Goodbyes are the hardest

Well Folks, yesterday was my last day with the little nuggets that I have called students for the past 11 months :( 

Yes there were tears shed. 

I know I recently posted about my students and the inspiration they have been in my life, but  I think its only fitting to go a little deeper about my journey the past 11 months. Deciding to be a teacher is a story within itself, but deciding to work in the school I did was the hand of God working in my life. He opened the door to work in this school and I was hired 2 days after applying. A couple of months later I was asked to be a student teacher in the building so I could continue to work after school followed by an offer to work the summer school program. This past year has prepared me for my calling in life, which is to teach at lower income school districts or inner city schools. 

I absolutely LOVE these kids. More than I ever thought possible. I never truly realized the impact I could have with them. The moments where they hug and cry as you leave, or tell you they are moving in with you, or the notes the write discussing how important you are to them, or the pictures they draw of you both holding hands, and the stories they write about how they wouldn't have made it through the sixth grade with out you. Those are the moments where I think this is why everything up to this point in my life has been the way it has. This is the calling God has given me. 

Putting faith in God is super scary. And turning down a secure 50k job to go back to school for teaching was one of the harder things I have done. But these 11 months only proved that everything happened for a reason and that I am meant to be a teacher. These kids will never realize how important they were to me, or how much they impacted my life, or the things I learned from them. But this relationship works two ways and although I like to think I touched the lives of at least one student, multiple students have impacted mine, and forever I will be grateful and appreciative of them. 

On a lighter note, I now have a month to do nothing. So, I am deciding to dedicate my time to working out, reading, preparing for the upcoming school year, and blogging. Any cool link ups in August I would love to participate in let me know! 

Have a great weekend and enjoy this little jam, after all its summertime!