I'm Moving to Australia

Well kids, as much as I love my world, sometimes I have times like my recent nasty when things are just not good. I can never imagine myself doing anything but teaching, but right now it really bites! Now, I am not a fan of posts like this, but I just need a little vent session. So here goes... things Miss Keyes HATES!

1. Double birthday days, double assembly weeks.
2. Inside days...the end!
3. "Miss Keyes, Miss Keyes, Miss Keyes, Miss Keyes..."
4. My performance being judged solely on how my students do on a test. Breaking down sobbing when one of my students don't do as well as I know they can.
5. The constant gossip and false judgements that fly around the school.
6. The residue the red markers leave on my white board
7. Never stopping work! If I am not working, I'm thinking about work. I feel like my to do list is constant and ever ominous.
8. Kiddos that poke me to get my attention. YARG!
9.  Being ornery and tired all the time.
10. Announcements that last a million years at the worst possible time!

Okay, so I started this post when I was having a very very hard week. Things were nastily for a bit, and while the spring is ending up to be insanely crazy (science fair, state testing, clear creek, 5th grade play, ect.) things are going good. I survived parent teacher and my huge observation... success! I feel so blessed to have to opportunity to work with amazing people and an incredible environment.  To make up for the venting here are a couple things that happened this week that make me LOVE being a teacher:

1. Sincere thanks from parents. Them telling me that there students are happy and enjoy school.
2. My funny co-workers making faces at me through my window as they walk their students to lunch.
3. My nuggets telling me that I should grow out my hair so I can catch a prince like Rapunzel.
4. A students writing that she is successful in 5th grade because of her "nice, smart, (and pretty) teacher."
5.  A lil kiddo getting so excited when he can teach the class a math concept...good times.

Courage

In the recent past I have thought a lot about what it means to be courageous.  This may be because I don’t consider my self a very courageous person. I have never been asked to show any great courage.  My religion his never been openly attacked, I have never been faced with saving some one’s life, or accomplishing some great feat.  From most people’s perspective my life has been pretty easy, and I agree.  As I say in every post, I am incredibly blessed! Today I wanted to vent a little about how much courage it takes to do what is best.  So often we focus on doing what is “right”, these choices are the black and white, yes and no, choices we make where a clear “right” is present. Often times a clear “right” is not present and we are faced to do what is “best”, these choices are easy and most likely require, effort, pain, and courage.

In those moments when you are faced with something that from every point of view is good and right, but then The Lord steps in and asks you to choose what is best is when true courage is tested.  Courage is honestly some area where I do not excel, but I try to be grateful for the gentleness of my Heavenly Father in those moments.  Even though those times completely knock me off my feet and leave me feeling empty, I am constantly amazed at the tenderness of my Savior.  I once heard someone say  “every choice requires a sacrifice.” I completely agree! When The Lord asks you to choose what is “best” often times those sacrifices are very difficult to make because you are choosing to give up something that is good and possibly very dear.  I am not going to lie, sometimes having to make these sacrifices have left me bitter, hopeless and without faith.  I question sometimes why I have been required to make these sacrifices because to me, these are such good, incredible things in my life, why should I need to give them up?  I do not have the answers to many of these questions. All I know is that I only see a small portion of the picture and I trust that I can just do my best with what I have been given, even though I am such a little wimp.

I guess this reflection has been triggered by a recent event in my family who has shown incredible courage. I am so proud of them!  Both people involved have shown amazing courage. One person had to act on a prompting and the other has to recognize that it was from The Lord and cope.  WOW! I am so grateful for the people that set such great examples for me. Also, for the moments and people that have helped me become who I am today. Yup… I am blessed!