I didn’t come back from the beach until 9:00 last Sunday night. This was the night before pre-planning when my really nice summer ended. I sat in the car a few extra minutes savoring the precious quiet moments of what was left of vacation. Summer life had been good. It can be a painful process for all teacher people to transition from summer mode to school mode. When the transition is complete, it is an incredible sight to behold. We harness all our renewed energy to prepare for that first day of school. When asked, we can also recall that very first day of school. Armored with lists, plans, and schedules, teachers can describe in fascinating detail that first moment when their new classroom door closed and their work began. My first day of teaching French was in a classroom in Auburn University's Haley Center. I quickly discovered my inability to write on a blackboard and talk at the same time. I was terrified AND chalk dust soon covered my suit jacket complete with shoulder pads. It was 1992, so I wore the matching dress shorts , a look that for me has unfortunately come back in style. The next day, I found an empty classroom. For hours, I practiced twisting around to be able to speak to students as I trained my hand to be steady. No teacher wants to shake the underarm fat. Since then, I have been teaching everything from college to kindergarten. That’s thirty years of watching education change and kids come and go, yet I still have eight more to go in Georgia before I think about retiring. It’s been thirty years of hearing my soul sigh when my teacher people move on to new schools. Do they realize how they graciously provided the fruit of the spirit to those around them? Do they realize that when they were teaching kids, they were teaching me, too? Mandy showed me how to love elementary kids. At a time when I only knew what I thought I knew, she modeled excellence through her loving voice. Her tone of speech, her choice of words, and her command of every aspect of her classroom creates an atmosphere of order and affection in which students thrive. I wish I had a manual of all the creative things she has said to her students over the years. Rachel spreads pure joy. She is an angel on earth! She easily brings others to moments of crazy wonder with her laughter, jokes, and willingness to do anything for anyone. It also gave me joy to see Hollie, my daughter’s former babysitter, embrace a year of teaching. Hollie’s joy in the Lord that comes from her belief that all things are possible. Sundai has an uncanny understanding of peace. She knows searching for peace in a school is not about creating a perfect set of teaching conditions. She is not afraid to speak honestly or sit respectfully at a table with people of different backgrounds, abilities, and agendas. How many times did I look at her during meetings for balance? She knows peace begins with an open table. She understands that peace begins by giving others a place at that table. Ashlee carefully camouflages the patience of a saint by sashaying her happy pixie-like self through the halls. You see her singing and playing with her kiddos as she reaches into their guarded hearts and brings out hope-covered giggles. I admire how she listens and then mixes her responses to others with a dash of salt, a taste of sweet, and a little bit of spice. The kindness of Laura is a beautiful reflection of her spirit. She started my day with genuine friendship filled with gracious, loving kindness. Laura is a fountain of simple gifts and soft words of encouragement that cascade over others. Her generosity nurtures people. If goodness is a food, it is banana bread. I will miss the goodness of Julie who shared inspiration, laughter, banana bread, and casseroles. We never had time to have deep conversations of life, but there were good, good moments of fellowship at my door when I needed them most. It is always just good to see her. I watched Rebecca reclaim her life, standing faithfully on the promises of His word. I glimpsed my former self in her journey of moving home, raising daughters, teaching, going back to school, and never turning her back on love until she found it. She possesses a level of endurance that only those who have walked in her footsteps can appreciate. Libby is clothed in a gentle spirit and a calm exterior anchored on a formidable rock of faith. She can’t be shaken. as well as one of the most authentic teachers I have ever known. She is the hands and feet of Jesus, accepting and loving everyone. Cindy is another teacher who always greets others with a gentle smile, a gentle hug, and a gentle heart. Jackie gives her students and their families unwavering devotion. She does her job for the long-term good of student, not just immediate short-term success. Jackie teaches them how to control and manage their thoughts, words, and actions as they embrace a new language. Jackie rests in the security of good stewardship because of her humble, hardworking spirit of self-control. I will miss these teacher people more than they realize. Maybe more than they will miss me. As I say a prayer for their first day at new endeavors with new plans, agendas, faces, and stories, I hope it is memorable and full of good fruit. Their new teacher people don’t quite know what a blessing is on the way.
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JoAnna Arnold
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