When working with teenagers, a lot of your day can have intense and extreme emotions.  Extreme frustration.  Extreme delight.  Extreme anger.  Extreme sadness.  As they go through these emotions, sometimes I do too.  Sometimes their actions push me to THAT point; other times, things that happen to them allow me to feel a certain way.  Nevertheless, it is a constant emotional cycle.

I’m not sure if I’ve done enough to explain the joy that working with students can bring, and partially because it’s difficult for me to find the words.  For example:

• How do you find the words to describe the feeling you get when you watch a student overcome their fear and stretch themselves to conquer something that has previously terrified them?
• Or what words are there to describe the feeling you have when a student who has repeated grades, runs to show you his report card- and you see that he not only has grown 21 points in one class since the last quarter, but he’s also earned Honor Roll?
• Even still, how do you describe the feeling when your seniors tell you that after years of dreaming and working, they’ve been accepted into their top choice college?

I don’t always do a good job of articulating the sheer joy and delight that working with students can bring.  The 3 moments that I described above are very real- and I experienced them all over this past week.  It’s safe to say that working with students creates moments of unspeakable joy, and I’m very blessed that they have allowed me to be a part of their lives.

Unspeakable joy.

Until next time…