em & em

You put your money into what you believe in

2008-11-22T07:00:00.001-08:00

Excerpt from "Irristible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne

"The world of efficiency and anonymity dehumanizes us. We see people as machines, as tractors, or as issues to protest. We live in an age when machines act like people, and people act like machines. But machines cannot love. We have to ask who the invisible people are. Who makes are clothes? Who picks our vegetables? And how are they treated? Growing up, I was told not to wear a T-shirt that advertised a band unless I agreed with what they stood for, but I was never told to do the same with the companies I advertised inadvertently. What do they stand for? What gospel do they proclaim?"

Where do you spend your money? What do you support?

Sweat Shops

2008-11-22T06:44:00.001-08:00

I do not pretend to know everything about sweatshops, but am ever in the process of learning. However, what I do know I do not want to support.

Excerpt from "Irrisistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne

...It was a sacred moment. The executives tries to ignore them. They issued a statment that "the tractors don't come up to the farmer and tlel him how to run the farm." With tears in their eyes, these workesr wtih calloused hands and leathery skin from long days in the sun-scorched fields cried out, as if to God, "We are not tractors. Tractors do not bleed and cry. Tractors do not have families and children. We are not machines; we are human beings." It seemed to me the whisper of James was never as clear as it was on that day: "Look! The wages you failed to pay the wrokers who mowed your fiels are crying out again you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You ahve lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemend and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you" (James 5:4-6)....

...There is a brilliant scene in Michael Moore's doumentary THE BIG ONE where Philip Knight, founder and former CEO of Nike, which a has become notorious for its abuse of workers overseas, invites Moore to talk with him. So Moore goes in to meet with Knight bearing a gift - two first-class tickets to Indonesia. And he invites Knight to fly to Indonesia and simply walk through his factories. Phil bursts out laughing and shakes his head, "No, no, not a change." Moore tells him that he just wants to walk through and check out the operation, and then asks, "Have you ever been to see your factories where your shoes are made? Have you ever been to Indonesia?" Knight says, "No, and I am not going to go." These are the layer sof separation that allow injustice to happen. It's not that people are malicious. i do not htink we are naturally able to hurt each other. Even Philip Knight seems like too nice of a guy for that. But we keep ourselves at a safe distance..."

So, the process is beginning for me. I have decided to take some stances (small, but done in love)...
1) Not to purchase Nike, Coke, or Nestle products. I do not want to support big companies that exploit others for financial gain. I am aware that there are many, many companies that do this, but I need to start somewhere.
2) Will not shop at Walmart (see documentary on: Walmart - high cost of low prices)
4) Fair trade coffee/tea/chocolate. What a great way to support workers while not exploiting them. The store, 10 000 Villages, is such a great idea.
5) Will not directly support the clothing industry. This will not be easy because our society demands that you are clothes, and puts emphasis on reflecting yourself and looking your best. I am going to not directly support the clothing industry by purchasing my clothes at second hand stores. Currently this is the only way in which I know how to not directly financially support the industry.

The Irresistible Revolution

2008-11-22T06:05:00.000-08:00

Excerpt by Shane Claiborne

...I remembered Gandhi's saying that what we are doing may seem insignificant, but it is most important that we do it. So we did.

While the temptation to do great things is always before us, in Khalighat I learned the discipline ofd oing small things with great deliberation. Mother Teresa used to say, "WE can do no great things, just small things with great love. It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it."...

..."I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20), he means it. Over and over, the dying and the lepers would whisper the mystical word namaste in my ear. We really don't have a word like it in English (or even much of a Western concept of it). They explained to me that namaste means "I honor the Holy One who lives in you." I knew I could see God in their eyes. Was it possible that I was becoming a Christian, that in my eyes they could catch a glimpse of the image of my Lover?...

STARVE MAMMON WITH YOUR LOVE. I hope Mammon gets hungry around here.

...All the time, we look AT people - hot girls, beggars, pop stars, white folks, black folks, people with suits or dreadlocks. But over time, we can develope new eyes and look INTO people. Rather than looking at poeple as sex objects or work tools, we can see them as sacred. We can enter the Holies of Holies through their eyes. They can become a "Thou."...

...Dr. King was another one of our elders who spoke of God's love and grace amid hatred. King marked Ghandi as one of the great treachers of nonviolence and said this just before he died: "To our most bitter opponents we say: 'Thro us in jail and we will still love you. Bomb our houses and threaten our children and we will still love you. Beat us and leave us half dead and we will still love you. But be ye assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer. One day we shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory.' "....

...What I love about Jesus is that he always has imagination. Author and professor Walter Wink does brilliant work demonstrationg Jesus' creativity in his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Talking about the familiar "turn the other cheek" versus, Wink points out that Jesus is not suggesting that we masochistically let people step all over us. Instead, Jesus is pointing us toward something htat imaginatively disarms others. When hit on the cheek, turn and look the person in the eye. Do not cower and do not punch them back. Make sure they look into your eyes and see your sacred humanity, and it will be increasingly harder for them to hurt you. When someone tries to sue you for the coat on your back and drags you before the court, go ahead and take all of your clothes off and hand them over, exposing the sickness of their greed. When a soldier asks you to walk a mile with them and carry their pack (as was Roman law and custom), don't throw your fist in the air like the Zealots, just walk with them two miles instead of one, talk with them and woo them into our movement by your love....

...Mother Teresa offers us that brilliant glimpse of hope that lies in little things: "We can do not great things, only small things with great love. It is not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it." Above our front door, we have hung a sign that says, "Today...small things with great love (or don't open the door."....

Here's one of my favourite excerpts from the book:

..."If we are crazy, thsn it is because we refuse to be crazy in the same way that the world has gone crazy." What's crazy is a matter of perspective. After all, what is crazier: one person owning the same amount of money as the combined economies of twenty-three countries, or suggesting that if we shared, there would be enough for everyone? What is crazier: spending billions of dollars on a defense shield, or suggesting that we share our billions of dollars so we don't need a defense shield? What is crazier: maintaining arms contracts with 154 countries while asking the world to disarm its weapons of mass destruction, or suggesting that we lead the world in disarmament by refusing to deal weapons with over half of the world and by empting the world's largest stockpile here at home? What crazy is that the US [and Canada], less than 6% of the world population, consumes nearly hnalf of the world's resources, and that the average American consumes as much as 520 Ethiopians do, while obesity is declared a "national health crisis." Someday war and poverty will be crazy, and we will wonder how the world allowed such things to exist. Some of us have just caught a glimpse of the promised land, and it is so dazzling that our eyes are forever fixed on it, never ot look back at the ways of that old empire again....

Things Unseen - devil

2008-11-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

Excerpt:

"Rumor has it, the devil held a garage sale. On a table he laid out all the tools he has used to harass and intimidate, to entice and accuse, each marked with its price. Lust was priced dear, but not half as much as gossip. Pride had a staggering sum attached to it. But one item was priced higher than them all. It was a plain, dull, shopworn impliment, no embellishments, yet it cost more than everything else taken together. "What is this thing," a customer asked the devil, "and why is it so pricey?"

"Ah," the devil said, "this - how I cheris this - this is the most effective tool I have. When all other things - lust, envy, greed, sloth - can't make a dent in someone, when even pride can't find a crack, this does the trick without fail. I have beaten down more saints with this one tool than with any other one on this table."

