The Future

             Lately, everyone seems to be asking.  My mind is filled with this and that, and stress seems to be skyrocketing as life keeps plugging along.  What are you going to be doing after graduation?  And now, for the answer we've all been waiting for… I don’t know.

                

              Opportunities are everywhere.  I have been given a fantastic education and I feel ready and prepared to take on the world.  The problem now comes with figuring out how to find the opportunities, how to get the interviews, and how to decide which path God is leading me down.  In reference to last week’s blog post, prayer is still the one constant that keeps me going, keeps me searching, and keeps me hopeful about the future.  I am opening up my gaze and heading out, wide eyed and ready, to search for job opportunities that God has prepared for me.

                

             This being said, I try to take all of my emotions and thoughts and use it in a way that can benefit my teaching.  How can I relate what I am feeling and going through to my students and their lives?  Now, this may seem like a stretch to those of you reading this, but this is what has been on my mind (teachers can find connections anywhere, right?)

                

             Routine: my students are stuck in a routine.  For most of them, this routine is very important to their learning and success.  When their day to day routine changes unexpectedly, their whole day can sometimes be a mess.  As a teacher, it can be frustrating to hear of a schedule change last minute from a speech therapist, OT, PT, gym teacher, or other school teacher knowing that it is going to cause trouble for my students whom I so badly want to teach and give them a chance at a good day.  Little changes in routine are a fact of life, and something I need to help my students cope with.  My day to day routine is going to change drastically in 2 weeks time.  For the past 18 years, I have lived in the same “school student” routine. While little changes in my day didn’t throw me, I’m starting to see that this big change has the ability to throw me off.  When a student encounters an “off” day, I give them time to move around, change environments, get some fresh air, do something short term, and see small times of focus as great successes. Similarly, I am choosing to do the same when my big routine change comes; change environments, get some fresh air, know that I don’t have to make a long term commitment the day I leave college, and find things to see as successes. 

               

            Transition: all educators know how much time and energy is put into creating transition plans for students with special needs.  Transitioning successfully is vital to these students’ futures. This is not something we can throw together last minute.  Rather, we spend years focusing on what skills the students may find useful in the future to help them achieve their goals.  On my end of things, it can sometimes feel like I’m being thrown out into the real world.  I need to step back and take a look at the past 4 years.  I’ve had my own transition team of sorts helping me prepare for this.  My professors, friends, family, and God have worked together to give me the tools I need to succeed in my goals and dreams.  This step of transition is difficult for every single person in their own unique way.  But whatever stresses or uncertainties it may bring, I have a team there for me, and I’m prepared!

              

           Reflection: teachers reflect.  I learned this from day one of my education classes, and at times have hated all the time and energy we were forced to put on reflecting.  Now I get it.  I even spend time with my students, asking questions and trying my best to get them to think and reflect on the things they learn.  What is the point of reflecting?  Why is it such a big deal?  Well, things never go perfectly according to plan.  Reflection allows for teachers and students to process through the positives and negatives of the learning experience, and how to make changes for the future.  I learn so much from my times of reflection; it keeps me growing as an educator, working to better myself.  Why not apply this to everyday life?  Nothing from here on out is going to go exactly according to plan (especially when there is no plan!).  I can choose to let the events of each day pass by with little thought, or I can reflect on what happens each day, choosing to learn from every possible opportunity.  This is what will give me an edge, give me the ability to tune into what God is showing me and where he is leading me. 

               

          Overall, this week has been a week of a lot of uncertainty about the future.  Again, this has the capability to overwhelm me when coupled with the mound of work that stands in front of me this next week.  But right in front of me sits a sign: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.”  Well, I guess I can’t spend too much time bogged down by stress and fear if I’m going to live this out.  One day at a time.  Here I come!