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Wednesday Hodgepodge – Easter Edition

Posted on April 20, 2011 by auburnchick

It’s time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge!  You can answer the questions too and then link back up on Joyce’s blog.  It’s a ton of fun, and you will make lots of new friends!

1.  What are your plans for Easter Day/weekend?

Chicky will be home for Easter!  I hope that we’ll get in some dancing, courtesy of Wii’s Just Dance game.  I’m anxious to show her that my certification classes haven’t taken the groove out of my hips (however, age just might have).  On Sunday, the family will attend church together and eat lunch before Chicky heads back to school in the BLUE car.

Yep.  I think it’s been decided that she’s getting the blue one.  We’ll see how she responds to the news.

2.  Besides Jesus, what one person from the Bible would you most like to meet and why?

A tiny part of me wants to say Eve, but only because I’d like to throttle her because she made the women after her have to endure painful childbirth.

Oh.  Wait.  I’ll bet throttling isn’t allowed in heaven.  Rats.

I think it would be interesting to meet Anna, the prophetess who saw Jesus while He was still a baby and recognized Him as the Messiah.  I would love to ask her how it felt to finally lay her eyes on the one she had longed to see all of her life and what the revelation of who He was felt like the moment she understood.

Oh…I can’t choose just one, Joyce!  How about Queen Esther?  She was incredibly brave and bold in declaring her faith to her husband, the king.  In the process, she saved the entire Jewish race!  What an amazing woman!  I can only hope to be that bold!

Ok…I’ll stop with those two.

3.  What is one modern day convenience you didn’t have as a child that was easy to live without?

How about an eReader.  I loved my books.  I still love “real” books, although I did recently discover that my phone has the Kindle app.  I just finished reading my first book on it…Frankenstein…and I loved the convenience of it.  Still, I don’t think I missed anything by not having it as a child.

4.  Are you more right-brained or left-brained?  If you don’t know what that means, there is an interesting little quiz here.

I can’t say that I agree with the final assessment.  I’m brain dead.  That’s all I know right now.  Oh, that and the fact that I would never, ever, under any circumstance want to become a mathematician.  Ever.

Left Brain Right Brain
59% 41%

You are more left-brained than right-brained. Your left brain controls the right side of your body. In addition to being known as left-brained, you are also known as a critical thinker who uses logic and sense to collect information. You are able to retain this information through the use of numbers, words, and symbols. You usually only see parts of the “whole” picture, but this is what guides you step-by-step in a logical manner to your conclusion. Concise words, numerical and written formulas and technological systems are often forms of expression for you. Some occupations usually held by a left-brained person include a lab scientist, banker, judge, lawyer, mathematician, librarian, and skating judge.

5.  What is something you intended to do today but didn’t?  Why?

I’ll talk about yesterday…

I intended to call parents and schedule conferences.  The reason why I didn’t was because I had a bad end to the day, called one parent, talked for over thirty minutes, and called it a day.  I couldn’t handle any more phone calls.

6.  Cadbury Creme Eggs or Reeses peanut butter?

Reeses.  Hands down.  Except that I’m not eating sweets right now.  But still…if I had a choice…

7.  Who was your favorite cartoon character when you were a child?

I can’t really remember that far back!!  Oh wait…Saturday mornings…it’s coming back…

I loved me some Scooby Doo!!  Sing along (cause you’ve gotta admit that you know the words)…

8.  My Random Thought

Last weekend, a few young people I know went to a Non-Lady Gag Gag concert held a few hours away.  They posted pictures on Facebook, and I’ve gotta say that I was shocked.

Now, you know that I ranted about her in this post, but the pictures reminded me of the disgust I feel every time I hear this person’s name.

I really wonder what in the world people find so appealing about her.

Is it the way she dresses, cause if it is, she’s not wearing enough to make that much of an impression.

Some say they like her music, but how can you listen to her music without mentally seeing pictures of her.

Unfortunately, my uber-conservative opinion seems to be in the minority as even parents have made me feel like I’m making a big deal out of this.

But seriously.

One of the kids who attended the concert told me that there were mostly young girls in the audience.