"Well, what is it?"

"Discouragement."...

Paul suffers no illusions...Still, he says, we don't lose heart.

Why not, Paul?

Because inwardly, we are being renewed day by day. We may be outwardly wasting away - getting sick, losing jobs, struggling in relationships, getting old - we are renewed inwardly day by day."

Things Unseen - groaning

2008-11-16T12:19:00.000-08:00

Excerpts from the book by Mark Buckanan

"I have a beautiful family: a wife who is healthy, funny, pretty - and a good cook - a three children who are strong, smart, and growing like they ought to. I have fine neighbours, who swap eggs or sugar or video head cleaners with us as needed, who take in our mail when we're away....I have good friends and spend time with them just enjoying companionship, laughter, food.

My life is good - as good as it gets.

Yet I spend a lot of time groaning, and not just in the morning.

Is this just another pathetic story of selfishness, of a shallow but ever-empty man who takes and takes and yet never truly receives? Who is bloated but never full? Who devours but doesn't savor, horads but never treasures, for whom all the riches and pleasures of earth would not suffice?

Maybe.

Or maybe it's this: Some groaning is holy speech, another kind of speaking in tongues.....

This is how: You want to go home. The instinct for heave is just that: homesicknes, ancient as night, urgent as daybreak....Groaning is the lexicon and grammar of our dis-location, our sense of being in the wrong place."

So much wanting. So much longing. And so much pain. Destiny pain.

What if the "so much wanting" is for something earth doesn't have? What if the world that is, even if you gain it all, is not enough, and will never be, and was never meant to be?

Then what?...

In response, we can become so cynical that we poison oursselves, so self-indulgent that we devour ourselves, so despairing that we collapse into ourselves. In fact, self-pity and self-indulgence, boredom and despair, envy and greed - such are only yearnings gone sour...trivia to distract us.

We continually live for the Next Thing - the next purchase, the next weekend, the next job, the next adventure. This becomes so obsessive that we lose the capacity to enjoy and to be thankful for thisthing we have right now or that thing we got yesterday.

Mouth of a Gr. 2 student

2008-11-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

In response to a school essay:

I AM

I cry, kick, sleep, scream, walk, swim, giggle, play, yodle, run, burp, bake, eat, talk, snore, sneeze, chuckle, fight, live!!

Cradle to Cradle: Design is a signal of intent

2008-11-03T15:18:00.000-08:00

"All the ants on the planet, taken together, have a biomass greater than that of humans. Ants have been incredibly industrious for years. Yet. their productiveness nourishes plants, animals, and soils. Human industry has been in full swing for over a century, yet it has brought about a decline in almost every ecosystem on the planet. Nature doesn't have a design problem. People do."

Humans are the only species on the planet that are guilty of burdening beyond what it can withstand. We need to be humbled by the compexity and intelligence of nature's ability and design. We need to become native to our planet.

The industrial revolution changed the outputs and views of society where materials were considered expensive and people cheap. Industries fattened as they transformed resources into products. The products we see, sadly, only contain 5% of the raw materials actually needed in the process of making and delivering it to our doorstep.

Humans attept to work by their own rules which end up being contrary to nature. Our regulations and rules don't keep us safe, but keep us from being poisoned too quickly. According to the author, a permit is "a license to harm by government to an industry so that it may dispense sickness, destruction, and death at an acceptable rate." Couple of facts:
-of approximately 80,000 defined chemical and technical mixes, only 3,000 have been tested
-PVC plastics could contain phthalates, toxic dyes, lubricants, antioxidants, ultraviolet light stabilizers
-synthetic fertilizers contain cadmium and radioactive elements from phosphate rocks
-takes approximately 500 years for soil to build up an inch of its rich layers of microorganisms and nutrient flows, right now we are losing 5000x more soil than is being made
-average TV has 4360 chemicals

Our goal would be to have products we purchase and use to cycle indefinitely in the industrial cycle. We need to create designs that make good use of local material and energy flows. It is difficult to apply universal environmental solutions to local circunstancs (ex. solar power hard to maintain in Ireland). We need to not create damage and despair, but abundance and renewal. Throwaway products have become the norm.

Currently, our "environmental stances" are trying to be less bad. We need to be positive instead. The way to be positive is to design products to be "upcycled." Here we don't have to be intent on reduces/minimizing - in this process we can eliminate waste altogether.

The foundation of eliminating waste is to have it reabsorbed into either our industrial cycle or the natural environment. The problem is that air, water, and soil do not safely absorb our wastes unless the wastes themselves are completely healthy and biodegradable.

The idea would be to create products that can be taken apart and recycled. Take for example the shoe. Why not create a shoe where the sole can be removed and remade into another sole, instead of placing chemicals and natural materials into the landfill sites?

As a person concerned with our Creation Mandate

2008-10-18T13:21:00.001-07:00

Toilet Paper

Interesting fact:
Per capita annual consumption of toilet tissue in North America 23.0 kg
In Western Europe 13.8 kg
In Latin America 4.2 kg
In Asia 1.8 kg
In Africa 0.4 kg

We each use at least 50lbs of toilet paper a year. Ew, think of our lakes....
What could we do?

Alternatives I've read about:
-water, left hand, lots of soap
-banana leaves
-square clothes wipes that you wash
-wet sponge

Spelling

2008-02-21T14:01:00.000-08:00

So, I challenge my students to take all 20 spelling words and to write the shortest possible paragraph that makes sense. One student managed to place it into one sentence....

The propelling competitiors of the previous provision conference club dedicate deposited time to ensure a complaint that depended on a predicted decrease in the progress of a misunderstood, confused, mispronounced, prevented, compelled prescription confirmation that is presumably about medicine.
Not bad, eh?

Valentine

2008-02-14T10:55:00.001-08:00

I just had to share my favourite valentine:

"Miss Slotegraaf

You are a buttyful teacher Miss Slotegraaf"

-remaining anonymous Gr. 4

I'm really, really hoping that it's a spelling mistake

Christmas Traditions

2007-12-27T09:59:00.001-08:00

I used to think that I didn't have any Christmas traditions. Well I've discovered a couple this year.

Christmas traditions:
-a monetary gift to my car for appointments
-wearing coveralls and heading to the barn to spend Christmas morning with the chicks
-paying Ontario Government for the right to drive my car
-playing games (and rarely winning)
-playing in the snow with my brother-in-law
-dancing with my mom and sister to Christmas music
-partaking in a rowdy Slotegraaf dinner

Christmas

2007-12-25T11:20:00.000-08:00

Not intending to brag or anything, but I got the best postJesus christmas gift. Here's the story:

It all began with being an anal sleeper, which means my body is stubborn and will only sleep according to certain times. So, of course, Christmas morning, I'm laying awake in my bed at 7:00a.m. willing my body to be less anal. At this moment our family (those that are early risers) was blessed with a phone call from Australia this morning. It was my little (aka bigger) brother. And I got to talk to him for awhile. It was so great to hear his voice and to enjoy some of the stories. I really miss that kid (I mean man). Then he had to go because it was no longer Dec. 25 but the 26th and it was awfully late.

Moral: Thank the anal body once in awhile, real blessings can come with being awake.

I've reached a new era...

