Hey loves, as some of you know I started a new teaching job 3 weeks ago, I wanted to share some of my experience, thoughts, and how I feel about it. I am mainly doing this for me so I can look back and remember how good God is but I also want to encourage those who are struggling with God’s plan with my life.
I never thought that I wanted to be a teacher, I always wanted to be a nurse. My mom was a nurse and one of my aunts was a nurse, I had a tough stomach, and I loved people. So I decided in ninth grade that I wanted to do nursing. Everything I did, it was towards that goal. I had my CNA at 16 and was trying to do anything and everything to get a job. I loved everything about nursing. Well, in February of 2018 I went to Ecuador for the first time, and God changed everything I had thought that I knew.
While I was in Ecuador, I had several things that pushed me in the direction of teaching. The first thing that geared me towards was someone from my church wrote me a letter and said: “I hope this shows you where to go in life”. Honestly, I laughed a little when I read that, I was like are you serious...I know where my life is going….I’ve got everything planned out. Well, God gave me another push and a random guy told me that I needed to come back to Ecuador and teach ESL. My first thought was that letter. In my head, I was like this is crazy. I am not doing this. I didn’t say anything to anyone because I was like if I ignore this it’ll go away.
So a month goes by, I’m back in the swing of life but I still can’t get this thought of teaching out of my head. I remember being scared to tell people because I knew as soon as I told someone it would be real. Well, I eventually told my best friend, my parents, and my youth pastor’s wife. The response I got was so unexpected. My best friend told me that I couldn’t do it and that I wouldn’t be good at it, my mom said I was too wishy-washy and I needed to just stick with nursing, my dad told me that I would spend my life broke, and my youth pastor’s wife told me that she couldn’t choose for me. So take all of these responses and me already not wanting to do it, me and Jesus had some real conversations and I cried a lot. I felt like a failure and unworthy and not capable. To make things harder, I told some family and they all had responses that weren’t encouraging or excited.
I lay low for a couple weeks and stop talking about it so that I can have time to think without feeling any pressure and I finally decided that I needed to just take that step. Another aunt of mine worked at a private Christian school and I applied to work there hoping to get a job as a Teacher Assistant. It took me 2 and ½ months to receive an answer. Talk about stressful, I was nervous. The waiting was killing me. Towards the first week in August I got a call, I remember everything. I was in the dining room painting the right side of the wall beside the window when my phone rang. When I picked it up, I was offered the job. I nearly died. As soon as I hung up I ran into my mom’s room and jumped on her bed and I was SO excited.
So I started work in August and was working with 2nd grade. I love my kids so much. I had two amazing teachers who taught me so much in the 4 ½ months that I was working with them. I will forever be thankful for the guidance they gave me, the encouragement they provided, and the confidence they had in me. My first semester of work was great and I couldn’t wait to go to work every day. I was thankful for an almost 3 week Christmas break though! When I went back I found out that a friend of mine at work was being promoted to teach high school as the sub for the rest of the year. I was excited for her but sad because she was an after-school care worker and I knew I wouldn’t see her often. I had just gotten back from the Cross conference when I found this out. One of the things that stood out to me while I was at the cross-conference was that I need to find joy in everything I am doing. So that Friday I decided to make the choice to be excited and joyful at where God had placed me….and little did I know that act of obedience would lead me to the greatest adventure of my life (so far anyway).
The same day that I made that choice, Mrs. Judy approached me and asked if I would be interested in teaching middle school math. I was floored that she would even ask me. The only catch was that I had to start on Monday... 3 days later. This was a huge task but I agreed. Fast forward until now, and I am 3 weeks in and loving my job. All I can say is that God is so good. It has been a huge learning experience and a lot of hardships I wasn’t prepared for but through it all, it is so obvious that God is in every step of it and not me, and for that I’m grateful. I’ve had some people say some discouraging things and I’ve had people be so encouraging but in everything that has been said I have confidence that Christ has been the center of it all and I don’t have to worry about what anyone else says. The confidence I have found in Christ and the peace I’ve experienced is far beyond anything I’ve ever felt.
When you think God is calling you to something, don’t hesitate to follow. God has bigger plans than you can ever imagine. I love you all! You are never to young or old to do anything that God is apart of.
xo, em
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