Really?

What kind of example is she setting for the up-and-coming young women of this world?  Oh please, go out and wear your underwear while on a stage somewhere.  If you’re lucky and can halfway carry a tune (I have no idea if Ms. GG can because I don’t listen to her music), then maybe you’ll even get paid a lot of money.

I’m sorry, but this really irks me.  It’s yet another sign of what low standards we have in society.  There once was a day when people were shocked if a lady showed her ankles.  Now it’s ok to show…well…a little bit of everything!

Sigh.

What do you think?

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 16 Comments »

What Happened to Barabbas

Posted on April 19, 2011 by auburnchick

On Sunday, my pastor read the passage of scripture that describes the criminal, Barabbas, being given his freedom in exchange for the execution of Jesus.

Matthew 27: 15-26

15Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. 16This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas.d 17As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18(He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

19Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”

20Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. 21So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”

The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”

22Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”

They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

23“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

24Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”

25And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”e

26So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

My pastor explained that though nothing is known of Barabbas afterward, a book had been written and a movie had been made that fictionalized what might have happened to him.

My pastor described a scene that could very well have happened…

Footsteps descending stone steps to the prison cells below…

The sound of keys turning in the locks…

The expectation that Barabbas must have had knowing that he was about to face his death…

The shock when, instead, Jesus was pulled out of the room…

The even greater shock when Barabbas was told he was a free man.

I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have felt like to know that I, very deserving of death, had been let go and that someone else was going to serve my death sentence for me.

Can you?

I just don’t know that I could live my life the same way afterward.

At this point, I had to wonder what had happened to Barabbas.

Perhaps Barabbas had never known unconditional love before, and that was why he had committed crimes that made him “notorious.”

Do you think that he left that prison with a heart so grateful for God’s gift of life that he went out and talked about it afterward?

Did Barabbas allow his entire life to be changed from that point forward?  Did he start a family or take up with the one he had left behind?  Did they see real change in his life?

Or, perhaps, he changed…for a little while…before gradually forgetting what had been done for him.

Hmmm…

Then again, perhaps he figured that the stars had aligned and he had gotten lucky.

Do you think he went back out and got in with his old crowd…taking up where he had left off before being caught?

I’ve seen all of these things happen as I’ve watched people receive incredible gifts from God.

In fact, I fear that I have, at times, reacted in similar fashions.

You know…I’ve been a Christian for nearly half of my life.  I’ve read the above passage more times than I can count; however, I’ve never stopped to ask whatever happened to Barabbas.

I doubt that any of us will ever know, yet I think this lack of knowledge serves as a warning.

Do not take the gift of salvation for granted.

Accept it.

Embrace it.

Acknowledge it.

Then, don’t ever walk away from it.

And don’t leave people wondering, “What happened to Insert-Your-Name.”

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , | 4 Comments »

11 Weeks To Go

Posted on April 18, 2011 by auburnchick

Time flies when you’re having fun…or so I’ve heard.

Although I wouldn’t exactly call my EPI classes fun, time is flying by.

Last week proved to be an easier week, of sorts.

Oh, my assignments weren’t easy, per se, but the week itself was easy.

That’s because I didn’t complete many assignments.

In fact, I think I might be able to count the number I completed on one hand.

See, I have this little thing called “work” that got in the way.

As you know, work was not so much fun last week, which left little time for me to complete my assignments.

Fortunately, I had worked so hard during previous weeks that I had gotten ahead of due dates, which freed me up to have a not-so-productive week.

Still, I made up for my lackluster performance on Sunday when I started cranking out assignments.

I managed to write my technology-infused lesson plan.

Actually, I got to cheat a bit by using my Seventeen Second Miracle lesson plan, which already has a technology component (the movie) in it.  My professor had given me the green light to do so during my previous class, so I ran with it.

That was probably the most time-consuming assignment I completed last week.  I answered a couple of discussion forum questions and responded to a couple as well.

This week will be a little tougher.  I have a beastly assignment that I am desperate to finish.  Chicky is coming home on Thursday (for Easter), and I want to have the assignment behind me so I can focus on spending time with her.

