I know teachers aren’t supposed to have favorites, but what if the teacher’s favorite is the whole class? I teach English for third through tenth grade, but my absolute favorite is the seventh grade. There are only 15 students in the class, but they have to be the brightest seventh graders on the planet. The first day I walked into the classroom, all the students quickly jumped to their feet and shouted, “Good morning, Teacher!” beaming with pride at their use of the English language.

“Good morning!” I responded. “You may take your seats.”

As they sat down, they enthusiastically informed me in unison, “We are sitting!” I ducked my head to hide my smile.

That first day, those students captured my heart. Together, we have worked through counting, the alphabet, greetings, prepositions, telling time and much more. I’ve had to explain the pronunciation difference between seventy and seventeen, and of and off. One day, after discussing opposite words in English, the students got a kick out of telling each other, “Badbye,” at the end of the class.

My favorite moments are when I see their eyes light up with understanding as I explain a difficult grammatical rule. Seeing the “light turn on” is not just a metaphor, you can actually see it happen!

What can I say? I’m proud of my kids. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together so far, and I’m sure the last few months will be just as amazing as the first. And guess who has made all of this possible? You! You made this possible through your prayers, your support and your encouragement. I would not be here if it weren’t for you.

I came here to teach English, and yes, at the end of the year, my students will walk away with a greater, richer knowledge of the English language. But if they knew who actually gained the most from this experience, they might feel cheated. I’ve learned so many things from my seventh grade class—how to make a scepter out of notebook paper being just one of them.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve the students of our school this year. Please continue lifting up the Susu Project and our Fria Adventist School in your prayers. —Rebecca Coleman

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