“God works in mysterious ways.“
The turn of phrase has become almost meaningless for how frequently I use it. I blame my grandmother, who uses the phrase all the time.
As a first year teacher, I’ve had a few roadblocks in my career. Late nights filled with grading, early mornings bombarded with lesson planning, and periods in my teaching where my greater purpose seemed shadowed. When starting a teaching career, it’s hard not to let the job consume your identity.
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go up to Springfield middle school, and assume the role of alumni at BGSU’s collegiate math camp. Math camp is a day for fourth through ninth graders to engage in problem-solving and math in ways not typical to a classroom. From activities like frogs on a log to water measurements, this day shows students that math is not always completing worksheets or listening to lectures.
At collegiate camp, freshmen assume the role of campers, using what they learn at this camp to help them better engage with campers in the future. As an alum, I had the pleasure to talk with these future teachers about the impact that math camp has had in my current teaching career. We then take these students to the gym to reflect on the people and reasons why we chose this career path. I found myself almost in tears, reflecting on my time so far in the classroom and the people who inspired and supported my teaching dreams.
In a place where we do the “math camp dance” I never would’ve expected re-finding my teaching passion. But given the opportunity to connect with friends, old and new, in an atmosphere of love and order of operations, I found God reassuring that I was on the right path.