Friday Five Favorites

This week's Friday Five Favorites:

1 Chai tea

There is nothing quite like the aromas of chai enticing the nose on a cool fall morning!

2 Kettle corn

The sweet crunch of kettle corn is a favorite snack!

3 Giving to others 

It might be a lasagna, brownies, and bread, but to someone else it is a gift... 

and to be of help to others with a gift is something I enjoy!

4 Gerber Daisies

Definitely my all time favorite flower- bright and cheery!

5 Quote from C.T. Studd

"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, 

then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."

Thought for Thursday: Faith

"We are not here to be overcome, 

but to rise unvanquished after every knockout blow, 

and laugh the laugh of faith, not fear." 

-Amy Carmichael- 

Teacher Tuesday: Eyes

This week in writing we created "Writer's Eyes." These glasses are to be wore to help the students think like writers when they edit their papers. The kids excitedly created their own, unique writer's eyes and chose the color for their lenses. Let's just say they were a little bit excited to make them and see them completed! :)

 Student samples

and my teacher example: :)

This week's top 5 favorites:

1 Fall weather

I love the warm days and cool nights topped with the changing trees and nature!

2 Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Love the smell and taste of pumpkin swirled with coffee to make a delightful cup of warmth and caffeine in the morning! I even experimented with making my own- YUM :)

3 Psalm 37:4-5

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

4 Conversations with my family

This week has been full of many, but many times that I'll cherish when I look back.

5 The satisfaction of teaching

Have I mentioned that I am loving my teaching experience. It is a wonderful feeling when you can see that the students have learned something and progress can be seen! :)

Just a quote I have been challenged by of late:

A pure heart is one to 

which all that is not of God is strange and jarring. 

(partly thanks to the reminder from my friend from Thy Wonderful Works- check out her blog!)

Teacher Tuesday

There are so many emotions involved in being a teacher and being an emotional person doesn't help! Here are a few I've felt this past week:

-HAPPINESS: To arrive each morning, to greet each child, and to try to teach them something new, makes me happy :)

-SYMPATHY: We've had the tears flowing this past week. It might be from the frustrations of math, the accidents of changing something on the computer, from not understanding an assignment, the heartache to be home because others are sick- the kiddos this week had their tears. It breaks your heart, but you talk with them, give them a Kleenex, and then have to move on.

-LOVE: How can you not when they give you their attention, give you a hug, follow directions, have an "A-HA" moment, are simply teaching. We had Open House last week where the students got to bring their families and show them the classroom, etc. I loved seeing the families, using my Spanish, and seeing the kids excited about where they learn.

-BLESSING: Meetings have been attended, people have been talked to, and I am blessed to be with my cooperating teacher, para, and at the school I'm at. I'm loving it... and have so much to learn.

-SADNESS: When you feel like there is nothing you can do to help a kiddo and situations make things difficult.

-FRUSTRATION: This emotion comes when a child doesn't want to cooperate, a child isn't understanding, a lesson didn't go well, you feel helpless in getting a student what they need, and when there isn't the help given for others.

-LOST: This emotion comes when I don't quite know what to do, where to go, or how to do it with the work from the university and in teaching the kids... but I'm getting there!

-REJOICING & EXCITEMENT: I couldn't help but rejoice today when after we talked about the sun in science towards the end of the day. As I took the kids outside to go home, one little girl turned and walked away with her grandma and said "Today I ........., and we learned about the sun in science." She was excited, and so was I that she would go home and tell someone what she learned! :) Those little moments make you feel like something finally got through!

Monday Meditation: Wait on the Lord

Just a verse I'd like to share with you today:

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 

{Lamentations 3:25}

Thought for Thursday: Command

Have not I commanded thee? 

Be strong and of a good courage;

be not afraid,

neither be thou dismayed:

for the LORD thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.

{Joshua 1:9}

Teacher Tuesday: This is why

There is the boy who stands short at his tallest, yet stands tall and smiles when he gets things right.

There is the girl who lost her dad due to gang violence and can be difficult to deal with at times.

