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Our Two Perspectives on Kids Now

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Something I’ve been thinking about is how different Nathan’s and my perspectives on children might be now. Twelve years ago, we were doing similar work at the children’s shelter. Nathan worked with the boys and I worked with preschool, but we were both approaching children from fairly similar staff roles. Now things are different. I’ve spent all these years working directly with children in classrooms and child-development settings. My brain has learned to look at development, routines, communication, sensory needs, transitions, independence, learning, behavior, and functional skills. When a child is struggling, I might immediately start wondering: What happened right before this? Is the child overwhelmed? Is the environment too much? Is the task developmentally appropriate? Can the child communicate what they need? Is there a sensory need involved? What skill are we expecting that the child may not have yet? How can I change what I’m doing to help this child succeed? Nathan may look a...
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A Prayer

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Dear Lord, Thank You for bringing an old, familiar person back into my life in such an unexpected way. You know all the history between us—the good memories, the awkward parts, the things left unfinished, and everything I still wonder about. And Lord… apparently two people who spend all day teaching children to use their words need to take some of their own advice.  Give me courage when I see him. Help me not overthink a simple question until it becomes enormous in my head. If I get a natural opportunity, help me simply say what I want to ask: “How long are you going to be here?” Help me listen to his answer instead of jumping ten steps ahead. Thank You for every smile and every “hey.” They may be small things, but they've meant something to me. And if it's my turn to take one small step and actually use a complete sentence, give me the courage to do it.  But after I take my turn, Lord, help me leave room for him to take his. If a friendship is meant to grow again, let it be m...
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The Kids Were Teaching Us Too

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When a co-worker and I worked together at the children’s shelter in 2014, we probably thought our job was to teach, protect, encourage, and care for the kids. And it was. But looking back twelve years later, I realize something else was happening at the same time. Those kids were teaching us, too. Every difficult behavior taught us something about patience. Every child who needed someone to stay beside them taught us something about relationships. Every meltdown, argument, funny moment, accomplishment, and ordinary day gave us experience that we couldn’t have gotten from a textbook. At the time, we probably didn’t realize how much those experiences were shaping us. We were still figuring out our own lives and careers. Nathan had dreams and plans for where his life might take him, and I was still building my own career working with children. Neither one of us could have known exactly where we would be twelve years later. Yet here we are in 2026, and children are still part of both of ou...
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Remembering Who I Am

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A Letter to Myself: Remembering Who I Am For a long time, I felt like I lost myself. Eight years of stress, trying to please everyone, carrying too much, and feeling overwhelmed slowly changed the way I saw myself. I became focused on surviving instead of enjoying life. Fear became loud, and I forgot what peace felt like. Then someone came back into my life at a time when I needed a reminder of who I was. His presence brought back feelings I thought I had lost — peace, confidence, joy, and the feeling of being myself again. He reminded me of a calmer version of me, the person underneath all the stress and fear. I was nervous. I didn’t know what would happen. But I made a choice: I said “hey.” It was a small moment, but it was a brave moment. I realized: “I can be nervous and still be brave.” “I can take a step even when I’m afraid.” “I am still capable of connecting.” “I am still me.” That moment showed me something I never expected: I could do something outside of my comfort zone. I c...
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A Keepsake Letter to Myself

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  Dear Tiffney, I want to remember what I learned from this season. An old friend unexpectedly reminded me of something I didn't even realize I had lost. I thought I was simply happy to see someone from my past, but over time I realized it was much deeper than that. Being around the friend brought me a sense of peace. I felt happy, confident, and like myself again. For the first time, I realized how much fear had quietly taken over during the previous school year. I hadn't even recognized it until I experienced the contrast. What surprised me most was that this friend didn't have to say anything special. The friend may not even realize how much the impact had on me. Yet this friend's presence reminded me of who I was before fear became so loud. This old friend reminded me of: - My joy. - My peace. - My confidence. - My connection with children. - The teacher I know God created me to be. I realized that what I missed wasn't just teaching—it was the connection with ch...
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Schools Don't Run........

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😮‍💨 PEOPLE SAY SCHOOLS RUN ON FUNDING. THEY DON'T. THEY RUN ON TEACHERS WHO KEEP THE WHOLE THING FROM FALLING APART. That's the line missing from every school budget. When something isn't funded... It doesn't magically disappear. It lands on a teacher. Not enough classroom supplies? A teacher buys them. Not enough staff? A teacher covers another class. Someone calls out? A teacher loses their planning period. A student is in crisis? A teacher figures it out. Technology doesn't work? A teacher finds another way. A program gets cut? A teacher fills the gap. Another responsibility gets added? A teacher squeezes it into a day that was already full. It's amazing what schools can "afford"... When they know teachers will quietly make up the difference. Not because they have to. Because they care too much about the kids to let them go without. That's the part people misunderstand. Teachers aren't keeping the system running because the system is worki...
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What 20 Years with Children have Taught me Ideas

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I have the idea of writing a devo book with the things that I have learned in the 20 years with children. I can put a little story of what I have learned, reflections, prayers, and a Bible verse that goes with that story/lesson. I have taught in so many different settings with children and because of that I have learned so much in my 20 years. I have some titles for it like: 20 years with Children: Lessons from Little Hearts, Little Moments, Lasting Lessons, 20 years of watching children grow, or Through the eyes of a preschool teacher. I also already have some lessons ideas: the power of encouragement, the joy of watching a child finally get it, children taught me to forgive quickly, children taught me to find the joy in the simple things, every child has a unique path, sometimes the best thing we can give a child is our time and presence, and children teach us to slow down. This can be the main idea: every child is a different kind of flower and all together, make this world a beauti...
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