Onward I go…

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Week 33 of Teaching

Posted on April 17, 2011 by auburnchick

I’m finding myself getting lazier and lazier as the school year marches closer to its end.

I only have three pictures from the week.

Let me think why…

Hmmm…

Most of my students had attended MIST (Muslim Interscholastic Tournament).  The bus did not pull into Podunk, USA until 3am, so most of the parents gave their children permission to stay home and sleep.

I, being the planner that I am, knew this, so I took it easy on the five high schoolers who did show up.  Their minds were mush.  Two of them slept in class, and I did not have the heart to disturb them.  One of them, my tenth grade guy who has my class last period, slept so hard that he did not even hear the bell ring at the end of the day.  I couldn’t bear to wake him, so I left him sleeping in my class.  I just turned out the light and gently closed the door.  His parents teach at the school, so I left word with the principal and made my way home.

My 6th graders were not old enough to attend MIST, so we had class.

They are reading a biography about Abd al-Rahman Ibrahima, a West African prince who was captured during a battle, shipped to America, and sold as a slave.  He tried to explain that he was from a royal family, but his master had paid a lot of money for him, so there was no way Ibrahima was going to be allowed to go free.  He worked as a slave for forty years before friends, sympathetic to his plight, petitioned the President to act on his behalf.  Finally, Ibrahima’s master agreed to free him, and Ibrahima returned to Africa.  However, he died before ever finding his family.

It is a very sad story.  The kids love it because Ibrahima was Muslim, so it is a story they can connect to.  One of the things that teachers have to do is help their students make connections.  This is what all of us, in essence, must do to better comprehend what we read.

On Tuesday, my high school students still weren’t quite with it, but I still tried to teach them.  We began a unit on social injustice, and I outlined Marian Anderson’s story.  I found footage of her singing in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939.  While her style of music was not our favorite, we discussed the relevance of that performance.  My plan is for my students to research a social injustice and, specifically, one person who worked (or is working) to eradicate the injustice.

My 6th graders did something really cute on Tuesday.  I think that, for whatever reason, the second week back from Spring Break had caught up to them.

After they finished their ten-minute Silent Sustained Reading, I sat down with them to continue our discussion of the biography we had been reading.

Well, those sweet students looked at me like they just were not into the lesson.

As a teacher, you quickly figure out when kids are spaced out.

One of the students asked if they could read the entire class period.

I looked at them, looked down at my book, and looked back up.

“Yes, I think that’s a great thing to do today.”

“Really?” they asked.

Someone said, “You’re not April-fooling us again, are you?”

teehee

Nope, I wasn’t.  I made a split-second decision and ran with it.

They read all class period and were happy as larks.

Sometimes you have just got to go with the moment.

On Wednesday, my 9th-12th grades had their Seventeen Second Miracle book discussions.

I love Wednesdays!  I love hearing their answers to the questions I present.  I love hearing their stories about things that they have done or that others have done for them.

BigTimeGleek wrote an excellent review of the book on her blog.  She did a great job of explaining how it is affecting her life as well.

I think my favorite thing about this book study is reading my students’ reflective journals.  Most of them (cough) are doing an excellent job in assessing their feelings after they purposely do things for others, but more importantly, they are describing how they feel when others treat them in an especially kind manner.

This is life, people…or at least what life should be like…looking for opportunities to serve and recognizing when others have served us selflessly.

Meanwhile, my 6th graders were ready to resume the story we had been reading.  My decision the day before to allow them to read had been perfect.  They came to class refreshed.

On Thursday, I administered vocabulary tests…

I think I’ve said, a time or two, how much I love Vocabulary Test days.

I’m a little bit evil.

I’ve earned the right.  heehee

There’s something delightful about the hissing sound of brain cells frying as they try to remember the vocabulary words that they should have absorbed into their bodies but put off learning until ten minutes before the test despite all warnings by a “certain” teacher to study a little bit every day.

*cough*

Now, I’ve gotta tell you that Thursday was not a great day for me.

Oh, you’d think that vocab tests are easy, and I agree.  However, one of my classes that shall remain nameless decided to give me a very, very hard time.

