Letter from the Editor: What’s your word of the year?

By Courtney Warren

It’s back to school time! I am so excited. I am not your average teacher that loves summer and time away from school. I want to be at school! I love teaching, being with my students, being with my coworkers and, frankly, just being in the building. It makes my heart happy. 

As I start the new year, I’m so excited to be able to mentor two amazing new-to-us teachers. Throughout the summer, I have met with them a few times to ensure they are prepared for the moment students step into their classrooms. 

I felt pretty equipped to answer all of their questions, but one left me thinking. One of our new teachers asked, “Were you just so scared?” So, I think back to the first weeks and days of being a teacher at my amazing school. Scared? Try terrified. 

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get to teach at such an incredible school. I remember walking in and thinking I was so not ready to be here and they would soon figure out that I was an imposter. 

But that’s the thing with blessings–they are so amazing that oftentimes we can’t even enjoy them, because we are so afraid of losing them. We fear letting people down, now that this blessing is within our reach. We fear losing it all together, after having worked and prayed so hard for the opportunity. I have to remind myself that God wouldn’t have opened that door unless I was meant to step through it and thrive on the other side. 

So, as we go into our school year, I have to prepare for so many meetings. One of those meetings involves choosing a word or phrase of the year. I think I’m going to go with “blessing.” I want to count every blessing and live beyond fear. I want to remind myself to look around at what I have, vs. what everyone else is doing or what I could have. I want to extend myself to be a blessing to those new teachers, so that I can help ease their fears. In moments where I’m nervous or overwhelmed, I want to praise God for all of the blessings that surround me, because the sheer fact that I’m overwhelmed shows how much my cup overflows! Also, let’s be honest, I tend to thrive in chaos. 

So, what’s your word of the year? How are you approaching the new school year? 

As we have to wash off the backpacks, purchase new shoes and iron uniforms, let’s remember the blessings asleep in their beds ready for the school day. As we wash the dishes, whether they are cracked or brand new, let’s remind ourselves that there have been moments with empty fridges, and thank the heavens we have full bellies tonight. Maybe even such a full belly, you’re able to be a blessing to someone else. Let’s remind ourselves as we walk outside and our eyeballs are sweating before we even reach the car, that the giant ball of heat in the sky was made by the Lord, and we will rejoice and be glad (and hydrate). 

Blessings. I’ll count them all and be thankful over fearful.