As many of you know, I originally moved to the Delta in 2009 as a part of the Teach for America program. Being a socially-conscious, recent college grad, I wanted to help young people who hadn’t been given the same opportunities as I had. Having gone to a Christian school and college, TFA was my first venture into the secular world of education. While I was enthused by the high number of both Christians and non-Christians who were passionate about working with underprivileged students, one thing that struck me about TFA was how education seemed to be the “end all” goal. Through the seemingly countless meetings, workshops, small group conversations, and one-on-one sessions with leaders, TFA drilled into our heads that we can close the educational gap. And, if we successfully did this, it felt like we would have given these students everything that they would need to live a happy, successful life.

What I quickly realized, however, was that education isn’t the “end all” for anyone. I remember coming to this scary realization in October of my first year teaching when I saw that my students were never going to be able to achieve the lofty goals that I had for them, no matter how hard I worked. This realization caused me to evaluate what TFA had seemingly drilled into my head. If education was the ultimate goal, my kids had no hope. It was too late for them. But, if there was something else more important, then maybe I could show them that.

What I came to see was that while school is important, it’s not the ultimate. When I put my work in its proper place, it allowed me to not get so caught up in the ups and downs of working in a difficult environment. Yes, my job was hard. Yes, it was frustrating. Yes, most of the time it felt fruitless. However, even in the midst of all of that, my main priority was to be a Christian and to represent Christ. After that, my second job was to be a good math teacher. It is important to keep the proper perspective of what our ultimate goal is.

I have tried to incorporate this attitude into my life in all aspects. Keeping a proper perspective has changed not only how I work, but also how I interact with friends, play sports, and approach life. I think that it allows me to realize that the daily things that we often get so caught up in and seem vital to life at the moment aren’t maybe as important as they seem.

What I’ve found is that having the proper perspective on the importance of something allows you to fully enjoy it. I’m learning to enjoy the process more than the product, while recognizing that my ultimate goal isn’t to win a game, or save the world- it’s to follow Christ.