Learning about me from me

As I have finally hit a strong rhythm in our 2-year middle school teaching cycle, I am loving going back and tweaking some of my old series and lessons, and I'm loving what I'm learning about myself:

1. I have grown as a teacher. Illustrations, practical applications, use of video, etc. When I look back at my lesson plans from two years ago, there is no doubt in my mind that I have grown as a teacher. In the last few weeks, there have been entire lessons that I've thrown out and rewritten to get more practical, more relevant, or more middle school appropriate. The topic stays the same while the presentation shifts dramatically.
2. I have impressed myself. While there have been weeks in which my "tweaking" has turned into rewriting, there have also been weeks that I've read past lessons and been touched by the truth in them. Then I think, "I wrote this?" And I'm super happy once again that I have a 2-year cycle that keeps taking the best and making it better.

The final goal is always to present the truth of God's Word in a clear, tangible, and age-appropriate way to Middle School students. Every year I feel like I'm getting closer to that goal.