Kicking off the new series at church the other week, Pastor Scott Sinner, inspired me to really think about the work that I do. His message wasn’t about being a principal or a teacher, but what he shared was easily relatable to life as an educator and the lives that we live every day. The message was about the spiritual gifts people are given by God, and the idea that God will nudge you to put your gifts into action...it’s what you are called to do.
No matter what you believe or who you believe in, I think most of us can agree that we all have “gifts” or talents within us. These gifts can help guide us in our life and into what we were called to do. When I look at my life, the path that is set before me, I’m called to make a difference; specifically in the lives of children. Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to work with children. I wanted to be able to reach all kids and make a difference in their lives. As the years passed by I realized even more that I wanted to really reach the kids that were known as the tough ones or the ones that seemed to need more than kid next to them. As a principal I continue to have have the ability to make a difference every day; not just with the students but with my staff too.
When you feel you’re called to do something it becomes who you are and you put time and care into it. I try and give it all that I can. It’s not something I want to do half ass or with minimal effort. I want to do it to the best of my ability. This can be exhausting some days. It can be emotionally draining. It can beat you up. But that doesn’t mean we give up. If we choose to give it all on some days and not the others, we never know the chances we might miss.
At the end of the message, Scott shared, “We have to bring it every day and every week. Every day is game day. You better bring it...energy, strategy, care, enthusiasm...” That’s exactly how I feel about education. You never know what moment you will reach the student that needs it most. Imagine the possibilities if we lived everyday like it was game day?
So what were you called to do?