There is the boy who lost his brother when he was quite young and has trouble with speech and can't write words.

There is the girl who came in one day with one cross eyed and we can't figure out the problem. 

There are the 2 sweet boys who spike their hair and are always ready to please.

There is the girl who has had lice since before school started, but is one of the smartest in the class. 

There is the boy the looks at you with the twinkle of trouble always in his eyes and has issues keeping out of trouble in the bathroom, but can shock you with his reading.

There is the girl with significant delays, who struggles, but tries, but needs total modification.

There is the boy that needs to be reminded to use his inside voice, but loves to learn.

There is the sweet little girl who is shy and smart and gives the biggest smile.

There is the boy that uses his manners, loves to learn, and asks for reading rotations.

There is the girl who loves to show you her new things and loves to give her teachers her colored pictures. 

There is the boy that that can be easily upset, but always tries to surpass his best.

There is the girl who comes in each morning and tells us she's moving.

There is the boy that stands at a short height, hardly speaks English, doesn't know all of his letters and sounds yet, and is constantly in a daze yet has missed almost 1/2 of the school year.

There is the girl that always walks on her tiptoes and has the answer for everything, that loves learning.

There is the boy who was born with 8cm of intestines, was expected to die, but has survived and has a drink that he is constantly drinking to help him and has the cutest dimples!

There is the girl who is constantly trying to please and bleeds pleasure.

There is the boy that missed the first week of school, is quite intelligent, but likes to talk.

There is the girl who comes from a family without much to spare, yet comes each day clean, loving to learn, with her two pigtails.


This is my class. My 21 children for the semester.

It's each time you look into their eyes. 

It's each time you bend down to tie their shoe. 

It's each time that they walk quietly down the hall. 

It's each time that they smile at you and you smile back. 

It's each time you correct them, teach them, give them the care. 

It's each time that they have joy to have a smiley face on their completed paper. 

It's each morning you greet them and each afternoon you tell them to have a good evening. 

It's each and every day...

That makes me fall in love with teaching each and every day!

I have so much to be thankful for. 

Thought for Thursday: Wait for the Lord

       

Teacher Tuesday

Today I taught my first writing lesson. The lesson went well- thankfully J I know what I can work on next time to make the lessons even more explicit and better. I then was able to 1-on-1 conference with 5 students while they did their writing. We are concentrating on using our newly acquired word books as a resource for spelling words. It is a joy watching the students’ writing take off full speed at the age they are at! J

I just wanted to share an interview by school administration of an eager teaching prospect. I have shared it before, but now I understand what the teacher said just that much more… J

"Let me see if I've got this right … 

You want me to go into that room with all those kids, 

and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning. 

And I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, 

modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and 

even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits.

You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, 

check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, 

and raise their self esteem.

You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship,

sportsmanship, fair play, how to register to vote, 

how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job.

I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, 

recognize signs of anti-! social behavior, 

make sure all students pass the mandatory state exams, 

even those who don't come to school regularly or 

complete any of their assignments.

Plus, I am to make sure that all of the students with handicaps 

get an equal education regardless of the extent of their 

mental or physical handicap.

I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter and report card.

All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few books, 

a bulletin board, a big smile , 

AND on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps!

You want me to do all of this and yet you still expect me....

"NOT TO PRAY"?!

Monday Meditation: God will go before you

A few nights back,  I enjoyed listening to someone speak on the "place in our lives where we are at a crossroads." {Deuteronomy 1: 19-33}

Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you... 

{Deuteronomy 1:29-30}

What a great promise... God WILL go before us and he assures us to not fear.

There will be giants in our lives, there will be walls that appear, there will be mountains to face, but we can be assured that we should not be afraid.

Again in Deuteronomy I am encouraged by the reminder...

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: 

for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee;

he will not fail thee, 

nor forsake thee.

{Deuteronomy 31:6}

God will not only go before me... but He will go WITH me. 

Be strong

Be of good courage

Dread not

Do not be afraid of them

Fear not