6 Detentions within 24 hours, my new record.

Usually breaking records are something to be proud of, even my first lunch detention I ever gave I was proud of myself.  As a first year teacher I feared the fatal mistake of every other first year teacher, not having good classroom management, so I aired on the safe side.  I gave a lunch detention on the second day of school.  There is no doubt in my mind "Miss Williams" was known as the mean teacher that gave CE a detention on the SECOND day of school, harsh, I know. 

Today as one of the "perfect" students left study hall she mentioned she got hit with an eraser, yet another first year mistake: not paying attention to the students during study hall.  This wasn't the first day that five particular, male, students decided to throw small objects in the classroom.  The larger more dominate teacher from next door came over to help give me the courage to give four boys lunch detentions and the fifth an after school DT, this was his second offense, bummer.

I felt horrible, I feel horrible, and three of the boys have yet to know of these mystical lunch DTs that I type of.  Happy Wednesday tomorrow to them!  Now, you may be asking about the sixth DT within the twenty-four hours.  Well, that student, I can't even begin to go down the list of all he did to push my buttons enough to get a DT.  Not listening to me when I asked for him to move his seat, 3 times, jabbing his book into my leg while I gave the rest of the class instructions for their journal prompt and the icing on the cake, he didn't fill in his guided notes.  I approached him numerous times within the class period but  I got to my breaking point. This all happened yesterday, today though, a new day.  When I saw him before school started today I told him, "AG, it's a new day, tomorrow is forgotten (other than serving the lunch DT) and today you have the choice to walk into the room and be the student who I know you are actually proud of being."  I didn't say one word to him today, an angel. 

God, your grace is enough.  I know the depth of my sin and it is far deeper than thrown erasers and jabbing books, it's just difficult to believe that some days.  May the power of your grace overcome my weakness of patience and allow me to love the children you have entrusted to me.  Let me teach them far more than grammar, but teach them of your grace and your power.

2 Cor 12:9 (NIV)

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.