We made it through! Day One of the school year 2017-18 is now completed and I am ready to report that both I and my new batch of Rockford Christian School seventh graders made it through Day One safely. No tears, no blood, not even too much anxiety. Without trying to overstate things, being back at school today seemed like the completion of a slow-forming circle to me. I was in and out of school so much last year--I missed the last month of the 2016-17 year entirely--due to my struggle with lymphoma. I was not able to finish out the year with my students, and strangely I felt like I was letting them down. But today I was back with no restrictions. It just felt good. The cancer that sidetracked me last year is currently in my history and not my future. I am tired right now (3:30 pm) but I usually am anyway after the first day of school. Rumor has it the kids come back again tomorrow so I should figure out what we are going to do with them then, but God has blessed me with a good school, a good job, an unmerited sense of confidence from my peers, and a renewed sense of enthusiasm for all of it. Oh sure, there are details and schedule changes and individual needs and lesson plans. There will be papers to grade and grades to record and parent phone calls and conferences. Three words I still do not like are "meetings," "agendas," and "committees," and all three of these words are a part of this job. What I am saying is my joy for the job is not purely unbridled and naive idealism. I understand what I am getting myself back into again...and I still feel like having this job is both an honor and a privilege. Thank you, Lord, for giving me another opportunity to do this job well.
"Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see!
All I have needed thy hands hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me."
Thomas Obediah Chisholm
(1866-1960)
Absolutely great!
ReplyDeleteKeep at it, brother. We continue to pray for your health and strength. (I do for all first week teachers, but particularly for you at the moment...)
ReplyDeleteI am thankful that you had a great first day, Phil! With God's help you overcame cancer! God will also help you overcome the meetings, agendas, and committees ��
ReplyDeletePhil is with kids again. Such a good thing.
ReplyDeleteGlad you have that first day behind you and a nice, short week of work to start!
ReplyDeleteNathan's really glad to be back...don't let him fool you. He's thrilled to see his friends again and he told me his teacher is really cool and that it's going to be a great year. True story.
ReplyDeleteLove that song --and so happy that you are writing as a teacher - not as a "patient "
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