~Classroom Experiences~

There are a variety of experiences that I have in the classroom—wonderful, funny, crazy, challenging, embarrassing. Each day is different, and some days are way more different and unique than others.

Today, I want to share with you two very special experiences that I've had and will always treasure.

Wednesday

I always ask students to have opening and closing prayer for English classes. But sometimes, I don't get that opportunity. For example, yesterday, as I was erasing the chalkboard in grade 4, I asked them to stand up because it was time for closing song and prayer. As soon as I turned around, Saw Dee Thay said to me with a big smile, "Teacher, can I pray?" "Yes!", I happily replied. "But, let's sing first." He and others readily agreed.

"Teacher, can I pray?" ... There is singing in my heart every time that a student asks me that. I love it. It tells me that they want to pray. That they like to pray to God. Do you know how exciting that is!? :)

This has happened at least twice before in my classes. :-)

Thursday (today)


Today, I think I had my most thrilling experience thus far.

One of the questions that I taught my 4th graders today was, "Where is your house/home?" Then I taught them how to answer by saying, "My home is in ____________." They were to fill in the blank.

At first I was getting answers with the village/town name that they live in and some answers that were rather funny. But, after a few moments, Saw Koh Noh got my attention by enthusiastically shouting out his answer in Karen. I tried to figure out what he was saying, but couldn't. I thought that maybe it was some name (that I did not recognize) of a village perhaps that another student is from, but not the one that he's from. I walked over to his table. He and Ma Soe Aw showed me what they wrote for their answer. I was rather surprised. I read it twice to see if I was really reading it correctly before saying anything. I was very happy to read from both of them, "My home is in heaven." They looked at me with beaming faces. With a huge smile on my face I excitedly said at least twice, "Very good!" They replied, "Yes!" and then I said, "My home is in heaven, too!" Again, they said, "Yes!"

To realize that their thoughts were then about heaven and they chose to write "heaven" in the blank instead of their earthly dwelling, makes my soul leap for joy. I have to say, that of all the answers that my forth graders wrote, theirs was the best. Their answer wasn't more correct than the other good ones, but theirs was the best because it was the name of their eternal HOME.

My heart is filled with joy. I love my students and treasure such experiences with them. Those experiences are glimpses of where they are in their walk with God.

I'm a very happy English teacher, to say the least!