Kids

It's getting late, and it's been a very long day, but blogging is like therapy for me now. I have something that's been burdening me for some time. This is mainly why I haven't posted anything for over a week-because it's been on my mind so heavily.
If you've read very much of this site, or if you know me personally, you know that I am a special ed. teacher. My degree is in Elem. Ed. However, after teaching 8 years in the regular class, I felt God leading me to do something more for those students with learning disabilities. So I asked to be moved to that area. (You read right, I asked!!) I worked toward that goal and passed my specialty area test for sped. Some days I still can't believe that I asked for that position. At one point, I really hated it. But then I just gave in to God's will and accepted that maybe He had me there for a purpose.
My heart really pours out for the students that struggle, I guess mainly because it's all too familiar. God has really allowed me to reach out to my kids and some of their parents through my dyslexia. I think having a "learning disability" has allowed me to "click" with some of my students. I can really teach them that you can still be somebody and do something meaningful with your life-just because you learn differently.
I can't really mention my students, but a lot of them come from a lot of different backgrounds that I am not familiar with. This is the part that's been burdening my heart. These kids deal with things that kids shouldn't have to deal with. Some of them are the parent. Some of them have little to no support because parents work or they just don't know how to do what we're doing now in school. I can relate to that as my son is getting on up there in math. Some students only hear positive things at school. I can tell them I love them-some of them just look at me like I'm crazy. It really reminds me to try to be all of those things to my kids at home-so they don't go to school lacking.
Everybody jokes about parenting-but it is a hard job. Many of us work outside the home and then try to have a Godly family and raise our kids in the Lord. It is not an easy task. You know, seeing and hearing about what some of my students go through-and just teens in general- it really makes me take a long, hard look at myself. Am I spending enough time in His word? Do my children see that and see me praying. Am I conducting myself as a Christian at ALL times-and not just when I think others are looking? Am I doing things that are pleasing to the Lord? Are my children witnessing that, or are they seeing me in "the flesh"? So many times at school, you hear the jargon about children being a product of their environment; which is very true. It's just gotten me to thinking about my own children. What kind of "product" will they be? It's scary, but a lot of that is up to me.