come alive.

Earlier this week, I began student teaching. This is the last and final portion of my teacher preparation program before I can graduate in May. I have only been at my placement for three days, but come home everyday with the feeling that this is it. This is it, in the best possible way. This is what I was created to do, part of who I was created to be, where my skills and gifts are meant to be used. I am, however, only three days in to a fifteen week experience. I am trying not to get ahead of myself. I do love teaching, but I am trying to see that my buoyancy and anticipation will quickly be met with hard work, long hours, and achingly repetitive days. And inevitably, doubt and frustration.

Teaching, like anything in life, is a both/and experience. It is both fun and hard. It is both exciting and mundane. It is both life-giving and draining. I want to be clear that the whole picture of teaching is what makes me come alive. The good, the bad, the excellent, and the ugly. That's the whole picture. And the whole picture, I think, is the essence of what it means to be alive. 

What makes you come alive? How are you pursuing being alive in your life? Your career? Your relationships?

As the days and weeks pass and I become more invested in my students and teaching this semester, I do not know what this blog will look like - the frequency of my posts will most likely decrease. I am, however, looking forward to pouring into the 10 first and second grade students in my class. I want to be fully present with them, being the best teacher I can be. I am excited to see them develop, grow and learn ... and I am grateful to be a part of that process!