2007-12-15T13:34:00.000-08:00

I have finally succeeded!! I just completed a 5-star Sudoku today all by myself. It's too bad that my computer isn't attached to a printer or I'd frame it.

p.s. I'm not going to tell how long it took me....

Field Trip

2007-11-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

So today we took a field trip to Ten Thousand Villages and JustUs Coffee. I wanted my students to see Fair Trade in practical terms.

It was great. We managed to ride the TTC without any problems. I had a dream the night before that I had lost all my students in Toronto. Thank goodness that not all dreams come true...

I found out from one of the mom's on the trip that her sons' project (truth about cocoa production) has changed the way they shop. They are no longer having Nestle products (huge company that deals with many foods) in their house anymore. They are focusing on Fair Trade shopping now. It is really kind of cool.

Watch what you buy

2007-11-24T14:45:00.001-08:00

Here's some facts that have been submitted from my students's projects:

Child Labour
"There are 218 million children around the world that are forced to work in terrible conditions. Children can range from 4 years old to 17 years old. Some 4 year olds get tied to rug loom so that they can't escape. These children have to work in dangerous conditions....Child labour is very serious but some people don't take it very seriously. It damages our world because these kids are innocent and are the world's future."

Sweatshops
"Sweatshops are shops where people have to work very long hours in very hard work...there is very crowded work conditions. The sweatshop workesr aren't allowed to sue the bathroom and if the sweatshop masters let the workesr use the bathroom if their daily quota is completed on the daring workers will use the bathrooms."

"They are not allowed to take sufficient breaks to drink water or relieve themselves, resulting in seomtiems fatal kidney problems....Paid $2-3 a day, barely enough to pay for the worker's daily food and transportation in many countries. Penalized or fired if they refuse to work overtime shifts of up to 20 hours. Coerced into signing up for a factor's official and phony union."

"People in sweatshops get no breaks so they are forced to wear diapers so they won't have to leave to go to the bathroom."

Thursday

2007-11-22T08:37:00.001-08:00

The first day of winter - and I got a snow day. Honestly, I never thought I'd get a snow day in the city...thank you freezing rain.

Now I can redo all my report cards.

Ponderings amongst the happenings

2007-11-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

Lately, things have been moving quite quickly in a new direction for me. I've started to become very involved in a teen mom's program. Some of the girls have actually come over for dinner and have attended church with me. It makes me wonder what vocational direction God is taking me in.

I find that there's a desire in me for something, but I don't understand it. I don't know what the burden is pulling me towards or how it will all work it. Yet I feel it so heavy at times and so exciting at other times. It's very strange. I'm confused but anticpating something at the same time. It's like God is giving me a strange calling and asking me to trust Him about it all in the same feeling. It could be that I continue teaching and volunteer on the side; or it could be something I have to take more seriously. It's tough sometimes just to wait it out and let God direct. I'm such a planner and organizer that I try to apply that to my life as well; but I feel like God keeps telling me to just wait upon Him.

So wait I must (isn't a fruit of the spirit patience?) Here's to seeing what happens.

Strange Week

2007-11-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

This week was a very interesting week for me.

Monday: normal school day. I am a teacher right?

Tuesday: Coached senior boy's volleyball team so I was off to Georgetown for the day. I was so proud of my boys. They really stepped up and we had a fantastic day. We may not have won any games, but we battled hard and came close.

Wednesday: Field trip with Grade 7 to the Zoo. What beautiful animals God has created (and ugly ones too). The creativity is awe-inspiring. My students were amazing, and it was a wonderful day.

Thursday: No school due to plumbing problems. I went in and worked all day in the quiet of my classroom. It's funny, because the day before I was feeling slightly stressed about all I had to do and then the "no-school" annoucement came on 5 minutes later....God provides in the weirdest ways.

Friday: Had a meeting with Toronto City Mission about a teen mom's program. Went to Walmart with a teen mom, her friend and sister, and the little boy. And will be babysit the little boy tonight. Ah, my passion is ignited once again.

Surprise Visit

2007-11-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

I had the best surprise visit today. My dad and brother randomly showed up at my school at lunchtime today. Apparently my brother was looking at used cars in my neighbourhood so they dropped in. They totally took me by surprised, and I almost started crying (oh, how I love my family).
I can use this type of crying anyday.

School Projects

2007-11-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

I assigned my students a new project today. I wasn't really sure how it would go but I'm kind of excited about the response.

We've been studying Canada and it's trading partners. I decided to educate my students on what goes on in the world in the backgrounds of trade. So, I created a research project where they were assigned one of these topics: sweatshops, cocoa production, child labour, fair trade, conflict diamonds, or sugar cane production.

My students were really surprised. I even heard them say "wow, we're learning things about the world." Their response to things that Nestle, Walmart, and Nike are doing around the world was intense. It'll be neat to see where this project takes them.

Today

2007-10-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

Today I met someone on the street of Toronto that I knew. I had met them since moving here. Excitement....made me feel like I'm starting to settle in.

Currently my favourite song

2007-10-13T19:18:00.001-07:00

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=6237585

Blanche Nuit

2007-10-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

Toronto was hosting an art crawl called Blanche Nuit. It started at 7:00pm and went until 6:00am. So I decided to invite my mother and sister down for the adventure.

Here's us starting off (we began the day at Kensington Market).

Yes, I get my maturity from my mother....

2007-10-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

My sister definently has an intense and creative passion for art (you can see it all in her look).

2007-10-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

Jazz was part of the art show. Plus, the dreads are definently a form of art in and of itself.

God sure knows how to make art...especially in the form of my beautiful sister.

And the same can be said about my beautiful mother!

Blanche Nuit Part 2

2007-10-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

The two pictures below are probably my favourite part of the art tour. They were thousands of pictures of people; some done by adults and some obviously by kids. It was really fascinating to see how none of them looked alike.

Just because paper grows on trees does not mean that we should use it carelessly. I liked how this piece of art was speaking a very loud environmental point.

They colour and cheer of this piece caught my eye. It reminds me of being attached to the vine.

Tired but happy as we ended the day.

My class

2007-10-04T08:38:00.001-07:00

I have a dream class this year. They are energetic, excited to learn, mature, and understand my teaching style :). Here are some interesting facts:
-they like reading so much that they often read while walking
-presentations always have a powerpoint accompanied although unrequired
-projects are thoroughly done
-they listen attentively (usually)
-do Sudokus (sp?) for fun during extra time

Prefix Trans means Across

2007-10-02T13:39:00.001-07:00

Last night, I decided to make my way downtown to the inner part of Toronto. I wanted to lend my time to an outreach program called Sanctuary. Sanctuary ministers to the homeless in Toronto. What an experience!

The first thing I learned was the difference between transexual and transgender (our tour guide was using real people we met as examples). Transgender is someone who decides to go against the norms our society has dictated as gender. It can range from a tomboy to a transvestite. A transexual is someone who believes they were born the wrong gender, and often will use surgery and hormone replacement to fix their identity issues. This occurred in Cawthraw Park which is the second largest homosexual and transexual population in North America.

Our second stop was to "Boys' Town." This is a place where customers can pick up boys from ages 11 to 30 for a fee. Our tour guide had actually been one of the boys on the street. He was telling us that sometimes customers would just pick up a boy just to chat because they were lonely, other times....that wasn't the case. He himself had been raped as a child and felt power having the choice to give himself instead of being forced. Other boys are there because they themselves are looking for companionship and couldn't find it at home.

