Kids are Kids & I Love Them!

Kids are Kids No Matter Where You Are!!

I am half way through my teaching of the first teaching trip. It has been quite the humbling experience. I am teaching in grade 1 and my teacher that I have been partnered with has been really sick. She went home sick last Wednesday and was out on Thursday and Friday. I have always felt like one of my strengths was classroom management and that has become a very humbling experience for me over the last week. I haven't ever prayed so hard while trying to figure out how to handle certain situations.
On the first day my teacher was out, I had a student get very angry while he had been asked to clean. I think he is used to refusing while in the classroom and then when it is time to go home they just send him home because they don't want to mess with him anymore. I didn't let him leave with the rest of the class because he hadn't swept like he was asked too. Well, that didn't go over well at all. I was having flashbacks to some past experiences I have had teaching in my own classroom. As I am standing in the doorway and the child is trying to push me out of his way, I am praying Lord please give me some ideas quickly. Over about a 45 minute time period, he flipped over a table, threw the broom out the window, and started throwing chairs. While all of this was going on, I kept saying in my sweetest teacher voice "you may go home as soon as you sweep." I think I probably said it at least 50 times. Once the chairs started getting thrown, I said, "Lord, please help me because I am out of ideas." I started singing Jesus Loves the Little Children out loud and he started knocking the chairs over slower and more gently. After about 10 verses of the song, I looked at him and saw him trying to pick the table back up. I said, "I will help you if you need help and we turned the table back over and he started picking up the chairs." He then picked up the broom and swept the classroom. 
I kept thinking kids are kids no matter where you are. Lord thank you for helping me through that day....I couldn't have made it through the day without the Lord's help. Thank you Lord for your strength, wisdom, and love!!