LITTLE THINGS = BIG THINGS IN GOD'S KINGDOM

Shall I say, 2:50 bell? My brain is fried and I can't do any work right now!!!

Actually, my students are great...so much quieter than last year, but last year's class was an exception in itself. I had all of the 4th grade support service kids. I had all of the talkers. I also had a unique student by the name of Matt.

Of all of the students I will ever have, Matt will always stick out as one of my favorites and one of the most challenging. He made last year difficult, however. I've never met a kid with so much energy and excitement for life and so little self-control; it was contagious. It is still contagious. There aren't too many 5th grade boys who daily give hugs to their old teachers. If I had written down every challenging/sweet/frustrating/cute thing that came my way because of that one boy, I'd be a millionaire. I will never forget the randomness that boy could bring. Maybe that is why we got along so well. :)

I sit here and remember the day Matt came to school after a dream he had the night before. He came up to me real quietlike and told me that he had to tell me something (Matt is never quiet!). He said, "Ms. Bolkema...can I tell you something?" So I said, "Of course you can. You can tell me anything, Matt. You can always tell me anything." He went on to tell me of a vision he had the night before where God spoke to him. He said that everything was white and that there were angels. God told him that he could do anything he wanted to and be anything he wanted to be.

Matt asked me what I thought his dream meant. I told him that it meant that God loved him so much and that he had great things ahead for him. I told him to make dreams and follow them and that God would bless him if he did his best. Then Matt said, "I'm so glad that I go to a Christian school where I can tell you everything." That was when I got the chills, straight to the bone.

That is why I'm still a teacher. That is why I teach a Christian school. I may get attacked here for things that are beyond my control. But that doesn't change the fact that these kids need Christ and not all of them get that at home. If I can be for more of my students what I was for Matt, I know my purpose here.

God has awesome things ahead for Matt. I've never met a more disorganized person. I've never known a kid who brings moon-shoes to school, or makes me wear a monkey hat at recess, or manages to melt cough drops on the door handle. I've never had a student more set on finding me a boyfriend, or getting me to take him to Iowa, or bringing him to six flags. I've never known a kid who was so sorry for his ADHD and wanted to change but couldn't. And I've seen few kids care about others as much as Matt did and still be misunderstood in the process. God has awesome things ahead for that child! I hope I encouraged him to be bold about his faith and use that expressiveness of his to show others the way.

Even the "troubled" kids have a lot to teach you about life. Personally, they are the ones I end up loving the most. I know that they are the ones I miss the most this year. As the year progresses, I know I'll see through a few more of my students. I can't wait to know them as well as I knew my last class.

As I end this day of school and start digging through my pile of planning, preparation, and grading, may I remember who this is for. And may I enjoy the simple pleasure of eating an almond pastry from Casey's bakery in Sioux Center, Iowa (isn't my principal the best?). I think I might cry!