The Other Side of the Fence

I'm now a every weekday working Mom. I've taken on a part-time temporary position as a Senior Mathematics Teacher at the local high school. I teach Gr. 11 & 12 students, some mathematically gifted, others not so much. For the most part, I am enjoying the experience. 

I think.

This whole experience of teaching has taught me, once again, how I struggle with contentment. As a substitute teacher, I ached for the opportunity to teach while I grit my teeth over supervising another exam or "babysitting" another work period. Now that I teach a new mathematical concept almost every day, I long for the periods when I can rest my voice and brain and just proctor an exam.

Contentment. A very difficult concept to grasp. One I still have not mastered.

Earlier, I had the opportunity to sit down with a Mom of one your KG friends, as you two boys played with great enthusiasm. This lady was quite wise, as she reflected on the state of society. Even though she hesitated to confess a belief in a God, her sense of spirituality was quite astute. She spoke of how we rush, rush, rush, rush -- never enjoying the present moment but thinking ahead to the next item on our mental to-do list. She shook her head on how addicted people are to their electronic devices, how some families don't visit with each other at a restaurant any more, but rather robotically tap away on their screens (children included). She critiqued how materialistic our North American society has become, how bigger is better, how trendy is coveted, and how both partners in a relationship are pressured to work to pay for their over-the-top lifestyles. Through all this, she addressed the epidemic of discontent that threatens to attack our joy. Every day is a gift! Why do we let ourselves get so easily distracted by the other side of the fence?

I walked away from our conversation in a state of gratitude and guilt. I was thankful that I allowed myself to slow down for a moment in time and enjoy the company of this fascinating woman. Yet, I also felt convicted over my discontent in my current -- and future -- employment situation (I'm not sure what to do next year). Why do I continually struggle with finding joy in the now?

Nonetheless, in this brief moment in time, I've been called to teach. I have no idea if this will lead to something more permanent, or if it will be a dead-end career wise. Some days this causes me discouragement, wondering if I will ever land a part-time permanent Math/Science teaching job in a city so small. Other days, I secretly wish for things to go back to my previous stay-at-home status so my house and personal life wouldn't be so out-of-control (it isn't -- but I can't help but feel that some days!). 

But what about today? Today, I choose contentment, with God's grace. I am going to purposefully enjoy this weekend and its accompanying household tasks without worrying to much about teaching students about graphing polynomial functions with special attention to multiplicity. And on Monday? I'll teach with passion and not worry so much about the dishes left on our kitchen counter and the dust accumulating on our furniture. Why? Simple. I don't want to be distracted by the other side of the fence.

Popular posts from this blog

Is God Good?

During "at home learning", I helped my daughter design an experiment on plants. She set up four identical pots with the same amount of soil in the same location on our deck (controlling her variables, right?). She planted two bean seeds in each pot. She watered three out of the four plants with various amounts of water (1/4 cup, 1/2 cup and 1 cup). The fourth plant only received whatever water naturally fell from the sky. At the end of one month, her hypothesis was partially verified. She thought the 1/4 cup water plant and 1/2 cup water plant would grow the best, which was true in the end. On the other hand, she guessed the others would not germinate at all. Interestingly enough, while the one that was drench in water (1 cup) did not germinate, the one she did not water at all actually grew! It germinated late but had the most steady growth. Is God good? I have been thinking about this question a lot these days. A global pandemic is still raging over our planet decimat...
Read more

Daunting {But Not Impossible}

I rarely watch the news. I catch up on the world's happenings -- where often the horror is reported -- via Google News. Or the brief blurb before classic rock on our favourite radio station. But very occasionally, at the end of the day, I take in the images of national and global headlines. Yesterday I watched the masses trek across Europe, searching for a safe haven away from war-torn Syria. I witnessed little kids crying as they tried to rub away tear gas sprayed by unrelenting border police. The message? You are not welcome in this country. I choked up as a father and his son fell to the ground after being tripped up by guards. The look of desperation on people's faces was heart breaking. Our country is nearing a Federal Election in October. Many voters are curious how the next Prime Minister will address the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Here is an excerpt from The Globe and Mail : Mr. Mulcair [NDP] and Mr. Trudeau [Liberal] condemn Mr. Harper [Conservative] for lacking...
Read more

Banking in the Now

This month we are trying something different: banking in the now instead of the tomorrow. Oh, it is nothing new, really. I used to operate like this in my single days. But then the lure of credit cards with reward programs persuaded me otherwise. While I never gave Visa the joy in collecting any interest payments from our bank accounts and I always payed our credit card bill before the 21 days of grace were up, I probably spent more than I should have some months. Why? Because I didn't have to pay for it immediately . It was not until last year that my credit card habits started to bother my conscience. Up to that point, I felt proud of the fact that the credit card company was paying me to use their plastic. I received stuff for free, even after paying my annual fee. Free fuel. Free flights. Free hotels. Free is good, right? My perspective started to change after I read a blog post penned by my sister. Her and her husband cut up their credit cards after a series of events, o...
Read more