Going Back to the 4th Grade

by Chandler Moreau

As a 4th grade teacher, I am exposed daily to the shenanigans of little children who don’t know how to behave. Whether they are passing notes in class, trying to fight to prove their toughness, or making fun of people to make themselves feel better. IT NEVER ENDS! As a student teacher, I had my fair share of these little blessings from God. He would test and stretch me on a regular basis. It was definitely a tough 16 weeks.

After my period of student teaching ended, I was offered a job at the same school. Two thoughts went through my mind: 1. YES A JOB! MONEY! and 2. I’ve heard that the group I will have next year is “horribly misbehaved”. Bitter sweet moment for sure! I didn’t want to take the job because I thought it would be too difficult, too hard, too frustrating. Knowing that it was going to be a rough year, I was forced to take the job because I didn’t receive any other job offers from other schools.

That school year, God tested me, stretched me, further than I thought I could go. It was the hardest obstacle I’ve had to overcome! The difficulties of teaching are immense, and there is a tremendous pressure on you because your success as a teacher determines the future of 60+ 4th graders. The students were always misbehaving, my fellow teachers weren’t helpful towards me, and I was drowning in deadlines and paperwork. This past school year was the HARDEST year of my life.

READ JAMES 1:2-12
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
⁵ If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. ⁶ But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
⁹ Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. ¹⁰ And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. ¹¹ The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.
¹² God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Trials are a blessing! Being very similar to working out, they stretch you, strengthen you, and teach you to become greater. After my year of teaching, I feel more prepared to minster to my students next year. God made me into a much better teacher. He has helped me to become a harder worker. Instead of seeing trials as a negative, flip it around to see the positive benefits. There can never be a rainbow without a thunderstorm. Trust Him!