You can strive to do things perfectly. As a first year teacher, there's a lot of pressure in getting it all right. But the truth of it all- there's moments you excel, and moments you don't. A lot of the time, you have to give yourself grace to not be perfect, to have a life outside of work, and ultimately, know that you did your best.

The plans of God hardly match the timing of man. Whether through periods of waiting or being thrown by the waves, I've anxiously awaited my future after my first big teaching gig.

Four months, 75 kids, the teaching job of a lifetime, and a lesson in caring both for others, and for yourself.