I Still Want to go to School

This marks the sixth school year that will begin without me.  I still miss it.  I guess I am realistic enough to know that at my age I probably could not handle the daily grind.  So I cherish the memories.  I spent Twenty-five years in church youth ministry before moving to a school setting.  There is no question in my mind that my most effective ministry came during my eleven years at Lutheran High School of Dallas.  I had the best of both worlds.  I was in the classroom two or three periods a day and in the counseling office the balance of the time.

What is it I miss?  The daily contact with students would have to be #1.  There were new challenges every day, but I never grew tired of helping students work through the issues.  What a blessing to be able to track many of those former students through social media.  I get particular satisfaction from hearing the success stories of those kids who faced challenges and struggled with issues. 

I also miss the challenges that came with being in a high school setting.   I had to be spiritually equipped to survive.  I couldn't allow myself to become spiritually stagnant.  I grew in my walk of discipleship during those years.  A good part of that was because I was surrounded by colleagues who modeled Jesus.  I miss them.

I miss teaching advance placement psychology.  I am grieved that the school chose to drop that course from the curriculum.  What a joy it was to see students begin to understand themselves and their own feelings and behavior.  I am still amazed at the number of students who chose to study human behavior at the college level.

I am excited that God has opened a door for me this fall, allowing me to get back into the classroom on a limited basis.  I am about to begin an adventure as a SALI  teacher as part of the ministry of LINC North Texas.  I will be working close to home in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district.  I am looking forward to helping students grow in their leadership and personal skills twice a month. 

I can't understand why so few older adults seek ways to relate to teenagers.  Today's students are searching for a sense of identity.  Many struggle to find a sense of values as well.  It's all too easy to sit on the sidelines and moan and groan about how bad things are.  What we need to be doing is investing in the lives of students.