Rise and Shine!

Today is the first day back to work after a two week Christmas Break.  I had been dreading getting up at 5:30, but I knew it must be done.  And I had to be sure not to hit the snooze button for half an hour.  I honestly don’t feel tired at the moment (it’s now nearly 7:00), but I know that will change as the day goes on. 

And since today is Monday, I won’t be getting home until around 5:00 p.m. because I have drama practise after school and I have to wait around until one of the students gets picked up (the child is in my class, and her mom made special arrangements).  I don’t mind staying, but there are times when I really don’t want to stay that late.  Also, on Monday evenings, I have one of the Bible studies that I go to (I only go to two of them), which I am enjoying.  I won’t have a chance to even think about taking a nap when I get home.  I’ll probably have to go to bed early tonight, but I won’t even think about that right now.

I’m kind of looking forward to getting back into my routine and going to work.  While I always enjoy days off, vacations, and holidays, there are times I want to get back to work – simply to get back into my routine.

I am supposed to have one less student now, as one little boy informed us, on the last day before Christmas vacation, that his mom wants to home school him and his sister.  We’ll see how it goes.  I don’t think she realises all that is involved in teaching/home schooling, and she was always talking about how busy they were.  The only thing that it will probably save her, is travelling (they live outside of town).  She could surprise everyone and do a great job with home schooling, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the kids end up coming back to the school – even if it isn’t until next fall.  And, now that her son won’t be in my class, I’ll have to find someone else to help with Bible memory, as she would come in to ‘test’ the kids for me (it was a big help).  Hopefully there is someone else willing to step up to the plate.

I’ve also got a few things that I want to try this term, such as a novel study with my language arts students (I have eight ESL kids who have a separate language arts class with another teacher, so they aren’t in my class). I don’t know if they can handle this, but we’ll see.  I hope it works out well and doesn’t end up causing me grief.  I’ve already warned them that the second half of the year is going to be more difficult and more will be required of them.  It will probably be difficult for the first little while with them testing to see if they can get away with less effort, etc.  So, I will definitely be needing prayer for a little while!

Anyway, I hope you all have a great day, and if this is also your first day back to work after a long break, I pray that you have a great one!

End of the First Week

School has been in full force since Wednesday of this week. Actually, we started on Tuesday, but we were only there for two hours! This week was spent mostly trying to get the kids into a routine, to follow the rules and procedures for the class (and school) and trying to get accustomed to each other.

I have 22 students in my class this year, 12 are new to the school. So far, they seem like a fantastic bunch of kids, and I really think I am going to enjoy being their teacher this year!

Since being back from summer vacation, I've been attending church every week, and I am finding myself feeling a little more comfortable. I submitted a form to indicate that I am interested in joining a small group/Bible study and yesterday I received an email from the pastor of the church. He said that what I should do, if I know someone there, is to either invite them to join a small group with me or invite myself to the one he/she/they are involved in. If I don't know anyone, then the pastor said he would love to help me connect with someone.

I do know some people there (some of the families who have children at the school where I teach go to this church, as well as one of the other teachers I know from last year), but these people are either married with kids, or belong to the young adult group. I belong to neither of these categories. So, I am going to have to email the pastor and let him know my situation and hopefully he can help me connect.

With regards to my attempt at reading the Bible by the end of 2012, I finished reading Psalms the other day (took me all summer, but I was generally only reading one chapter a day....unless they were quite short), and started into 1 Samuel. I am only on chapter 2 so far, but looking over my list of what I still need to read...I might need to pull up my socks a little if I want to accomplish my goal.

Last night I attended a little "conference" on prayer. They are running more today, but I decided against going as I have a lot of work to do this weekend. I really enjoyed it. We had a half hour or so of worship music which was awesome, followed by a speaker.

The one thing I really got from this was that we all pray differently and that there is no wrong way to do it. If you aren't comfortable praying a certain way, or you don't have the motivation to do it, then try a different way until you find one that works for you. For example, if you try journalling your prayers but you can't keep up with that, then that might not be for you...but if you are the type who needs to keep a list of people and events (not journalling about it, but just something to focus on or help remind you) to pray for, which day you will "dedicate" to praying for specific events/people (i.e. on Mondays you pray for your co-workers, your job, and the government; Tuesdays you pray for your family and the missionaries from your church, etc.) then do that.  I found it a quite encouraging session...and I'm kind of regretting not going to some of it again today.

How is your prayer life? Do you have specific ways you pray or a schedule of when to pray for others? Do you journal? Let me know in the comments - would love to hear about it!

It's Summer!

Well, these last few weeks have been busy with getting things wound down in school, doing up report cards, and finally, cleaning and organizing the classroom, etc. I even took some time to work on overviews and previews for the fall, and get a few lesson plans done up so that I'll have that much less to do when I get back in the fall.

In six days, I head back home for about six or seven weeks. I'm really looking forward to it and to seeing my family and friends. I'm actually leaving here on Tuesday (in three days), but I have to go to Kelowna for a mini-conference with R, one of the other teachers. We were supposed to go to a conference that was about 3-4 days long, but it got cancelled. My friend (the other teacher) knows the man who was going to be doing the conference, and she convinced him to give us a "mini" version for half a day. So, we leave on Tuesday, drive pretty much for the whole day (about 16 hours or something) to get there Tuesday night. We were supposed to take two days to drive down, but now she only wants to take a day to do the driving. It'll be a tiring day, for sure!

R is from Kelowna so she said she would show me around and we will do a little shopping as well. I've never been to Kelowna, so that's why we're doing the whole tourist thing. The next day is our conference, and we also might meet up with M, one of the other teachers who is not coming back to the school in the fall. She may possibly have a job in Kelowna for the fall, so we said we would try to meet up with her and go out for supper. Then, the next day, I fly out for home!

