Overwhelmed

Today I was struck by how little I really know about life. Yes, I want to change the world, but how much do I really know of a struggling world. I never fully grasped how much home life really affects how students perform in the classroom. I find myself in this constant turmoil and struggle. As a student teacher, learning to be a real teacher someday, what is my role? Is my job to be compassionate? Is my job to make sure students meet all the standards? One of my students today mentioned that she's living on the streets, I was completely caught off guard. Oddly enough I had been brought to pray for her earlier. It seems God knew that she needed the prayer. I know nothing about being homeless or living on the streets. I know nothing about coming from a divorced-parent home. Yes, I have had my own struggles in life, but none seem to compare with the struggles my students face every day. I feel like there is such a responsibility in being a teacher, the responsibility to make sure my students feel loved, to be there to listen, and provide kleenex for their tears. I thought I had become callused to the brokenness in this world, but I find my heart breaking daily. I feel so inept, but I know God is faithful. I want to make a difference in this world . . . to leave footprints in the sand.