Twenty

I haven't written for a long time.  I have had the worst first half of a year teaching that I've ever had.  I'm not going to explain why other than the fact that I had 20 students that were in my pre-Algebra classes that were getting well below 40% on tests.  They had no chance and it was so extremely hard to watch them fail every day in a class they had no chance to pass in.  The problem was this was the lowest class for them to take.
After many meetings and discussions and frustrations clear up to the Superintendent and the School Board about these students, there finally came a change and I was allowed to have them all in one class twice a day.  I have been given the chance to work with these students for 1/2 of a year and get the ready for Algebra next year.  This is an impossibility!  I am scared but I am also excited.  I am praying that these students will all improve so much that the only explanation will be is that it was a MIRACLE.  I want their improvement to be beyond my capabilities as a teacher.  I want God to be glorified.  I want my students to change their beliefs first so that their desires and behaviors will change.  I want my students to know that I am praying for them about this.  They need to believe that they can learn, that they a capable, fearfully made and loved.  I tell them this all the time.  It has been about 5 weeks since I started with them and I am seeing improvement in almost all of them.  But I am praying for all of them to blow my socks off in their improvement.
I miss writing and I'm glad to do this again.  I need to do this again.  Lord, help my students to know they are loved.  Help them to know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Help them to forgive those who have hurt them.  Help them to respect themselves so they can respect others.  Help them to believe they can learn so they can learn how to act like someone who believes they can learn.  Perfect love casts out all fear.  Lord they need your love.  We all need your love.