I LOVE MY 6TH GRADERS!

I love my 6th graders! They make all of my preparation to see them on Sunday morning totally worth every second. Teaching them is nowhere near my forte yet they make this season of my ministry enjoyable.

However, this last Sunday was bad to say the least. A couple of kids sort of ruined it for the whole class. They were very disrespectful to myself and the other 2 teachers as well as each other. These 2 particular students test me every time that they are there but I have been able to deal with them every other time. I left the classroom at 10:35 feeling entirely defeated. I had let down the other 4 students that were there to pay attention and hear what the Father was saying to them. I had let the other teachers down by not setting a good example. I had let my Heavenly Father down because I didn't feel that I got anything across to them. I talked to my dad and the youth pastor about it and got some great suggestions. Yet I went to church tonight sort of wishing that I wouldn't see either of these particular students. (how could I think that?)

After the service one of the parents (whose son wasn't actually in Sunday School last Sunday) caught me in the hall and told me that she doesn't know what I've done to her son but he absolutely loves me! She told me how he is always talking about myself and the male teacher that is also in there. He is apparently always asking his parents if he can say "hi" to me and just last night at a basketball game he brought me a cookie! Simply out of the goodness of his heart. (he walked by again and threw away my trash too!) Ahhh...this kid is why I do what I do. I am not a failure. He shows me that I do make a difference. Even more than that Christ is making a difference in this students life through me. I truly believe that God is getting through to all of my students in ways that only He can. It is not by our (the teachers) power that stories like this happen. It is only by us yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit and letting Him speak through us every Sunday.

This is not the first time that I have been shown this. I have one girl that hugs me and sticks by my side every time I see her. Another parent told me a few weeks ago that her daughter actually enjoys Sunday School again. I can do nothing but stand in amazement of the work that my Father is doing through me. I am so blessed to be in this season of ministry that I fell into after covering one Sunday morning. I know that I am not the best and like I said 6th graders are not my forte but nevertheless God is great and He can and most definitely will use our weakness to bring glory to Himself.