Changes

I decided to change up my look.  Oh yes!  But what to do?  Well, Saturday I had my beauty appointment and had a little fun.  Prior to the appointment I was seriously contemplating a few things and sought the opinions of many of my friends.  Well, when it came down to it I decided to just do it.  It’s just hair.  Right?  It will grow back if I don’t like it!  So, I had the gal at the beauty shop give me some serious highlights.  Oh yes, I am now a blonde.  Then I went even crazier and got bangs.  I must say that as scary as it was to tell the beauty shop gal to just do it, I am very happy that I did.  I feel like a new blonde woman.  Change is good!

Thanks for the Support

Alright, so I have heard from a few of you about how I don’t talk to adults like they are first graders and that is making me feel a little better.  I guess that it must have just been some sensitive folks or some folks who were in a mood.  However, I do think that I am morphing into a first grader.  It is simply amazing how concrete my thinking is, honestly.  Thanks for the feedback friends.  I love ya all!

Rocks, Rocks, and More Rocks

Alright, I don’t remember being like this as a child, but my students are presently facinated with rocks. It is the weirdest thing, but really cool at the same time because they see the beauty in the simplist things. Everyday they bring in rocks to add to our “collection” which consists of three, Costco size, jars. So now that we have all these rocks I am not entirely certain what to do with them. I think that I need to get some small containers that they can use to sort and group them. Who would have thought……rocks!

Thoughts on Being a Grown Up

As most of you know, I have the privilege of teaching first grade which means that I spend my days with six and seven year olds.  It is truly a joy, but I have come realize that the more time I spend with them the more I am morphing into one of them.  This stinks because 35 year old women who function mentally, not always but most of the time, as a first grader does do not have a schema in which they fit well.   I find this to be especially challenging with regards to relationships, of all varieties.   Maybe this is why most of my “friends” tend to be other teachers of the primary grades.  I don’t even form friendships with those who teach the big kids because they don’t even understand me.   So when it comes to forming relationships I find that in the initial stages of development people either think that I am slightly eccentric or odd or they think that when I talk with them that I am constantly talking down to them.  The worst is when they initially think that I am eccentric, finding my eccentricity entertaining, and then as they spend more time with me they think that I am simply talking down to them or treating them like a child.  Hello……I spend the majority of my waking hours with first graders.  Oh well, it is what it is and if I am truly morphing into a first grade so be it, I like spending time with other primary teachers because they get me and I get them. 

So Much For Spring Break

All month I was eagerly anticipating the arrival, not of Spring but of Spring Break.  It was one of the times of year that all teachers anticipate immensely because it is the forerunner to Summer Break which is on the cusp and, boy, do we need a break right about now.

 So Spring Break arrived and without the fanfare expected.  That is my own fault.  But you ask why?  I took a part-time job schlepping clothes at the mall.  Not, truly, a big deal.  However, in my enthusiasm to work I told my manager that I would be available to work over my Spring Break and that is exactly all that I have been doing.  Half of my break is over and I am exhausted.  I’m not supposed to become exhausted over break, I’m supposed to enjoy some r and r and feel so rested right now that I can’t wait to get back to school.  Yikes!

Tomorrow I do have the day off, so let’s see if I can get some rest.  However, I have a feeling that won’t be the case.  You should see my list of things to do.  Fabulous! 

Rainy Day

As unusual as this is, it has been a rainy day here in AZ. As much as I love rainy days, I don’t love them when I have to work because that means a rainy day schedule……no recess! Needless to say it has been a long day and I am finally home and now I am going to enjoy my rainy day! My couch is calling to me…..Ssssuuuuuzzzyyy! Adios!

I am Alive!

Well, I am alive and I am still here.  I know that it has been a ridiculously long amount of time since my last post and in all probablility everyone has stopped checking to see if I have written so I am basically writing this for myself.  However, I am writing to say that I am alive and still here and there will be much more coming in the near future.  Truly!

