One month at a time

As I sit here writing Dipstick is preciously curled up on my lap, I'm looking out at the frost on the ground, and enjoying a much appreciated day off of work. I also realize while writing this that monthly post are probably going to be the norm for a while. So enjoy a recap of October's happenings.



School is going. There are days I'm sick to my stomach about the apathy of kids. Yesterday I seriously hoped a kid would punch me because it would mean he would have to be removed from my class. My students are really pretty cool kids, but encouraging students to move past indifference and become self sufficient learners is an unbelievably complex, complicated, and draining process...hence the desperate wish to be punched so I could end the battle without admitting defeat. On the bright side I have been proposed to by a student, so if I just can't handle teaching I can take him up on his offer and become a criminal....HA!



Daniel and I both celebrated birthdays this month, but despite being another year older I still look like a 17 year old in my school picture. Speaking of pictures...I was in charge of picture day at Sedan. There were nothing short of horror stories told to me about this day. I really had no clue what I was doing and orchestrating a picture schedule for PK-12 was daunting. So, on picture day I took a Dr. Pepper just in case things got really bad and prepared for the unknown. Despite the horror stories and my concerns, the day ran really smoothly. I drank my Dr. Pepper in victory rather than defeat and by 7th hour I was a little giddy for a job well done (if I do say so myself).

And now for a final laugh. In light of the cooling weather I wanted to make something falltastic for dinner. Potato soup came to mind and last night I baked the potatoes so they'd be ready to go for today. Unfortunately I didn't stop baking them until 3:30 this morning. Dipstick was meowing and it woke me up enough to realize that I had forgotten to take them out of the oven...oops. I tried to salvage my mistake, but there were blisters on the potato skins and they were pretty hard. Luckily we still had soup tonight and it gave Daniel a chuckle when I told him this morning. I still have a ways to go until domestic goddess is my name, but I can live with teacher extraordinaire for now....

A new post, what?!?!?

For all those who live vicariously through my blog (cough, cough my dad) I apologize for my blogging absence. I have wanted to write a few times, but I haven't had super funny stories/trying to think, let alone write, in complete sentences at the end of the day has been a challenge. I have a couple particular insight from this first month. Please enjoy.

Discipline
I have high expectations for myself and that translates to high expectations for my class. Unfortunately not everyone has the same ambitious spirit as I do (shocking!) so there are days when what I want out of my students is met with resistance. It is my job to assert my authority, but ultimately my goal is for my students to want to strive for excellence. You might be thinking this goal is a little to idealistic, but I invite you into my thought process. I could force kids to do what I want because I'm the teacher...problem is this takes so much emotional and mental energy. Instead I think the answer lies in modeling my classroom after the ultimate authority. I know God may not seem like the typical guide for classroom management, but if you think about it, God has standards for conduct, but He is not going to force anyone into a relationship with Him. Similarly, I need standards, but I will not constantly fight with a student to do what I ask. Furthermore, while God isn't going to force anything, He also isn't going to let a person's denial of Him go without consequences. Likewise I cannot let a student get by with completely ignoring my expectations. So what does this look like practically? Well, I have a particular student who when asked to get out his book and pencil responds like I just asked him to find the solution for world peace. There isn't much he won't get worked up about. In my experience, albeit limited, kids who constantly have discipline issues have a much bigger story under their defiant facade. So when I feel a struggle coming on I give him a chance to make up his mind with some gentle prompting in the right direction. If nothing improves, I firmly remind him of my expectations and consequences. Finally, like any good parent, heavenly or otherwise, I follow through. This particular student has seen me very intense and serious about my expectations as well as encouraging and compassionate. I honestly feel like this freaks him out more than yelling ever would. There's something about being perfectly loved and disciplined at the same time that causes us to take our actions more seriously, and at the end of the day, my hope is that students are thinking about their actions rather than just doing or not doing something because I said so. I make it sound like I am God in teacher form, when in reality I have failed more often than not at Godly discipline in this first month of teaching. However, it is encouraging to think that if God's discipline can work for the world, surely it can be highly effective in the classroom.

Motivation
Motivating students is one of the top struggles for teacher today. Kids are not pushed at home to achieve excellence and with mediocrity being the model many of them witness, why should they dream big. Well I may have the secret to motivating kids...comfortable seating. I have a two person couch and two chairs in the back of my room. During a review game a couple weeks ago, winners won the right to sit in the chairs for a couple class periods. You honestly would think these chairs have special powers because of the way they draw kids to them. One of the chairs is particularly comfy and I have had a couple high dollar offers to purchase it (high dollar for a H.S. student). I want to say to theses offers, "Really, really you do know it's just a chair, right?!?!" Besides the magical seating, there are also a couple puzzles of Mexico on the table in the middle of the seating. These puzzles have been taken apart and put together again I don't even know how many times. Students have them memorized, but they still want to do them. Who knew some seating and puzzles of Mexico would play such a large role in my student motivation plan.