In Toronto, my tour guide explained, there are 10, 000 homeless youth (ages 16 to 24). Although, it's said that it's probably 1.5 to 2 times larger. That does not include those younger than 16.

It was a real eye opening and distrubing experience. Our guide was telling us that at shelters and food places it is illegal to help out someone who is younger than 16 (cause apparently it's illegal to be homeless if you are younger than 16). These kids are often forced into prostitution as an only means for survival. I wish those passing laws would get themselves out on the streets and experience the consequences of their decisions.

Sometimes there would be silences in our conversation as the information and facts were absorbed. What words do we have to express?

Authenticity

2007-09-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

I met an authentic dutchie today. There was a guy on my soccer team who has been in Canada for about 8 weeks. He has an awesome accent and was really excited to find out that I have dutch background (I think he's the first one ever to be excited when I've mentioned my dutch background)
By the way...we tied tonight. Apparently in the past, the "individuals" team has been a joke but this year, watch out.

Toronto....some dreams come true

2007-09-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

I have two things in Toronto that I have always dreamed off:

1) to play in a competitive co-ed indoor soccer team. I played my first game last night. And my team, full of individuals who have never met each other before, won. We also were one player short and therefore, never got a sub either. My legs are sore but my body is happy (except for the accidental body check I laid on someone and going down, twisted my ankle).

2) a library card to a big library. I went there today and took out piles of books on reptiles, fish, birds, mammals, and amphibians (can you tell I'm a teacher...)

I've been missioned

2007-09-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

Today I was on the other side of missions. I showed up at a church outreach program (BBQ, blown up playgrounds, dance presentation) in a van labelled "Toronto City Mission." I attended the event with a teen mom and son, her friend, and a friend of mine.

It was interesting to see how the people hosting the event interacted with me. It was weird to be at an event watching (and trying not to analyze) how they missioned to the community, including myself. The outreach was great; the young mom and friend made a commitment to Christ where the church took down their name and address. I'm really hoping they will do a follow-up.

But it made me think about how non-churched people might react to the situation. I definently felt slightly overwhelmed at times when people kept pushing programs and "this is a place for you, you should come" on me. Maybe that's because I'm independent and usually find out answers for myself and don't do well with being told what to do. I'm sure other people may need the push and encouragement.

However, in the end I definently felt like the church was very friendly, and I am considering attending there (plus if I wear the same sweater maybe some will recognize me and come chat...??)

You know you're a hick when...

2007-09-14T04:59:00.000-07:00

I tried to sing the "TSC" song to my roommate and a school teacher today and neither of them had a clue what I was singing. They looked at me strangely and wondered what I was doing (it was relevant to both conversations). Apparently TSC is only something small-town folk in the SouthWestern area know of....aren't we lucky.

Miss Teacher

2007-09-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

So, I've had my first two days of school...and I have another great bunch of students. They are energetic, talented, quirky, and unique. Higlight so far:

Devotional discussion this morning. We talked about our value - discussion went into body, mind, and soul. How do we define ourselves? What happens if one of them changes...does that chance our worth? What is soul? We also talked about conscience and the Holy Spirit. I absolutely LOVE the discussions you can get into in Grade 6.

Positives to Toronto

2007-09-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

So, I've discovered some things about Toronto that I have come to appreciate...
-recycling AND composting program
-when it's raining you do not get mud all splashed up your back when biking
-great library just down the road (teacher's dream come true)
-some people connections that I haven't talked to in ages

...and hopefully more to be discovered

Highlights of Toronto

2007-08-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

Here's some highlights on my first weekend living in (ugh) Toronto:

Falling off my bike while traveling on Yonge street and having my cucumber roll out in front of some walking ladies
Getting hit on by a teenager
Finding an amazing trail that reminds me of the Bruce Trail and that allows me to feel like I'm completely out of the city
Walking and trying to say hi to people who look straight ahead and pretend you don't exist
Being surrounded by Asian people and feeling really tall
Hearing many different languages and having deja vu to the DR
Setting up my classroom and feeling nervous about the upcoming school year
Seeing the moon shining brightly while searching for stars that apparently only exist in airplane form in the city

And the feeling that everything around me is meaningless and a chasing after the wind (pulled out of context but it's the best way to express what I'm feeling). What the heck is the purpose of life in all of this hustle-bustle and materialism? I know that we are meant to glorify and worship God but everything around me seems so purposeless - like there's no direction.

Church Camp

2007-08-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Check out my lastest beach volleyball move....

A whole 18 inch move.... I'm just really glad that I was wearing my bathingsuit at the time!

Dominican Republic Pictures - those saved from my wrecked camera

2007-08-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

My favourite church view ever.

One of the two mountain ranges in which I lived between.

The view from my backyard.

Dominican men loved to show-off their swimming ability in undies.

Trekking through trails.

Scenery.

Children from Kids' Alive Program

2007-08-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

I get to spend a morning with children who were in the Kids' Alive Program. This Program goes and finds the poorest students and helps them further their education.

These kids were hilarious. They were loud, rambunctious, energetic, and fun. They did everything with enthusiasm and gusto....beads, paint went everywhere. But they had fun.

Climbing up Pine Forest

2007-08-20T11:39:00.000-07:00

This mountain is called Pine Forest.

This is Liz. We climbed up Pine Forest together via the stream. It was so much fun climbing over rocks, waterfalls, and branches. A new form of bouldering.

Clouds rolling over the mountains - took my breathe away.

View from up top of the mountain.

The town I lived in - Jarabacoa.

Victory amongst the mud and sweat.

Common sights in DR - fruit everywhere. We have street meat, they have street fruit.

On the Move

2007-08-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

I've been all over this summer and have met so many amazing and beautiful people. I really am blessed but frusturated that these people aren't in my life for longer periods of time. I'm ready to stay in one place and start building longer-term relationships again.

My sister's wedding

2007-08-03T06:23:00.000-07:00

The bridesmaids posing with the umbrellas.

Starting on the right:

-Rachel Bokma

-Candice Turner

-Caroline Dykstra
What a fun bunch of girls...I definently had a blast with them all.

What can I say? We're farm girls.

Pictures were taken before the ceremony. This was the first time Joe saw Sarah that day.

Joe gets all the work. Sarah used to make me do all the manual labour too :).

Both sets of family. I really feel like mine extended past Joe that day to include his as well. Cheers to lots of younger sisters now.

Apparently my brother Luke was getting a little bit bored with the lengthy picture taking.

Mom claims that she let Sarah win because it was her wedding.

Father/daughter dance. It gets me everytime.

We danced the night away....thanks to the live band that was at the wedding.

And one of my all-time favourite pictures. I love this girl!!

Boma

2007-07-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

To make a long story short: I broke my camera. The pictures below are the only way in which, I (at this moment) know how to transport pictures from a friends camera home.

2007-07-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

2007-07-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

2007-07-26T07:22:00.001-07:00

2007-07-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

Pics

2007-07-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

What's so Amazing About Grace

2007-07-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

By Philip Yancey

Here are some points to mull over:
-"I would rather convey grace than explain it" the authors purpose in his book

-a gift that costs everything for the giver and nothing for the recipient

-the world comes to the church for grace
"You need not be a Christian to build houses, feed the hungry, or heal the sick. There is only one thing the world cannot do. It cannot offer grace."
How much does your church or Christian walk really offer grace to the world around us.

