what do teachers pray?

804 is ready
and this is my
prayer
for teachers and learners
from preschool to college
at
home, private or public -
Lord give us all
peace
eyes-wide-open
joy
laughter
wonder
compassion
wisdom
and
love
that you will be glorified
amen

what would you add to this list?

linking with kelli, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

on school and getting lost in the other

it's the new year again,
school starting up,
and the halls will hum with discourse on
teacher salaries
common core
student computers
free-breakfast procedures
locker breaks
how to handle cell phones
and
flipped classrooms
but on my wall,
in my classroom with the
always-working fluorescent lights
smart board connected to the brand new laptop computer
desk and computer for each student
heat pump just for room 804
and
restrooms-with-running-water just down the hall,
i'm going to post these pictures,
reminders of
what
matters
first
because sometimes i
get
lost
in
the
other

how about you? what matters first in your calling? do you ever get lost in the other?

linking with kelli, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

because who doesn't like a little joy?

i have joy over my classroom

thanks for the pic, sarah harrison!

literally
our art teacher and principal
invited us
to claim a word-for-the-year
great!
i love words!
and
to create an artistic representation
for the white space above our doors
great.
i'm artistically challenged.
i chose joy
because
it's positive (who doesn't like a little joy?)
and
it's short (who couldn't draw and color three little letters?)
but god?
he meets me
even in my sarcasm
those little three letters
show up at the end of the israelite's rebuilding
under nehemiah's leadership
god worked through and among them
to reestablish jerusalem
and when they finished
their joy was heard far away
taping a word above my door
will not make me joyful
when i know god, my face on the floor before I AM
when i join god for his work among us
then my joy will be heard far away

what has god shown you in the word lately? 

linking with -

michelle for hear it monday, use it on sunday, heather for just write,  joan for sharing his beauty, laura for playdates with god, jennifer for tell his story, jen for soli deo gloria, barbie for weekend brew

oatmeal hair and concrete feet - a first day of school

the first day of school is a was

and
i'm reflecting on summer's end -
her slumber and stories
her harvest and home-time
i feel the teensiest bit sad that she's gone
washed away like so many waves
but
even though the first day started
with oatmeal in my hair
(i tried to wear it down)
and
despite the ache of my
scurried-on-concrete-all-day teacher feet
fall's possibilities are exciting
and i'm thankful for
the god-work that makes school marvelous
and i'm thankful for
my church's prayers over me and my school
students' excitement
new teachers' successes
locks working correctly
technology's cooperation
husband's early devotion
cream cheese icing on lemon cake
and
french roast coffee

did you have family starting school today? how did it go? 

linking with -

michelle for hear it monday, use it on sunday, heather for just write,  joan for sharing his beauty, laura for playdates with god, jennifer for tell his story, jen for soli deo gloria, barbie for weekend brew

on teaching, in spite of....

this teaching,
it's in my blood -
smile on my face
coffee cup in hand
scurrying around room 804
delighting in students'
curiosity
creativity
and
learning
but
this new year
will be one of those
in-spite-of years
as
i feel the
rip current our state legislature has created
dragging teachers and students
into a sea of
mistrust
mediocrity
frustration
and
difficulty
but
this teaching,
it's in my blood
and
in-spite-of
over crowding
fewer resources
and
less funding
my students and i will
matter
if not to our representatives,
to each other
and this teaching,
it's
in
my
blood

i feel the most disrespected and undervalued i have ever felt as a public servant. could i make more of an impact with fewer students in the room? yes. could my students have better days if we had enough transportation money for them to board a bus after 6:00 am? yes. could elementary school teachers achieve more with each student if they had assistants? yes. could NC attract bright new teachers if we offered pay raises and monetary incentives to pursue higher degrees? absolutely. but at this point, i have done all i can do. i have researched, contacted my representative (who voted against the budget) and sighed a lot. now, it's time to depend on the gifts god has bestowed, unlock room 804 and make a difference. oh lord, there is none like you to help....

linking with jennifer and emily

leaving quiet behind

we've kept the fireplace alive
this week
so my bedroom is chilly,
necessitating a kind of five-blanket
cocoon
that is
just
so
hard
to leave in the mornings
but the alarm reminds me of my calling
and
i am in school mode
tweaking lesson plans
mental-listing the day's non-classroom tasks
organizing papers for the great paper-pass-back of 2012
this year is a challenge
and
it's harder and harder
to leave quiet behind
(she certainly doesn't come to work with me)
but it's more than leaving my cocoon everyday
it's
two preps
new curricula
new personnel
unpredictable students
meetings
paperwork
truth?
sometimes i want to escape to my cocoon
my safe, warm, quiet home life
but
i love the teaching part
i love the curious-kids-asking-meaningful-questions part
i love the interacting with youth part
and this leaving my quiet
to eat lunch with 250 thirteen-year-olds?
it's what god has for me right now
and quiet?
she'll wait
how about you? what does god have for you right now?

