Breakthrough!

I've been dreading the end of this school year for a long time. I'll be losing one of my favorite students, and I will be gaining a bunch of punk sixth graders. Grrr. I figured I would probably adjust, but I'm just not a huge fan of adjustments. I mean, when I was a senior I didn't want to graduate, when I was in Bible School I wished it would last forever, and I thought that college was the pinnacle of life. And you know how I feel about teaching...

So ya, not a big fan of change.

Yesterday was parent-teacher conference day. I had no conferences with parents of my own students (they are all satisfied with their grades... surprise surprise), but there were two mothers of 6th graders who wanted to talk to me. Their sons are both first-borns, so this "junior high" is a biiig unknown. (I have a feeling that next year is going to hold a lot more in the "high maintenance mom" department. Sigh. Maybe even "wicked high maintenance mom.")

Anyway, we got talking and both moms (I LOVED the first one - she reminded me of Linda Holscher when she smiled - and she brought me CHOCOLATE!) said something about how their sons were really looking forward to having me. BOTH of the boys had said something to their mothers about how they wanted me for a teacher. OH MY WORD! I got an instant high on their words of affirmation, and now, suddenly, I'm really looking forward to having those 6th graders!

(I am ridiculously dependent on words of aff - it's quite pathetic sometimes. But hey, look how much it helped here!)

It's really funny, because these boys have no idea what I'm like as a teacher. Their first-hand experience of me is from one field-trip, passing in the halls, and the two times I led music in chapel. They don't know that I'm actually a little more demanding in the classroom!

It reminds me of the conversation I had with a second grader, who said some similarly positive thing. I asked her how she knew, since she'd never had me as a teacher. "I can hear you through the wall!" she said cheerfully. Ohhhhh noooooooooo! No wonder I have to have those periodic talks with the headmaster. Siiiiiigh.

Anyway, the point of this post is that I've had quite a turn-around in my spirit about next year, and I'm very thankful. And the second point is, dear readers, you never know when a word of encouragement here or there will really turn someone's day or attitude around! Especially when dealing with words of aff people...