The Harvest

Well, it's official. The 2015-16 school year is officially under way. I know this not only because a swarm of small humans stormed my classroom two days ago bearing school supplies galore, but also because my feet are currently reminding me that standing all day in those super cute shoes was not ideal. But alas, such is the life of an educator. Chronically sore feet is but one of many occupational hazards that we must learn to smile through.

As hectic as the week has been, it has also been exciting. My little ones have reminded me why I love this job so much. I forget many things over the course of the summer, all of which I'm quickly reminded of during the first week back to school. I'll detail a few of the things I've had to "relearn" this week so far...

Extra Nugget #10

Assume nothing. Teach everything.

The summer sun seemed to have washed away my memory of just how much we have to teach these little boogers at the beginning of the school year. I mean, really. I listen to myself and think, "This is really my job. I get paid for this." A few examples of moments when I assumed a child knew something that seemed painfully obvious to me...

• "No sweetheart, you probably shouldn't throw your new lunchbox away."
• "Yes dear, I do know to read."
• "Do I have yellow hair? Can you see me? Then I think you know the answer."
• This child proceeded to draw a picture of me with...... yellow hair. My hair is very much brown.
• "No, your robot cannot live on your desk. Especially if it keeps beeping this loudly."
• "Please get that pencil out of your ear."
• "Actually, the Minion movie was fiction. I know. Disappointing."

I know what you're thinking: "Wow, her kids are real freak shows." Yes. Yes they are. And I love it.

Extra Nugget #11

Kids are hilarious.

Do I really need to be reminded of this? Apparently so, because every year I'm finding it harder and harder to keep a straight face at some of the things I overhear in my room:

• "I bet Mrs. Murphy loves Katy Perry."
• Quickly followed by another student: "No way. She's a Luke Bryan kind of girl."
• "I had a wedgie the whole time we were reading and I didn't even do nothing about it!"
• "My mom says my sister can't paint her face until she's 18."
• "My dream is to be a 15-year-old."

Welcome to my world. And for the record, I am a Luke Bryan kind of girl.

Extra Nugget #12

They need us. Badly.

Maybe I'm naive. Maybe I tend to ignore the injustice in the world. Maybe I simply forget. At any rate, every year I'm shocked at the realities that my students must go home to every day. Last year a teacher in Colorado asked her students to complete the sentence "I wish my teacher knew..." and the answers she got were heartbreaking. My partner teacher and I did this with our students today, and some of the responses left me weeping at my desk:

• "I don't have a great life. Other students have a great family, but not me."
• "I don't have a father. I have one, but he doesn't love me anymore."
• "My mom left me. I don't miss her... it was her fault she left, not mine."
• "My dad and my mom have problems. I don't see my dad."

This is their world. I come home to a cup of coffee and a husband who adores me. They go home to heartache and abandonment. Is it any wonder that they sometimes forget their homework? Am I really surprised when they can't seem to focus in class? I read these responses (and these are just a few of many) and I see a pervasive pattern of kids who feel forgotten, unloved, and cast aside. How desperately I want to wrap each child up and tell them the truth as our tears mingle: 

"I will not forget you! I have engraved you on the palms of my hand."

Isaiah 49:16

Sweet child, you were never forgotten. Even before you were born, He knew you. You have purpose. 

Luke wrote that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. I have news for you, teachers: the harvest is walking through our doors every day. Hearts ripe for the Gospel but hardened by harsh realities in their own homes. We cannot afford to let them leave our presence without knowing whose they are. No, we might not be able to share the Gospel with them. But we can love like Jesus loves. They obviously aren't seeing unconditional love at home. Let's be the ones to show them a small glimpse of what it feels like to be a Child of the King. Let's surprise them with kindness and shower them with grace. Let's encourage them with patience and inspire them with truth. Let's give them the hope that their world won't always have to be this way. Give them something to hold on to when they leave your room every day, because the house they will soon walk into will only greet them with despair. Give them hope, teachers.

Yes, the harvest is plentiful indeed. And they need us. Badly.

20 Things Every Teacher Thinks During Inservice

It's that time of year. School supplies lists are prominently displayed in every Wal-Mart and Target. Children are debating between Minecraft or Avengers backpacks. Teachers are preparing to only be known by their last names again. That's right. It's Back to School season.

