Teaching Year 9 - February Musings

Over these last few weeks, I have been seriously reassessing why it is that I continue to do what I do. Do I really only teach for the insurance? As for the first semester of every school year... yep, that's certainly for insurance. I find myself struggling to find the glimmers of hope and sunshine... I mean, its all doom and gloom. I am fully aware that this is one of my "not-so-muches."

Then, the end of February hits and suddenly, the clouds begin to part as my flesh occasionly finds moments of sweet, glorious radiation. Now, I am by no means riding a peguses named Thor as I assend to a prepared residence in the clouds of relaxation and warmth... No, that's called June. But it is this time of year that I find myself thinking thoughts like, "hmmm, maybe I can do another year... maybe... just maybe..."

But its only the end of February, and just today my morning went something like this:  left home on a fresh batch of powder on the roads, with what looked like minimal attempts at plowing, and just like that, here comes an SUV careening toward me from around the bend... completely sideways! First thought: "Sweetheart we do live in the IL, for the love, we should know how to drive in the white stuff, it is NOT our first snowfall!" Second thought:  "Huh, risking my life to for INSURANCE... this is ironic!"

I get to school to realize I failed to make copies of our activity, so I found myself risking life and limb a second time on the ever-slippery "cheese grater" we commonly referr to as a "ramp." I look at the oncoming faces and scream things like, "Never fear young ones! This is what we call extreme-educating:  my life for the POGIL, must make copies of the POGIL!" (Problem Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning... for reals... they're great!) They tried to get me to turn around, saying things like, "It's not worth it!" or "You mean more to us than a POGIL!" All of this was surely said out of pure affection and care... definitetly NOT in an attempt to get out of work or knowledge.

As evidenced by this blog post, I did survive the "ramp" and the slippery, snowy, walk across traffic. The copies were made and the knowledge was made availble for the taking. But did they partake in the knowledge? The knowledge was free for the taking. I could not GIVE IT AWAY this morning. They were bucking the system. They refused to turn on their brains, refused to see the importance of the content perviously learned... At some point, early in the hour, I had reached a state of rage! It was ugly! I even asked the teacher next door to draw a target on my juglar (to which a student informed me I "don't have one of those!" Turns out he thought a juglar was an Adam's apple! HASHTAGnolies) I needed them to make it swift, for what they were currently doing to me was cruel, brutal, inhumane! For what... insurance? It was about this time that a student began singing, "Jesus, Take the Wheel." True story! Hysterically ON POINT as it was, it was the reminder that I needed.

For He is doing a work lately, He is on the move in NN107. He keeps showing me glimpses of things beyond insurance. He keeps pointing out the smiles, the laughter, the dragons (sorry, thats an in-person story). Insurance is a gift. It comes with the job. The job is caring. The job is kindness. The job is smiles. The job is laughter. The job is support. The job is cheerleading. The job is a mission! I am being reminded of such... exactly when I needed to be... in the form of kind words from students, email from parents, hand written letters from the librarian.

I am reminded in the quiet confines of NN107... in the hours after 3:00 when all is calm and the smiles are still there from the "did-that-really-happen" crazy-town that ensued that day. This can be done. It can even be enjoyed. The focus just needed to be shifted. Here's to my yearly reminder!

Nevertheless, I still refilled the M&Ms. Teaching requires Jesus and chocolate! #TRUTHS

P.S.: If you are my husband and are reading this, do not see this as a reason to stop hunting yourself a job with insurance. Jesus will likely tire of dragging me along! LOVES for you!

Pretzels Today, Rainbows and Unicorns Another.

Yesterday was a Saturday like most in this home: no big plans, and purposefully so. Typically, that is one of the reasons we SO love the Saturday. Though there are those Saturdays when the stars fail to align, or the cosmos deem that all children under our care and instruct shalt lose the ability to henceforth hear the words that come radiating fromst our beings. For, I speak both verbal and non-verbal fluently. With that, the stage has been set for the occurrences of "laster-night."

The "interesting" part was that we had no idea what was looming. Usually, when these sorts of "events" with the children take place, we are made fully aware from the onset. Their wee waking breaths speak volumes... usually. As it turned out yesterday, their wee waking breaths were actual "thrones of lies!" I need to insert here that I had succumbed to a morning migraine that had me balled-up in the fetal position for a good portion of the morn. Likely, it was in these dawning hours where all the parental patience that is required for a 24-hour period was completely squandered. At this point, gaskets had been blown–repeatedly–with little to no notice. Heaping piles of consequences had been dished out for menial-at-best disobedience. Apologies had been given and taken in a vicious, cyclical nature... all-the-live-long-day.

