“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.
~A.A. Milne
List five things that are annoying you right now. What can you do about them?
1. I don’t like waking up so early…so I guess I could go to bed at a better time.
2. Some of my students talk out of turn and are really disruptive…so I could encourage them to do better and have consequences if they do not.
3. All of my stuff is in boxes…I should set aside some time to unpack them before doing anything fun.
4. My feet hurt…I should go barefoot for the rest of the day!
5. I’m cold…I should walk outside (but maybe not barefoot)…
What do you daydream about during class?
Well, I’m teaching, so that doesn’t leave for many mind-wandering moments, really. But when I was in school, I’d often think about strange scenarios—little “what if” moments. Like, what if I just got up from note taking and went up and tickled the teacher? What would happen? What if I did a somersault in the aisle? What would people do?
It always makes me laugh to think of such things. And then I’m trying not to laugh in a quiet classroom which is the worst kind of torture.
But I want to make more room in my days for dreaming. Of thinking what-ifs.
St. Ignatius of Loyola, the creator of the Ignatius Examen, a method of reviewing your life to see how God is working within it.
Think back over your week. When did you feel: close to God? far from God?
I’ve had many moments this week that made me feel God’s love all around me. On Sunday, I had a great day of rest—which is how Sunday should be. It was rainy and I enjoyed just sitting in our cozy living room, reading and preparing for the week.
And then on Monday night, I cooked dinner (as usual) for our friends. It was so good, and we just enjoyed talking and telling stories and offering up prayers for each other. This is typical for our Mondays, so I always look forward to them.
I felt far away from God as I worried about a couple of my classes. The Bible talks a lot about not worrying, but I often do, and know that it is a sign that I am not leaning on God to help me when I’m in need. And He is in charge—even of silly school stuff, and for that I am so thankful. It’s something I need to remember more often.
I’m thankful, though, for my classes, and know that I’ve been blessed with awesome students this year. It’s already been amazing getting to know them, and class itself has been fun and I can’t wait for more.
What (or who) inspires you?
I find great solace and peace outdoors. I’m inspired by God’s creation, the beauty in the random placement of trees, flowers, the scattering of movement…
I especially enjoy looking at the ever-changing sky, I enjoy the smell of rain, the rush of waterfalls, and sun sifting through branches.
I’m also inspired by music, which can change my mood at any whim.
And most of all, I’m inspired by those around me that love life—that have the light of Christ within them, and share that love unflinchingly with others.
Who has taught you the most in life? Why?
That’s a difficult one, because I’ve been blessed by many teachers. But I think my ultimate teachers have been my parents.
My parents are still married, and their honest love has taught me a lot about what I want my marriage to look like. They support each other, pray for each other, laugh together, and make each other better.
My mom has taught me a lot about kindness. She’s always taking care of people, she’s a wonderful cook, always remembers birthdays, sends thank-you notes, and is just the most caring person I know. She and I are pretty different, but I’ve learned how to love people because of her.
My dad and I are one and the same. We love laughing, we talk too much, we are bad joke-tellers, we love sweets…the list goes on and on. He’s blind in one eye just like me, too. Because we’re so much alike, Dad has helped me deal with some of my faults (like my temper) because he’s had to overcome them as well.
I am blessed to have such wonderful people as parents, and I pray often that I will be the same kind of teacher to my students.
What did you find yourself wasting time doing this summer?
Well….hopefully it wasn’t really wasted time, but it was a bit emptier than my days have been lately. I spent a lot of time reading at the beach (I don’t even know how many books I read, but the number is over 20. I can read a book a day without too much effort.), I spent time on the computer, and cooking new recipes. I love cooking, and learned how to make some good stuff this summer. That’s always really satisfying. My husband and I also had lots of visitors, either just for dinner, or to spend a few nights with us. I love that our house is always full of people.
The little kids in our neighborhood would stop by almost every day to say hello and to get a Popsicle. The night before they started school, they came by at 9:30!! What??
I guess wasted time really is forgotten time, minutes that just slipped away. It’s nice to have moments like that, which is what vacation is all about.
Topic:
What most surprised you about the first day of school? Explain.
A lot, really. And then again, it was as if I’ve never had a summer…it’s back to business as usual.
I think first, the day seemed really long! Probably because I went through my syllabus and classroom procedures (“How We Work”) five times. I know that my kids were tired of hearing the same thing class after class, too. So I’m thankful that today we got to shake it up a bit. And by “shake it up” I mean “listen to Old English.” Yep.
Another thing that really threw me off was how “social” some of my 8th graders were! They weren’t afraid to start blurting out things…it’s usually rare that I have to tell a student not to talk on the first day. But these kids are who they are, and I really am excited to get to teach them again this year. I’d rather have a talkative class any day over a shy, silent one. I’m not here to make kids fear me, I’m here to teach them something.
Let’s hope that happens….
Another thing that happily surprised me was how enjoyable “meet the teacher” night was last night. I didn’t think that it was going to be painful or anything, but I didn’t know it would actually fun. But it really was a good time, and I think I’ve got a great group of parents to partner with this year. That’s huge.
Well, that’s it for today. It’s a good start to the school year, and I can’t wait to get to know my students better.
…so tomorrow’s the first day of school.
After a couple weeks of preparation, I can’t wait to actually be teaching again. I’ve got a ton of fun stuff planned, and now it’s time to get started.
The first day is usually crazy—shorter classes, lots of info to hand out, it’s over in a flash and everyone’s dead tired.
I’m most excited because I have my own classroom this year! Room 401 is looking good with a big rug, cool lights, a reading corner, and (of course) a coffee pot.
See you soon…
