I glad to know that my Sec 2 kids are back to their happy selves again. Although I didn't manage to teach them today because of the composition test, I knew they were doing OK. Thanks for your note, Jo. It's great to know you're back to your smiley self again! :) And thanks to the rest of you that left sweet notes in my chatterbox. You're really a bunch of wonderful kids! :)
Yesterday, it dawned on me that I have just about three months to get to know my class better, then it's a brand new year again. Will I get back the same form class? In a way, it saddens me to know that I've barely got to know them, and then I have to inherit a new class again. Maybe it's God's way of letting me touch the lives of as many students as I can whilst here.
Today, on my way back, I met a student from Sec 4 Peace. I taught his class CME during my practicum. He asked why I didn't teach their class any more. At the bus stop, I met four cheery girls from Sec 3 Integrity. They were equally excited to see me. We chatted for a while before the got up their bus.
I could have brushed it off as an ordinary meeting, but I think it's God's little way of reminding me that these are the fruits of my labour. I recalled the hard times I had establishing the rapport with the kids. Now, I have that rapport, and I thank God for it.
It brings me back to think about my current Sec 3 Peace class. Have I done enough to reach out to them? Maybe, I haven't tried hard enough? Do I pick a few to focus my energy on, or do I cast the net wide? I look at each one of them every day, and I ask myself - why? What can I do to make that difference in their lives?
Maybe the poem I went through with the class today touched the hearts of some, I think. I saw one girl copying the whole poem out! It talks about how life seems unfair, but it's really up to us to deal with it. I think God spoke through me when I went through the poem with them! I was thoroughly unprepared! I hadn't even read the whole poem when I started explaining phrase by phrase what it meant. At the end of it all, I surprised even myself on how I had interpreted the poem! Let me share it with you here. It's called...
After a While
After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open,
With the grace of a woman,
Not the grief of a child
And you learn to build all your roads on today,
Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After awhile you learn that even sunshine
Burns if you get too much
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
In stead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers
And you learn that you really can endure...
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth,
and you learn and learn...
With every good bye you learn.
Veronica Shoffstall 1971
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