I will be travelling the whole day, and I have about a 4 hour wait in Toronto before I board the lat plane to get me home...at 11:30pm.

Even though I'm so excited about getting home for the summer, I'm also anticipating coming back and starting back to church - the new one I've been attending. I plan on getting involved in a small group, and hopefully that will help get me back on track with my walk. I've been enjoying the new church, have felt more welcome than I did at the other one I was attending for most of the year.

I've been doing good with reading my devotional and the Bible every day. I'm now up to having read 36 books of the Bible - my goal to  read the entire Bible in 2012, since starting in April. I'm currently reading Psalms, and just started that so I'm not too far into it. With Psalms, however, you can read several chapters in one sitting since a lot of them are short. I'm sure when I get to Psalm 119, however, it will take longer to read, lol.

I don't know if I'll get to update the blog over the summer. I may take my laptop with me, but I'll be staying at my mom's and she doesn't have internet. So, unless I take my laptop to a friend's house, or use their computers, I may not get any updates done (another reason why I wanted to get some lesson plans done up before the fall). 

So, for now, I will end and wish you all a fantastic summer. If I don't get to update, I will see you in the fall!

Blessings!

His Selfless Act Touched My Heart

Yesterday was my birthday.

When my students found out a week and a half ago that my birthday was coming up, a couple of them asked if we could have a party for it. I said, "Sure, why not." Then the planning began.

"What kind of cake do you like?" One of my grade four girls asked.

"Chocolate, vanilla, or marble." I replied.

The following week I was asked if it was OK if cupcakes were made instead of a cake, because the cake wouldn't be big enough for everyone in the class to get a slice. So, I agreed that cupcakes would be the better choice.

Fast forward to yesterday. A few of my students walked in, wished me a happy birthday and gave me some gifts. Two of them said I'd get my gift from them at the end of the day. Things progressed normally, but during the last class of the day, I received my surprise.

I had taken the 4s up to the computer room (it was our scheduled computer class) to help them get a feel for what the computer portion of their upcoming test was going to be like. When we came back to the class (which would be normally the time for the 3s to go up, as all the students can't be in the class at the same time or the computers don't seem to work), the kids ran ahead of me and I warned them about not running in the halls...again.

As I rounded the corner to my class, I could hear one of them shout, "She's coming!" and someone else requested for others to hide. When I walked in the classroom, they all jumped out (though I could see one of them crouching behind a desk and another trying to hide in a floor level cupboard) and shouted, "Surprise! Happy Birthday!"

The girls "in charge" had been disciplined enough for a week and a half to organize and prepare to give me a little party. They got together to make cupcakes, had some people bring in treats/snacks, and they came up with a very sweet present for me.

These girls (the ones in charge of making the cupcakes) disappeared to the school kitchen to get them, where they had been hid from my view all day, and delivered a specially decorated one for me...and everyone else got one as well. There were a few left over so they took them up to the principal and a couple of others. They also handed me a heart-shaped box in which they had placed birthday messages they had written for me.

It was all very touching, and they certainly spoiled me!

One of my grade 4 boys handed me a homemade card he had been working on during the week. When I opened it, it said to me, "Do you know what I wanted to put in the card? I asked my mom, but she said no because I am saving for a dirt bike." So, I asked him what he wanted to put in it. "I wanted to put $5 in your card because you are saving for a car."

How touching is that! The day before, he had stayed after school to get some extra help with math and we had talked some. He told me he was saving to buy a dirt bike, and I told him I wanted to start saving so I could get a car (since I don't have one here and it's very annoying to not have one).

What a generous boy! He wanted to take some money from his dirt bike savings to help me save for a car. "You don't have to give me your money." I said.

"But I wanted to." He grin was a mile long.

This nine year old boy's selfless act really touched my heart. In a world that seems to be filled with kids always wanting for themselves (not all are like that, but there are many...and adults too), this boy wanted to take $5 from his dirt bike savings and help me. As I said, it was a very touching thought.

Have you ever been surprised for your birthday?

Quick Catch-Up

As I awoke this morning, I thought it was still the middle of the night. It was still quite dark, not a sound could be heard. I looked at the clock and was 7:45am. In my neck of the woods at this time of year (as I am discovering), the sun doesn't rise until around 9:00...well, that's when it is visible above the horizon. You can watch as God paints the sky with beautiful shades of red, pink, and orange shortly after 8:00. At any rate, it still seemed like I had only been asleep for a short amount of time.

I'm still tired and will no doubt be napping throughout the day, and possibly going to bed early tonight. I am very thankful that I was able to get home for Christmas (up until a couple of days before I flew home, it was looking like I wouldn't be able to get back for the holiday), and I think I am still on the Atlantic Time Zone. I'm also quite tired from travelling - two flights (one for two hours, the other for four) and a car ride that lasted around twelve hours in total (we stopped for the night in one small town and headed back on our way yesterday morning) will definitely wear you out! But, as I said, I am very thankful that I was able to get back home to visit family and friends for just shy of two weeks (which, I might add, went by far too quickly!).

Since my last post, I found myself quite busy with work - and yes, I definitely felt worn down and out as well. I had to do up report cards (21 kids in my class), and two days of parent/teacher interviews. The first day we went from 2:30 until 8:00, and the next day my schedule started at 2:15 and went until 5:00. It was quite draining, but I survived.

Not long after that, we began the process of practicing for the Christmas concert. My class played two songs on the recorder, sang a song with the grade 2 class, and performed their own (rap) song with tumbling moves (cart wheels, front and back flips, some breakdancing, etc). Rehersals were typically disappointing as the kids didn't want to co-operate, wouldn't stop talking when they needed to listen, focused too much on what the "tumblers" were doing that they wouldn't do their own parts, etc.