-Grace is Christianity's best gift to the world, a spiritual nova in our midst exerting a force stronger than vegeance, stronger than racism, and stronger than hate.

2007-07-09T04:53:00.000-07:00

Sarah's wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was relaxing, laughter-filled, and Christ-centered.....and yes, emotional :).

Here's the highlights:

The wedding was a three day party. The Bokma family came to live with us since Wednesday. We've had so many good memories with them (volleyball, euchre, home videos, chats & laughing). I feel like I've been blessed with three more younger sisters. I'm going to miss them when they leave this morning.
getting ready in the morning with all the girls. We had lots of time and just sat around chatting and relaxing
ceremony was beautiful

- we walked in too quickly but that was o.k. with me

-we did a family prayer

-Ben and I had two false starts to go sign the wedding bans (where I gave Sarah some comic relief by accidentally trying to write with the pen upside down...the stupid thing looks the same from both ends and I was confused for a good couple of seconds)

-the pastor annoucing them as Sarah Slotegraaf and Sarah Bokma (apparently my sister is the dominate person in the relationship)

getting to see my family especially those from far away that I do not often see. Although it was tough to see the family that is struggling with their health
reception went smooth. My cousin suggested drinking a glass of wine before my speech so I took her up on it and it went a lot better than I had anticipated
The speeches were really touching. The love and support in the room was really intense. It was a beautiful wedding because there was not a single soul who had a doubt.
Dance party was awesome. There was a live band and a dancing crowd. My closest-dancer father came out for the first time ever and I got to teach my little brother how to slowdance.

Although I'm exhausted, it is a peaceful exhaustion.

2007-07-07T06:16:00.000-07:00

I sit here, the day of my sister's wedding, typing up my speech with my head full of curlers. I have been working on this speech for awhile, but I'm struggling. How do you, in a few words, express how much someone means to you? Sarah and I have been through many ups and downs together; we've stood by each other, we've stood up to each other, we've had crazy memories together, we've grown together, and we've loved (and still do) each other.

Yipee!!

2007-06-30T17:51:00.001-07:00

My little brother arrived home today from B.C. I haven't seen him since late November.

Passions

2007-06-30T04:39:00.000-07:00

I love it when people can share their passions with others. Last night at our beach v-ball/campfire party one of the father's was able to share his passion with some of us.

He had arrived at our house with this huge telescope. This guy knows alot about outerspace. Anyhow, he sets it up and gives us all a chance to look through it. It was really, really neat.

I got to see planet Saturn with it's rings. It still looked so tiny in the telescope. You have to sit and wait for a minute because apparently since it's so far away there's disturbance in the atmosphere and you have to wait for it to settle.

I got to learn the difference between a double star and a binary star. A binary star is two stars that orbit each other. A double star is two stars that look close together but in reality one is much father away from us than the other.

And I got to learn that the Big Dipper has a double star right near the middle of the handle. You can actually view it a little bit with the naked eye. The natives call it the "Horse and Rider" and used it to test people's eye sight.

Year End

2007-06-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

The end of a chapter for me. This chapter has been full of different plots and conclusions. Here's some of them:

I will leave having fallen in love with 23 VERY different, talented, amazing students. I will leave having left pieces of my heart behind.

I will leave having made friends for life. There are many teachers/staff/families here that are beautiful. And I have been touched by their beauty. I have learned so much from their support, commitment, sacrifices, and striving to be better people. I will leave having been changed by them.

I will have leave knowing that I've been challenged spiritually. I have hope and excitement for the future because of these interactions. I will leave with God by my side.

I will have leave again trying to trust God. He brought me here, He will bring me somewhere else. He gives and He takes away. I will leave with a future.

I will leave with a broken heart. But I know that God will heal it in time. I will leave trails of my tears behind.

I will leave as an "experienced teacher." I have learned so much about teaching and about students. I will leave having seen my students mature and grow.

I will leave with many memories. I have so many stories that I cannot even remember them all. I will leave knowing that I cannot return as exactly the same, but that life holds so much more memories to make.

I will leave with a car chucked full of junk. I have gathered so much "stuff" over the year. I will also leave with gifts and blessings from my students.

I will leave a changed person. I will leave having been challenged to be a better person by my students and colleagues. I am going to dearly miss this place!!

But, it's time to move on again. Time to take on the challenges and blessings that God has awaiting for me. Cheers to a great year and (hopefully) more to come!!

It is done

2007-06-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

Wow!! I made it through one school year. Today was the last day of school, 'tis extremely bittersweet. I am glad for summer but already miss my kids like crazy. They are all so amazing.

Peace and Quiet

2007-06-07T04:37:00.000-07:00

So my students, with absolutely no input of mine, intiated a spin-off from the quiet game. He came into class yesterday the most quiet I've ever seen him. Apparently, on the bus, he decided how long he could keep quiet. He lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes.

The challenged had been established. A second student of mind decided that he could last longer than this, and the silence was on. However, he fell a little bit short at 1 hour 30 minutes. Then my most chatty student decided to take them both on. He last 5 minutes, but we gave him a second chance and he lasted almost 1 hour.

Along with one of my students missing, yesterday was probably the quietest day we've ever had.

First Impressions

2007-06-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

So, I went to visit my "new" school for next year to check things out. Here's the first impression that I made.

I went for a walk before going to the school because I was plenty earlier (still trying to understand Toronto traffic). As I was walking along, a nice city bird pooped on my shoulder. Yup, I went to school with bird poop on my shoulder. I tried to wash it off but you could faintly still see it. And, I'm not sure if this is solely psychological, but I could smell it on and off all day.

And my second impression, I broke a school dress code the moment I walked into school. Apparently, unknown to me, flip-flops are outlawed at my new school :( Oops!!

But they still want me. They handed me the contract to sign and are keeping me for all my impressions and quirks.

Firsts

2007-05-30T04:50:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, as I was driving from home back to work, I got my first speeding ticket. Apparently going 112 in an 80 is frowned upon by the average policeman. He was really good about it. He asked why I was going so fast, and I told him I did not really have a good reason. I told him that it was a long trip from home and I was just trying to get there quickly (and I was making really good time until he came along). He took it down to 95 so that I wouldn't lose any demerit points and because he assumed (from the Redeemer sticker on my car) that I was still paying off school loans.

I called home to let my dad know (joke between the two of us) and his first words were "It's about time." Then he warned me that these things supposedly happen in threes. The problem was, the rest of the ride home, I still had difficulty keeping it under 100. My car has a need for speed, I can tell that it's happier when I'm driving faster.

Classic Family Picture

2007-05-27T10:56:00.001-07:00

Disclaimer: this is more for my pleasure when I'm away from home than for public interest.

Here is a picture that is a classic from our childhood. Sarah was kind of mad that she didn't get to hold much of Sidney.

Prayer Request

2007-05-27T09:51:00.001-07:00

Please pray:

I just found out that one of the youth I went with to Wycliffe, New Jersey SERVE has been diagnosed with cancer. She's quit highschool and is going for a 6 month chemotherapy treatment. I talked to her this morning, she's upbeat but it's going to be a long road.

