Friday Fancies: my students' feedback

"I dedicate my CST results to Ms. Wong because she dedicated her time to being a good teacher and pushed me to do my best (: even though we did a lot of essays."

(picture taken at the Mason Street Schoolhouse during our trip here)

 
Today is one of those days where I am persuaded that there can be no more rewarding job than teaching. What a privilege to be able to impact our children - our nation's future leaders. To witness them develop and flourish as critical thinkers, speakers, and writers who connect academic content to culture. I wish I felt like this everyday, but everyday in the classroom is different, which this profound article sums up rather perfectly. Nevertheless, this roller coaster of a school year has been dotted with manifold ups thus far.

Today, my tenth-grade students are completing their CST testing. As a public schoolteacher in California, we work relentlessly to get our students to perform well on the CSTs all year. Now, I am nowhere near convinced that a multiple-choice, standardized test accurately measures a student's academic ability, particularly in English Language Arts. Unfortunately, we are mandated to, to a certain degree, "teach to the test" because, when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, funding stems from our standardized test scores. And our schools desperately thirst for more funding, especially in urban La La Land (Fortunately, I work at a charter school where teachers get to design their own curriculum, so you can bet that my students also cultivate college-ready skills in my class. In other words, think until your brain hurts and write until you get callouses!). Nevertheless, this is a momentous moment every year, and I asked each of my students, "If you could dedicate your English CST results to one person, who would it be? Why?" And you can bet your bottom dollar that my flabbergasted heart got warm fuzzies when I perused some of their dedications to me - a testimony to His kindness, undoubtedly. 

I wonder if this is an inkling of how God feels when we acknowledge Him. We daily reject and rebel against Him, and yet He still advocates for us because of His unfathomable, great love for us through Christ. He never stops orchestrating every situation for our ultimate good and joy in Him. And He is glorified when we sporadically, by His grace, acknowledge His goodness. So thank you, Lord, for these little lessons that reflect Your insurmountable kindness.

Happy Friday, friendly folks! Many thanks for reading in the first week of this spankin'-new blog. Have a most lovely weekend.