ridiculously blessed! so this teaching thing...it ain't easy. and being a n00b makes takes it to a certain level of insanity. altho, statistically, being in my 3rd year i am no longer a n00b. still feeling like a novice much of the time, but also teaching different classes/curriculum than in past years so, in some ways, still new. here's the thing: i am blessed. so blessed in being led to knowing my purpose in life. b/c yeah, that is my overall, greater purpose: to teach. God has guided me directly and through other people to where i need to be when it comes to teaching. God has blessed me with supportive family, friends, and colleagues. there are so many people at my school site that i can go to. there are certain individuals within the district that i feel truly care for and support me, not just as a teacher for the district, but as an individual, as me myself and i, ms. wilson, the pirate queen, history geek and permanent middle schooler;) this doesn't mean i can rest, sit back on my laurels and coast. oh no. b/c God has greater things in store for me. i can be a better teacher. i still have so much to learn about my craft and my chosen field. and at the rate things are going, i get to add lang arts to that too XD bleh. oh well. my test scores keep going up...test scores of students...and i love them. i know that God has carefully chosen which students i get each year. i am where i am supposed to be, doing hwat i am suppsoed to do. sometimes that's the only knowledge that keeps me hanging on. faith in my purpose. that being said, there are so many of us that don't have what i have and i can forget that, altho lately my problem has been more listening to others' frustrations and situations and not knowing how to respond. it kind of makes me want to hand them a stack of books including the purpose driven life(which i admit to starting once and not getting very far. should pick that up again), mere christianity, the bible and i don't know, a great literary work that speaks carefully to that individual of hope and inspiration. i haven't done that to anyone yet. what do i do? listen. supply starbucks. make copies. take students. cover classes. and remember that i can't do it all, that these are the adults and they can, in theory, take care of themselves. a little love neer hurt anyone. i sound like some sappy chicken-soup for the soul type anecdote. funny cuz it's true. sigh. i want for everyone everywhere to be fully actualized in knowing the purpose God has given them. i am so thankful i have what i have. y'all do realize that the rest of my life is pretty much one big mess right? and that i am waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay behind on my grading. stressing about the writing test too. only a month away!!! to quote tiny tim "God bless us, every one!'--bite me. we actually read Dickens this year.