Wonder

Kids sometimes do better at having wonder inside themselves than adults. I admit, it seems to me that I sometimes do not "see" the wonder in the world. However, I am reminded everyday of the spirit of wonder and awe that children seem to possess as they see the world. I heard a quote the other day that I wanted to pass on to you. It said that "one of the most important things we can pass down to our children is the capacity for wonder." I thought about this. It's sad to me to realize that I can get busy doing so many things that I miss out on the wonder and pure beauty of the world. I even forget to instill that in my students. I have caught myself dismissing their curious questions because it isn't in MY agenda. I have found myself ignoring students when they step outside of their comfort zones ever so briefly to talk about their dreams and aspirations because I'm too busy. So the other day I made myself take in the wonder God gave me. I believe that God instills in our spirit a passion for creativity and awe and a love for our Creator. I was driving to work in the early morning, just as the sun was coming up. As I was still sleepy from not going to bed the night before, and a little frustrated by the time, I was not expected what I saw. I stepped outside and before me stood the entrance to a snowy morning. It was beautiful. All the trees were laces delicately with white dust. A good 3-5 inches of snow covered every little bit of grass and sparkled in the morning rays. Everything had been transformed and made new and different. Another thing...it was silent. I could here my breaths in the vastness of the snow laiden world before me. I felt like standing there in that moment was the most intimate and private thing in the world. Like this was a secret I was led in on and know one else knew. That day at work was a good one. I was positive the entire day. It also sparked something inside me. I am now challenging myself as a teacher, to instill wonder in the students' learning. I want them to grow and continually see the wonder in this world when sometimes it looks so bleak. I have already been brainstorming and we will see what comes next.

Updates:

Tomorrow is a basketball game! The girls are steadily improving.

This week is another round of testing. We had a "pep rally" for the test tomorrow to get the students pumped up! Prayer would be appreciated.