While this is an exciting time for students as they decide which outfits to wear and think about seeing their friends, it can be a stressful time for teachers as they realize how much needs to get done before those small humans show up Monday morning. We are excited about the new year too, but the list of tasks seems to keep growing and growing until that first bell rings. Hang in there, fellow teachers! Somehow we will be prepared on time! Here is a small glimpse of what the week before the students return is like for every educator:

1. I'm glad school is starting, it'll be good to be back on a work schedule.... I think...

2. I wonder when we'll have time to work in our classrooms?

3. This year I will definitely not get behind on grading. What could possibly get in the way?

4. I'm going to use so much technology this year!

5. Who has time for technology when we have so much to cover?!?

6. I love being organized! I think this new organization system is definitely going to work all year long and be easy to keep up with. I'm sure I won't change it mid-year like I always have before.

7. Maybe we'll get to work in our classrooms today...

8. Maybe we'll get our class rosters today...

9.  I'M NEVER GOING TO GET MY CLASSROOM SET UP.

10. My bladder is NOT back on it's once-a-day schedule yet.

11. 20 minute break... is that enough time to go to Sonic?

12. This new curriculum seems so much better than last year!

13. Whoever wrote this new curriculum has obviously never taught before. 

14. When's lunch?

15. I wonder if I have __________'s little brother this year?

16. This is the year that my students won't lose every pencil they own. I can feel it.

17. Aww, these new teachers are so cute and motivated and unaware that college has prepared them for nothing.

18. This is a great 2-hour lecture about how to teach without lecturing.

19. How close is Starbucks?

And, lastly...

20. Bring it on, school year. Bring. It. On.

A Letter to my Future Students

As fantastic as summer has been, it's time to get real: School is starting just around the corner. Many of you may have started back already (God bless you), and the rest of us will be starting Monday. Right around this time I always start to think about the students that will walk into my classroom on the first day of school and I wonder what they will be like. I like to imagine that those same students are also wondering about what their teachers will be like. What would I tell them if I had the chance to talk to them before the year even begins? To practice their multiplication? To buy extra pencils since most of their will be lost within two weeks? Those are practical pieces of advise, sure. But I'd like to let those kids know a lot more. Having said that, here is an open letter to my future students:

Dear Little Minions,

Hello there! My name is Mrs. Murphy and I will be your math teacher this year in 4th grade. I'm sure some of you remember me from the days I had lunch duty with you last year. Yes, I spent those days wondering which of you would be in my class this year, and now we know! There are a few things you need to know as we begin this year. There are so many things I wish I could tell you... I wish I could tell you that every day will be fun in my class. I wish I could tell you that you will use every bit of math I teach you when you are an adult. I wish I could tell you that I will be kind and loving and patient every day. But I can't tell you those things. I can't tell you those things because they are not true.

You see, little ones, I want to be perfectly honest with you from the very beginning: I know there will be days that are hard. There will be days when you wonder "When will I ever need to use this?" In fact, on those days I'm probably wondering the same thing. I'll tell you the truth right now: the only time I ever use a protractor is when I teach you to use a protractor. That's just the way it goes sometimes, but I still have to teach you. Sometimes I will teach you things that are two or three years ahead of where your little brains are developmentally, and I promise that those days frustrate me as much as they frustrate you. And, yes, I hate standardized testing too. It's true! In fact, all of your teachers do. So, you see, we aren't that different, are we? Let's agree with one another right now that we won't let those frustrating moments overcome us, but that we will walk through them together. That's what I'm here for, after all.

I want to make sure all of you know the reason I teach. No, it's not because math facts are my passion. I became a teacher because I know that most of you have been forced to grow up long before you were ready, and I want my classroom to be a place where you can be a kid again. I don't know if you feel loved wherever you are now, but I teach so that when you are in my room you know that there is at least one person who thinks the world of you. When I see you, I see someone who was created on purpose and with a purpose. My hope is that we can discover what your purpose is together. I know that your world is unfair. I know that your world can be harsh. Little ones, your hands are too small to carry those burdens alone. Let me help you carry them. That is why I'm here.