North York

2007-05-27T05:24:00.001-07:00

I'm moving to North York in August. Does anyone know someone in the area who is looking for a roommate or has a place to rent?

In Sickness and In Health Part 2

2007-05-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

My family has been blessed with health up until the last half a year. I have two relatives that are dieing from two very different diseases. My Uncle from Lou Gerhigs and my Opa from COPD followed by stomach and liver cancer.

I've been taught alot through this process of dealing with life-altering diseases. The biggest thing that's affected my family is the reaction to the diseases.

Both of my relatives have had very different reactions to their struggles. One has replied by relying on God and being upbeat and positive. The other by negativity and depression. Both reactions have affected my family.

The person who reacted by relying on God has tremendously blessed and strengthened our family. He has taught us what it is to trust and rely on God during difficult times. He remains upbeat and encourages his family to live life to the fullest. Everytime my parents come away from a visit with him, they remark about how blessed they were. You sit there and just listen for hours to the quiet wisdom that comes from him. You don't listen because you have to, but because you want to. There's an internal strength and peace that emmits from him.

The negative reaction has made it difficult for my family. I see my mom trying to support her father but it's hurting her. There are worries about his spiritual and mental wellbeing. In turn, us kids are trying to support our hurting mom. There is such a dominoes affect with negativity. It's very difficult to go and visit him because it's so trying.

Now, to be fair my uncle has had more time to deal with his disease than my opa has. Who knows, maybe once he's had time to struggle with it things might change. In the mean time, how do you help someone who is slowly (or quickly) dieing because of a malfunction in their body? How do you support someone who is not willing to fight the mental death first?

In Sickness and In Health

2007-05-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to visit my Uncle who has Lou Gehrigs Disease. Basically it means that his muscles are deteriorating and giving out - this leads to heart and lung failure. He knows that this disease will kill him.

I was nervous to go see him. I haven't visited this uncle in awhile and was feeling a little bit worried. Turned out to be a great visit.

My uncle is a testimony to God in the midst of his disease. He owns 6 Mac dealerships (big rigs) and is head boss over 280 people. He has always professed his faith strongly to his employees and has never let an employee work a Sunday. He holds tightly to his faith now. He told me that it's easy to be a Christian when things are going well, but when life turns difficult where does your walk head?

To be honest, I was very blessed by the visit. Here's what I went away blessed by:

He's honest about his difficulties but peaceful in his future. He knows where his soul belongs.
He has a multi-million business to run but ALWAYS makes time for family, ex-employees, or friends to drop in and talk to. I did not feel like I was wasting his time. His priorities are about people not money.
He treats his employees with respect. When an employee fails, he feels like he failed.
He makes you appreciate life and the blessings that are part of it.
He is still enjoying life although there are many health difficulties associated with his disease. He told me to live life to the fullest.
A positive outlook makes life easier for yourself and those around you.

It's really hard to put into words what I left with. My mind is constantly turning over things I learned and felt along with life questions. It really makes you turn back to the old age questions: What is the point of life? What is the point of MY life? What are my priorities? Am I living a life that will be full of regrets? Am I living life to the fullest? What would my reaction be to a similar situation? What are my priorities? Am I open to "people-interruptions?"

In the end, I feel like I've been changed by him. I notice more the beauty around me in creation and the strengths of the people around me. I don't want to live life with regrets, I want to live it to the fullest.

You Asked...

2007-05-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

Some of my friends were asking for more pictures of the wedding so here are some of the others...

I'm walking in with my partner-in-crime Matt. We were the first to walk in every single time and the last to walk out.

Jess and Dave arriving. It was a "team theme." So the boys all got together to do a little football huddle.

Shocker: a kiss at a wedding?

The couple again. I think they were getting sick of pictures after awhile.

My mom asked me to look at her, so I did.

Confirmation

2007-05-17T05:28:00.001-07:00

Another reminder as to why I teach the older grades.

My students do reading buddies with the SK/JK (it's so cute to watch them cuddled up and read together). Anyhow, one of my rough, tough boys had a little SK/JK sitting on his lap reading to him. This Grade 6 boy is really good with little kids; they seem to love him. Reading they were, when all of a sudden it was disrupted by only a younger grade issue. The SK/JK had peed his pants and it had went onto my Grade 6 student's leg. He took it really well and we had a good laugh over it together.

Just a reminder as to why the older grades are for me.

Jess's Wedding

2007-05-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

Turns out the wedding went by so painlessly. My only difficulty was two false starts going down the aisle. I was the first to go down but everyone was looking at Dave, the groom, so most people probably missed my false starts. Here are some picture highlights:

My sister was the pianist for the ceremony. She did a fantastic job and is very talented musician.

My best friend Jess and her now-husband Dave. I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Dave to through time spent playing hockey, football, volleyball, canoeing, and going to lacrosse games together. I find it's always a miracle when two christian people find each other and build their relationship on God.

My classic picture: me with the bride. Here's to our last picture together before Jess begins her life together with Dave.

And the bridesmaid - pretty in pink, pink, pink. I do not have a picture of the whole party because I forgot my camera and these are my mom's shots. These girls were great to hangout and to dance with.

The Night Before

2007-05-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the wedding of Jessica Lise and David Thiessen. I'm getting nervous about walking down that aisle. I'm the first one to go..... Thank goodness for practice. However, I already tripped a bit on the step while I was standing there. Apparently I have to stand in front of everyone for 40 minutes. I may do this in front of kids, but it's a lot more nerve-wrecking in front of adults. Here's to hoping that I do not create extra memories for them tomorrow.

MySpace

2007-05-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

How long can I hold out? I'm starting to feel the draw....yet still resisting.

Good Neighbour Day

2007-05-04T03:59:00.000-07:00

Speechless, that's how I can best describe it. Let me explain why.

Yesterday, no...I need to back track a couple of months ago. I opened my rather overly enthusiastic mouth and suggested a volunteer day for the whole school. Volunteerism is one of my passions and I would like to pass that onto my students. I didn't realise the headache that would ensue.

My principal was on board with it, so away I went. I had another teacher volunteer to help me, what a blessing she was.

Organizing an event for 160 kids aged 5 to 13 to go out into the community was crazy. Phone calls, brain storming, organizing, blahblahblah, people dropping out at the last minute. By Wednesday night (Thursday was our official volunteer day) I was a little bit unrelaxed. I realised I was trying to control an uncontrollable thing. Our school had NEVER done something like this before so I was going to make all the beginner mistakes. My biggest concern was that there would not be enough work for the students and that they would start to get into trouble while out and about in the community. Right there and then, I told God that it was now His baby and what He wanted to happen would happen.

Morning arrives. BEAUTIFUL DAY!!! Total blessing from God. However, the staff was not beautiful. I got more negativity than I imagined possible, less support that I needed. Now I'm only talking about a portion of the staff. The rest were great, asking what they could do, giving kind words. But my wise sister once said, it takes 5 positive comments to match 1 negative. Not fair!!

However, the students gathered in the gym. Here's the breakdown:
1) 20 students were sent to the food bank to clean shelves, make cards, and stock shelves. The food bank was so pumped to have them and treated them like gold.
2) 40 students were sent to Hagersville to pick up garbage. People were coming out of their stores to thank my students for their work. What a witness!
3) 20 students went to Simcoe to pick up garbage there.
4) 30 students went to two different old age home to sing, clean, colour, talk, and read stories to them.
5) 50 students stayed in Jarvis to clean up the garbage in town.