I was working with the music teacher on this, and we both got frustrated a lot. But, we gave it to the Lord, prayed, and in the end the kids gave a FANTASTIC performance during the concert! They pulled it off without a hitch (and we had thought that our best tumbler would be out because two days before the concert he bruised his collar bone, which had been broken during the summer...thankfully he recovered and was able to take part)!  I am so proud of my class!

School starts again on January 3rd, and I'm actually looking forward to going back. I'm praying that things will go well this semester and that I've finally got my head above the water (the first semester of a first year of teaching is difficult - actually the first three years, or so I've been told by many, are the most difficult of the teaching profession. I am praying that I will be a little LOT more organized and that I am better able to manage the time and not get behind on lessons. There is so much that I hope and pray for this semester, and only with Jesus' help will I be able accomplish this.

So, now it's your turn to update me on yourself. How was your Christmas? What was the best thing that happened to you, the best gift you received or gave? Let me know in the comment section!

Another Early Start

I've been awake again since about 4:00AM, and really hoping the jet lag wears off soon!  I am now having my first cup of coffee (possibly my only cup of coffee, but a second one may be on the horizon), the sun has risen and the day is promising.

It's the first day of school for the kids in this area...for those going to university too.  I'm torn on this...part of me misses not having to go to class today, but there is a bigger part that is excited.  I guess with some of the high school kids, they only start tomorrow; those in grade nine (the first year of high school here) start today, to make things easier on them, and grades ten to twelve will go tomorrow.  Other provinces have already started school last week.  My nephew is in Nova Scotia, and he started last week.

I need to fill out a few forms and take my grad fee to the university today.  I have to do it soon (as in within the next couple of weeks) because I will graduate in November and they are going to begin getting things ready for that soon.  I also have to request a list of my courses and marks so they can be sent to the teacher's association (the registrar will also be sending a letter explaining that graduation is only in November, but I have finished my courses and internship now), so that I can get my teaching license.  I don't know how long that takes, but I hope it is quick.  I still have to wait until October or November before the district has their next supply teaching info session.  I need to take that before I can do any supply teaching.

My brother has been mentioning to his teacher friends that they should call me to fill in for them when they are out (his wife may have done this too), or at least that's what he's told my mom.  That's really nice of him.  Also, yesterday, one of the teachers who goes to my church asked me about supplying.  I told him about needing to wait for that info session, and he said as soon as I take it and get on the supply list to let him know.  He said the schools have a list of preferred supply teachers they call first, and then if they can't get anyone from the list, they go to others.  He said that when I'm on the supply list he'd add me to his (or his school's) preferred list.  I thought that was really nice of him! 

Another teacher friend from church asked my best friend (when I was in Australia) to pass on some advice from her - that if I have to hand out any work that needs to be corrected, to do it and not leave it for the teacher.  They really appreciate that.  Also, she said that I should do any photocopying, etc. that the teacher may need to do (probably would need to check in with the office to see about that, but I'm not totally sure), and ask the office if there is anything I can do to help another teacher (photocopying, correcting, etc.).  She said that really puts you in a good light and the teachers appreciate it, and you would be more apt to get hired on by the school if you show a willingness to work or help out. 

My back is still sore and stiff.  I've been taking Robaxacet because the pills I got in Australia have run out (I have one more left of the anti-inflamatory one).  They've been helping, but when I sit or lay down for a while (such as over night), then my back becomes quite stiff and sore.  Yesterday I went out for awhile and took some pictures.  I had taken some Robaxacet a little while before that and it really helped me to be able to move around and get in and out of the car without any real difficulty.

Speaking of photography, I had mentioned in my preivous post about doing some sort of project to help better my skills and become more creative with the pictures I take.  Well, I haven't particularly started any project, per se, but I did create a photography blog.  It's called Shutterbug, and can be found HERE.  I've put a few of the pictures I've taken from Australia on there so far (I have 3 posts, 2 of which has a few pictures).  I guess the theme seems to be birds and animals, so maybe I'll focus on that a bit.  I was thinking if I do a 52 week or 365 day or even a 30 day project, it might be good to start at the beginning of a month.  However, that's not totally necessary.  I can start it at any time.  I've also joined a couple of photography forums, so hopefully I can pick up some pointers there as well.

  Well, going to head off and finish my coffee (hazelnut, yum!) and read the paper.  Hope you have a blessed and Christ-filled day!

Back Home

I've been back home in Canada since Monday morning. The trip was pretty uneventful, though there was some turbulence, especially for awhile at the beginning of the Sydney to Los Angeles leg of the trip. My back held up fine, and I took the meds the doctor had given me prior to leaving the Gold Coast. I only took one of the Valium, and I felt sleepy. As soon as I felt like I wanted to sleep, we were given our supper. It was actually pretty good for airline food, but unfortunately, I no longer felt tired. After trying for awhile to get to sleep I took a Gravol and that knocked me out pretty good. I slept a good portion of that flight.

The longest we had to wait was in Toronto. We arrived around 11:00 PM and our flight left at 6:30 the next morning. Sarah and I were the only ones to wait at the airport; the others went to a hotel for a few hours to shower and try to get a bit of sleep. From what they said, they didn't get much sleep. They had to wait for the shuttle to take them to their hotel, and by the time they got there and everyone got showered, there wasn't much time to sleep. Sarah and I only slept a bit at the airport and spent the rest of the time watching a couple of movies on her laptop.