Surviving the Week After Break

Returning to school after a break is always a daunting task because in some ways it is like starting the school year all over again, except the students know who I am. Students (and this teacher too) seem to forget a lot during the time that they are away from school. It’s truly remarkable and someone should do some research on this, really.

Returning from Fall Break proved no exception to my previous experiences. Several of my students were not at all the students that left me before break, they behaved as they did the first week of school and I even had one student end up with their stick in the red cup. There has only been one student in the red cup all year, up until this point. Remarkable! We survived though and the students seem to be back, mostly, into the routine of things.

Over break I spent time struggling with myself and my thought life. I know that it sounds kind of crazy, but without going into a lot of detail I realized that there was much in my thought life that was contributing to a very poor attitude and joylessness. Ouch! It hurts to make that public. I acknowledged it before God and sought His help with it. He showed me two very tangible things that needed to do.

First, He began to show me how ungrateful I was and discontented. I acknowledged that I need to recognize the things in my life for which I can thank Him and there are certainly a lot. This week at work should have been stressful and discouraging for many reasons – go to Westvalleyview.com, click on Education, and read the article about ‘Gross Mismanagement’ – that I will not mention. However, I practiced that whole gratitude thing and boy did it work. The challenges that I encountered didn’t seem as bad and my whole demeanor was different. Praise be to God!

Second, the Lord began to show me that I waste His precisous time doing frivolous things, so I purposed to watch less televsion and spend the time instead reading and studying the word. Wow! What a difference that made. I didn’t watch a lot of television to begin with, but replacing even just an hour a night with reading the word proved to be so amazing. I even ended up spending most of my Friday night reading, while doing laundry, instead of watching a movie. Who would have thought!

So, the week after break proved to be very eventful and even challening, but God proved faithful in providing the grace I needed to successfully handle what came my way. I will continue my practice of finding things to be thankful for and replacing time spent watching television with reading and studying. Joy is being restored and my attitude is becoming a much more godly one. Praises be to God!

Fall Break Here and Gone

Fall has descended upon AZ as demonstrated by Fall Break, not however demonstrated by actual evidence in nature.   Fall Break is that week or more of vacation bestowed upon teachers and students at the end of the first quarter, sort of like Spring Break in the Spring. 

 As I have never had a Fall Break I didn’t quite know what to do with my time.  However, I did find much to do with the time as evidenced by the following list.

-went for long walks

-spent lots of time reading

-got my car washed finally

-went to see a movie (Into the Wild, highly recommend it)

-found a class that I need for re-certification

-registered for that class

-went to dinner with a friend

-got a massage

-cleaned my home

-got some maintenance done on my car

-made phone calls that I hadn’t been able to make before

-went shooting at a cool range

-went to lunch with my mom

-got my haircut

-spent an afternoon with a friend that I haven’t seen in a while

-spent an afternoon at Starbuck’s with a good book

Although that is not the exhaustive list, it gives you an idea of some of the things I did over break.  I have come to the conclusion that Fall Break is great!  Praise God for Fall Break! 

An Anniversary

It is very hard to believe this, but I have been in my place in Arizona for three months, as of today.  So, today is my three month anniversary.  An incredible amount has happened in those three months, related to my condo, my job, and my church.  It is pretty remarkable to think that just three little months ago I had no condo or job woes, that all was looking very positive in my life.  Don’t get me wrong, life is good, but there have been a few unexpected stressers that have occured since that fateful day in June. 

So, what will the next three months hold?  That is a great question.  Will my condo woes be resolved?  I don’t think so.  Will my job woes be resolved?  I don’t think so.  But, will the Lord continue to give me the strength to make it through each new day?  That I believe He will do.  Will the Lord continue to challenge me in my walk so that I might be conformed to His image?  I do believe so.  Will the Lord continue to love and take care of me through whatever else may come?  I know that He will!