Sundays always have a certain element of difficulty for me. After a restful weekend at home with my sweet husband, it's so hard to think about the stress and busy-ness that a new school week brings. It takes a lot of work to prepare mentally for the week, and it all often seems overwhelming as I sit at home on Sunday nights thinking about all of the things that could happen in my classroom over the course of the following 5 days. Even after three years of teaching, the "Sunday night blues" always seem to creep into my mind and although it has gotten better over time, it still often overwhelms me to think about all the work/stress/time that I have coming at me in the week to come.
With all of that said, a few weeks ago, I was in my normal state of worrying about the school week and I posted the following on my facebook wall: "Prayers for patience and energy as I begin another busy week at school. It's hard to get back to work after an amazing weekend!"
A wonderful friend and AMAZING teacher then responded:
"My sister in law told me years ago not to pray for patience with a situation, but pray for peace. So everyday I pray for peace in my classroom!"
This small response made me step back and think about all of the times that I have prayed for patience instead of peace. With all of the difficult situations that we as teachers have to face, and in the midst of busy days, I often remind myself to be patient. Don't get me wrong, as my dad always reminds me, "Patience is a virtue," and it is certainly an important quality to have, but it really changed my perspective when my friend mentioned her above statement...a reminder of peace. Isn't this what we all really need? A prayer for peace that will bring calm to noisy classrooms and difficult days, that will prevent the hardest moments from happening at all. If we all took a minute to pause and pray for peace, encourage peacefulness to those around us, and show others what it means to be peaceful, our days may not be so hectic, and our lives would certainly be happier.
With all of that said, a few weeks ago, I was in my normal state of worrying about the school week and I posted the following on my facebook wall: "Prayers for patience and energy as I begin another busy week at school. It's hard to get back to work after an amazing weekend!"
A wonderful friend and AMAZING teacher then responded:
"My sister in law told me years ago not to pray for patience with a situation, but pray for peace. So everyday I pray for peace in my classroom!"
This small response made me step back and think about all of the times that I have prayed for patience instead of peace. With all of the difficult situations that we as teachers have to face, and in the midst of busy days, I often remind myself to be patient. Don't get me wrong, as my dad always reminds me, "Patience is a virtue," and it is certainly an important quality to have, but it really changed my perspective when my friend mentioned her above statement...a reminder of peace. Isn't this what we all really need? A prayer for peace that will bring calm to noisy classrooms and difficult days, that will prevent the hardest moments from happening at all. If we all took a minute to pause and pray for peace, encourage peacefulness to those around us, and show others what it means to be peaceful, our days may not be so hectic, and our lives would certainly be happier.
So, tonight, as I look forward to another busy week in fourth grade with a class that is undoubtedly my biggest challenge yet, I look to God and pray for the "Peace that passes all understanding" for myself, my students, and all that surround me.
Take a deep breath, pray for peace...and happy teaching...
:) Courtney
RSS Feed