"Be the change you want to see in the world." I saw that quote and I thought to myself... "How can I make a difference?" Going into college I randomly chose General Business as my major and after that first semester, I knew it wasn't for me. I came back home and coached my old high school's spring league basketball team and we went undefeated. I felt at home on the sideline, although my team was much better than the others I was really enjoying being there. I had never really thought about becoming a coach or a teacher before but I was always a good student in school and was always the one that everyone copied off of lol. I had always heard about how teachers didn't get paid much, were overworked and so on. Again, I wasn't too sure about what I was going to do. All I knew is that coaching was fun and that I loved being around basketball. I ended up changing my major to Mathematics and although some people thought I was crazy, I graduated four years later.
Two years into teaching, I know that this is my calling. Everyday I go to work knowing that I can make a difference. Regardless of what people think about the money educators make, we are able to change kids lives. I see situations that I could have never imagined growing up in but yet these kids come to school with a smile on their faces. It's astonishing to think about what they do everyday. They go to school for eight hours, go to work for eight hours, go home and do homework, feed their family, sleep, wake up and do it all over again. Although some days are better than others in the classroom, it still amazes me at what they do. It took me being a teacher to realize how much work students put into their lives during those four years of high school.
After I realizing that I make a difference in their lives, I realized something more important. The script flips and I realized that these kids make a difference in my life. I come to work with a smile on my face knowing that I'm about to work a thirteen hour day. Although the hours I work are crazy, I love it. There is nothing better and I honestly believe that. It's the most rewarding feeling knowing that I am the "change" in some of these kids lives. In the classroom, hallway, on the football field, basketball court, track, cafeteria or wherever it may be, I'm making a change and I wouldn't trade this job for anything else.
This is dedicated to all of the educators all over that dedicate their lives being the change. I also dedicate this to my Quitman and Ellison kids...wouldn't trade you for anything else.
Be blessed.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
The Power of One Point
One year ago I was testing to receive my Mathematics certification, May 31, 2011 to be exact. Needing a 240, I made a 239 and to say I was crushed would be an understatement. I would have to wait 60 days before I even had an opportunity to pass the test. While I was waiting, I went to countless interviews knowing in the back of my mind that there was no chance that I would receive a job. I received a call early July from Ron Callahan, the athletic director at Quitman High School. He asked for me to come out for an unofficial interview so I got in my car and drove 25 miles to meet him. As I was talking to him, there was a woman filing some paperwork and he asked her to show me around the school. She had an accent that I wasn't accustomed to hearing and she was glowing, this girl couldn't be from here. It turns out she was from San Diego, CA...how in the world did she end up as the athletic trainer in the small town of Quitman, TX? I was eager to find out more about her but more importantly, I needed a job. He told me that if I pass my math test, I was hired. That was amazing but also overwhelming news. Now I had even more pressure on my shoulders to pass this test. On August 2, 2011, I retook the test and I had no clue whether I passed the test or not. However, this time I felt like the test was much easier. Although it may sound crazy, it seemed like God threw some easy questions in there. That Friday, I received the news that I'd passed with a 257! I didn't know what to do with myself. I had a job!
When I was hired on, I was told that I'd be teaching 3 different math classes and coaching 3 different sports. I knew it'd be a lot of work but I was so excited about getting started. I also knew that my social life for the next few months would be gone. A month went by and I knew that this was my calling in life. I loved my job and everything about it. I got to work with kids, be around sports and most importantly, be a positive impact in students' lives. I had found my comfort zone and I finally had time to breathe. While I was catching my breath, I was able to have some down time. I wanted to get to know the my coworkers and there was one coworker in particular that I wanted to get know...the trainer for California. Her name was Marissa Bonine and had all of the things that I wanted in a woman. However, I wasn't sure about getting involved with someone at school. Coming back from a volleyball playoff game, I asked if it would be okay if I pursued a relationship with her. To my surprise, he was excited and gave me permission.
From that day forward, it has been nothing short of spectacular. She has been a blessing to me and my family and I'm excited to say that she is the future Mrs. Washington :) We are now together in central TX with 4A and 5A jobs within 40 miles of each other and getting married on June 29, 2013. Look at God!!
The reason behind this blog is to show you that even when you feel completely powerless of what's going on in your life, God has a plan. God will deny you, you will doubt Him, but never forget that He is in complete control. He failed me by 1 point so that I would not get hired by a school that I wanted to be at but to place me where He wanted me to be. I was able to work on a staff of Christians and work for an amazing athletic director. I built relationships with people that I will never forget, had the privilege of teaching amazing kids, got lots of teaching and coaching experience and most importantly I met my future wife. Trust in Him and he will bless you beyond your wildest dreams.
