Mommy

The girls in my class have taken to calling me, "Mommy".

"Hi, Mommy. Yes, Mommy. Why, Mommy? Why do you torture us, Mommy? You have 28 kids, Mommy. Bye, Mommy."

"You have 28 kids, Mommy." That one is overwhelming.

I'm too young to be a mommy, especially to 28 fifth graders, and I could never take the places of the women who have raised these kids for the past 10 years. I can't even come close to stepping into their shoes and doing what they have done and do every day to provide for their children and care for them. But when I think of a mom, I think of someone who nurtures and loves. A person of comfort and safety. I want to be that for my students this year. I want my classroom to be a refuge this year, a safe place for my 28 little ones. I want my classroom to be a place that nurtures, builds up, and roots them in knowledge of their worth and the possibilities they have in front of them.

I'm not ready to be a full-time mommy right now, but maybe I can handle being a part-time classroom one.

...But, God, You have a lot of work to do in me to get me there.