Suspending Judgement

I am not going to lie, the last three weeks have been rigorous, challenging, emotionally draining, and no way around it: tough.

It is so easy to get caught up in my student's misbehavior and lack of determination that I lose sight of the reason why I am here: to show the love of Jesus Christ to those who are hungry, lost, poor, and broken.

I have been encouraged by a friend to remember "Education for education’s sake is not the end goal. We are Christ’s ambassadors, sent out into the world to bring equality and justice, to bring good news to the poor, and to proclaim liberty to the captives (Isaiah 61:1). Pursue Jesus and love him deeply, even when you think you do not have the time or energy. . If you do this, I know that the Lord will answer your cry. He will make your light break forth like the dawn, satisfy your desire in scorched places, and make your bones strong. He will make you like a spring of fresh water that gives rest and comfort to others and never fails."

It is so good to be reminded in this season of immense change, HE NEVER CHANGES.

One of the strategies we have learned is suspending judgement on students. We should be patient when presuming a reason for misbehavior and lack of desire. You never know what some one is going through. I have seen it all: hunger, probation officers, no one who cares about them, you name it. This strategy has taught me so much and I have seen evidence of this is my TFA friends. It is so great to be emerged in such a diverse group and have respectful conversations about the diversity that exists in our nation today. We are all so different but it never matters. We all have opinions and they are all heard. Judgement is sacrificed for love and support. We do not possess the power to judge; only the power to influence.

To trump feelings of inadequacy as a teacher, I am reminded that:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and Godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires"-2 Peter 1:3-1:4

I'm Nervous...

... of the when the harsh realities of the inner-city school systems meet my firmly rooted passion for students to succeed.

The past few days have been long and emotionally engaging. It has been awesome to witness a group of highly diverse individuals (diverse in every sense of the word: race, socioeconomic status, geographical location, upbringing, sexual orientation, political affiliation, religion, and anything you can name). Sitting in a room of these individuals and engaging in ideas of ending the achievement gap is one of the coolest things I have ever been a part of. The caliber of these people committed to this cause is simply incredible.

I thought I had a grasp of the education gap that exists today until the stories became real stories and experiences of people who had experienced these realities in the classroom firsthand. There is just something in putting names in stories that make them so much real to me. You become engaged and invested. I know I am in the right place right now because I am fired up about the problem that I will set out everyday to fix. I never once felt that way about teeth.

This passion is what makes me so nervous. I am worried about maintaining high expectations of my students despite being aware of the difficulties that they may be facing at home. There is no denying that something needs to be done to raise these expectations in order for every student to be given the fair chance to succeed.

"This is the time, Memphis is the place."

Be inspired. I for sure am: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yp3DMAHh9s

P.S.: Ironically I am the conservative, Southern, goody-good, Christian, fratty kid in this mix. Which in comparison to most of my friends, this is no where close to being the case. I will take it with pride :) Also, zar is spreading throughout the U.S.! You just wait...