The task of the modern educator is not to cut down forests, but to irrigate the deserts.- C.S. Lewis
I figured I would begin my blog by telling you a little about myself and where I teach. My name is Amy and I teach at a high poverty school just outside of Oklahoma City. The school is located in a wealthy suburb, however the students that make up a majority of the school are not. The majority live with some kind of constant transition in their lives, from the amount of parents to the place to live. A large group live in section 8 housing and rely on free/reduced meal programs for breakfast and dinner. The neighborhood surrounding the school is filled with your average middle class families who are working hard to provide for their children. It is a diverse population that can often clash, but in the end works hard to get along.
I find myself called to this desert. It surprises me how thirsty for knowledge, love, security, and acceptance all of the children are, no matter what their background. Some have bigger deserts in their lives, ones that would put the Sahara to shame. They are all the same though, and it is my job, even though it can be tiring and tear-filled, to water these deserts as much as I can. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but God has called me here. I know that I have only been able to survive these years, and especially this past one, by relying on His strength and grace.
I hope that by serving God in this manner, Isaiah 35:6 (The Message) will be true for those student I teach. May they be like lame men and women leaping like deer, may their voiceless hearts break into song. May the springs of water burst out in the wilderness of their lives, and may streams of knowledge, love, security, and acceptance flow into their desert-filled lives.