I was stressed.

This class continues to beat me down, and I feel like Rocky Balboa after he’s been pummeled.

I also had a lot of work to do after school…grading and progress reports to finalize…

I was very depressed after school, but my friend, Jane, helped me feel better.

When I arrived at school on Friday, I was back to my regular self.

I worked with my students on the storyboards they are creating for their Seventeen Second Miracle movie projects.  The storyboards are due tomorrow.

Friday should have gone smoothly, but of course, it didn’t.

That same class mentioned above (cough) decided they weren’t done with me.

I had ammo, though…

Detention slips.

Although I did not write anyone up, I have a sneaky suspicion that I will have to this week.

Sometimes, a teacher does all he or she can and then has to resort to extreme measures.

I’m done playing.

I’m putting on my high-heeled shoes and getting VERY serious (although I thought up to this point I had been).

I refuse to allow two or three students to spoil the opportunity for other students to learn.

Discipline is such a tough thing when you are a teacher.  I’ve had a couple of parents tell me to “overlook” stuff, but you just cannot overlook disrespect and disturbances that halt the learning process.

Sigh.

I hate being mean.

Oh well.  Such is life, eh?

I was so glad when the final bell rang on Friday, and I did not stick around to chit-chat.  Out the door I went to spend time with my fur babies…the ones who don’t care about anything except being fed on time and being loved on at least a gajillion times a day.

Pele decided, though, that he’d had a long week too…

He looked as tired as I felt.

There’s no rest for the weary, though.  Lesson plans and rubrics awaited me…

Onward to Week 34.  I sure hope it goes by faster than last week and is filled with less drama too.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

A Friendship is Born

Posted on April 16, 2011 by auburnchick

Sometimes I don’t meet friends traditional ways.

In fact, I tend to do things in very odd ways.

It was in such a different way that one of my closest friendships was born.

After I learned to knit, I found my way to KnittingHelp.com.

This continues to be a wonderful community of knitters who lovingly support one another.  There are great videos on the site too!

KnittingHelp had a chat feature, and a few of us began talking weekly.

Christina (aka Rabbitrescuer) was one of the knitters, and we instantly hit it off.

She worked crazy hours and was knitting her first project…a dog sweater for her baby, Zeus…

I thought she was nuts.

At the time, I was still working on my bachelor’s degree at Troy, so my friends were invaluable to me as they lifted me from the pits of depression that work overload typically put upon me.

My friends celebrated each completed assignment and, ultimately, my graduation.

I celebrated their triumphs as well.

About a year after we began chatting, one of Christina’s sons endured a horrific accident.  He was burned on at least 70% of his body, if I recall correctly.

I received a desperate email from my online buddy.  She briefly explained what had happened and asked me to pray, knowing I am a Christian.

Oh my word, but hearing terrible news like that just made my heart go out to her, and I prayed.

Somehow, I got the phone number where her son was being treated, and I called her.

I was so nervous.

I’d never actually heard her voice before, nor had she heard mine.

The first phone call was awkward, and it was also one that was full of anxious words.  At that point, she didn’t know if her son would live.  It was very touch-and-go.

He was transferred to a specialized burn center, where he stayed for several months.

Christina stayed with him the entire time.

I continued to call her…nearly every day.  The only days I didn’t call were the days her husband was able to visit.  He had to stay home, work, and maintain the fort.

You learn a lot about a person when the person is faced with a trial of that nature.

Christina is probably one of the strongest women I know.

She rarely faltered.

I only heard her cry once.

We talked about so many things during those months.

We mostly talked about what was for dinner.  She always had a plan, despite being away from home.

I told her about my everyday events.

Being moms, we commiserated with one another about the trials involved in childrearing.

She frequently offered her services as a kick-my-kids-in-the-pants kind of friend…just to help get them straightened out.

You’ve just gotta love a friend like that.

After her son returned home, I continued to call.  I was, for the most part, unemployed.  She worked nights.

That is how my closest friendship was born and continues to grow.

I speak to her at least four days a week now.

Sometimes, we don’t say much, but we stay on the phone.

