{thankful vol. 17} my little cuties

A parent was helping out in my classroom the other day when he said, "How many times do you hear your name?"  All day long I hear, "Mrs. LaFuze...."  But, it is the sweetest sound to my ears.  You see, when I was in kindergarten I decided I wanted to be a teacher.  I never strayed from this passion of mine, and in sixth grade I even dressed up as a teacher for career day, a kindergarten teacher to be exact.  

Today I am utterly thankful for my job and all 20 sweeties in my class.  It is amazing to see my dreams come true after much hard work.  My first year teaching was the hardest of my life, and I ended the year asking myself, "Is this really what I want to do???"  Luckily, God confirmed that this was definitely the job for me.  Teaching is a blessing, and kindergarten is even more special.  I love how curious they are, loving they are, imaginable and creative they are, and how much they grow in such a short amount of time.  When I get them they can barely write their name, and now they are writing 2-3 sentences by themselves and reading!  

I wish I could show you just how cute they are!  

These are the joys of the job:

-hearing them accidentally call me "mommy"

-telling me "you're the best teacher ever"

-coming up and hugging my leg just because

-asking me to play with them at recess

-the sweet drawings of me during their free time (you should see how good they make me look!)

-coming home with paint on my clothes

-remembering the silly stories they tell me

-hearing them say, "Oh, you're so silly Mrs. LaFuze"

-seeing their face light up when they "get it"!

-telling the husband the latest crazy thing a child told me

There are so many more little perks to the job, but what I love most is their handprints.  They are so tiny and remind me how precious they are.  Children is the most precious gift, and having a job surrounded by their love fills me with warm fuzzies.