Teaching the World in One Classroom

At first, I was quite nervous and didn't really know what to expect.  The first day of student teaching I I was able to get in front of the class and teach a lesson.  After watching my Cooperating teacher (co-op) teach the same lesson two times I was asked if I wanted to give it a shot.  I had no hesitation after sitting and observing and was ready to start what I had been preparing to do for the past four years: teach!

I was so excited for this new venture I was about ot take on. However, after the first week, I didn't like it.  I thought, "Really? Four classes of the same lesson eeeevery day?! How boring!" It got really long and I couldn't help but imagine how much of a drag the next six weeks were going to be.  Now, with two weeks left,  I don't think it could have gone any faster.

I have been in a public school Kindergarten English Language Learners (ELL) classroom for the past 5 weeks and after the first week, I have loved every minute of it.  Even though I still teach the same lesson four times a day, each class personality is different.  I have 36 kids I see throughout the day and their backgrounds are quite diverse!

Here's a list of primary languages the kids had before coming to school:  Spanish, Middle Eastern Arabic, African Arabic,  Nuer, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Ukrainian, & Russian.

Everyday, I feel like I'm traveling the world!  I love each one of these kids and am going to miss them dearly once my Student Teaching I experience is up.  I'm excited that God has blessed me with this wonderful opportunity and really affirmed me that teahing is one of the passions He has given me.  Even though it's a public school, every morning I pray that God would use me to touch these kids with the POWERFUL, LIFE-CHANGING, Love of Christ He has feely given all of us by the His Grace!

These next two weeks are going to be bittersweet but I'm excited for the next assignment God has given me: 1st grade regular classroom in Frankenmuth, Michigan. It will be WAY different and a whole new culture. I hear 98% of the school is caucasian, which makes sense since it is a little German town. :-) I guess the phone number for it is 800-FUN-TOWN.  Ha. Check it out: http://www.frankenmuth.org/


Even though it will be different, God is still God, people are still people, and all are in dire need to hear of the grace of God.