Follow up to previous post

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. I have been overwhelmed by the love that has been poured out on me this week. Monday I shared my prayer requests to Bible study and they prayed over me and have sent me cards all week telling me how they were praying for me.

Your prayers have worked even though it may have not been exactly the way I would have thought. Let me back track to earlier in the week...Tuesday I saw my principal and asked her if she would like to come upstairs and observe in my class before my evaluation on Friday. She told me no, so in return I asked if she had already made up her mind. She said she had because even though I had made this change, this evaluation was to reflect the whole year and I had struggled the whole year. I still didn't agree with her but the Lord has given me a total peace about this whole situation.

In my Bible study on Monday nights, we are studying 1 Peter and we were study how a wife who is married to unbeliever should not be intimidated and give into fear. Though I do not have to worry about this in my own marriage, the Lord was using it to speak into my current situation. He was telling me that in the face of intimidation I have nothing to fear because my identity does not come from man, but from Him. My identity is a child of God, not as a teacher. My worth as a person does not come from my job and my principal's view of me. He was telling me to put my confidence and hope in the Lord.

After the study this week, I really just had a peace in the whole situation, knowing that no matter what happened, I would be ok. Tuesday when she told me she was changing it, I was disappointed but still not upset like I had been in the past. Friday when I went into my evaluation I was at peace with whatever she said and it honestly turned out very well. She had given me great marks for all 8 areas ex. the behavior management piece. On this part, she had not marked me below standard but instead said that I was at standard marginally. To do this, she had to create a mark in between the standards and had gotten permission from the higher officials. She told me that if she had marked me below standard, I would not have been able to receive my tenure (which I would have received at the end of this school year) and she didn't want to take that away from me because I deserved it. She said she saw that I was making progress, even though she would have liked to have seen it earlier. She also praised me as a great teacher, and this group of kids had just gotten the best of me. I was excited to see the mark had changed even though I didn't agree with all her reasoning. Luckily I was allowed to write my own comments on the evaluation and the behavior specialist had written a glowing letter in my behalf that was attached.

I'm really at peace with the situation and I'm ready to move forward. I don't know what next year brings as we continue to wait on a job for Jeremy. My principal has asked me to move down to 2nd grade if I stay. I'm fine with that and really excited about something new. Personally, I would rather stay home with my new baby but we'll have to wait and see. Please continue to pray for us. Jeremy had an interview yesterday in the Outer Banks and it seemed to go well.

Sorry for the long post again...