Those are the reasons that I teach, but I need to admit to you that I don't always remember that. I need you to help me remember. On the days when I seem stressed, it's not because of you. It's because my job depends on how much you know rather than how well I know you, and that upsets me. But you, little ones, can help me remember the real reason I'm here. You can help me remember that I didn't become a teacher to get great test scores. Will you remind me on the days I forget? Remind me by giving me a hug when you see me. Remind me by showing me how excited you are about your new shoes. Remind me by telling me the real reason you didn't do your homework is because you were visiting dad in prison yesterday. Remind me by telling me the days you didn't eat any breakfast or dinner the night before. Remind me that the reason I'm here is because of who you are, not because of what I can make you do. I'll do my best to remember, but I need you as much as you need me.

I'm looking forward to our year together! I already love each one of you, and I can't wait to see all your new school supplies on the first day. Will this year be easy? Not always. But I guarantee it will be memorable. Let's walk together as we remind each other of our purpose, and 4th grade will be a year that I promise you will never forget. Welcome to my class!

With all my heart,
Mrs. Murphy

What I've Learned About Teaching

Well. Hello there. Yes, I know it's been almost three years since I posted anything. If you're an educator then you totally understand how crazy life can get and how easily time can slip away from you. If you aren't an educator, then we have nothing in common. (Ok, that might not be true... but it very well could be). I decided to get back on the blogging scene because a lot has happened in the past few years, and also because I truly enjoy writing about my experiences as a teacher.

First, I'll get you up to speed on what's happened since my last post in 2012 as a student teacher:

• November 2012: Started teaching elementary school
• December 2012: Began dating a cute boy
• December 2013: Married the cute boy
• July 2014: Moved to the Big City
• August 2014: Started teaching 4th grade at the best school anywhere in the history of places
• June 2015: Began a Masters program for Guidance and Counseling

And there you have it. Three years of my life summed up into six bullets. I'm torn between being impressed with my conciseness and disappointed at my lack of awesomeness. But, I must say, that third bullet has made my life way more awesomer than anything else I've ever done. Yes, awesomer. No judgement, I teach math.

I still can't believe that I'm about to begin my fourth year of teaching. I'd like to say that I can't believe it because time has gone by so fast, but it's mostly because I'm in denial that summer is almost over. Nevertheless, the past three years have zipped by in a blur. I've learned more in three years of teaching than I did in 4 1/2 years of college. Here are some extra nuggets I've picked up along the way:

Extra Nugget #8

Teaching is hard.

Calm down. No need to shout. I know it's shocking, but teaching is not for the faint of heart. Nothing in my life has made me more of an emotional train wreck than teaching (Except maybe engagement... sorry, Cute Boy. Your patience is quite chivalrous and I love you.) If you're looking for a job where you can feel defeated, stressed, tired, confused, and unappreciated, then teaching may be the job for you! Sometimes I wonder what ever made me choose this profession in the first place. Working with small humans is unpredictable and challenging, and often times I feel like all the hours I put in are not paying off. This is my field, and it's just how it is: teaching is hard.

Extra Nugget #9

Teaching is worth it.

My job is hard, no questions asked. I dare you to find a single teacher that disagrees. But my job is also worth it, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find an educator that disagrees with me on that point as well. Yes, there are days when I leave school pulling my hair out and praying someone will finally put a coffee IV in the work room. However, there are days that leave me wondering why I would ever consider any other job...

 

Who else gets to see the quiet child finally come out of her shell the last weeks of school? 

Who else gets to be there to witness the "aha" moment when the lowest student does a math problem on his own for the first time? 

Who else gets to teach ten-year-old boys how to be a gentleman all year and finally see them opening the door for the girls in their class rather than running over them to be first? 

Who else gets to be there when a child comes back to school after losing his mom and just needs someone to hug him?

Who else gets to tell a young girl that she's beautiful, regardless of what her family tells her?

Who else gets to pray that a group of young people will discover their passions and the God who created them?

I do. We do. Teachers do. 

And those moments far outweigh the stressful times. Because the truth is that those small humans need someone to help them navigate this world, and I'll accept that challenge any day. Is it hard? Absolutely. I end each year unsure of how I made it out alive. 

But is it worth it? Undoubtedly.

Stay strong, teachers, as we prepare for a new school year. The small humans need us, and we can't afford to let them down.