It's nice to be home (but I do miss Australia and the wonderful people I met there). Unfortunately, jet lag has set in. I don't have that dizzy sort of feeling, but my sleep pattern is way off - probably still on Australian time! I slept fine the first night, but since then I've been getting up quite early (as early at 5:00 AM), sometimes sleeping in the afternoon, and going to bed late. Last night (Wednesday) was the worst so far. Tuesday I had taken some of my pain pills for my back and they made me sleepy; I laid down around 8:30 in the morning and woke up around 3:30 in the afternoon (I slept pretty good the night before but was up at 6:30). I went to bed around 1:30 or so and dozed for about an hour, maybe a little more than that. I was wide awake between 2:30 and 3:00 and tried to go back to sleep around 5:00. Sadly, I couldn't sleep and I've been awake since.

I'm supposed to help my brother at his bike shop this afternoon, doing a little computer work for him, but I don't know if I'll be able to. I might end up sleeping then instead. I might check with him to see if it would be OK if I come in next Monday instead, and hopefully my sleeping pattern will return more to normal by then.

I haven't done much since I've been home. I've gone with my mom on a few errands she had to run, and I've spent the past two evenings with a male friend, but other than that I've been sleeping and trying to rest my back (which seems to slowly be getting better, though at times it's still sore and stiff).

I need to finish off my journal for my teaching internship, update my portfolio and contact the registrar's department of the university to see what all I need to do (as in paperwork, etc.) to graduate. There are about four or five of us who are finished now and can graduate in November. I talked to my prof about it and he is the one who told me to check with the registrar, and if they don't get things done soon, maybe all four or five of us would have to get together and go to the school to try and get things taken care of all at once.

Well, not much to say right now. I just wanted to update the blog to say that I arrived home safe and sound from Australia.

Cheers!

Teaching Intership - Week 6 & 7

Weeks six and seven have gone well. The children are looking at me as more of a teacher now than just a "helper" in the classroom. One thing though, is that several of them consistantly push the envelope to see what they can or can't get away with (which is normal). There is one of these children who seems to try to joke around with me a little too much and tries to treat me more as a friend than a teacher. Now, don't get me wrong. It's fine to joke around and be friendly with the kids, but they need to know when to stop and listen and treat the teacher as a teacher/authority figure. However, this whole situation is helping to build relationships with the children and help them to learn that they can come to me to ask questions or tell me something.

Last month my host teacher (after we had discussed and agreed that the idea was a good one), contacted a company to get some butterfly eggs/baby caterpillars for the classroom. We've been studying the butterfly life cycle, and we thought it would be a good idea if the kids had some to observe. The kindergarten class is also doing this (and I believe one of the grade four classes as well...but the kindergarten teacher may just have given them some of theirs), and they got their order last week. Our class should have gotten ours by Monday or Tuesday.

By Wednesday after school, we still hadn't received anything and it's too late for them to send us anything because school finishes on June 19, and there wouldn't be enough time for the process to take place before the kids are finished school. My host teacher called the company with regard to our not getting our package, and they said that the order had been processed, but for some unknown reason it hadn't been shipped!

Yesterday we talked to the kindergarten teacher (we had told her on Monday we still hadn't received our caterpillars yet, and she said if we wanted some of theirs we could have some) and told her about our situation. She gave us eight of their caterpillars for the class to keep! That was so nice of them to do. I mentioned to my host teacher that maybe we could do up a thank you note or card to the class and have the kids sign it. The kindergarten teacher also would like for us to come and share some of the questions and answers the kids had with regard to the butterfly life cycle with her class (to bring her students' learning up a level...I think they kept everything very basic). I thought when the kids do that, they could give the card then. Also, since there weren't very many different questions (seven or eight in total), maybe some of them could read a couple of butterfly or caterpillar poems to the kids as well. My host teacher thought it was a great idea, so we have to check with the kindergarten teacher to find out when would be a good time to do this for her.

Today, another of my profs (not the same one as last time) came to observe me teaching a class. It went well, and he wasn't there for quite the entire class - maybe about 40 minutes. He pulled me out of the class (my host teacher continued teaching while I was out) to discuss how things went. He had a lot of great things to say, had some questions as to how or why I did something a certain way (just out of curiosity and not because it was right or wrong), and I came away feeling successful and encouraged. The next time I get observed will be when we are down in Australia doing the second half of the internship (there are 10 of us going).

Next week is my final week of me doing all the teaching, and my host teacher will then start up again, though she won't have much to do since there isn't a great deal done during the last week of school. I do know the kindergarten to grade threes classes are all planning a "field trip" and picnic at a local park near the beginning of that week (a week and a little bit from now), but I'm not sure what else will be done. It shouldn't be a too difficult week though.

Well, I've rattled on long enough I think. Hope you all have a blessed and Christ-filled day/evening!

Teaching Internship - Week 5

I'm a day or two late in posting my update, so sorry about that. Week five went well, nothing too major happened.

On Friday the kids began their provincial assessments in language arts. They have a week to do this, and the teacher is giving them about half an hour to an hour each day to work on it. As teachers, we aren't allowed to help them with these assessments at all. We can't help them pronounce words or tell them what they mean. The kids just have to do their best and try.

Last Wednesday I helped again with the grades four and five (and possibly six) track and field. They all had a chance to do a long distance run (I believe it was 800 metres), long jump and shot put. I think this week they might be starting with sprints, but I'm not sure. I helped keep the distance for the long jump, and let me tell you, there were a few awesome long jumpers!

On Thursday, we had the parents visit the class. The kids read them their "published" stories (which are stories they write during Writer's Workshop and then make a good copy and decorate a title page), and they also performed their Reader's Theatre plays. The kids all did a fantastic job. They had practiced for a couple of weeks, and then early in the week they performed it for the kindergarten class, the grades one, three, and the two grade four classes. The principal also came down one day to watch them perform. The kids all seemed to enjoy their plays and have a good time. With Reader's Theatre, they don't have to memorize lines; they keep the scripts in front of them the whole time. This is just another way to help them practice reading and have fun while doing it.

