I'm no Solomon

When I considered starting a blog that would speak to both teenagers and their parents, I have to admit my first thought was that I had no business giving advice. And who’d want to listen to me anyway? On most days I like to think my students are genuinely interested in what I have to say, but there’s no denying that they’re a “captive” audience. Given the choice, they’d happily trade being in math class for video games, texting, facebooking (is that really a verb?), or even sleeping.

But here’s the thing…for some reason I can’t explain, I have an enormous amount of love for the kids that come through my door. I mean, people say to me all the time, “I don’t know how you teach middle school.”

And I play the part of saint very well. “Yes, it’s tough. Those teenagers can be a real challenge.”

But secretly, I know that I’m blessed every day to get to hang out with them. I hope they all know how much I truly love them.

So when that little voice in my head says I’m not wise enough to advise anyone, and definitely not cool enough that kids would want to read what I have to say…I think about those kids in my class, those incredible minds just waiting for the fog of hormone overload to lift, and I pray that God will use my words to encourage them and to remind them how loved they are.

So read on, enjoy, and try not to take me too seriously.