Summer Mode and it’s still on your mind…
By now, hopefully you’ve fallen in to a relaxed summer routine, found time to work out, hang with friends, and maybe even read a book! All things that you feel too busy to do during the school year.
If your anything like me, when you start to miss you teacher friends and finally get together to meet up, there is not doubt that school is what you all talk about! Am I right?
Class lists are always a topic at hand!
Am I the only one that feels a tremendous amount of stress over class lists?
I think it’s the unknown… that lack of control…(let’s face it we teacher’s typically like control and I will be the first to admit it)!
We wonder…
Where will our students from last year land, will it be the right placement for them?
What little darlings will enter our class this year?
Where I come from, we don’t get our class lists until a couple weeks before school starts, but I know that all buildings do it differently (for different reasons).
Each year, when my brain starts to think about the next school year, I start to pray for my students (both former and future)! It’s so easy and it reduces my own stress.
And let’s face it, what could it hurt right!
How to Pray for your Class List of Students
Former Students
You know your students better than anyone. You know their strengths and weaknesses. You know their personalities. You know their family needs. You know the gifts that they have to offer others. Because you know them so well, you can pray for them in a very specific way or you can pray for them as a group.
Dear Lord,
Be with this group of students as they enjoy their summer. You know their every need and I trust that You will provide for them in just the right way. I pray for their families as they navigate summer care/activities for their children. I pray my students will rest and have fun. As they enter their new classrooms, I pray that they will be excited and ready for a fresh start. Put the right people in their path, help them to generate friendships that are uplifting, give them an open mind to meeting new friends, and allow them to build a great relationship with their new teacher. Give them courage to try new things and to learn from their failures. I know that You know just what they need and that all things work for the good of those who put their trust in you! Keep watch over my class!
Amen
You can also spend time praying for each individual from your list. You know their needs so you can be specific. For example:
Lord, please provide all the needs of Johnny’s family. I pray that they have food to eat each and every day that he is not in school
Heavenly Father, help Maddie to be motivated to read each and every day. Her progress has been tremendous and I want her to continue in that. Help her family to remember the importance of time spent reading together.
Dear God, be with Eddie throughout the summer. Help him to see himself the way you see him. Help him to grow into a bold a courageous person who is proud of himself just the way he is.
Ok, so you get the point.
We have a special gift right in the palms of our hands (well actually in our hearts). Even if your faith isn’t at it’s strongest. Even if you don’t think to pray every day. You can put it on a to do list and check off your list as you go! Be intentional.
Future Students
When I get together with my teacher friends, we tend to share all that we know about the students that are coming up to our grade level. Sometimes what we hear from others calms our nerves and helps us to feel like the new year will be great, and sometimes what we hear instills fear, worry, and stress. Let me share a story…
The Tornado
It was the beginning of my career and I was new to the building where I was teaching 3rd grade. I was given the “extra classroom” that was on the opposite side of the building from the rest of the 3rd grade team. I was assigned a mentor that was still on maternity leave…yes you read that correctly, my mentor was not even in the building until November. LOL!
I was hanging up a bulletin board with my students’ names on it and a veteran teacher was looking to see who was in my class. She had a story for just about every student.
Then she saw the name Dominic. She immediately says to me, “Oh…you got Dominic! You will need to keep your thumb on him. He is like a tornado! He’s all over the place. Completely unorganized. He will need lots of help and lots of reminders.”
I instantly felt a sense of worry. Even though my gut told me not to take her opinion too seriously, it did have an effect on me.
And guess what?
Dominic was fine! Dominic loved to participate in class, share his ideas and thoughts, and had a great personality. We had a wonderful year together.
This was when I realized that I’d rather not know the opinions of their previous teachers.
Yes, the facts on ability, personality, and behavior can be taken into account, but each year students are able to to form new relationships with new teachers. And that can make all the difference!
Whether you get your class list early in the summer or just before school is starting, you really have no idea of who these kids are that are entering your classroom. They are simply names on paper and/or opinions of others.
Here is how I pray for my future students:
Dear Lord,
I am grateful for a fresh start, both for me and for the students in our classrooms. I pray that you will help me to be patient, kind, loving, and motivating to the students that are coming my way. I believe that you have placed each and every student in my class for a reason. Be with us as we face challenges and as we celebrate our progress. I pray that each student in my class with feel loved and important. I pray that every child will have a friend. I also pray that I will be able to reach them right where they are and walk along side of them as they progress throughout the year. Please bless this school year and each child and their family.
Amen
It’s so easy. It just takes 30 seconds.
Praying for your students might be the simplest act, with the largest impact.
Erin Mengeu
I will be praying for each educator this summer. I pray that you have a fun and relaxing break! And that you will learn something new to do in your classroom next school year that will make learning fun and exciting for all! Have a great summer!
Enjoy Being Their Difference,