Be Blessed
Saturday, June 16, 2012
A Facebook Relationship
Every day on Facebook I see that someone's relationship status is changing from "single" to "in a relationship" and within a months time it goes back to "single". The first week of that relationship, you see statuses about how lucky they are and how much they love that person. The second week they have made them their profile picture and are posting on their significant others page about how much they miss them and can't wait to spend the weekend together. However during the third week, the relationship the relationship has slowed down, the profile picture is of themselves, no more posts about their boyfriend/girlfriend, etc. The next week, you see the dreaded "____ went from being "in a relationship" to "single" or "it's complicated".
That's the same type of relationship that some of us have with God. When we first come to Christ, we want to tell everyone! We want to show everyone our Bible, talk about how great He is and go to church every time there is an event going on. People see that we have changed for the best. After a few months, we start missing random Sundays to go out of town or to a friends birthday party, etc. We stop talking about what God is doing for us and begin to fall back into our old ways. Other things begin to take priority over God. It's only a matter of time before we only go to church on Christmas, Easter, Father's Day and Mother's Day.
The fact of the matter is that people tend to get into a Facebook relationship with God. When you're in that type of relationship, things tend to get away from you. It may feel like God isn't there for you or He's not providing for you but the truth is that you put Him in the trunk of your car while you were drinking and driving playing Lil' Wayne at 3 AM Sunday morning and didn't get out of bed for church. Do you honestly think God wants to do great things for you while your slapping Him in the face? The golden rule says "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.": did you give him praise in advance so that you may possibly receive that promotion at work? Or did you EXPECT that promotion and were going to give praise afterwards? We have to put God first in every single thing we do and not get caught up in the unimportant things in life. Money is going to come and go but our salvation is here for a lifetime.
Sometimes we even tend to put our relationship with our boyfriend/girlfriend over our relationship with God. We then wonder why it's so hard to get over that person because we put everything we had into that relationship. We spent so much time trying to please that person that we forgot what was pleasing to God. Like money, boyfriends and girlfriends are also going to come and go so we have to remember not to get caught up in them. A person needs to establish a strong relationship with God before they can establish a relationship with someone else. After that relationship is established with Him, He'll provide you with the right person. Don't rush to be in a relationship, find yourself first.
Be blessed.
That's the same type of relationship that some of us have with God. When we first come to Christ, we want to tell everyone! We want to show everyone our Bible, talk about how great He is and go to church every time there is an event going on. People see that we have changed for the best. After a few months, we start missing random Sundays to go out of town or to a friends birthday party, etc. We stop talking about what God is doing for us and begin to fall back into our old ways. Other things begin to take priority over God. It's only a matter of time before we only go to church on Christmas, Easter, Father's Day and Mother's Day.
The fact of the matter is that people tend to get into a Facebook relationship with God. When you're in that type of relationship, things tend to get away from you. It may feel like God isn't there for you or He's not providing for you but the truth is that you put Him in the trunk of your car while you were drinking and driving playing Lil' Wayne at 3 AM Sunday morning and didn't get out of bed for church. Do you honestly think God wants to do great things for you while your slapping Him in the face? The golden rule says "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.": did you give him praise in advance so that you may possibly receive that promotion at work? Or did you EXPECT that promotion and were going to give praise afterwards? We have to put God first in every single thing we do and not get caught up in the unimportant things in life. Money is going to come and go but our salvation is here for a lifetime.
Sometimes we even tend to put our relationship with our boyfriend/girlfriend over our relationship with God. We then wonder why it's so hard to get over that person because we put everything we had into that relationship. We spent so much time trying to please that person that we forgot what was pleasing to God. Like money, boyfriends and girlfriends are also going to come and go so we have to remember not to get caught up in them. A person needs to establish a strong relationship with God before they can establish a relationship with someone else. After that relationship is established with Him, He'll provide you with the right person. Don't rush to be in a relationship, find yourself first.
Be blessed.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Best Friends Forever
Remember that friend you had back in elementary that was supposed to be your best friend forever?? I bet you and that person are no longer best friends for most of you that are reading this. Maybe they passed away, moved away, betrayed you, took your dog or just changed as a person and you grew apart. Some people change best friends more than they change their clothes some would say.
You'll always have those friends that you'll call or text at least once a week for the rest of your life but what about the rest of the 762 contacts in your cell phone? Exactly, you make "friends" throughout your life but hardly speak to them. Think about Facebook..I have 1,545 Facebook "Friends" and of those, a maximum of 50 may like your status (unless you do a To Be Honest). On a regular basis, you may get 5-10 likes. You may only be actual friends with 100 of those FB friends and you'll only see a portion of their statuses and pictures on the news feed. So what is an actual friend?