She frequently hangs clothes on the line while we chat.

I frequently use the potty while on the line with her.

True friendship.

She was there for me the day that Chicky graduated and I had a meltdown hours before.

We’ve called each other on the phone when we’ve been out yarn shopping and need someone to encourage or talk us down from spending too much money.  The talking-down part doesn’t happen too often because we happen to be enablers…as good knitters are.

The only thing I haven’t been able to convince her to do is to get rid of the Red Heart.  She keeps threatening to send it to me, to which I threaten to steal all of her Malabrigo while she’s not looking.

It’s a friendship made in heaven.

Today is Christina’s birthday.

Christina recently started writing a blog.

If you want, will you hop on over and wish her a happy birthday?

She constantly inspires me with her generosity to a charity she’s involved with.

She knits for people she works with…always recognizing opportunities to share her talent with others.

She gives her love to the animals that come into her place of business.  Those sweet fur babies are incredibly lucky to have her gentle touch.

I am a much better person because Christina is a part of my life, and I love her like a sister.

Happy Birthday, Christina!

I was not fortunate enough to grow up with many friends.

God has made up for all of those lonely years by orchestrating our lives so they would intersect.

Thanks for listening to me cry, complain, and burp.

You never seem to mind when I talk with food in my mouth cause you know that I rarely have time to stop and eat, so I have to do it while I’m doing other things, such as talking to you on the phone.

Thanks for accompanying me on many shopping trips to Sams and for all the static you hear because of the poor reception I get in the store.

Thanks for listening while I set the phone down to converse with the lady checking me out of my line or while I’m yelling at the kids to do this or that.

Thanks for always forgiving me when my face hangs up on you (gotta love touch-screen phones).

You’re a one-of-a-kind, and I love you dearly.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

The Beauty of Nature

Posted on April 15, 2011 by auburnchick

What a stressful week I’ve had.

Thank goodness I can come home to find solace in the roses that reside beside my driveway…

I always love to see buds that are in the process of opening up…

To reveal God’s power and beauty in nature…

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Posted on April 13, 2011 by auburnchick

Hidy Ho Neighbors (invoking Tim the Toolman’s neighbor, Wilson, today…and yes, I’ve completely lost my marbles).

It’s time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge!!

If you want to play along (and you know you do), hop on over to Joyce‘s blog and link up!

Now, on to the questions!

1.  Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time or have a significant conversation with two people?

I am shy.  I don’t mingle well, and crowds make me feel very anxious.  Thus, I would rather talk to a couple of people for a longer amount of time.  Besides that, I like getting to know people, and I can’t really do that if I don’t talk to them at length.  Oh, and I forgot that I’m also long-winded, so long conversations are a must for me.

2.  What objects do you remember from your parent’s living room?

We had a TV in a cabinet.  The TV was built by my stepfather.  I watched him spend several years soldering the wiring together.  We also had a round glass table-topped table in the center of the room.  I hated cleaning that thing because, no matter how hard you tried, you could never set the top down without smudging fingerprints on it.  We also had a straw loveseat type of thing in that room.  It was a very informal living room.

3.  Do you hog the bed?  Steal the covers?  Snore?

I don’t think I snore.  At least, I’ve never heard myself, but don’t you have to be asleep to be snoring?  Regarding the bed and covers…my dogs hog them.

4.  Speaking of Easter dinner…what is your favorite way to cook/eat lamb?  Or does just the thought of that make you squeamish?  If you’re not cooking lamb, what will be your entree du jour on Easter Sunday?

I’ve never eaten lamb, nor do I want to.  I don’t eat meat or any other animal product any more, so the desire just isn’t there.  As far as Easter dinner…I can’t even figure out what I’m having from one meal to the next.  There’s no way I have any kind of clue what I’m having Easter Sunday.  Chicky’s trying to come home for Easter.  Maybe we’ll go out?  With my certification classes going, I have zero desire to cook.

5.  Let’s throw some politics into this week’s mix-oooohhh…Do you know the whereabouts of your birth certificate and when was the last time you had to produce it to prove you’re you?