linking with -

the gypsy mama for five-minute-friday

michelle for caffeinated randomness

studio jru for sneak peek friday
grace for FYBF
beholding glory for faith-filled friday

why i love packing lunches

writing for five minutes on connection

the second day of school has arrived
in its dark, tired way
but
i perk up for lunch-packing
yes, my boys are teens
and i still pack their lunches
i've given over other chores to them
laundry
bathroom
dishes
but making their sandwiches
and zipping them into bags
connects me to them
makes me part of their day
i'm not ready to give that away
ummmm, but will someone email me
this post on a
cold, rushed winter morning
when the thoughts
of spreading crunchy peanut butter
on three sandwiches
or touching ham at 5:30 am
is more than
i can stand?
thanks.


and ps - my husband is coming home today from a month away with wycliffe bible translators. i'm a little excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

linking with -

the gypsy mama for five-minute-friday
beki at the rusted chain for fingerprint friday

michelle for caffeinated randomness

studio jru for sneak peek friday

the one where i write about change

writing for five minutes on opportunity

change is not lurking around a corner
nor hiding in wait far down the road
she is here
again.
and
i have the opportunity
to bless or curse
i'm leaving for school in seven minutes
i will pack boxes
i will load carts
i will study new curriculum
i will learn a new teammate
i will place my name plate on a new door
and this is overwhelming
and i want to complain
but the word
and this is terrifying
and i want to whine
but the word
let everything you say be
good
and
helpful,
so that your words will be an
encouragement
to those who hear them
and here knocks
opportunity

how do you react to change?

linking with
the gypsy mama for five-minute-friday
beki at the rusted chain for fingerprint friday

michelle for caffeinated randomness

studio jru for sneak peek friday

the second teenager

jack working on the chicken coop

your voice sounded thirteen
when you answered me this morning
and this is
unfathomable
because you should be twenty inches long
and sleeping in my arms
your smile is infectious
your energy boundless
your love for jesus apparent
and
your leg must be hollow
because where is all this
food and milk going?
but do you know what
brings your mother honor,
birthday boy?
the smiles
the high fives
the fist bumps
you offer me at school
as if it's cool to have your mom
teach on your hall
this?
makes me match your smiles
happy birthday, jack

linking with:

jen for god bumps
joy for life:unmasked
kimberly for painting prose

beki at the rusted chain for fingerprint friday

michelle for caffeinated randomness

studio jru for sneak peek friday

on filling and pouring and loud

writing for five minutes on loud

enjoying a time of
solitude and silence
before my students arrive on the hall
and it's my filling time
because when those doors open
i. am. poured. out.
but their thirteen-year-old voices are not the only loud
their needs
scream for attention
so many suffer
grief
fear
anger
abuse
fill me, lord
then pour me out

my teacher self wrote an article over at the teacher's lounge. check it out - here.

linking with -

the gypsy mama for five-minute-friday
beki at the rusted chain for fingerprint friday

michelle for caffeinated randomness

studio jru for sneak peek friday

choosing joy

Testing season has opened in North Carolina Public Schools. Over the next eight weeks we will train for a field test, administer the field test, review the field test, train for the state end-of-grade tests, administer the state end-of-grade tests, remediate for re-tests and administer the re-tests. Sigh. Deep, heavy, ragged sigh. I want to teach. I want to help students explore culture. I want to tap into their creativity. As I reflect on the sheer number of hours we will spend in still, silent, sequestered testing sessions, I am faced with a choice: work myself into a frenzy, fretting over time boxes, answer documents, test booklets and data or focus on why I do what I do.

I'm over at The Teacher's Lounge today. Join me for the rest of my article? Click here....

linking with -

jen for god bumps
joy for life:unmasked
kimberly for painting prose

beki at the rusted chain for fingerprint friday

michelle for caffeinated randomness

studio jru for sneak peek friday

sudan, sunday and salsa

photo credit

in my classes on friday
we studied sudan. genocide. refugees.
and i was overwhelmed
by humanity's capacity
to injure
i stood in the hallway
that same day
supervising seventh grade
class change
the disparaging words
i heard
spat from boy to girl
wounded more than a slap
and i was overwhelmed
by humanity's capacity
to injure
i left school feeling
so sad
but worship today reminded me
that the one seated on the throne
does. not. change.
and he declares,
i am making
everything
new!

and for these i am thankful -

380. vacuuming. actually, thankful to have a floor. reminded of the blessing while i vacuumed!
381. my husband's support team. he reached 100% of his funding this week!
382. my son, hank. he took a stand this week. one that wasn't easy.
383. my son, jack. he handled disappointment well yesterday.
384. fall vegetables from the garden
385. one last batch of salsa
386. lunch with friends from my old church
387. sunday afternoon and evening with just my husband
388. my girl, the one i mentor. she.is.happy.
389. my friend, cindy who wrote about my book here. follow the link - she's giving a copy away!

linking with:

michelle for hear it on sunday, use it on monday

ann for 1000 gifts

l.l. for on, in, and around mondays
richella for grace imparted
laura for playdates with god

jen for soli deo gloria
shanda for on your heart tuesdays

happy new year!

