Having been involved in education for 20 years, there are moments of sweetness and sadness that come to my mind at the end of each school year. As my first class of 5th grade students left my classroom, I found myself sobbing over the "loss" of such an incredible bunch of students. Gone were all the frustrations of students not completing their homework, calling each other names, talking in class, and the many other little troubles that I had agonized over during the year. All I remembered now was the day we had joined together to win a contest, those special trips we had taken together, the funny things my students had done, and most importantly, how I loved every single one of them. As my last student walked from my classroom, I did what would become my pattern for many years. I sat down at my desk and cried. I cried because these were my children who had become such a part of my life, yet never again would I have the close relationship with them that had been forged that year. The next year, these students would move on to a new teacher; my time to impact them had come to an end.
While it is true that my time with these specific students had ended, I have found that my influence on many of their lives has not gone away. Today, it is a joy to maintain contact with many of those same students. Some of them are now teachers. Some are mothers and fathers. Some serve in the military. Some are studying to be teachers, attorneys, preachers, musicians, businessmen and businesswomen, and many other career fields. These are "my kids." I am proud of them and always will be.
It brings tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart when I receive a message from "my kids" letting me know that I was their favorite teacher, that they remember a certain class activity we did and want to let me know how much fun that was, or that a study tip I gave them back in 6th grade is really helping them out in their college careers.
There are happy times when I receive a graduation invitation, a wedding announcement, or find that some other exciting event is happening in the lives of my students. There are the sad times when I hear of a funeral for one my students or find that "my kids" are facing hard times in life. It is then that I wonder, did I teach them adequately the realness of God? Was there anything I could have done to prepare them better for these hard times in their lives? It is then that I realize, my time with that student is over; there is nothing I can do to change my influence on that student's life, but I can pray with and for them. I can comfort and encourage them. I can trust my heavenly Father to watch out for these precious children. They are His and not mine. He loves them far more than I ever could.
As the end of my first year at Ignite Christian Academy draws near, I am again faced with the sweetness and the sadness of the end of a school year. It is a pleasure to celebrate high school graduation with many of our Alpha Omega students. My prayer is that the lessons they have learned stay with them as they begin a new chapter of their lives.
Deborah Secord
Assistant Principal