This week, and the following two weeks, I am in charge of the class - I teach everything. My host teacher will still be around if I need her, but she will more than likely be out of the class. The only thing is that she is in charge of the assessments, and she is also pulling students out at times to do running records with them ("testing" the kids to see which level they are at in reading).

Apart from what I've mentioned, nothing in particular has stood out from this past week. I am enjoying my internship a lot, and I feel lucky to have the class and host teacher that I have. I'm not sure what grade I'll be doing my internship for in Australia yet. I should find out soon, maybe even Friday, because we have a meeting with our instructor(s) to go over how things are going for us, etc.

Well, I will sign off for now and keep you up to date on week six! Have a blessed and Christ-filled day!

Week Three - Teaching Internship

This past week went fast in some respects, slow in others. However, I think it went well overall. Mid-way through the week I had my Base Line Day. This is where I was in charge of the class from the time the kids came in at 8:20, until they left at 1:50.

Tuesday evening I had to do up three lesson plans - language arts, math, and social studies (which, at this grade, is called You and Your World). It took me until 12:30 to finish them because the way we were taught to do them was to make them detailed - very detailed. I had everything written down for what I was going to do, but when it came time to do up the lesson plans and add all the little details, it took quite awhile. Then, to top it all off, I couldn't get to sleep that night and ended up with maybe four hours by the time the alarm went off.

For language arts, the teacher had me just do a reading comprehension exercise to help them practice for provincial assessments which are coming up soon. They have done a few of these before, so it was nothing new to the kids. For math, I just had to review front line subtraction like she had started with them this past Monday. I started a new unit for social studies. We are learning about the life cycle of butterflies, and caterpillars/butterflies in general.

I started off by teaching them about the life cycle. They did pretty good with it and liked the pictures I had printed from the net of the different stages - egg, caterpillar/larva, pupa/chrysalis/cocoon, and butterfly. From there we did a KWL chart and covered the K and W (which stands for Know and Wonder - what do you know about butterflies, and what do you wonder or want to know). Next week we will review the life cycle and they will have some information to read in expert groups. From the expert groups they will find out a couple of facts (from what they read) and then take it back to their home/base group and teach the others. As well, we have ordered caterpillars for them to observe as they go through the stages until they become butterflies, then we will set the butterflies free. They will also have an observation journal they will have to keep throughout this process (which takes about three weeks).

My host teacher said I did a great job with my baseline day, and she loved the KWL chart. She hadn't used that before with this class (might not have with previous classes either, but I'm not totally sure on that).

This week, on Tuesday to be more precise, one of my profs will come and observe me as I teach a class. I'll be doing the language arts class since that is the only time he can come observe me. We have been learning about the Canadian author, Barbara Reid, so we will read the last of the books we have in which she wrote and illustrated with plasticine. The students will also be working on their own plasticine illustration for a story they have been working on as well. I believe we will have them create a picture for the title page. Then, I will take pictures of their creations and we will glue the pictures to their little booklets. This also ties in with the author study because Barbara Reid's husband takes pictures of her illustrations and those pictures are used in her books. As well, the students will finish working on their stories if they haven't done so by then. If they finish everything early, they can work on their cursive writing or other writing pieces that are unfinished.

I'm a little nervous for my prof coming in to observe me, but I am confident that I'll do well. When we were doing our presentations, the profs were really picky about things, but I'm told they aren't that bad when we are actually doing our internship. Still, it makes me nervous. I think I just need to get through the first one so I know what to expect, and then I'll be fine. My host teacher says I'll do well though. It does help, though, that I'm in a great class with an awesome host teacher and terrific kids.

And, on that note, I am heading off to do a little more work on the lesson plan and start getting things ready for Tuesday. Have a blessed and Christ-filled day!

Welcome to April

We are now four days into April. It's been good so far - no snow storms! The snow from our storm on Monday has melted considerable. There is now more grass showing than even before that storm. The back flower bed where the dahlias are planted is totally uncovered now. I wasn't expecting to see that today. The last time I looked out there, a huge amount of snow covered the entire backyard. However, we did get some rain last evening and overnight - and today was quite mild. So, I would think all of that is contributing to the melting snow. Yay!

There are only a couple of weeks left of school. We finish on the 17th, though I don't have any classes that day. I guess then, the 16th is the last day for me. As well, we have this Friday and next Monday off (Easter holidays), so that means there about 7 day of classes. I'm quite happy with this. However, between now and the end of classes, I have a TON of work to do - 3 presentations left, a couple of lesson plans, and a few various assignments. I'm definitely not looking forward to any of this.

I finished my 72 hours of observation in the grade 2 class yesterday. Now, I have to do my journals and write-ups for that and have them in by the 24th (going to aim to have them in by the end of classes though). Within a couple of weeks I will be starting the teaching portion of my internship. I'll be doing half of it here, and the other half I'll be heading to Melbourne, Australia to do it there! Well, that is provided I get my student loan...

By doing part of my internship in Australia, I can finish my course and be ready to start teaching in September. Otherwise, I'll have to wait and do the internship in the fall and finish by Christmas. I am really hoping to go to Australia! I'll let you know when I find out. Hopefully I'll get the student loan...

Well, better head off now and do up some more of my homework. I'm feeling frazzled, overwhelmed, anxious, etc. about the amount of work I have to do. Oh, and as per usual, my motivation is lacking at this time. That's not a good combination. I suppose even if I do little pieces of each it will be a help. What I'd like to do, though, is complete some of the assignments so that I don't have as much to do tomorrow...things that are due on Monday.

