First graders can smell fear
They say dogs can smell fear… While I can’t say for sure it’s true for dogs, I can report that it’s true for first graders.
My first day of teaching was spent in a tiny classroom crowded with 28 six-year-olds, and lasted approximately 12 hours long. Or, at least, it felt like 12 hours… I had run through everything I’d prepared for the entire day before the first recess.
First graders can smell fear.
The kind teachers upstairs talked me into coming back the next day, and if I remember right, the day after that; I could just as easily have walked away.
Comparing my first day on the job to my last, after having taught for seven years, what a difference! The most helpful thing I gained was confidence. I had learned many, many things from experience (read: doing things wrong the first time), knew that I could be flexible with changes in my schedule, the kids, the staff, etc., and didn’t fear a whole lot.
Oh, the things 7th Year Mrs. J would have said to First Week Mrs. J, starting with, You will survive this! Where was time travel when I could have used it?
Can I skip to the end in terms of my experience with spiritual authority? I’m glad I’m not on my first day, but wish I had the experience I will have had when I’m all done here.
And there’s one key difference between spiritual experience and teaching experience. I gained my confidence teaching by earning it myself; my spiritual confidence is totally based upon who God is, and on His power and faithfulness.
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