I hope this post has satisfied your update appetite. I have a few more thoughts, but those complete sentences seem to be more and more difficult to formulate right now, so I'm off to bed with a commitment to blog in a more timely manner in the future. Adios!

I'm a Survivor

Well I have found a few moments to escape the black hole that has been my life lately. I officially survived my first few days as a teacher. I sweat surprisingly less than I thought I would and there were fewer butterflies than expected, but nothing could stop the occasional moments when "how am I going to do this?!?" ran through my head. From what I can tell I have great kids, but the loss of my summer has caused me to grieve (please don't judge). I think more than anything else I feel like I'm walking on a tight rope. I have every tool to succeed, I get a thrill out of doing something I've always wanted to do, but the balancing act of being a new teacher in an established system causes me to take quite a few deep breaths throughout the day. Each day is a step of experience, still I anxiously look forward to making it to the end of the year and triumphantly saying "I made it!" Honestly, what has gotten me through the week besides an awesome husband and a few phone calls to my parents is the reality that my role as a teacher is far greater than my lessons or classroom management. God has gifted me in an incredible way and in my weakness His power is made perfect. I have clung to God in so many ways over this past week and I have overcome fears, felt peace, put one foot in front of the other, and done other things that I could not have done without a belief that God is an intricate God who is weaving the details of this season of my life into an incredible experience; one that will reveal some of the most amazing things about God to me and to those who I have the privilege (something obligation) of interacting with. So with that, I'm not entirely sure how this week will go, I still feel a little worn out from last week, but life is good.

Now for some pictures of my room.

I'm back

After a vacation, welcoming my sister back from Indonesia, and a week at church camp I have returned to blogging. There is so much to tell, but due to the lack of sleep at camp I can only form short thoughts.

Vacation thoughts...
Daniel and I had a blast in Portland and San Francisco. It was nice break from the heat and humidity of Kansas. The walking tour of Portland, Redwood Forest, and Alcatraz are my top three memories from the trip. It was also nice to celebrate our one year anniversary with a vacation. The year was full of transitions some easy and others not as much, but God was incredibly faithful through it all. Daniel and I have grown better individually and for each other, which trumps the work it takes to be married.

Church camp thoughts...
I was not all together thrilled about spending the week away from Daniel, but it turned out to be one of the coolest things I've done all summer. If I had to come up with a catchy line for camp it would be 'Tan Lines and Changed Lives.' It didn't matter if kids were already Christians or were introduced to it for the first time, everyone took away a challenge to be the men and women we're called to be in Christ through serving others. It's crazy to think about this being different than charity and more like laying down our ambitions to be part of a bigger picture that is God's love in action. Besides the opportunity to love on kids and challenge them there was plenty of time in the sun to get a tan. I was able to take advantage of the sun and came home with a sweet flip flop tan line.

One funny story among many was my slip and slide experience. I decided to face my fear and go down the slide. Unfortunately I didn't get quite the momentum I needed to make it all the way to the pool of water at the end. The youth group girls described it was preciously pathetic. Oh well...at least they'll remember my attempt.

All in a all it's been a great past couple of weeks. Tiring but good. Now it's time to get ready for school....AGH!!!

Interesting Facts

A friend passed on this questionaire and thought you might enjoy having this information about me on hand. Enjoy!

1. What’s your staple meal (ie. what meal do you cook most often when you can’t be bothered to be adventurous)?

Chicken Alfredo Bake -- A nice take on traditional alfredo.

2. What do you want to be when you grow up?

I dreamed of being a teacher and an astronaut. I think I achieved both of those dreams because I will be teaching Spanish this year and we had our wedding reception at the Cosmosphere...kind of like being an astronaut, right?!?

3. What book are you reading at the moment (if any)?

The Lies Women Believe, And the Truth That Sets Them Free. It's an awesome book that takes a look the process of deception, how women act on it, and the biblical truth that can break the cycle.

4. How do you relax?

Reading! Reading is to me what a cold beer at the end of the long day is for most people.

5. What color are the interior walls of your home?

Earth tones. I'm personally attached to the soft brown in our kitchen and gray blue in our bedroom because I chose the colors myself. I was a sight to behold the week I painted the house.

6. What is your guiltiest pleasure?

HGTV. I could never be a designer because I take too long to make decisions and I'm not willing to design any other way than my own style, but I love to watch other people design rooms. The only good thing about Daniel not being home is that I can watch as much of HGTV as I want. First Time Design is my new favorite show.

7. What time is bedtime and getting up time?

We're usually in bed around 10:30 or 11, although in the summer I'm a lot more willing to stay up and watch a movie. Unfortunately Daniel doesn't have the same summer spirit...pesky job. Right now I'm trying to get up between 7:30 and 8. I'm not entirely sure how I can need so much sleep, but I honestly feel like anything less that 9 hours is not enough sleep for me.

8. How long do you spend reading blogs (per day or per week)?

I check to see if anyone has updated their blogs a couple times a day, so I guess that means I spend a decent amount (that's about as quantifiable as I get) of time reading blogs.