According to thefreedictionary.com, a friend is a person whom one knows, likes and trusts or a person with whom one is allied in a struggle. Do you like all of the contacts in your phone? Facebook friends? The answer to that is probably no. You'd probably call those acquaintances. The reality is that our actual friends list is a really short one. I personally have a handful of people that I can talk to about anything and trust them to not judge, people I could call if I needed a ride, money, etc. True friends are few and far between as the saying goes.
With all of this being said, there is one person that will NEVER leave your side and that's my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. No matter what is going on in your life you can always talk to Him. He's not going to judge you or make fun of you, He's only going to listen. He has the ability to supply your every need. He's going to bless you abundantly as long as you let him. But sometimes it seems we'd rather update a Facebook status than get on our knees and pray. In order to be blessed, we have to establish a friendship with Him. The power of prayer is extremely underrated, give it a try. There's only one person that died for me and I think I owe it to Him to give Him a call every now and then.
"Be careful who you call your friends...Would you rather have 4 quarters or 100 pennies?"
God Bless
This post is dedicated to Sulphur Springs graduating class of 2007, Justin Gammill, Tyhler Reppond and Tanner Higgins R.I.P and the best friends I've acquired over the last 22 years.
You'll always have those friends that you'll call or text at least once a week for the rest of your life but what about the rest of the 762 contacts in your cell phone? Exactly, you make "friends" throughout your life but hardly speak to them. Think about Facebook..I have 1,545 Facebook "Friends" and of those, a maximum of 50 may like your status (unless you do a To Be Honest). On a regular basis, you may get 5-10 likes. You may only be actual friends with 100 of those FB friends and you'll only see a portion of their statuses and pictures on the news feed. So what is an actual friend?
According to thefreedictionary.com, a friend is a person whom one knows, likes and trusts or a person with whom one is allied in a struggle. Do you like all of the contacts in your phone? Facebook friends? The answer to that is probably no. You'd probably call those acquaintances. The reality is that our actual friends list is a really short one. I personally have a handful of people that I can talk to about anything and trust them to not judge, people I could call if I needed a ride, money, etc. True friends are few and far between as the saying goes.
With all of this being said, there is one person that will NEVER leave your side and that's my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. No matter what is going on in your life you can always talk to Him. He's not going to judge you or make fun of you, He's only going to listen. He has the ability to supply your every need. He's going to bless you abundantly as long as you let him. But sometimes it seems we'd rather update a Facebook status than get on our knees and pray. In order to be blessed, we have to establish a friendship with Him. The power of prayer is extremely underrated, give it a try. There's only one person that died for me and I think I owe it to Him to give Him a call every now and then.
"Be careful who you call your friends...Would you rather have 4 quarters or 100 pennies?"
God Bless
This post is dedicated to Sulphur Springs graduating class of 2007, Justin Gammill, Tyhler Reppond and Tanner Higgins R.I.P and the best friends I've acquired over the last 22 years.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Praying For Patience: Sitting On Your Situation
Too often in life, we want something but we don't want to be patient enough to wait for it. We ask God for whatever it is and we expect an answer right then and there. Also, we expect that we will get what we want and not what He wants. If it's God will, it will happen: there is no reason to fret and worry about what is going to happen. I struggle with this too, actually going through it at this very moment. We want answers right away but sometimes we need to wait. Patience is a virtue: Good things come to those who wait. Ever heard those sayings??? Well I know they're true. If God sees that it's necessary to reveal his plans to you, He will. He has all power and has never made a mistake. The mistake we make is making a hasty decision based off of emotion.
Have a talk with God but remember you that have to give Him time to answer. Have you ever called someone and they didn't pick up but you know that they have their phone on them? That's exactly what God does...He can answer whenever He wants to but may want you to wait for when the time is right. He wants you to realize that he has all control over every situation. We get so caught up in wondering what is going to happen or planning the future that we forget about today. Tomorrow is not promised and neither is this very second.
Enjoy all of the blessings that are going on in your life but also embrace the struggles. Things could ALWAYS be worse so you need to cherish what you do have and thank God for what He's giving you at the time. Your answer will come soon enough and then you have to take that leap of faith and follow what He says. Sit on your situation, don't run away from it.
Be Blessed
"Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius."
Have a talk with God but remember you that have to give Him time to answer. Have you ever called someone and they didn't pick up but you know that they have their phone on them? That's exactly what God does...He can answer whenever He wants to but may want you to wait for when the time is right. He wants you to realize that he has all control over every situation. We get so caught up in wondering what is going to happen or planning the future that we forget about today. Tomorrow is not promised and neither is this very second.
Enjoy all of the blessings that are going on in your life but also embrace the struggles. Things could ALWAYS be worse so you need to cherish what you do have and thank God for what He's giving you at the time. Your answer will come soon enough and then you have to take that leap of faith and follow what He says. Sit on your situation, don't run away from it.
Be Blessed
"Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius."
