RELOAD!!!!

I believe that this year I’m going to have a great year with my students. Though I've taught them when they were at the first grade, and I know (really know) most of them. My first week was really hard for me. I've to fight my old paradigm about them. They are not the same students I taught two years ago coz they've gone through lots of things which shaped them. Another thing is I kept comparing them with my last year's students. That wasn't a nice thing to do!

However, some things are just the same. This year's students I'm teaching are nice, yet there are some students with special needs. And a student (Y) likes to imitate his classmate’s behaviors who happened to be one of students with special needs (X). Some weeks ago when I was teaching their class…

“Miss, X doesn’t want to join Mandarin. He’s been at the reading corner since Mandarin.”
“Miss, what are we going to learn today?”
“Miss, what is it you bring?”

They’re sooooooo…….. enthusiastic! And I only have one mouth (thank God) to answer all those questions.

I divided them into groups and asked them to learn about the life of some bible characters. I guided them with questions. I left them work with their group to approach X.

“Hi, X! Why are you here?”
“…”
“What are you reading?”
“…”
“Hey, I know you love reading books, and want to be here. But, look! Your friends are also reading.”
“Miss, excuse me, but can you look at this? Is it right?” asked a student.
I nodded.
“X”
“…”
“I know… you are not interested coz your Bible has only a few pictures unlike this one. But…”
“My Bible has no pictures in it.”
“Oh…okay, but I think you have to join the class. Come, back to your seat.”
“…”
“Do you think you’re doing a good thing?”
He shook his head.
“So?”
I took his hands, got him on his foot, and led him to his seat. Then, he became so apathetic, just sat there and doing nothing at all. He stared at nothing, and acted as if he were boneless. My patience-meter was going down with the other students kept asking me questions about their assignment plus I had to handle X.

“Okay, guys, time’s up! Stop working!”
I started to count with my fingers. The deal was when the counting has reached zero, the students must be in sitting position and be quiet, otherwise they must stand up for five minutes. It was zero when my eyes caught Y. He was playing with his friend. So, I asked both of them to stand up. One thing that surprised me was he kept playing with his friend! That’s why I separated them. I ran out of patience by that moment.

“Y, please stand over there,” I spotted an area near lockers. He went there, and put his head into the locker. It was funny actually. But instead of laughing, I said,”Y, eyes on me!” He did it just for a while, then he walked to the door and stood behind it, then went back to the locker. I continued my lesson and the students’ presentation.

After 5 mins, I asked his friend to sit down. I was looking for a place where Y could sit without disturbing his friends. I saw a chair near the whiteboard, so there he sat. Then, the bell rang signing the students to have breaktime.

I didn’t let Y out coz I’d like to talk to him. His response was so annoying, so rude, and impolite. I said,”Whatever you do, Y, I still love you. However, there’s a consequence to bear.” Finally, after a hard time of trying to make him realize that what he did was wrong, he said sorry IMPROPERLY! After he apologized properly, I hugged him and said sorry coz I had admonished him in front of his classmates. He cried, I waited until his cry quieted down, then I sent him out to have breaktime.

I went back to my table, prayed…and cried. I needed to come to my Father, and told him I couldn’t teach them nor see them the way He did. That way I reloaded a new heart from Him.

Ever since, I always ask Father to reload my heart, otherwise… I’m unable to go on.
It’s really a grace to go through everything day by day.

Anyway, I still believe that I'm going to have a great year with them.