Lord, please give me the strength and motivation I need to get my work done. Help me to do my best and to do it for you. In Jesus name, Amen.

This Is Spring?

So much for spring. After the beautiful weekend we had, morning dawned with some rain which turned into freezing rain - then snow...and it's still snowing. The forecast is calling for some messy weather today and into tonight.

I got home after class about an hour ago. They've cancelled the rest of the classes for the afternoon and evening. Unfortunately, the school has stated that if need be they will use Easter Monday to make up for the missed time - but the discretion is up to the teachers. I really hope my teacher's don't go for that. I could use the break!

My math presentation was this morning, and it was alright. I didn't do a whole lot because I am terrible with math. My prof knows this and my presentation partner and I went to talk to him a week or so ago about what we were going to do so he knew I was worried about not being able to present the material correctly and whatnot. I don't think I'll get a good mark - the other girl really deserves most of the mark (unless the teacher thought it came across that she was hogging the floor and not letting me do anything). However, as long as I pass and get at least a B- then that's fine.

My Phys. Ed. presentation was supposed to be tonight, but since they cancelled classes, that will be postponed. There are two other presentations that were scheduled tonight (these are group presentations) as well. Next week we are supposed to have a test but I don't know what is going to happen now. I assume this particular teacher will make us come in Easter Monday to finish up everything. We'll just have to wait and see.

Going to head off now and get some lunch. Also going to need a nap this afternoon as I was up early trying to prepare for the math presentation. At least I have this evening to work on school work when I would normally have been in class!

Have a blessed and Christ-filled day!

It's A Sunshine Sweet Day

What a beautiful day it is today. The sun is shining and the mercury is above the freezing point! According to the icon on my computer, the temperature is +4C.

I've got a busy weekend ahead of me - two presentations on Monday, I have to read three chapters for one of my classes (with a quiz on them on Monday), I have an article review (one page) due on Tuesday, I need to work on my portfolio that is due in a couple of weeks, plus several other pieces of homework that will be coming due soon. On a positive note, classes finish in less than a month!

I found out yesterday that the pastor emeritus (not sure on the spelling of that) of my church passed away through the night - early yesterday morning. He was such a kind man who loved the Lord with his whole heart. He also used to be the senior pastor at my church in the '70s. Please pray for his family. The funeral is on Monday.

Tomorrow at church we have a believer's baptism. I think the pastor told us last week that there are four or five people being baptised! Praise Jesus! One of the people being baptized is a teenaged girl I have taught in the midweek program from when she was in grade 2 until she was in grade 5. Her father was my first Sunday School teacher when I started coming to this church and had just become a Christian. He also read my testimony when I was baptized at Easter in 2000. I'm thinking of bringing my camera and taking some pictures for her and her family.

Well, I best head off and get some lunch and hit the books again. I'm starting to freak out and feel overwhelmed with my math presentation on Monday. I'm terrible at math and we are doing our presentation on fractions - something I don't feel confident with (truth be told, I don't feel confident with any math). Please pray for that as well.

Have a blessed and Christ-filled day!

Much Better Mood

I'm in a much better mood tonight, though I am tired. I am finding out that I should probably be going to bed earlier than I usually do. That's something I'm going to have to work on, especially since I've been a night owl since I was little!

I did my observation in the grade 2 class again today, and things went pretty well. During math, the teacher had stations and groups of 5 would rotate every 15 minutes. The station I was at was the Math Bowling one. The idea was for them to practice subtracting from 10. So, there are 10 pins and whatever they knock down is subtracted from the 10 to get the answer. So, if they knock down 3 pins, they have to say 10 - 3 = 7. The kids loved it - probably because it was a game. I think it's great that you can use games to help reinforce what they students are learning, and most of the time the kids don't even realize they are learning!

I only have one more class to observe, and that is in two weeks. There is no school next Friday (the day I do my observations) because they are having parent-teacher interviews and I don't go to that. So, after the last class, I'll have 72 hours of observation! There will be about 3 weeks after that in which I don't have to go, and on April 24th those of us doing our teacher training in the spring will meet to discuss that. I believe it is the week after that (or maybe 2 weeks later) that the actual teaching practicum starts.

Today was a pretty nice day, though it was a little on the coldish side (not overly cold though). The good news is we have had some really nice days (and a bit of rain one night) and a LOT of our snow has melted! There's still an awful lot of snow to melt though, but hopefully the temperatures will start warming up enough (and often enough) and it won't take long for the rest to melt. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I've got a busy weekend ahead of me. I have to do up my phys. ed. resource binder (I have a lot of things printed already, plus handouts from the prof) and put it together, do a comparison "critique" between 3 articles and a chapter or section of a chapter from the text book for social studies, work on my 2 articles for the group article presentation I have on Wednesday...and I think the rest can wait to be done after the weekend. What I've listed above are the main things I need to work on and get done (or some of them mostly done) first. Like I said - it's going to be a busy weekend!

Going to head off and do a little knitting tonight before bed - still need to work on the scarf for my Ravelry Scarf Exchange pal and get it sent out by April 2nd.

Hope you all have a blessed and Christ-filled day!

Seriously Though...What Is Wrong With Me?

I'm feeling the struggle again tonight (and last night)...that spiritual battle that seems to be prevalent in me lately - or for the last I don't know how long.

What is it that Paul sahys - I don't do what I should do and I do what I shouldn't do...or something to that effect. That really seems to be what I am struggling with. I know I should be reading my Bible. I know I should be praying more often than I do. But it feels like my motivation is severely lacking.

In all honesty, these feelings seem to hit me most when I'm feeling tired and/or stressed. I feel so busy with school work, that it's like everything else gets put on the back burner. When I'm not doing school work I just want to relax and not do much of anything. I do know that I need to get some energy, and that means that dreaded "e" word - exercise. That would help in a lot of areas I think. If I had the energy, I'd feel like doing more.

