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I graduated with high honors from UVU in the spring of 2007 at the age of forty-something. Four days later, I was hired to teach 8th graders that fall. I was thrilled to finally have my own class--student teaching had been a wonderful experience. I felt confident and prepared. But instead of enjoying a bouquet of roses with only a few thorns, it rained thorns, and there were only a few scattered flowers.

I had three fairy well behaved classes and three disruptive, disrespectful, stressful classes. The last class of the day--a low-level reading class--had nine students with behavior problems. Add to this, major and minor health problems due to the stress, infections of various kinds, and a thyroid imbalance, and perhaps you can see why the doctor said, after only six months of teaching, “You need to resign.” There really wasn’t a choice. I was so ill, I spent the next two and a half months recuperating.

Shortly after resigning, the stress symptoms of high blood pressure and skipped and rapid heartbeats disappeared. It took a lot longer to recuperate from a chronic case of pneumonia and to overcome dark feelings of failure. Thankfully, because the Lord hears and answers prayers, I was not only well enough physically but mentally to begin teaching one class at UVU that summer.

In the fall of 2008, when I first started this blog, I was teaching three classes at UVU. I had some trouble with a student that semester, my confidence wavered, and I felt like quitting, but the Lord, through the help of a life coach, helped me through it, so I was finally well on my way to making a comeback.

Before I was led to the proper help, I felt that maybe I wasn’t cut out to teach middle school students. I wondered why I had to go through in the middle school. Why did the Lord open doors and provide the way for me to teach youth if I wasn’t going to use my degree with them? I was at the top of my class. I had had a great student teaching experience. What happened? I didn’t understand.

Oh well, I didn’t know why things happened the way they did so, like I said, I prayed for understanding. After many prayers, the Lord led me to Darren, Kirk, and others who taught me things at just the right moments until I was actually okay with not understanding why. After a while, in spite of the challenges, I felt confident teaching college. The Lord had restored my soul. I was actually glad UVU asked me to come back in the spring to teach again, so things were finally going well—or so I thought.

Unfortunately, due to low enrollment, my classes were given to a full time teacher, and I was laid off from UVU in January. After that, I had multiple interviews but no job offers.

After the sixth month of unemployment, my husband and I decided to hold a special fast. The evening after we ended the fast, I felt impressed to look on the LDS Job listing board. I saw a posting for Liahona Preparatory Academy for a 7/8 grade English teaching position. Although I had promised myself I would NEVER teach in a middle school again, I knew inside my heart that I needed to apply.

I was leaving for Bear Lake the next day, so I stayed up late that night to update my resume. I also felt impressed to write the best cover letter I could possibly write, so I did. Monday morning, I e-mailed everything to Liahona and left on my trip. Monday afternoon Liahona called my home, but I wasn’t there. Tuesday, they called my cell phone and asked for an interview for that day or the next. I said, “I’m at Bear Lake. Can I interview Thursday; would that be okay?” We made the appointment for 10:00 am.

On the day of the interview, I received a priesthood blessing that I would be able to present myself well and have a successful interview. The blessing said that if I received the job, I would be able to bless the lives of many people. I went to the interview feeling calm and confident.

After I sat down in the DeGraff's office, Sister DeGraff asked me to tell them about myself and how I got into teaching. I gave them a brief history and then Brother DeGraff said, “When I received your resume, I was impressed. I told my wife, ‘we need to get her in here for an interview,’ and she said, ‘Did you see her cover letter?’” Brother DeGraff then told me that my cover letter had described the philosophy and purpose of Liahona so fully that they actually went to the school’s website to see what information I could have possibly gleaned from it to write such a letter.

At this point, Sister De Graff said, “We have interviewed over twenty applicants for this position, and when we received your resume and cover letter, we knew we had to wait for you.”

If you can’t guess, I was hired on the spot. We held a special fast on Sunday. I was hired on Thursday. Heavenly Father hears and answers prayer.

I have just finished my tenth week of teaching at Liahona. At the beginning of the semester I introduced the book The Hobbit to my students. I compared the heroic cycle of The Hobbit to the plan of salvation. I read to my students from Abraham about "the noble and great ones." I told them how lucky they were to be in a school where we can make connections with what we are learning in school to the scriptures.
I also told them that like Bilbo Baggins, we are all on a journey “There and Back Again.” What challenges will we have to face and overcome to fulfill our missions?

The children have responded well to me; they are learning and growing. Teaching is a joy again. I feel so very blessed knowing that I am doing what Heavenly Father wants me to do. I feel blessed that I have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of my students. The work is challenging and all the time it takes to prepare lessons can be frustrating, but life is good.

It amazes me to think that just over a year ago I said, “I will never work in a middle school again." Wayne Dyer once said,“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” I am so glad I followed the Spirit and walked a path I didn’t think I would ever walk again. I am glad I looked at and responded to an opportunity in a job listing. The Lord knew He had a bouquet of roses prepared for me. He also knew I needed a little bit of rain—-even if it was thorny rain—-to help me grow, to help me prepare for the next opportunity. I am blessed.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.

Born to Make Manifest the Glory of God

Recently, I had a powerful reaffirming experience regarding my divine worth and the work Heavenly Father would have me do. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. . . (Galatians 5:22-23.)” I felt love, joy, and peace so I know the impressions I had were from God.

Although the mistake has now been rectified, and I am at peace again, for a while I cast off the fruit of the Spirit by my unbelief and sucked on the empty pits of self-depreciating thinking, “No. that couldn’t be me. There is no way I could be that special? I’m not good enough!” My coach shared the following quote by Marianne Williamson with me the other day as he helped me regain my focus and faith:

“It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

D&C 121:45 contains the antidote to Satan’s subtle lies,“Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God. . . .” As I embrace light and truth, rather than darkness and negative thinking, the power of Satan is thwarted, and I enjoy more fully the fruit of the Spirit. DG

My New Blog!

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm am excited to be starting a blog where I can share my thoughts and feelings with family and friends. I hope that together we can learn and grow as we share expereinces and ideas together. Your comments are always appreciated.

Why do I want to start a blog/on-line journal? I like how like how Natalie McCullough states it,

I keep a journal to discover what I know, how I know it, and why it matters. I write to unearth treasures and mysteries buried in my heart. Writing the tender stirrings of my heart is the act of spring on my subconscious. It is not always a blossom that rises up to be shown, but it is always important.

So as we begin this literary excange of thoughts and ideas together, until next time, happy reading. DG