I know where all of my family’s birth certificates are because I am tres-anal.  The last time I had to pull mine out was a year and a half ago when my family got passports to go on the cruise that Coupon Queen and Grand Pooba treated us to.

6.  As a child, how did people describe you?

I was described as adorable (I really was…I should scan my picture some time just to prove it).  I was also described as quiet and obedient.

7.  What do you complain about the most?

Right now, I complain about my certification classes the most.  I am exhausted because the work load is heavy…especially since I teach five grades of my own.  I have no idea what I’m going to have to complain about when I finish with my last three classes in late June!

8.  My Random Thought

Three bowls of Black Bean Soup (in one night) and teaching do not go together.

Use your imagination.  😉

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 16 Comments »

Nothing Greater Than Grace

Posted on April 12, 2011 by auburnchick

What is grace?

For a five-letter word, it can be a difficult concept to grasp.

On Saturday, as I drove to the college for my day of classes, I tuned into my local Christian radio station.

The song I heard as I pulled up was Point of Grace’s There is Nothing Greater Than Grace.

I sat, riveted, as I listened to the entire song, remembering how this group had sung it last August at the beach.

The words gripped my soul.

Before I share the video for it, I wanted to share a few of the thoughts that have been running through my head since Saturday.

I responded to God’s call for repentance the day after my senior prom in 1988.

I was 18 years old.

I’ll never forget the way my heart thudded in my chest as I made my way to the front of my small Baptist church.

I was baptized shortly after.

Though I truly believed in my status as a sinner and my need for the atoning work of Jesus, I lacked something…

An understanding of the word “grace.”

Does that seem strange?

Some might question the sincerity of my baptism, but I do not, for I am quite sure that I understood, without putting formal words to it, the definition of grace.

It wasn’t until the Mr. and I had been married a couple of years and were involved in a Sunday School class that was taught by our church’s pastor that I began linking the word “grace” with a formal definition.

As the years have passed, God has continued to teach me just what the word “grace” encompasses.

Grace is the unmerited favor of God.

Grace is not given to those who are worthy.

Grace is bestowed on the downtrodden, dirty sinners of the world.

Folks, that’s all of us.

Think of the woman who Jesus met at the well.

First, He spoke to her.

She had been married many times.

She was probably the equivalent of the town floozie.

She did not speak to Him first.

At that point in time, she had done absolutely nothing to earn God’s favor, and yet He called out to her.

What is even more incredible is that Jesus began to name the sins that she had committed.  He knew she was living with another man without being married to the man.

And still Jesus chose to speak to her.

He offered her forgiveness.

He offered her grace.

The God of yesterday is the God of today.  He doesn’t change.

He still calls to us in the midst of our sins, and you better believe that He can name them off one by one.

Despite all of this, Jesus wants us to be reconciled to Him.

Here’s the kicker…

We can’t do anything to earn His grace or repay Him for it.

The woman certainly couldn’t.

She had nothing to give Him, except for her heart.

That is all that is asked of us.

In the midst of our brokenness, we have nothing of value to give except ourselves.

Too often, people use the excuse that they aren’t worthy.

Neither was that woman at the well.

Neither was I at the tender age of 18.

I was a broken person, from a broken home, with many, many hurts inside.

Truly, my friends, there is nothing greater than grace.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

12 Weeks to Go

Posted on April 11, 2011 by auburnchick

I am officially at the halfway point in my certification program!

Happy Dance!

Week 12 was b-r-u-t-a-l.

After I sent my collaborative lesson plan to my mentor, I waited…

And waited…

And waited.

He sent me one email that said, “Wow!  Overachieve much?”

I chuckled because, as you know, I am a bit anal about my work.

On Thursday morning, he sent me a message that my lesson plan was fine as it was.

Now, this might seem like a good thing, and it was, mind you.  However, the requirements of my assignment were such that collaborative effort had to be shown via red font on my lesson plan.  So, I sent him a message asking him to “find” something for me to “fix.”

A little after lunch, I received a message that he would like me to incorporate more reading of the text in with the lesson plan.  He also suggested that the people I had used in my motivation be changed to people the ninth graders would know.

