1 down, 35 to go

The first week of the brand new school year is officially done. I really feel good about my classes and enjoyed getting to know a whole bunch more kids. It has been a week of mixed emotions for sure. I am excited to finally be back in the swing of things at school. I really do like my class, it is full of a bunch of fun kids. It's just that I miss last year's class so much!! I've mentioned before that it was a great year, but, really that is an understatement. It was something that I couldn't plan for or create, it just happened, and it was special (to me at least). I got an email tonight from one of those former students telling me how awesome her new school is. This is great news and I am SO glad my students are doing so well there. It just makes me miss the good ol' days. :)

On a happier note, we had an all warm and fuzzy moment at school today. I have been using the four principles of the FISH! Philosophy in my classroom. They are Play, Be There, Choose Your Attitude, and Make Their Day. It is great because the "principles" are simple enough that the kids already get it without a lot of explanation. My class is loving it and they are using the "language" all day long. It's really kind of cute. Anyway, I told them this morning that today was FISH Friday and we were going to have a special "Campfire Time" this afternoon.

So, right before recess once we were all packed up to go home, I summoned everyone to the campfire (sadly there isn't a campfire in sight). I asked the kids to think back on this week and share with us either something they loved about school so far, or, an example of someone making their day. Immediately hands shot up. The majority was just loving everything about school and they were sad that it was Friday and we weren't coming to school on Monday. Then a girl raised her hand and shared about how another girl made her day by asking her to play on her volleyball team. Then a boy shared that it made his day that another boy played some emperor something or other game with him at recess. Then a new boy to the school shared that everyone made his day by being his friend. It went on and on for several minutes. I was amazed. I even think I heard some kind of nice music playing in the background. They get it more than I ever could have imagined. I can't wait to hear what they have to say next week!!

Mark that one off my to-do list

Well, the first day of school has officially come and gone. Overall, it was a pretty good day. I am pleased with the way my students bought into everything I told them today and I think we may be off to another great year!

I was just looking at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram website because, well, I'm too cheap to actually pay for the paper. I also know that if I paid for it, I wouldn't read it. Anyway, they had several pictures of the "First Day of School" from lots of local districts. As I was looking at the pictures I was reminded of something that I think everyone should remember. It was the picture of a mother crying as she said goodbye to her kindergarten student that got me. Honestly, my first thought was why in the world is she crying? School is such a good thing! I know it's a big day and everything, I just didn't see it from her perspective. Then I started thinking, parents don't bring their kids to school all dressed up with new school supplies because they think school is such a wonderful place. They bring them because they have to, it's the law. They bring their kids to school and trust us to do something they themselves can't do (not that they can't, it's just not feasible for most). They basically say, here is my most prized possession please take care of it and return it to me better than when you got it.

I find this level of trust very humbling. Most of the eighteen sets of parents that sent their kids to me this morning don't really have any idea who I am or what kind of person I am, but still they sent me their very best. They trust me to take care of them for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. They trust me to fill their minds, make sure their stomachs get fed, and to develop their character. It is an incredible responsibility and in some round about way God has made it clear to me that this is what I was made for.

It is finished

Well, I must say that it is much easier to blog when you aren't working. The last couple days have been absolutely crazy but I can finally say that my classroom is finished and I'm ready for school!! It is a personal rule of mine not to count the hours or money that I spend on school stuff the week before school starts. I can say with some level of certainty that the hours would be the highest ever for my three beginnings of the school year. I can also say with absolute certainty that my classroom would look ugly, cluttered, and chaotic if it weren't for the help of a few people. They have unpacked boxes, moved desks, cut tons of stuff, painted tons of stuff, sewed, cleaned, and most importantly remained patient with my right-before-school-starts self. So, thanks Kristy, thanks Ashleigh, and thanks Mom. I'm pretty sure I'll be owing you all for a really long time. :)

Happy First Day of School everyone!!

I've got nothing

I wish I had something clever, noteworthy, or funny to say, but I really don't. I've been crazy busy trying to get everything ready for school. We are officially 5 days away from the first day. The fact that I haven't even seen my classroom yet is a slight (very slight) hiccup to my ability to be "ready" for school. I am certain though that everything will work out fine and this will be the best year yet. I have learned much in the past 3 days of not-at-school teacher inservice, mostly things about myself. One of my favorites is that I got to experience a real-life example of one of the things I was planning on emphasizing to my class; the power of choosing your attitude. I like what Proverbs 15:15 has to say about the matter (in particular, the Message):

"A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the day with song."

I had a much better day today since I didn't allow myself to dwell on all the things that aren't going right and instead stayed focused on the things I could control. I'm not sure what song tomorrow will be filled with but I think I'm going to wake up (cough cough) at 5:45 with a cheerful heart. I'll let you know how that goes. :)

Inspiration found

I've also spent a lot of time this summer thinking about the next school year. Every year I try to "start over" in a way that will make each class feel like they are getting something brand new. Well, my classroom theme last year was "Camp Learnalot," and I loved it. The kids really seemed to get into it and it was just fun for everyone. It was really hard to think of something new for this year because I liked Camp Learnalot so much. I finally decided I would just add fishing to the already established camping theme. So, while we are still eager to learn s'more, this year we are going to be "hooked on learning." I have been looking all over the internet for pictures to use and I've even tried drawing some of my own, but, today I finally found what I was looking for. I did have to actually pay for this clip art but I think it is going to be perfect.

So long sweet summer

It is officially 12 hours until I must return to work. I spent my last day of freedom getting myself ready, I even got a haircut, which is something I really dislike doing. It looks good now but I'm sure when I have to fix it myself in the morning it will be a whole different story.

Since the summer is officially about to end, I thought now would be a good time to give a quick recap of all the things that filled my summer:

Many of my summer days were spent at the pool with great friends. I survived a couple sunburns and can happily report that I am more tan than when the summer began. I also got the opportunity to watch a lot of good little league baseball. If you're still playing ball into July that really means something and the games got more and more exciting. For two weeks in the evenings I was a "coach" at my church's Basketball Camps. I had a lot of fun hanging out with lots of kids.

My first big adventure of the summer was a mission trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in June. Vancouver is really just on the other side of the United States/Canada border but, it feels like it's on the other side of the world. I saw lots of things that I have never seen before in my life. It was an eye-opening experience for sure and I left with a greater burden for people who are left hurting from all kinds of abuse. It has caused me to pray that God would open my eyes to the people here at home that need me to be Jesus to them.

My next big adventure was to be a sponsor at Kid's Camp at the end of July. It was really the first time I have been to camp as an adult and not a kid. Somedays you may not have been able to tell that I was an adult. :) We had lots of fun doing all sorts of stuff. The most meaningful thing for me though was getting to talk with a girl about her decision to become a Christian. It was cool because I could really feel God getting 'me' out of the way so He could do the talking.

There were lots of other exciting things that happened but I'll spare you the details. Mostly, I'm thankful for this summer because I believe it is leaving me as a better person, better friend, and a better believer.

Wanted: TP Bandits

My closest neighbors got their house toilet-papered pretty good last night. Imagine my surprise when I got home tonight (at about midnight) and my house had been attacked!! Based on my estimates only one roll of T.P. was used and it was much too tasteful to be the work of unsupervised kids. The list of people who know exactly which house is mine is not that big, so the questioning will begin tomorrow. If you have any information that could lead me to the TP Bandits please call the hotline, and perhaps you could be a part of Operation Don't Mess With Me!! :)