Trekking with Me

I enjoy substituting more than I thought I would.  I like the variety, the flexibility and of course, the multitude of people I meet every single day.  I feel like a sponge at times too, because when you walk into a good teacher's classroom, it is the best education you can get as a teacher.  I pick up all sorts of ideas, insights, and more often than not, inspiration to be that good!   For example, after visiting elementary classes, I am inspired to get more organized, use lots of bright color and add simple structure to my life.  Elementary classrooms are full of these things!  I love the bright colors, the simple lessons, the little chairs and tables and the "town hall meeting" areas: specific areas of the room to gather together, designated by a cool rug, usually a rocking chair is off one corner and the rug has fantastic themes and colors all over it.  Personally, I envision creating a room or place in my home for the little people in my wor...

I am officially looking for a full time job.  My current job has exhausted itself; my program is coming to a halt with only my internship to complete.  Finishing my internship will take a while I am guessing and right now it looks like a very haphazard thing; a little here, a little there... So, I must look for fulltime employment. Hunting for a fun job, in this time and place, and always with me being the hunter, is a challenge!  I have a few things on my resume that look good and are very helpful, but I admit i feel very intimidated, scared, weak, and unacceptable.  Talk about vulnerability.  I hate hate "selling" myself.  hate. it. Being Chosen is my favorite.  It's everyone's favorite! When I look back over my career path, 9 out of ten of those were handed to me.  Seriously, once i simply walked on the premises and a lady met me on the sidewalk in front of the main office and offered me the job! So, I sent in my first resume this morni...

Change really stinks. Change brings good things too. Winter turns into Spring.... oh how thankful i am it is NOT always winter; but the snow this past weekend was a delight and I found joy even in the coldness I have been complaining about... Anyhow, change; it doesn't always feel good. A change in my life is happening right now. I am changing jobs. It is a good step for me but ironically my heart is sad to walk out the door. My current job had its own set of frustrations and challenges but I had more enjoyment in it than not. I have enjoyed the relationships I have been building. So, I didn't really enjoy telling my GM my last day would be in a week. He has become a friend as well as a boss. I think of the others I work with too... a motley crew of people which brought a smile to my day when I got to work with them. I have done a lot of praying for each of them; I appreciate how working in a such an environment sharpens me. I know the Lord is providing for me; I...

Summer is coming! Summer in Florida is HOT - Summer in South Carolina is HOT too! But, Summer means travel, vacation, lemonade, a more relaxed schedule...well, for most of us! I will be moving...hopefully by the end of June I will be unpacking in a new place....i am dreaming of a place with a yard, wood floors, lots of windows and room enough to entertain! My students are ready for summer too - and i love the bittersweet goodbyes. All of a sudden, they come by your room, shuffle their feet in a quiet manner and shyly thank you for being their teacher....and then that wonderful light you KNOW was in them shines out, and i say YES! I see it! There is something VERY special about each one....something precious and worth waking up at 5 a.m., sweating over lesson plans and teaching from a full heart....YES, my students are worth it! Summer brings a new season...for me a new turn. I look forward with anticipation, and today i enjoy wonderful peace in my heart. I feel full. And i a...

I am SO glad that America created a 5 day work week. Back before the 1920's, the work week was longer.... Can you believe working 12-14 hour days, 6 days a week? Though I do know of a few occupations that have insane work hours....and there are Many people out there who WORK hard; God really knew what He was doing when He installed ONE day to rest. That is good! Thank You Lord! So....even though my weekend looks full, I do get to sleep a few extra hours and enjoy a more relaxed schedule for about 48 hours...Let's slow down this weekend, and enjoy a Sabbath day. I pray YOU enjoy a wonderful weekend - I will enjoy a cup of tea some where in my next 48 hours!

Here I sit, tears streaming down my face - it is not often that a teacher will sit in her classroom, so touched by the content of her subject that the heart is touched, triggering a memory. It is one of the richest moments to experience. I teach history, American history to be precise. Today we finished watching a video about WWI and the devastation the world experienced through that travesty. As I have walked with my students through this time period, my memory has been stirred. A memory floats up from a book in the "Anne of Green Gables" series - of which i was a huge fan. My favorite in the series was the final book, "Rilla of Ingleside." For those who are familiar with Anne, Rilla was Anne's youngest daughter. This story took place during the early 1900's and WWI weaves into the story in a fantastic way. (you must read it!) Anyhow, I identified with Rilla in a special way. She had a very special relationship with her brother - very much li...

