After this semester, I will be halfway through college! That’s hard to believe. Lately I have been realizing just how much I love working with kids. This year I have had the privilege of being a leader in the children’s group at my church. This semester, I have used my music skills to put the weekly memory verses to song that we sing each week with my piano accompaniment! It’s so much fun to hear all ten little voices singing along while I play the piano! I’ve realized that I view music as more of a “fun” thing rather than serious. I’d much rather play (both violin and piano) for fun, and I definitely want to have fun music as a part of my classroom someday. I used to think that I wanted to be a music teacher, but now I’m getting so excited just to teach children, and I want to be a normal schoolteacher, probably kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, or 3rd grade. They’re my favorites. :)
This summer, I’m going to be leading a music camp at Maranatha Christian Center, and I’m so excited! I’ve been thinking about all the fun things I’m going to do with music! One thing I want to do is have a verse of the day and put it to song, just like I do for Kool Kids Klub. This will be a great opportunity for me to learn how to have fun with music and maybe ways that I can bring it into my classroom someday.
I’ve also been thinking lately that I might want to go back to MCC and teach once I graduate. Here are the advantages I see in teaching at a private school rather than a public school:
1. The main reason I would rather teach at a private school is because I want to teach children the TRUTH. The most important thing is to teach children about Jesus Christ so that they might accept Him as their Lord and Savior. Teaching at a public school is a ministry in itself being surrounded with people who need the Lord, but I think I would get frustrated because I would not be able to teach them about what really matters in life. If God does call me to the public schools, I will follow His calling, but right now I am feeling led to teach at a private school, specifically Maranatha.
2. My second reason for teaching at a private school rather than a public school is because of Halloween. Now, I know this may seem insignificant, but I have always been convicted not to celebrate Halloween. I don’t know for a fact, but I’m pretty sure that they would want me to dress up and lead the class in a Halloween party. I believe that my faith comes before my job, whatever it may be, and I would probably lose my job over it. Again, if God lead me to teach at a public school, I know He will provide a way for me to get around this problem.
3. Reason three kind of goes along with reason one. I do want to have music in my classroom, even though the kids will have music class. I would like to have a daily singing time in my classroom, and what better songs to sing than praises to our Lord? Yes, I could sing “The Farmer in the Dell” and “B-I-N-G-O” with my students, but those are just fun songs. I would much rather teach them songs about Jesus to help them learn the truths of the Bible.
4. I know that not everyone who goes to a private, Christian school is a Christian. After all, I went to a private, Christian school for 13 years! By being there, you do not avoid filthy language or bad sins, but at least that behavior would be punished. I don’t know how well I would do with just ignoring bad language, especially coming from a small child. It’s so sad to me how some children speak. At least at a Christian school I would be able to correct the children and teach them the correct way to live.
Well, those are all my thoughts for now. :)