What happened to 2009?

It has been a hard year, and as I entered my 40th year as an educator, I realized that this field will never be the same as it was in 1970. That is no mystery, indeed. Society, the political arena, the country--I could go on--cannot be recognized as they were less than 20 years ago.  I am an educator, and I've moved across this country in Christian schools from the third grade through high school, and a brief stance in front of college students not much younger than I was at the time. I've created curriculum, written plans, and attempted 'new ideas' and 'new buzz words' in the classroom. I've been there, and I'm still there. Yet, it's not the same, and it never will be. Parents are not the same. Children will never be the same. In fact, it seems that the last couple of generations of parents are basically children trying to raise children, and it doesn't seem to be working very well. Most days I leave my classroom, trying to unravel what I have taught (when I have a few minutes to do so), and then attempt to discover how to minister to the parents who don't understand our mission as educators and Christian leaders. Well, so much for that. This month is almost over, and the year will be part of all of our histories, no matter who we are or where we are; no matter what we do and what or likes and dislikes are. The world has changed; it always does; our families have changed; they will, and it is good. Yet, I have felt that this year, more than ever, that I have not accomplished what I set out to do: now or even for the past 40 years. I await to see how I think later on. Enjoy the rest of this day.