Oh, I guess I should explain what I’m talking about.

See, the lesson plan was about Romeo and Juliet’s respective tragic flaws.

I decided to get things going by showing students pictures of famous people/characters…

I originally had Anakin Skywalker, Jack Bauer, and Martha Stewart, but I axed Jack and Martha at my mentor’s suggestion and added Charlie and Lindsay.

Armed with the feedback that my mentor provided, I got to work Thursday afternoon.

The job was tough.  I had to get the lesson plan fixed and email it to my college instructors.  There were so many parts to fill in…

I worked for about five hours before discovering, upon my attempt to print the revised lesson plan, that my printer was out of color ink.

Ugh.

I ran to Office Max and had my documents printed.  I was fortunate because I got there just as the copy center was getting ready to close up shop.

Then, I went back home and spent another four hours typing a script for myself.  I color-coded it so I would know what questions to ask (a certain number were required), when to write stuff on the board or pass out papers, and when to read text…

Yeah.  I’m anal like that.

I already told you this.

Finally, I headed to bed satisfied that I had done all that I could do.

I was calm.  I think that was because Super Sis had called me shortly after I got home from Office Max just to check on me.  She knew that I was going to be observed by my college professor the next day, and she figured I would be nervous.

I was.

We talked about it, and before we got off the phone, she prayed for me…out loud.

I don’t know if you’ve had people pray for you out loud in front of you, but it really is a humbling and emotional experience.

I was mostly touched because she had remembered.

I am so fortunate to have a Christ-following sister.  We have been through some tough times together.  God has used these times as a cord that binds us together.

On Friday, I woke up easily, despite the lack of sleep I’d had.

Surprisingly, I was only mildly nervous…nothing outrageous.

I put on a very nice outfit and headed out the door.

It was especially important to me that I make a good impression on my college professor.  She is the epitome of professional.

I tend to feel very intimidated by people who have their act together like this.

I taught my first ninth grade class, and things went fairly well.  It wasn’t a perfect run, and I asked my mentor for tips after class.  He made a couple of suggestions, which I quickly made notes about in my script.

Then, I saw my professor walk in.

She took a seat beside my mentor in the back of the room.

Now, it’s at this point where you would think I would have been almost faint with nerves.

God was so good.

I pretty much blocked her out of my mind and began class.

It was so much easier after I heard one student say, “Mrs. AuburnChick, I wanted to go to the school’s store, but I didn’t want to miss your class since you were teaching today.”

I’d only been in this classroom two times, and she was already telling me this.

I felt so good.

And I began class.

I really think it went well.  I saw my teacher laugh when I held up Charlie Sheen’s picture.  (That’s always a good sign.)

I covered the board with notes for the students…

I completely submerged myself in the lesson and those kids, and it was amazing!!

Did it go perfectly?

No.

Were there things I could have done differently?

You bet.

However, for a person under the intense pressure of working full-time and attending school full-time, it wasn’t bad at all.  In fact, it’s a lesson that I would have been thrilled to have taught to my own students.

After class was over, I got feedback from my mentor, and before I left, he gave me a hug.

It had been a very good experience.

Though my mentor is a completely different kind of teacher from me…he’s much more relaxed…I learned a lot.

I left the school with a huge smile on my face and a load off of my shoulders.

I also left with a grateful heart.

God had been in every moment.

Believe it or not, my week was NOT OVER!

On Saturday, I had to attend class all day.

I’ve gotta tell you that second Saturday classes are so much better than first Saturday classes.

By that, I mean that every term, we have to attend two Saturday sessions for each class.

The first Saturday finds me and my classmates with deer-in-the-headlights looks on our faces.

I typically go home those days and nap.

I.  Cannot.  Handle.  Life.

Second Saturday classes usually mean that we’re over the hump of the first four grueling weeks of class.

I told one of my instructors that I like second Saturday classes because I can see light at the end of the tunnel.  She laughed.

This program is incredibly demanding.  In fact, some of the courses are transferable to a four-year college two hours away for a Master’s program.

Yeah.

