“Mommy! I mean, Miss Simmons…”
“If it wasn’t for you, we would not have kept our child at this school…”
“When I grow up, I want to be a special ed teacher, too.”
I just wanted to share a very important piece of my heart with you tonight…
I have been called mom, momma, grandma, and even dad more times than I can count… all with an embarrassed look to follow, but a heart full of love. Although I don’t have any biological children of my own… I do have many children who I consider and often refer to as “my kids,” 47 of them to be exact. Yes, I am a teacher.
When I went into Elementary and Special Education at Ball State University, my original goal was to go into the mission field and use my education to help teach in poor areas of Central or South America. I thought, “That’s where the children need me. That’s where they need my love.”
…boy, was I sorely mistaken! Sure, children in other countries need love and I still dream of teaching abroad, but I was missing what was right in my own backyard.
After graduating, I felt the Lord was calling me to teach in Texas, in one of the toughest elementary schools in Houston. Love. They needed love. That first year was harder than I could have ever imagined, tears pouring nearly every Sunday night. BUT that’s where I fell in love with my first 30 students, my first 30 children, 30 children that needed me to love. 30 children that needed the love of Christ. Although I chose to come back home to Indiana after that first full year, to this day I am so thankful that I listened to God’s call and trusted Him through that first year in Houston. And even now, I still find myself thinking, praying, and wondering about my kids that I had the privilege to meet and care for in my first classroom.
When I returned, I was immediately hired as the Special Education teacher for students with emotional disabilities. Although I had some practicums in special ed classrooms, I really did not know what I was getting myself into. I did not fully comprehend the mission field that was set before me. I honestly did not think I would stick with it past the first year… but then I met my kids. I shed blood, sweat, and tears with them (sometimes all three in one day). I realized how much love they needed and was amazed at the love God gave me for them. In my own town, there was a mission field that I severely overlooked.
Yes, this position is challenging at best, but I would not wish away the last 2.5 years of teaching Special Ed for anything. For some of my students, this is the third year I have been their teacher and I am so proud to be! They truly are like family. As I have often explained it, teaching ED is like riding a roller coaster every day. I may hear, “I hate you Miss Simmons!” one minute and the next, “You are the best teacher in the world.” I have been bruised more times than I care to remember, but I have been hugged by the same students more times than I could ever count. The lows can come out of nowhere, but the highs are so high! Thankfully for them, Miss Simmons loves roller coasters.
Because I have training camp coming up shortly, I decided it was time that I explain to them where I am going and what I’ll be doing in January. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to tell them! But oh my, did they take it soo much better than I had imagined! I dearly hope that I can keep in touch with them while I travel, and that when I return I’ll be able to come back to work with them or at least visit all that I can. God has given me such a heart of love for these kiddos and it will be so extremely hard to say goodbye this December. Though, at times I find myself worrying about how they will do without me here, I know that I am only a piece to their life puzzle. When God called me to go on the World Race, one of the things He promised me is that He would take care of my kids, and there is no one I could entrust them with more than Him.
My students have left an imprint on my heart, one that will never be erased. All 47 of my kids over the past four years have been a blessing to my life and an important part of my classroom family. They have taught me what it means to be passionate, patient, consistent, reliable, true to your word, a good listener, compassionate, strong, determined, and of course, to be loved.
I am not the same person I was only four years ago, I have grown so much. I thank the Lord for the many little smiling faces He has placed in my life, and look forward to the thousands more to come! No matter where I go, no matter what I do, the children that God has placed in my care will remain in my heart and prayers forevermore.
