It's about that time...

Well, it's my next-to-the-last day at my school job! It's hard to believe that it's nearing the end of a job I never in a million years thought I would give up!

This school is fantastic. The staff is amazing. The administration is remarkable. I just can't say enough about the people I've worked with. They deal with things each day with class, haha..., dignity, and respect. They empathize with each student, and believe me, they deserve some empathy.

These students. Lord have mercy on them. After my first week or two of working here, I went home crying. I told my husband that I just couldn't do it. Too much pain in the lives of these kids. Too much sorrow in their eyes. Way too many struggles surrounding me every day in the classroom. After all was said and done, I figured if I could give them one hour of hope a week, I had done my job.

I don't know how good a teacher I am. I mean, I think I do alright, but I'm not sure. I do know, however, that I care. I want these kids to have one hour a week that they can come into a classroom, see a smile, hear a kind word, feel comfortable, and be successful. I want them to walk out of my classroom with a confidence booster. I want each one to know they are valuable and that there is a plan for each of their lives. I want them to see that no matter what life gives them, they can conquer it.

I hope I've done my job here. It's hard for me to let it go, but my family needs me. Man cannot live on bread alone, and this woman cannot live on assistant salary alone. (I mean, Ken has a fabulous job, but I have to do my part.) God has opened this new opportunity for me now, and I'm stepping out on faith. I know the door opened for a reason. I just hope that someone else will step in now, giving each of these kids that ray of hope. I know I can't save the lives of every kid in this place, but I always felt I could give it a good college try, one student at a time.

If I could tell them one more thing, I would boldly tell them that Jesus loves them. I would tell them that He has a plan for them because He created them. I would let them know that there is nothing that God can't handle. I want each of them to hear that they are valuable, and that they should never let anyone lead them to believe otherwise. They are our future, and some of us are not helping them be all they can be. So many parents these days are too wrapped up in their own lives to even care their child has a life. I pray that parents will wake up. I pray that there will be a revival across the schools of America.

I will continue investing in the lives of kids, but in a different way. I have to focus a lot on my own four children, and I have to include their friends. I will continue in ministry at church, reminding those teenagers that God has a plan for them as stated in Jeremiah 29:11. I will be able to boldly proclaim the gospel without the constraints of the laws of the nation telling me I can't, not that I would ever let that stop me.

I want to thank all of those that I've worked with through the years. I want to let them know that they have meant so much to me. I can't say enough about the principal I've worked for. She is amazing, well, beyond amazing. It's been a great ride, but it's time for me to hop off. Look out, Spartanburg Regional, here I come!