school starts for me on tuesday
i'm a little excited
this is my true new year
in which i set goals -
learn names the first week
(i should have 120 students this year....)
grade papers in a timely manner
have students state learning targets daily
run twice a week
get up at 5:00 everyday
practice memory verses daily
this is my true new year
but i'm having some ouchies
too
i sometimes get homesick at school
i sometimes get beachsick at school
i sometimes get chrissick at school
i sometimes get kidsick at school
i sometimes get sistersick at school
i sometimes get cornerofmycouchreadingsick at school
but
there is this god call
to love, inspire, lead, preteens
there is this god call
so i go
and
in him all things hold together
and
it is who i am

the thursday-friday links:

emily at in the hush of the moon for imperfect prose

casey at the wiegand's

beki at the rusted chain for fingerprint friday

michelle for caffeinated randomness

studio jru for sneak peek friday

irascibility contained

the crickets have taken up
their
nighttime serenade;
wal-mart employees have restocked
the seasonal shelves
with
back-to-school supplies
and i am reminded
that time's endless march
continues,
dragging summer along with her
to fight the irascibility
that accompanies summer's end
i quote scripture
be joyful always....
and remember
fresh tomatoes
a week-long beach trip with the finley family
my boys' concert tonight at chick-fil-a
a stack of books waiting
and
faith that god is already at work
on the upcoming school year
and God is able to bless you abundantly,
so that
in all things at all times,
having all that you need,
you will abound in
every
good
work

the thursday-friday links:

emily at in the hush of the moon for imperfect prose

casey at the wiegand's

beki at the rusted chain for fingerprint friday

michelle for caffeinated randomness

studio jru for sneak peek friday

alarm

when the alarm
awakened me at 5:03
i had no idea
what was happening
ummmmmm
school?
but
my students give me
energy
and today
i've smiled
i've laughed
i've hugged
i've loved
i've taught (i hope)
this is where god has me
this is where god has me
bless it, lord
bless it

and for these i am thankful (working on a list of 1000. posting on mondays.)

12. school (for some students, it's their best place. for all of mine, it's where they are prayed for.)
13. my supportive husband (he might be on every list)
14. oatmeal
15. brown sugar
16. youth trips that bring revival
17. answered prayer
18. my girl who worked so hard to eat with me on saturday
19. my mom who let us play in clay after the tough lunch in #18
20. my nephew who chants about playing outside

find more grateful writers at a holy experience:

and jen:

and Words for Me Wednesday at We are that Family

bottom line

yesterday's
district meeting
with the superintendent
made me want to quit
so many new
acronyms
initiatives
buzz words
(robust is apparently not just for coffee anymore)
i have a serious fear
that i, like the desktop computer,
will become obsolete
before i want to
become obsolete
i went from there
to visit my dad in the hospital
before i left him
he wanted to know
if i had printed
up any cards with
my name and picture
?
for the awards i am
sure to receive
for excellence in teaching
i left, crying,
thinking about the students
who will arrive on monday
i will love them
and
we will discover

linking up with emily for imperfect prose on thursday. Check it out for some great reads!

welcome

too excited to sleep,
seriously.
alarm set for 5:00
got up at 4:23
the crickets -
harbingers of summer's end -
have toned it down
considerably since the
first of august
it.
is.
time.
for this other life
this
go
go
go
life
today i accept
children
people's children
into my care and tutelage
and send away
my two
i'm
too petrified to sleep,

seriously.

Linking up with Emily at Chatting at the Sky. She's written about her twins - precious!

on mirrors and truth

so the mirror and fluorescent lights
in the staff bathroom
at school
have joined forces
to attack
my self-esteem.
at home, my eyebrows
are awesome -
the wax job lasts
weeks, months even
but at school, i see the truth
the junior eyebrows
stand out in stark
contrast
to my white skin
i am positive
they are laughing at me.
at home, my hair
is lovely -
the sun streaks
enhance my mousy brown
but at school, more truth
the streaks of gray
mock me
so that i hang
my head, ashamed.
i wonder what
the lighting is
like in the
student restrooms....

I might want to avoid the truth about my eyebrows and gray hair, but I want to hold one truth high, shine light all over it, and that is that Jesus is the One and Only. I've spent more time on a daily basis in scripture this summer then I have in a long time, and I want to keep it going. To continue in truth. That means getting up even earlier than I did last year because I've always counted on evening time and it's not reliable. So....5:00 it is. And if the truth is awesome and I don't want to stop, I'll slap that gray hair into a ponytail real quick and head out the door!

PS: I loved Amber's post at the run amuck today. It's about her oldest going to kindergarten. Check it out.

wake-up call

the school supplies
mock me
from their pile
on the living room floor
white  two-inch, durable three-ring binders
jeer
five AM days are just around the corner!
a five-subject blue spiral composition book
screams
think of all the noise, noise noise!
a pack of pencil-top erasers - various colors
taunts
seventh graders neither listen nor sit still
i might not be ready for
five AM days
or
noise
or
constant wiggling
but
i am ready to challenge
some young minds
so, pile of supplies,
get ready -
you're going to be
used up