I have been teaching elementary music for the last 5 years, but this has been the first year that I am returning to the same school and classroom with the same students! I feel immensely comfortable with my job that it brings me life regardless of the workload. On top of the peace I am met with each day, I am greeted with joy because of the unique relationship I have with this group of students. You see, last year I started the year as Miss Molitor and ended the year as Mrs. Thomas. My students got to experience what it was like to have a teacher get married mid year.
Their attention has now switched from “What is your husband like?” to “What will your baby be like?” They love that I am pregnant, and as my belly grows, so does their curiosity! They are asking questions all day long about the baby's gender, size, name, and so on.
This group of students have a special place in my heart, and it is because of our unique relationship that my Charism for teaching has had room to blossom this year! A Charism is a God given gift that is used to draw other people closer to Him. It is more than a natural talent because it creates a supernatural effect. Only the Holy Spirit working through you can create an encounter with Jesus for other people.
There is a supernatural effect in my classroom each time we discuss and practice the school mass music. We talk about how singing is a form of prayer and what it is that we are praying about during each song. I take a step back from planning and invoke the Holy Spirit. I make room for Him to decide what the children need to learn that day. One of my favorite examples happened earlier this month when we were singing through the song ‘Hail Holy Queen, Enthroned Above.’ The fourth grade class ended up talking about what it meant for Mary, the Mother of our Lord to be Assumed into heaven. Meanwhile, less than an hour earlier the second grade class talked about guardian angels.
It is because of these faith-filled conversations that my students feel comfortable asking me questions about our Catholic faith and my classroom has become a safe and holy place. It has been so rewarding to see how my Charism for teaching and my Charism for music have been beautifully paired in the classroom! I am filled with so much joy when I reflect on how collaborating with the Holy Spirit has created some supernatural moments in my classroom.
I would be lying if I said leaving this work would be easy….just this last week, after much discernment, my husband and I decided that after the baby is born I will step out of the classroom and stay home full time.
I have been desiring motherhood for as long as I can remember and the idea of being a stay-at-home mom is attractive and exciting, but I am still met with feelings of uncertainty. My biggest hiccup is not knowing how my Charisms will manifest in this next chapter of my life. Learning about and utilizing my Charisms has been a recent experience for me. It was only a few months ago that I began this process when I attended the ‘Called and Gifted’ workshop and began discerning how I can currently use my Charisms.
Once I step out of the classroom, I will have to begin the discernment process once again. What will it look like to draw others closer to Jesus through the gift of teaching as a stay-at-home mom? How will I be able to use my gift of music to create an encounter with our Lord, for other people, when I am busy caring for my child?
Each Charism manifests differently within each person. How the Holy Spirit has been using the Charism of teaching through me looks different than how He is working through my coworker or sister. I take comfort knowing that the Charisms are not set in stone. They do not appear or work in one set way. They can and will adjust to our lifestyle and chapters of life. It is a continual discernment and a chance to grow closer to the Lord as He uses us to reveal himself to others!
Until Next Time~Your Sister in Christ,
Abby