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The Game of Life
What do you think of when you hear the word complete? Does it just mean getting it done or does it mean giving all you have to finish the task at hand? There are lots of words that come to mind when I see the word complete; finished, whole, entire, undivided, to name a few. However, in the definition of the word complete, you don’t see the word perfect. When I see the word perfect I think of the word flawless. Do you think of people as being perfect or even flawless? Is it possible to be perfect?
Every starting pitcher that's ever thrown in a baseball game is to throw a perfect game. Is it possible? We all know that the answer is yes: history tells us that. But during that game, did they throw any balls, throw one in the dirt only to be scooped up by his catcher, or did his coach every come out to calm him down? Does that make it an “imperfect” game? In my opinion there has never and will never be a truly “perfect” game. But, does that mean that you shouldn't be content with only throwing a complete game?
A pitcher that has pitched a complete game will tell you that it did not come easy. It took many decisions during the full nine innings. He learned his strengths and his opponent’s weaknesses as the game went along. He learned how to work the strike zone and what his best pitches were. The hitter may have gotten a hit but he always came back and struck out the next. Even if the hitter hit a homerun, it didn’t mean the game was over. He had to come back throwing and continue to give his best. With this being said, the pitcher can’t win the game alone. He needs assistance from his infield, outfield, catcher, his teammates’ bats and let’s not forget the coach.
You may be thinking, “Where is he going with all of this?”...well we are the pitcher and life is the game of baseball. Like the pitcher, we are going to come up against obstacles in our lives. It all depends on how we face those. Will we let life knock us down and not do anything about it or will we get back up? Our family and friends are there for us to use. Be sure you use them as tools and not crutches. We use crutches to depend on but what do you do when those crutches aren’t there anymore? You have to depend on yourself and use your friends as tools when you need that extra advantage. The game of life is just like baseball, you’re going to have ups and downs but at the end of the day, you give it all you have hoping to come out on top. You give the game all you have until your coach pulls you out.
God is our coach. Although we may not feel like we’re done, He knows when it is time to come out. He knows what decisions need to be made. God is the almighty coach because he knows what’s going to happen before it happens. He put us in the game of life and our job is to be a reflection of him with the best of our ability. We should always give 100% of us while we are in this game because you never know when he has decided that enough is enough and pulls us out. Nine innings is not always the same length of time and neither is life. Whether that is thirty, fifty or one hundred years, our job is to put everything we have on the line for our family, friends and most of all, our coach. Live life to the fullest because you just never know when your time will come and you’ll be taken from it. Think again about your definition of complete....
How will you decide to throw your complete game?
Every starting pitcher that's ever thrown in a baseball game is to throw a perfect game. Is it possible? We all know that the answer is yes: history tells us that. But during that game, did they throw any balls, throw one in the dirt only to be scooped up by his catcher, or did his coach every come out to calm him down? Does that make it an “imperfect” game? In my opinion there has never and will never be a truly “perfect” game. But, does that mean that you shouldn't be content with only throwing a complete game?
A pitcher that has pitched a complete game will tell you that it did not come easy. It took many decisions during the full nine innings. He learned his strengths and his opponent’s weaknesses as the game went along. He learned how to work the strike zone and what his best pitches were. The hitter may have gotten a hit but he always came back and struck out the next. Even if the hitter hit a homerun, it didn’t mean the game was over. He had to come back throwing and continue to give his best. With this being said, the pitcher can’t win the game alone. He needs assistance from his infield, outfield, catcher, his teammates’ bats and let’s not forget the coach.
You may be thinking, “Where is he going with all of this?”...well we are the pitcher and life is the game of baseball. Like the pitcher, we are going to come up against obstacles in our lives. It all depends on how we face those. Will we let life knock us down and not do anything about it or will we get back up? Our family and friends are there for us to use. Be sure you use them as tools and not crutches. We use crutches to depend on but what do you do when those crutches aren’t there anymore? You have to depend on yourself and use your friends as tools when you need that extra advantage. The game of life is just like baseball, you’re going to have ups and downs but at the end of the day, you give it all you have hoping to come out on top. You give the game all you have until your coach pulls you out.
God is our coach. Although we may not feel like we’re done, He knows when it is time to come out. He knows what decisions need to be made. God is the almighty coach because he knows what’s going to happen before it happens. He put us in the game of life and our job is to be a reflection of him with the best of our ability. We should always give 100% of us while we are in this game because you never know when he has decided that enough is enough and pulls us out. Nine innings is not always the same length of time and neither is life. Whether that is thirty, fifty or one hundred years, our job is to put everything we have on the line for our family, friends and most of all, our coach. Live life to the fullest because you just never know when your time will come and you’ll be taken from it. Think again about your definition of complete....
How will you decide to throw your complete game?
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