Yesterday - 'tis my life

O.K. So I went a pulled another Emily-moment.

Yesterday I decided to go to school dressed in my ripped jeans and the heels for my sister's wedding (to practice walking in them.....I've discovered I need much more practice). I completely do not look the part of a teacher - more like a teenage punk.

As I pull up to the school I notice that, and low and behold, it's swarming with young boys and men dressed in cadet gear. Apparently our school was hosting the cadet-o-rama (5 different churches represented). Warning??? None...

So, I proceeded into the school, feeling very much a female (the only female). I might as well have been wearing a red, flashing light. The best part is that I got to watch some of the going ons(from the door of the gym, trying to hide myself a little bit). It's so awesome to see your students so focused on an event. I got to watch the pyramid building and the ladder building competitions. I also got to "chat" with my students who came up to talk to me.

However, I have never felt so obviously female before. It was a little unnerving. Summary: I''ve been caught at the school by many parents in pj pants and yesterday in punk-style. What's next?

Fair Glen

Wow!! I have finally been able to rest from my 3 day stint of camping with my Grade 6 students. I took 13 students and 2 chaperones with me to a Christian Camp known as Fair Glen. Many, many highlights:
-getting to know my students outside of the classroom. Their personalities deepened, expressing the amazing way in which God creates each person so unique and special
-exercising and strengthening my hockey playing muscles, and having the boys appreciate that a girl can play hockey too
-canoeing for the first time this year and enjoying the zipper (zig zag pattern) of some of my students style of canoeing
-rock climbing the day after hours of hockey (needless to say: I didn't make it up real far but far enough to feel the pain)
-crossing a high ropes course although my shakey legs made it even harder to grab and hold onto the now shaking ropes
-eating meals with my students, and getting special treatment from the cook (it pays to make friendships in high places)
-having them save me seats on the bus to sit with them
-devotions outside amongst the trees
-laughing with my students
-sitting back and letting someone else do the teaching
-seeing the students I supply taught from Drayton there and having them remember me (and some of the girls even remembered the outfit I had warn..... impressive considering I've already forgotten what I wore yesterday)
-getting to know the two chaperones better (I was blessed to have the two best chaperones possible with: interacting with the students, easy-going, supportive, and wanted to enjoy themselves)
-dealing with a very frusturating discipline issue (girl in boys cabin) but growing closer to the student who was under "supervisor-arrest"
-getting hugs from the girls voluntarily and and a ten second one from a male student (under truth/dare moment)
And there were many, many more moments. I look forward to Monday and getting to see my students again.

Makes Sense

Do you have ever have it where, when you read something it just hits you profoundly, yet you already know the truth? But somehow, somewhere, it resounds in you?

Here's one I read this morning:


LIVE YOUR LIFE FOR THE PERSON AND NOT FOR THE CAUSE.


Sometimes, myself included, I find that as Christians we get caught up in what we are doing and not who we are serving. We're more determined to show worship than to be worship. A great reminder for me this morning....

Decisions

So, I finally made a decision for next year. I had four different teaching options presented to me and I picked the one that I hope will make me a better teacher. I will be teaching in Toronto next year. I never EVER thought I'd live in Toronto. We'll see how my country style fits in the city.

My only problem is that I feel like I should be excited. I want to cry. It solidifies that fact that I'm leaving my students. I've fallen in love with 23 individuals and soon I have to say good-bye.

A great day!

Today had so many highlights:
-A student of mine, that I felt I wasn't making a relationship begged me to sit on the bus with her today. It was so much fun just interacting with them.
-Playing basketball outside with my class. Although we lost (girls against boys and there are twice as many boys in my class) it was still fun to touch that basketball again
-Playing hockey with the Grade 7ers. I keep forgetting how much fun it is to take a piece of wood and chase after a ball.
-Encouraged by the chair of the board. Although, while I was in his office, I spilt water on myself (apparently I still can't drink from a cup).

Reminiscing over the school year #1

Last fall my students went out and collected as many caterpillars as possible. They wanted to watch them form into a cocoon. Educational, so why not? We put them into an old ice cream container with a notebook overtop to protect them. My students kept busy at recess collecting food (milkweed) for them.

Disclaimer: should be hanging vertically not horizontally. It was soo cool to watch them form their cocoons. They all started at their heads, while hanging from a very fine thread. Each cocoon looked exactly the same.

There was beautiful gold incorporated into the cocoon. Each was exactly the same. They quickly turned into monarch butterflies. We let them go (my camera was not around). The problem is that winter was coming. I wonder if any of our butterflies survived.

Update on the Mouse

The mouse, it turns out to be, was one of my student's projects. They had put a river (with real water) in a stream on a replication landscape. Turns out the water leaked onto the cardboard and was starting to rot. So, with my student's permission, we chucked it. Ah, the mouse has been defeated already.

The smell of spring....

There's a possibility, a whiff of a chance, that there's a dead mouse somewhere in the walls of my classroom. Ah, the smell that is making it's way through my room. It's a good thing we have a long weekend, break down deary mouse so that Tuesday can be more pleasant. Or I will be forced to bring candles to school to drown you out.