I do realize (as I believe I've stated in previous posts) that I am placing things ahead of God - school, relaxation, hobbies. I also realize that is wrong. I need to prioritize things with God being at the top of the list. I often hear stories that when people put God first in their lives, then everything else seems to fall into place. I just wish I could see that in my own life. But, in order to see that, I need to actually do it.

I feel like I'm on a backward walk in my spiritual life. Several years ago I had been doing great - reading the Bible every day, studing it, praying, going to a Bible study, never missed church, helped out in various kids ministries at church. It seems like somewhere along the line I started taking two steps back for every step forward.

I'm taking a break this year from all my ministries (except the knitting thing, though that hasn't been happening much this semester either) because I feel that since I've been home from Korea, my focus needs to be on getting myself back on track. How can I teach others to read the Bible or pray if I'm not doing it myself? Besides, this year I don't have much in the way of free time because of school so I am limited in what I can do or even in joining some kind of Bible study.

However, I don't think a lot has happened for my walk to improve. Don't get me wrong, I've had improvements. But then something happens and I'm right back where I was before - not spending time with God.

I will continue trudging on. I won't give up on my walk. I just feel right now like I need a huge rest in order to start on the journey again. So, if you can, please pray that I will find motivation to pray and spend time with God, get the rest I need, and at least get back to where I was on my walk a few years ago (and even surpass that).

It's hard to explain what I'm thinking, or wanting to say...but God knows what I'm meaning.

Snow Day

Well, the university finally did it. They cancelled classes because of the snow storm we are getting. The snow and wind picked up through the night, and boy was it whipping around! When my alarm went off, I listened to the news to find out that all of the schools in the districts around here were closed, some other colleges, and the city pulled the busses off the roads. That alerted me right away - the lack of busses running. I got up and called the university's storm line and sure enough, classes are cancelled for the morning and afternoon. Usually during bad weather, if the busses are still running, the university is open and advises students and faculty to use their own judgement about coming to class.

I also have a class at 6:30 on Monday evenings, but as of now it is undecided on whether or not any evening classes will be cancelled or not. The school will make that decision around 3:00 this afternoon. Im hoping and praying the classes are cancelled...

As of right now, it apears that the snow has stopped for the most part (maybe some flurries flying around) and there doesn't appear to be much, if any, wind. The plow hasn't been around to do our street yet, nor has the guy that plows out our driveway.

According to Environment Canada's website last night, the snow is supposed to turn to rain this morning and end early afternoon. At that point - or sometime in the afternoon - it's supposed to start snowing again and the wind is supposed to pick up as well. However, we are in the Maritime provinces, so that could change at any time.

So, today will hopefully be productive and I can get some (or most) of my two math lesson plans worked on and possibly finished (they are due Wednesday), go over my lessons for our group Social Studies unit plan and fix them up, and work at other bits of school work that need to be done this week. Though, to be honest, I also want to work on some knitting I need to get done and maybe do some rubber stamping and make a couple of cards.

Well, I will end this post for now. Hopefully it won't take so long until the next post! Have a blessed and Christ-filled day!

It's The Weekend Again

Another weekend is upon us, the sun is trying to shine through the clouds (it is bright out) and some flurries are fluttering to the ground. It is the middle of February; hard to believe the month is going by quickly - or somewhat quickly. Soon it will be spring, the snow will be gone, the temperatures will warm up, and I can't wait. I think I am tired of all the snow and cold of this winter.

Yesterday the grade two class where I observe, held their Valentine's Day party. The kids were excited from the moment they walked into the classroom. They wanted to pass out valentines immediately. However, their teacher had to remind them to put the cards away until after lunch. She had been explaining all week that the party would be in the afternoon, and the morning was just like any other school day. She had even spent about five to ten minutes the afternoon before reminding the kids, getting them to tell her when the part was, what they were supposed to do with the valentine's when they got to school in the morning. They knew the answers. Yet, she had to get stern with them several times because the kids kept asking when they could hand out the cards, eat the food, etc.

All in all, the little party was fun. The kids really enjoyed getting to go around and put their cards into the construction paper pouches they had worked on during the week. The pouches were taped to the back of the child's chair, and the teacher explained to be careful or the pouch would rip off. A couple did get ripped from their chairs, but it was accidental both times and more from brushing past them rather than putting someting inside.

This coming week is a little busier than last. I have a presentation on Thursday (there are four of us in the group), we are meeting on Monday again to put things together, and will probably have to meet again to work on the lesson plan we have to submit for the presentation as well. I also have two speaker's responses and an article critique due on Tuesday and Wednesday. Other than that, the bulk of my work next week will be in working towards next weeks assignments, presentations, etc.

Today is going to be busy trying to get some readings done, searching for an article to critique (really it's more of a review of the article, but they call it a critique), look into starting two lessono plans for my math class, looking for info to bring for our meeting on Monday regarding the presentation next Thursday, as well as hopefully beginning to create my portfolio, a wellness plan (for phys. ed. class), and phys. ed. resource binder. It all adds up quickly!

On top of all that I want to do some crafty things this weekend as well. I need to work on a scarf (knitting) that I have to do for an exchange group I'm in, something for my best friend for our "after Christmas gift exchange" which we decided to hold on St. Patrick's Day (neither of us had the time or money to do anything at Christmas so we decided to put it off until March). We did this one other year as well, only we chose Thanksgiving to do it then. So, I need to figure out what I'm going to do for her and get cracking. I also want to try and do some scrap booking or work on some handmade cards this weekend as well.

Well, I am starting to ramble, and there really isn't much more to talk about, so I will end here. Have a blessed and Christ-filled day!