So, I didn’t really mind attending class on Saturday.  I actually wanted to ask a couple of my professors questions.

My technology teacher is amazing.  She’s in charge of instructional technology in the public school system in town, and she really knows her stuff.

Did you know that if you open up iTunes and go to the iTunes store, there’s an iTunes U button at the top that you can click on.  From there, you can click on various colleges and listen to or watch lectures of different classes.  You can take virtual tours of museums.  There is a wealth of information there, and it’s all free!!  That was my favorite tip from the day.

I saw the professor who had observed my teaching the day before, and she smiled when she told me that I had done a good job with my lesson plan.  Her words touched me.

And so Week 12 ended.  I have one rather large assignment left to do in one class and smaller assignments in my other classes.

Because I’ve busted my butt the last four weeks, I am ahead of schedule; however, I am going to continue working hard so I can hopefully finish my classes early and take a breather before Round Three begins.

Week 12…you’re outta here!  Let’s see what Week 13 brings!

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Week 32 of Teaching

Posted on April 10, 2011 by auburnchick

Well, Week 32 was a different sort of week.

In fact, I only have one picture from the entire five days!!

My high school students had to turn in their technical manuals on Monday.  This was a unit we worked on for a couple of weeks, and the manual was the final assessment.

Unfortunately, I do not think my 9th graders quite “got” it, so we’ll be reviewing and re-doing this unit this week.

I think my sixth graders finished up the story they had been reading the week before.

On Tuesday, the high school students participated in a school oratorical contest.  The winners would be going on to the local Optimist Club’s contest.  There’s prize money involved, so a few students decided to participate.

Guess who got to organize the event?

Yep.

Your’s truly.

I can’t say that I was thrilled about being the person in charge.  In fact, dare I say that I shed a few tears about it.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be involved.  It was just that I was in the midst of a very difficult certification assignment and a difficult week to accompany it.

I felt overwhelmed.

My principal gave me encouraging words while telling me gently to push through.

And so I did.

But first, I prayed.

Of course.

And God answered in a most terrific way!

Monday morning, I still did not have a judge for the contest.  I sent a text message to a friend of mine…the father of Chicky’s high school soccer team’s goalie.

It’s interesting how I know this family.

When we first moved to Podunk, USA, my kids joined up with the local travel soccer club.  Rooster had to play on a co-ed team because there weren’t enough players to field both a boys and a girls team in his age bracket.

One of the players on the team was the girl who would become the goalie for Chicky’s high school team (and yes, she is two and a half years younger than Chicky).

Isn’t it funny how things work out?

Anyhow, the father is a very well-respected guy in town, and he knows a lot of people.  So, I figured he would provide some direction in who I could ask.

Well, he did one better.

He offered to be my judge!

He was an answer to a prayer!  I was, and continue to be, thankful that God put his name on my heart that Monday morning.

What was even more interesting was that this man had judged Optimist Club oratorical contests in the past!  He had no idea that my school’s competition was part of that contest, and I’d had no idea that he had been a judge before.

God works in amazing ways!

So, on Tuesday, my friend arrived.

A total of six students competed…two girls and four boys.

Grades 7 through 12 were allowed to watch.

They were a great audience.

My students did a wonderful job on their speeches, although a few were too short.

My friend was very impressed as he scored them.

Both girls and the top two guys wound up advancing to the Optimist Club’s competition, which will be held on Tuesday evening.  There is only one other school in town participating, so it should be short but fun to watch.

Meanwhile, grades six through ten took standardized exams on Wednesday and Thursday.

I wound up teaching two classes on Wednesday and one class on Thursday.

Thus, it really was a strange week.

On Friday, I had to be out for my third observation/teaching assignment in my mentor’s class.  However, I had chosen a good day to be gone because all but my sixth graders were on a trip to Atlanta for the MIST competition.  This is a multi-faceted set of competitions for Muslim youth.

I left this on the board for my sixth grade students…

So, they were busy but not unbearably so.

We jump back into the routine next week and won’t have any more breaks until the end of the school year.

I have five more instructional weeks to go.

Whoop Whoop!

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