Overall, the day was very successful!! However, it's funny how a couple of people's negativity can really bring a downer on the day. It should of been exciting to be in the staff room after an event like that, but because of negativity it was a little blah.

I'm just glad that I could call home and know that my parents and sister understand me, they know my where my heart is and they love me regardless of my faults. I pray, hope, and strongly desire that I am not or never will be a negative person.

Yesterday - 'tis my life

2007-04-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-19T05:27:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-04-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

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....

2007-04-05T04:56:00.000-07:00

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.

I am so Smart

2007-03-29T04:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was boiling some vegetables. A pretty routine event that I thought I had downpact. I took the vegetables off, rinsed them, put them on a plate, and turned off the burner.

Then the stove started to rattle.

It was annoying me so I put my hand on it to stop it. Nothing happened. So I put my hand on the next burner to stop it, forgetting that I had just used it. I now have really cool circle designs on my one hand.

Mistakes = lessons. I'm now one step closer to being Martha Stewart.

Tangents

2007-03-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, tangents with Grade 6 can take you anywhere.

We started talking about judgement day (separating the sheep from the goats) and ended up talking about Specific and General Revelation. Never underestimate the power of a Grade 6 question.

From the words of Frank Peretti

2007-03-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

Since first giving my talk on the subject of wounded spirits, and as I've worked on this book, I've found it comforting to think that after thirty or forty years, the Lord and I can finally make some good use of all that trouble I went through. God does not waste an ounce of our pain or a drop of our tears; suffering doesn't come our way for no reason, and He seems especially efficient at using what we endure to mold our character. If we are malleable, He takes our bumps and bruises and shapes them into something beautiful. Maybe, becuase of what you and I hvae experienced, we can inspire a few changes in the way people think about and treat each other in this world.

The Great Uses of Math

2007-03-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

I just finished doing my first-ever tax return. Wow, definently a learning experience. I don't even want to think of how many hours I put into it.

Ice is the new Gold

2007-03-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

O.K. Now that I'm home (aka parent's place) I have access to my pictures on a computer. I thought I'd post my ice storm which created a snowday for me.

My personal reflections: after watching the sun shine through the ice, I really think that heaven is going to be paved, not in gold, but in ice crystals. :) It's too bad that I couldn't catch that on my camera.

Close-up of the clothes line seen above. So amazing how water in motion can freeze into icicles.

Every branch is covered in ice.

The deck. So many icicles to choose from.

This was my favourite part. Walking across the "green" grass and hearing the crunch of ice with every step.

It Just Sank In

2007-03-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

My daily morning "computer" routine is to check what teaching jobs are available with the OACS board (Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools). Today, while I checked there was one job missing. The one in Listowel teaching Grade 7/8. This means that the job has been filled.

It kinda hit me this morning that that could of been me. I had an interview there last Saturday and was offered the job the following Monday. I had 48 hours to decide yes/no (aka. as my future). It gave me sleepless nights and consumed my thoughts. I kept going back and forth, back and forth. I was settled on yes, then I settled on no.

I called the principal back on Wednesday evening and gave him my very much deliberated answer -no. He then proceeded to take 10 minutes to change my mind (ah, the stubborn dutch gene came into full force here). He even told me I had until 9:00a.m. the next morning to change my mind. Although I was completely honoured, I am determined to stick to my word.

However, the website informed me that someone has accepted the position. That means it definently isn't mine. Option number two has slipped through my fingers again because of the word WAIT.

O.K. Lord, I've turned down TWO teaching jobs because you keep telling me to wait. Whatever it is has better be worth this confusion and frusturation.

'tis my life

2007-03-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

This morning I figured I would be the only one at school today. So, I figured it would be the only day that I could wear my pjs to school to work (March Break). Well, it turns out to be the exact same day that 3 volunteers decide to sell gift certificates. I've never seen to many adults through the school in one day. It's a good thing my pjs have cute monkey faces on them (and not my: kiss me frog ones).

Winter Wonderland Weekend

2007-03-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

All of us at the cottage. Right: mom, brother Luke, sister-in-law Tanya and then the DeVries Family, dad, me, sister Sarah, and brother-in-law (to be) Joe

My pops, who's pretty good on the skis.

My sister-in-law Tanya with her first attempt on snow-skis.

Here's a picture of my sister and future-brother-in-law on top of a hill.

Here is a picture where I attempt to snowboard.

Roses and Thorns

2007-03-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

During the school day, I also let my students start off with telling me how their evening (the day before) went. Well, my student started to get very verbose, and one time 13 students took 45 minutes to inform me of their evening.

So, I decided to change to roses and thorns. They had to tell me one each for sure. This has turned into:

"Miss Slotegraaf, I have three roses. Can I tell them all?" How can you say no to that?

Regardless of all the roses and thorns per students, it has decreased their verbose down significantly.

One of my favourite incidences however, was how one of my students handles this new trend. He, the night before, will list his roses and thorns on a piece of paper. He will take this piece of paper to school so that he will not forget any. He was rather upset the one day when he had forgotten his paper and therefore could not remember all his roses and thorns.

Never underestimate the power of listening to a child.

Brasilia? Hold on, wait.....

2007-03-08T04:32:00.000-08:00

So, guess what? I was offered a teaching job in Brasilia, Brazil. I was excited and nervous at the same time. I was sorting through all sorts of reasons as to why to answer yes or no. I was analyzing my motive for going. I was praying to God for a clear direction because I had to give an answer next week Tuesday.

And that's when God answered in a new way.

I went to bed and asked God to speak to me in a dream again. I woke-up in the morning, much to a disappointed non-dream, I guess God wasn't ready to reveal.

Later in the day, I was at the computer and decided to try a new web address that I had never tried (www.go.com) I asked God to give me an answer when I got there. Well, low and behold, when the web address showed up there was a very clear answer. Right at the top, admist an advertisement in big, bold letters were the words NO. I tried refreshing the site, and the advertisement disappeared. I tried refreshing a bunch of times and couldn't make that specific advertisement reappear.

I really do believe that that is the direction God wants me to take. It makes me more confused for my future (and less directional) but it reaffirms the word that God keeps giving me "Wait."

Ah, the dreaded word. I am not a patient person, I am a person of action. This is tough for me to do, but wait I must.

Wait and see what's in store for me.....

I feel like a coach

2007-03-07T07:58:00.002-08:00

So yesterday we had our year end basketball tournament. Here's how the day went:

First game: creamed 30 to 4. The best part is that I used to play basketball with the coach of the other team. It would of been so nice to have beaten them.

Second game: We were within one point the whole game until the last 3 minutes, we were down by 3 points (9 to 6). We stole the ball and scored, 9 to 8. There was two minutes left. We stole the ball again and scored, 9 to 10. The buzzer goes. We won a game (I finally won a game as a coach). The girls were jumping up and down and hugging everyone (including me) it was so exciting. I lost all my fingernails on that game.

Third game: We lost. Too drained from the energy and excitement of Game 2.

Fourth game: We fought hard but last 18-10. The girls were feeling rather tired.

But it as a great day!! THe girls were excited to win one, and we had a lot of fun together.