Thank You Lord

This past week, Wednesday in fact, I had a group presentation for one of my classes. I was so stressed out in the days leading up to it because I seemed to be having difficulty preparing for it. One thing I failed to "remember" was that I was leading the section where we were presenting scenarios to groups in the class and they had to discuss them and come up with ideas/answers. That isn't exactly something you can prepare for much since you don't know what their answers would be.

Well, by Tuesday I was quite stressed and couldn't focus or concentrate on trying to find some information on the topic so I could have a little something to contribute before or during the discussion of my section. I did the one thing I should have done in the beginning. I prayed. By this night, I also had to do an article critique for another class, and that was eating up a lot of time as well. Prior to praying, I was beginning to become quite frantic.

I also prayed when I got up early on Wednesday so that I could focus on finishing the critique and finding some info for the presentation. The prayer worked again. I also prayed before the presentation a few times. Let me tell you, prayer works. I was calm and not frantic at all; I was able to focus on the task at hand. I had some classmates tell me after the presentation that I was relaxed and did a great job (I was actually nervous and my hands were shaking somewhat during the presentation, and I felt like my mouth was full of cotton when I was speaking). I truly believe that God helped me through that.

I don't know, yet, how we did on our presentation (I should interject here that I also prayed for the others in my group) - we should find out on Monday. However, I do know that when I turned to God for help, it was there. God hears our prayers. He is always there waiting for us to turn to Him. It is usually us who skip off ahead and come running back when we need help. What we should be doing (and I include myself in this as well), is walking with the Lord, by His side, and be in constant communication (prayer) with Him. I know I fail miserably at this. I am still, afterall, a work in progress.

But, I can only give the glory and praise and thanks with regard to my situation to God. He is the one who calmed me and helped me to stay focused on my task. Thank you Lord. Prayer really does work.

Well, I've been back to school now for a week. Second semester started this past Monday, and I can tell already, from each and every syllabus I got, that it's going to be a busy semester again. However, I know I can do it. I got my marks in my mailbox (at school) on Monday, and I got an A+, an A- and four A's - not too shabby. The course requires you to get no less than a B or B- (I forget which offhand) average.

I've been continuing my Bible readings every night, but I must say that in many cases I have just been reading - no meditating or anything like that. That's not what I want to do. I want to get into the meat and potatoes of it all again, and get really grounded in The Word. So, I need to do something about that. I want to join a small group at church, but the only thing is most of them meet during the week in the evenings, and that's not a good time for me during the school year. The other ones also meet at times that don't work for me. And, I am in no position to start one up myself. I don't have the time to commit to being a leader or even hosting one. So, I guess for now, I will have to stick to the Sunday school class I'm attending - unless I'm able to get to a Bible study here and there during school.

I will say that recently I have been trying to memorize Scripture. Since starting the Sunday school class I'm currently involved with, I have memorized Ephesians 3:20-21 and all of Psalm 1. Not sure where I'm going from here, but I want to pick something else to memorize. I'm currently doing my Bible readings in the Psalms, so maybe something from there would be nice again.

Tomorrow I'm going to meet up with a friend from when I was enrolled in my B.A. at university. She was in a few of my classes. Anyway, she is a good photographer and since I'm relatively new to digital photography (though I did do some 35mm photography...took a course in it), and she said she'd help me taking pictures. We were thinking of going outside somewhere and taking pictures, but due to time constraints, we are just going to go buy a bouquet of flowers and she's going to help me practice macro photography with the flowers. She's also going to instruct me on some portrait photography too. I'm really looking forward to this. I enjoy photography!

Well, I guess I will end for now. It's getting a little late and I'm tired. I have to be over to her place for just after lunch. I'm not sure if her husband will be there (doesn't matter if he is), or her daughter. But, we have to finish before supper since she had to take her daughter to work for 6:00. I'll try to get on tomorrow and update about the photography session, and maybe even post some of my shots if they turn out decent enough.

Have a blessed, Christ-filled day!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Today is freezing! It's been somewhat chilly/cold lately, but nothing too bad. Yesterday it even rained in the late afternoon/early evening. Probably a few hours later, the rain had turned to snow. I think, though, there was still rain mixed in. When I woke up this morning it was VERY windy, more snow (roads needed to be plowed) but nothing too serious. There was also ice everywhere (the parking lot at school was nearly an ice rink and I almost slipped and fell a couple of times). It took awhile to get the car scraped off, thankfully my mom did most of it while I was getting ready for work. I told her not to, that I'd do it, but she went ahead and did it anyway. I have a fabulous mom!

Things have been going better spiritually for me. I've been reading my Bible every night since starting this Sunday school class, and praying more often too. It's amazing how your outlook and thoughts, etc. can change when you are in the Word and praying. It's so easy to loose focus when you aren't looking to the One who gives us eternal life.

As of tonight, I am officially on Christmas break. I had my last class this afternoon, and we don't have any exams in the Ed. program - which I am thankful for. However, I've decided to do some work for a couple of weeks (I'll take the week of the 29th off so that I can have somewhat of a break) so I can have a bit of money. I got ahold of my old boss and asked if it would be possible for me to come in for a couple of weeks (that is if they needed the help), and she said they'd love to have me. That was great. I'm actually kind of excited to be going in, and looking forward to starting tomorrow. However, I'm sure the novelty will wear off by around 3:00pm when I won't be able to come home and have a nap! I'll have to make sure to bring a mug with me tomorrow so I can have some coffee!!

Well, I shall close for now and go work on some knitting. It feels a little odd not having to work on homework and presentations - I can actually get back to my knitting, which I haven't had much time of late to work on. I can even work on my novel which has been extremely neglected because of school work.

Have a Christ-filled day!!