It’s been just about one month since my first “real” job ended. And my, how this month has flown by! The week following the end of the school year, my summer job was off and running. It’s been a wonderful month full of family events, friends, and a trip to watch one of my favorite bands play at Red Rocks. After jumping right into the hectic activities of summer, I’m just now reflecting on everything I’ve learned in the past six months. Because lists rock the world, I compiled a short list of things I learned at my first “real” job:
1. No matter how long you’re with someone (one week, one month, six months, or longer), you have enough time to make an impact. There were some students whom I only saw for a few weeks, but you better believe I did all I could to teach them new skills in reading. They deserved the very best from me. And I couldn’t deny them that right.
2. Having a team that works together will make your job easier, your days more enjoyable, and you will become that much better of a teacher (or whatever your profession is) because you are constantly learning from them. I was blessed to work with a reading team of four other ladies who love children, who love the people they work with, and who love eating chocolate on stressful days. I learned as much from them in one semester as I did in a year of college.
3. Ok, ok, this is super cliche, but it’s true. The children who are hardest to love are the ones who need love the most. Our office was right next to the recovery room- the place where students would go when they “couldn’t handle” being in the classroom anymore. We heard a lot of screaming, chairs being thrown, and pounding on the walls, and every single time it was heartbreaking. I couldn’t help thinking about the pain they were feeling to make them act out in such anger and sadness.
4. Little gestures can make the biggest impact. In a few of my groups, I had a behavior plan for all of the students to follow. If they received all four stars for the day, they would get a big hug from Miss Strecker- and they were PUMPED! Whenever a student earned all four stars, I would give them the option of a hug in case they were uncomfortable with it, and let me tell you- I was never denied. Some students would even wait around after group ended to get their hug. I loved it as much as they did!
5. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or ask questions. Going back to working with a stellar team, I asked for advice all the time, and learned a ton from them. If I had tried to just do it all on my own, I wouldn’t have done near as many fun activities, and my students would have become bored and probably wouldn’t have learned as much as they did. Sometimes activities didn’t go as planned, and it was a-okay!
6. Going into each day with a positive attitude can change the group’s overall attitude. Even on days when I was exhausted and didn’t want to deal with Student A’s poor attitude or Student B wanting to run away from group, I made it a point to greet them with a smile every day, and to let them know that I appreciated seeing them that day. You never know how often they hear those words.
7. Everyone wants to feel wanted, loved, appreciated, and encouraged.
And finally,
8. Kids really do say the darndest things. I learned that one of my Kindergarteners is a “defender of the earth” and that he can run faster than the Flash. This is really impressive, people. Another time, when a first grader was reading a story, he stopped and talked about how skim milk is gross because it’s made of SKIN.
So there ya go, 8 things I learned during my first “real” teaching job.
Not only has it been one month since that job ended, but today marks one month until I leave for training camp! July 19, I will be boarding a plane for Atlanta, Georgia to meet all of my squadmates, and 3 other squads leaving in September. I don’t know exactly what will happen, but I know that God is going to be very present throughout that week.
And it will be hot. And humid.
ALSO, I have VERY BIG, EXCITING NEWS!!
Thanks to my latest two donors (shout-out to Vicki Haverkamp and Gerri and Josh Blaisdell!), I have met my SECOND fundraising goal!!! The $7500 deadline is August 22- and YOU have surpassed it two months early! Guys, I AM OFFICIALLY LAUNCHING IN SEPTEMBER!
I can’t thank you enough for being my prayer warriors, for your support-both through words of encouragement and your generous donations, for telling your families and friends about the Race, and most of all, for believing in what the Lord is doing around the world through World Racers. He is doing big things, and I’m excited you all are joining me on this journey! I couldn’t do it without you!
If you still want to join my support team to share the Lord’s love throughout the world, click here to make a tax-deductible donation!
By the next deadline, I will need $11,000 in my account. Please prayerfully ask the Lord if and how much He is calling you to donate.
As always, please continue to pray for me, for my squad, and for my family and friends during this time of preparation. Thank you.
xo, Caitlin