Miss

2007-03-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

So, the other day in class, some of my boys came to school pretty excited to tell me something. Apparently they are trying to set me up with their cadet counsellor. They had been talking to him and showing him our class picture. As we were joking around about this (I threatened that all we would talk about is them...) some of the girls tried to set me up with a brother, than a boy with his cousin...at this point I decided to change the direction of the conversation to save some dignity and pride.

One of my boys had his hand raised. I knew that answering him would be risky, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Well, doubt no longer that it was risky. Here's the very profound question he asked me:

"Miss Slotegraaf, have you ever tried on-line dating?" Oh, boy. Is that a proper question to ask? I have to confess that I have looked at postings just for fun, does that count? How do I answer the question? So in reply, I asked him if he had. He said "no" and I said well there ya go.

I told my class that I planned on remaining single for that day. And I came true with that promise.

Reminder

2007-03-01T13:27:00.000-08:00

For all within a small area of Hamilton:

My basketball team is playing in a tournament at Redeemer on Tuesday, March 6th. They would be so excited to get some fan support.

Schedule:
9:00 we play Hamilton
11:00 we play Fruitland
11:40 we play BCA

If you want to see us get creamed, come to the first game. If you want to see us compete come to the second game. And the third game, I currently have no idea who BCA even is.

So come, bring loud voices, banners, and cheering for my great basketball team.

It Hurts

2007-03-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

So, being at the bottom of the seniority list really sucks!!! Next year, there are major cuts to my school, and I, along with two other bottom riding teachers, get to say good-bye.

I'm excited because now I get to go follow other dreams, but devestated because I already miss my kids and the staff here. I've been bursting into random bouts of tears (totally unlike me). I guess it just shows to prove that I do like it here.

These 23 students have become such a huge part of my life, realistically they pretty much are my life. They are so amazing with their quirks, stories, passions, conversations, talents, gifts, etc. Boy, if I'm already this upset then June is going to be a roller coaster.

And I'm going to give them 3 last great months!! The best I can.

I laughed in class today

2007-03-01T04:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a discussion with my Grade 5/6 as to why they are required to change for physed. The obvious reason: they are at a sweating age and sweat is not a pleasant odour to sit beside in class.

My students often come up with great examples to back-me-up. This one is no exception.
Here's the example one of my students graciously offered to my class:

"One day I was sweating really bad. My mom called dinner, and I went to sit down for supper in my usual place beside my brother. My brother was not feeling really good that day and he was stuck sitting beside me and my sweat. I smelled so bad that he had to go and throw-up."

Pause: I had to laugh. That is not a story you would have many people confess to in front of the whole class. But it was a shining example of what I was trying to talk about.

My coaching career

2007-02-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

Yup, I've gone and done it again. My record, since I've start coaching about 5 years ago, is 0 for many. For those who don't know what that means, it means 0 wins and piles of losses.

And today added to the pile.

I am currently coaching the Senior Girls' Basketball. I'm loving it alot. The girls are a lot of fun and they really are getting better in basketball. I thought I had a really good team, heck we almost beat the boys team the other day (they won by 5 points). That was until today.

Today we had a tournament at Redeemer University. Let's just say that if we added up all the points we got from our three games that it would not have equalled what one team got against us. However, I think they still had a lot of fun.

And so did I (except my voice: I think I may have lost it)

Celebrate good times, come on

2007-02-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

Yes, I can excitedly, enthusiastically, and slightly bored announce that I'm done the second round of report cards. What a crappy job evaluating students (especially those that rely on marks for their identity). But I can be happy to say that at least three/four students dramatically improved since last term.

Ironic, don't you think

2007-02-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

So, I've had this friend who highly recommended getting the devotional "Utmost for His Highest." The only problem is that, as a teacher, I don't get out very often during store hours. I had been waiting and waiting for an opportunity to go.

Then it happened. I got a random valentine gift (from another teacher) and inside, along with the valentine candies and hearts, was the devotional "Utmost for His Highest." Of all the books to pick, that the one she gave me. Ah, the irony (aka. God) of life.

The Perfect Punishment

2007-02-19T12:42:00.000-08:00

Last week two of my students were suspended because of bullying issues. Here's how one parent punished their child:
1) not allowed to go to a birthday party that weekend
2) had to go shoe shopping with mom

Happy 'valentine's Day

2007-02-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

Yes, my celebration begins with a snow day. I wish every holiday could be celebrated this way :).

Alleluia!!

2007-02-14T06:53:00.000-08:00

This past week we had a cancer scare with my dad. He went to the doctors and they wanted to do extra testing because he had most of the symptoms of lung cancer. Apparently 4 out of 5 people diagnosed with this die within the year. It was scarey, but the only thing I could do was pray and get those to pray around me.

Well the scare is over, my dad is clean!!! I'm so thankful, blessed, excited....

The really neat thing about it is this: he started to feel better physically and emotionally on Monday, just about the same time when I got 30-40 people to pray for him. Ah, the irony (or is it)?

Small Town Celebrations

2007-02-04T07:04:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I spent the day in small town called Alma to be with my friend Jess and her fiance Dave. Little did I know what I was getting into.

Alma has a town celebration called the toilet plunge (I'm being honest here). It's similar to horseshoes, except that you use toilet plungers instead of horse shoes and you aim at a toilet. Needless to say, I was a little out of practice and was not really good at it. However, I am happy to say that we did win 1 of 2 games.

It just goes to show that with a little bit of imagination and creativity you can entertain a whole town!

I've renewed my passion

2007-01-30T13:57:00.000-08:00

Oh, it felt so good. Today I started coaching the senior girl's basketball team. I love this age group - their enthusiasm, joking, conversations and mix it with my favourite sport. It truly couldn't get better (except that we win the tournament).

Advertisement:

I have a tournament on Saturday, February 24th at Redeemer - come out and cheer my team on!!

Happy Getting-Older Day

2007-01-27T11:20:00.000-08:00

January seems to be a popular month for birthdays - and a bunch of us girls from Jarvis area went out to celebrate last night. And boy did our age show!!

We went out for appetizers/drinks. Turns out we hit the only place that was also hosting a Teen Dance. And I seriously mean teens. There were teenagers everywhere!! We decided that we would embrace the teenager inside of us, and dance a little.

Oh, and we had fun dancing until there was a birthday announcing someone's Sweet 16. We kind of all looked at each other, in our tight little circle of "much-older" girls amongst piles of teenagers, and realised that we had hit the next stage. We definently laughed a little bit and headed out earlier than most of the kids.

Birthday highlights this year:

my sister losing her appendix (kidding - but it did make me come home and enjoy family)
dad praying over me
being surrounded by my family
getting the Jason Mraz "Mr. A to Z" CD finally!!
surprise party in Hamilton a week later (therefore completely unexpected) and getting to see some of my girls again
meeting some new girls in the area for the "Jarvis-January" celebration - and getting to show some teenagers how to dance
one of my students bringing in a birthday cake for me
three performing students singing me Happy Birthday
great birthday cake brought in by my secret teacher (although I think I know who they are)
being honest in a friendship-relationship that had a huge hurdle to overcome and finally feeling at peace about everything
acquired the game "Jungle Speed" give me a call if you ever want to play
snow day the next day which was God's gift wrapped in white