Soakin' in the Sunshine

I should maybe re-title this soaked by the sunshine. This past weekend Daniel and I went to his family farm to help out, which is the closest thing you'll have on most farms to a Father's Day celebration in late June. In the afternoon Daniel and I raked and bailed hay. I got the job of raking in an open air tractor, thus meaning the amount of air conditioning was determined by how quickly I drove against the wind. It actually wasn't all that bad, but somehow my clothes were stuck to my body like a leather jumpsuit. Daniel showed me the ropes the first couple times around and I had moments of roller coaster like screaming. Those pesky hills seem huge even if we were only going 10 mph. I got the hang of things pretty quickly except that while trying to not re-rake some hay I got too close to a brush area and hit the outside rake wheel on a tree. It bent the frame holding the wheel a little and as a result the wheel wasn't spinning like it should. Luckily Daniel and I switched it with the back wheels and things were good to go. Lynn (Daniel's dad) said it was no big deal...I just had to heat it and beat it back into shape the next time I came...I considered the day a success because we helped accomplish something, my pores were fully purified, I'm on a hydration kick (it's amazing how far I'm from getting the recommended amount of water/day), and I didn't get sunburned.

In other news, our women's church league softball team is 2-0. Our first win came by default of another team's forfeit, which left me wondering how good we actually would be, but last night we rallied to win 5-4. I had a great time and forgot how much fun it is to play on a team, especially a team who is humbled by the passing of time since playing in high school, but still puts together some respectable fielding and needed hitting.

Dipstick is into chasing his (we're 90% positive it's a he) tail. I guess when something is the opposite color from the rest of your body it only seems natural to not realize it's yours. He is becoming very playful and loves to jump and tackle things. Don't worry, Dipstick is still able to find plenty of time to sleep.

Finally, am I the only one who can't believe next Sunday is the 4th of July?!?! Seriously, it doesn't seem possible that almost a year ago I was about to get married. I still distinctly remember last year's 4th since it marked the one week to go point and I assure you that memory is too fresh to be essentially a year old. Point being, I'm fascinated with the passing of time right now, something I imagine only increases with age, and I need to get on my teaching and scrapbooking projects before I find myself wondering how it's already August!!!

Dipstick

Last week Daniel and I made an addition to our family. The story is as follows...

A delightful thunderstorm was rolling through as Daniel was leaving for work. I say delightful because I knew that the dark sky and rumbles of thunder would make it easy to sleep in. Little did I know how much a little meow could disrupt this. I heard something outside my window, but I thought it was just a bird, but after a little while I knew it had to be a cat. "No big deal," I thought, "the cat will move along if I ignore it." Didn't happen. Finally I knew there would be no sleeping in and I ventured to see what was out there. I was expecting a cat, but what I found was a little fluff ball that was getting rained on. I tell you God made no mistakes when giving animals survival skills. I couldn't help but bring it in. I gave it a little milk and thought about what to do with it (keep in mind this was after I called my parents to see what to do.) I was completely ready to give the kitten to the animal shelter if need be and there was a momma cat running around outside our house. Either option seemed smart, but an unfortunate/fortunate attachment had formed on my part. So I told Daniel that if after leaving the kitten outside the whole night and the mom hadn't claimed it we could keep the kitten. Daniel thought about it as we watched the kitten through an open window. Suddenly the kitten was halfway inside the window after it had climbed the brick on the side of our house and jumped through the window. This was the only convincing Daniel needed to agree that the kitten was worth keeping. Well the kitten was still here in the morning...

So we became the proud parents of a wall climbing, cute kitten. Still, this cute kitten had fleas and since most flea medicines can't be used on cats under 12 weeks, Dawn, which kills fleas immediately, is the best alternative. I didn't know that fleas took blood from their victim, but apparently anemia to the point of death is a leading cause of death for kittens. Let's see if you can do a problem solution scenario...Fleas, possible anemia, no flea medicine (problem), solution? You guessed it, a bath with Dawn soap. Daniel was great enough to wear tube socks (so his arms didn't get scratched) and help me bath the kitten in the kitchen sink. Keeping a cat in suds for 5 minutes is not for the faint of heart and it's true that there's nothing sadder than a wet cat.

Prior to the bath, Daniel had been insistent that the kitten be named Dipstick because of the tail coloring (see picture). I tried to come up with an alternative, but it seemed to be a losing battle, and after I considered Daniel's willingness to give the kitten a bath, it seemed as though there was no choice, so Dipstick it is. Once dried and flea free, Dipstick is a fluffy kitten and an enjoyable companion. We are still working on whether it's a boy or girl, but all in good time.

Dipstick made a trip to Hutchinson this past weekend as Daniel and I traveled there for a wedding. My parents got to be kitten sitters for a while and I'm concerned/excited to see what they will be like when we bring a human baby. My dad has Dipstick as the photo background for his phone, and when talking to my mom on the phone yesterday, she asked me how Dipstick was doing before showing the slightest concern for my well being. It seems as though they are the proud grandparents of a kitten.