It has been a wonderful week. I SING His Praise! Do you ever feel that God has you in HIS CLASSROOM? That is how i feel. So many thoughts have passed through my head this week - so many little tidbits i felt the Lord whispering into my Spirit. Some of those thoughts were.... My sweet friend Emily...she was killed last year on April 20 in a car accident. She was only 23, vibrant, loving Jesus and just such a unique person. She touched MANY...her death seemed (still seems) so untimely...and she comes to mind lots. My heart is heavy for the grief i know her family is still experiencing....missing her so badly. I miss her too. Thoughts of her....lead me to think of Heaven...and what she may want to say to us. Heaven is our home...i prayed with more fervency this week that I would be more heavenly minded...Seeking first His Kingdom. All else will burn, fade, die...disappear. I also had thoughts of marriage...and the mystery that it is....i am still on the single side of re...

Hello Everyone! I have to send out a HUGE THANKS to you all who have been praying for me this week. As you know from a previous post, i started teaching this week in a new school. I have the wonderful privilege of teaching two subjects i love: History and Bible!! I was quite apprehensive about this position as it is in a public school - and it is an "inner city" school as well. You don't exactly want to take an evening stroll around this area. God has totally blessed me this week....for one, i have a wonderful peace in my heart and mind. It is my tendency to get quite worked up and stressed about preparing and having my stuff together....for teaching. I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my classroom. As i prepared for this endeavor, i rediscovered my love for history! I have a degree in history...but it has been a while since i have gotten to teach it. So...it was like watching an exciting thriller before me as i prepared...and i could not wait to...

A new challenge has come upon my journey. As i look in front of me, the path holds a climb over some unfamiliar and challenging terrain that i have not faced before. As some of you know from previous posts, i currently substitute in the public schools. Though i am a certified teacher, i am at such a place in my life that this fits me nicely and God provides my needs. During February i was with a class for a long period of time, thus i get to know the kids better and carry the classroom in a more traditional manner. I have picked up another long term assignment. I have the opportunity to teach Bible and History in a school that is more liberal than the one i have been working in. It has an inner-city feel to it. As i have begun to prepare for this opportunity (i have taught Bible before in a Christian school - THIS IS MUCH DIFFERENT!) i have found the text they are using for the Bible class is quite liberal...i can hardly read it without feeling physically sick. Thankfully i ...

I am back in the classroom! You know, a few days ago i had a dream in which my father had a surprise for me...and the look on his face told me it was a good surprise, i felt that wonderful bubbly anticipation of the gift that was coming...i woke with the sensation still in my heart - obviously, my Heavenly Father has wonderful things for me and i believe this dream was from the Lord to remind me of the Joy He has in giving to us....I am reminded of the passage that speaks of God's love for his children and the joy he has in giving good gifts to them! Being back in the classroom is one of those gifts...last fall i taught in the same classroom as a long-term substitute. It was a tough semester but by the end the Lord brought me through and i left with a genuine love for my students. This window opened back up for me and i have a sweet joy in stepping back in! Plus, it paves the way for me to prepare for the move in June....How wonderful!

Okay …I know, I am a little late! (Better late than never?) J I wanted to send out a newsy letter to fill you in on what has been happening in my journey. Baby Kitty and I are doing pretty well – she is getting more plumb (my roommate calls her “Fat Kitty” – this hurts her pride but she looks awfully pretty being plumb I tell her!) She continues to improve on her baseball skills – she likes to play paper ball in the evenings. She sits and stares at me until I crumble up wads of paper and flick them across the room. She dives and bats them as if she were playing in the World Series! I have to get a camera some day to capture the action…maybe the recent World Series motivated her?? I have noticed she actually watches tv sometimes…maybe she was watching this past fall while the Rockies got beat up by the Sox? She also likes to practice her hockey skills….i lose more earrings on account of her using my dresser as her hockey field and my earrings as pucks! (I penalize her when she decides...