Lessons learned: The favorites

Well, friends, it has been exactly one whole year since I first started this blog. It has been such a blessing in my life and I am grateful I started it when I did. If there was ever a year when I needed to do something like this, it was this past year. My blog has helped me to see the good in others, look for the positive, see the hand of the Lord in my life, and find the wisdom that can be gained through everyday experiences.

Some blog posts were popular and got lots of views... like that one time I told everyone about how I really want to get married. (Vulnerability at its best.) Other posts weren't quite as popular but that was okay because they were more for me anyways. Some took me weeks to get just right. Others took only thirty minutes. Some posts were written to be funny. Some were written to make a point. Some were written to help me tell about my struggles without really telling about my struggles. (Sometimes being vulnerable is hard.) And others were written because I really just wanted to reach out to those who are struggling and need to read something encouraging.

So thank you for reading. Thanks for the kind comments. Thanks for passing my posts along to others. I hope it has been a good thing.

Here are some of the good ones. Be sure to take a look if there were some that you missed.

Your favorites:

1. Lesson learned: Silence doesn't mean absence

"The fact that God is at times quiet does not mean that He is gone or has stopped caring. Just as a teacher occasionally withholds answers to see what her students know, Heavenly Father may stay silent to test our faith and spiritual knowledge. I am coming to find that there is great wisdom in this..." 

2. Lesson learned: Trust His timing

"Just as the teacher knows exactly what time lunch will be, God knows when we will receive our most desired blessings. And just as first graders have no sense of time and would eat lunch at 9:00 if possible, we may have a difficult time understanding God's timing and wish we could have what we want, when we want it."

3. Lesson learned: People come and go for a reason

"People are placed in our lives for a reason. We may not see it at first and we may even want to ask the Teacher to "switch our desks," but if we pay attention, we may be fortunate enough to see how that person is blessing our lives."

My favorites: 

1. Lesson learned: Sometimes we just get to be brave

"Today took courage. I knew it would be that way. I knew that it would be not so hard for some and really hard for others. I saw the butterflies in their stomachs. But we just had to do it. We had to get through the first day. My first graders just got to be brave today."

2. Lesson learned: Hard isn't bad

"After working with him one-on-one for a little bit, it finally clicked and he was able to finish the worksheet. But he learned more that day than just how to add. He also learned how to persevere through hard things. He learned that if he asks for help, his teacher will be there to clarify and reteach. He learned patience. He learned humility. And he learned what his fellow classmates often feel like on a daily basis."

3. Lesson learned: Some days are just practice days

"It's okay if our worksheet isn't completely done or if we got a few of the answers wrong or if we didn't quite reach perfection today. We just need to do the best that we can right now, in the time we are allotted, with the resources we are given, and the knowledge we have. Did you do your best? Did you try your hardest? Okay then. Draw a smiley face on the top and put it in your cubby."

Lesson learned: Open up and share what you learn

A couple of days ago, one of my students walked into my classroom with one of those looks that told me it had been a rough morning and he was bringing his Mr. Grumpy Pants with him to school. I tried to be all positive and bubbly and first grade teacher on him, but it did nothing to change his mood. He just sat at his desk and wouldn't do his morning work. I told him encouragingly that he needed to get it done, at which point he threw his notebook on the ground. I picked it up with a smile and suggested he just work on the first one. And then he ripped out the page and told me I was annoying. At which point happy first grade teacher went away and we started having some consequences.

Three and a half hours, one tantrum, 10 minutes in think time, the silent treatment from both parties involved, one missed recess, and several exasperated sighs later... he finally got his morning work done. And then it was time for lunch. (In hindsight, yes, I probably should have handled this differently and not let it turn into a power struggle. So... I'm not a perfect teacher.)

But the point of the story is actually what happened the next day. Mr. Grumpy Pants came to school all smiles, thank goodness, but there was another kid who decided she didn't want to do her morning work that day. Just as I was thinking to myself, "Oh, no. Not again..." Mr. Grumpy Pants went up to Miss I Don't Want To Do Anything and told her, "Hey. Just do it. Then it won't take forever and you won't be sad and you'll get recess." And then something incredible happened... she sat down and did it. I was amazed. And, oh, so grateful that Mr. Grumpy Pants had stepped up and helped out.

More and more, I am realizing that God wants us to learn from our trials and mistakes not only so that we can become better and grow closer to Him, but also so that we can help others become better and grow closer to Him.

But, in order for this to work, we need to start telling people what we have been through and share the things that we've learned. Yes, that means we will have to be vulnerable and share some of our weaknesses, which tends to make us feel super uncomfortable. But if we all just keep pretending that we have life figured out and that we never make mistakes, then we are never going to be able to help others who, you know, don't have life figured out and make mistakes. Why not be open and possibly save someone from going through a hard lesson to be learned?

In the education world, did you know that students actually wouldn't do any better if they were taught one-on-one all of the time? Research has shown that students learn better when they are in a class. Why? Because there is a social aspect to learning. Students can teach and learn so much from each other. There's a reason that we have all been put into families and friendships and relationships and communities and groups and wards. We are supposed to help each other. And learn from each other. That's the whole point.