It was round-about the 38th request for a snack that we hit the eye of the storm and things quieted down for a few moments. As we find ourselves at the beginning of the Lenten season we have been talking about Jesus' 40 days in the desert–about the importance of remembering and prayer–about discipline and fasting. We have this children's book, "Walter the Baker," by Eric Carle. It has been read a number of times during the witching hour, otherwise known as bedtime. (Side note: I am not a lover of this time of day. I know there are some moms that are way better/nicer/relishers of times that will all too quickly be gone.  Nevertheless, I cannot seem to convince myself to be one of those moms at bedtime. If we come home from a night out and the babysitter has navigated a successful bedtime, it was worth every, I mean EVERY single penny we paid them! My Love knows that the most direct path to my heart is hearing the words, "I'll put the kids the bed tonight." This is one of those areas I should likely feel some shame, but #ain'tgottimeforthat. All that to say, I have never read the page that follows the actual story of "Walter the Baker." I had no idea, until the father of my children–the bedtime extraordinaire–love of my life–informed me that he already knew that pretzels were a Lenten tradition because of the last page in "Walter the Baker." Huh. Oh well. I went through my whole explanation with the kids anyway.

It took all morning for the dough to rise in our freezing kitchen, but it finally did. The kids and I started rolling out the dough and talking about how pretzels were typically made just out of flour, water, and salt– fitting with all the fasting that often takes place during Lent. But the coolest part is in the actual shape of the pretzel: the shape is based on an ancient posture of prayer where the arms are folded across the chest. We talked again about the importance of prayer while Jesus was in the desert, how important it is for us, and how we spend this time of year being even more intentional about such things.

So we rolled... and we talked... and we laughed.

We dipped... and we salted... and we baked.

Then we ate! And Praise be to the Lenten Lord of all things Pretzel! Holy WOW! These pretzels are the food of celestial beings! They were out-side-standing! I believe it is safe to say that I can no longer remember a time in my life without these pretzels in it!

We consumed mass quantities of pretzels, whilst watching past Tony-award-winning broadway show tune performances. Because, yes, that is us. That is what we do. Judge if you must!

Then... the eye passed us and we were back to loosing our salvations! Rainbows and unicorns another day!

Recipe for the Lord's pretzels can be found here: http://www.fashionedible.com/2013/09/oktoberfest-homemade-pretzels.html

Candlemas

Monday marked a trifecta of celebratory events:  the day that marks the middle of winter, Groundhog's Day, and Candlemas. Candlemas is the 40th day after Jesus was born, and therefore, the ceremonial day that a boy child would have been brought to the temple–in this case, J-Money. This was a day of fulfilled promise and blessing. Mary and Joseph got an ear-full from Simeon. He proclaimed the good, the bad, and the ugly. Candlemas hones its focus on the good part. Simeon let them in on the secret that J-to-the-esus was to be "a light of revelation to the Gentiles..." This was the part of Simeon's blessing that we, as a family, focused on in discussing the ideals of Candlemas. That whole part about being the cause of the falling and rising of many, and a sign that will be spoken against... just seemed a bit weighty for wee ones.

In fact, in talking about why the Gentiles needed a "light," I was smacked in the face with an awful truth that we inadvertently have kept from our children... not everyone knows about Jesus, and not everyone believes in Jesus... God... the Holy Spirit... #alloftheabove. The boy about fell off his stool, aghast at such what-the-whatness. We had as lengthy a conversation as a 4- and 5-year-old allow, about how Jesus has asked us to follow in His footsteps and be like Him, and be a "light to all the nations" to make sure that everyone hears about Him.

So we centered out Candlemas feast about all things round... round like the sun which gives us LIGHT. In France, the Candlemas food of choice is crepes. And seeing as one of our guests was Uncle France Pants, we just had to follow suit. We had friends over, we lit excessive amounts of candles (following Jesus' footsteps is not without risks... I was simply setting the mood), and ate round items such as crepes and cookies. 'Twas lovely!

Why do we celebrate Candlemas?
Silas:  "To tell people who don't know about God about God."

TRUTHS = Magics