to do something, grateful that I found that something early, grateful I get to do what I love and am made for.

So here are a few things I enjoy about what I do:

* the randomness of middle schoolers
* the nearly-daily stories my job produces
* their energy and enthusiasm
* the chance to introduce some major math concepts for the first time
* changing kids' minds- convincing those that don't believe they can do math that they indeed can, showing those who think they know everything that there's always more to learn
* somewhere to put my energy
* the camaraderie of teachers
* seasonal unemployment =)
* middle schoolers: young enough to be affectionate, old enough to be interesting
* significant conversations with students
* a job I can always think about more and do better
* class discussions: "But Miss Gac, what if..."
* the chance to get your foot in the door on significant issues before they've really chosen one path or another
* seeing kids grow- physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually
* the daily reminder that people are not stuck where they are today- God is a saviour and redeemer

I'm so blessed to be a teacher.