I want to be “buttiful” too!

I love grade three. I think I could stay with these students forever! It’s been an adventure and a half teaching for the past month or so and it’s going to be such a change to switch gears once again and return to a different kind of schooling once again! Oh, but there’s a 3-week break in there, so I’m definitely not complaining. Here are some highlights from my time:

- Student writing. Kids really do say the most wonderful things. I had an assignment where the students were to create their “dream house” and tell me about how it represents their dreams. One girl told me about how she wanted to be “buttiful” when she grew up and have 3 boyfriends and have lots of money. Lofty, self-centred, but totally normal for any average 8 year old.

- Secrets. I’ve had students get me to lean down so that they can tell me a secret about what they’re working on. Anything “outside of the box” and they think their peers will steal their ideas! Thus, I ended up with a self-portrait that had sunglasses on it instead of the average slanted oval eyes with black pupils right in the centre…

- Adoration. The students still really admire their teacher. They strive to please them with their work and they just soak up any praise you have for them! I want to make school a very safe place for them and a place where they receive the affirmation they so crave and need.

Only one more semester left! Ack. I’m going to cry when this placement is over. But, then again, waterworks are nothing new.

math is fun!

This is quite the adventure I’ve gotten myself into! I can see that after even just a few education classes, this is going to be quite the learning curve (please excuse the lame joke of inference to my choice of vocation). As a teacher education student, I have double the course load in order to fit an entire semester of classes into six/seven weeks. You heard me. Someone mentioned something about not having a life this year. Ha! Hardly. Thankfully, there are about 23 other wonderful young ladies who are doing exactly the same thing as me and we spend the better part of our days together in the classroom, being students of the art of teaching. It is very funny to note that, even though we may spend an entire day together, we stand around after class at night and chat! Our farewells? “Good night- see you in the morning!”

I’m going to have to re-learn a lot of things that I’ve forgotten (or skills I just haven’t used) since elementary school. When was the last time I did long division? I found out in gym class that I can’t dance (although that’s probably the 10th time I’ve figured “discovered” that fact, and what can you expect when I can’t even sing and clap at the same time!). Phonics is like another language to me. Oh the joys of school! Love it.

slowly losing control

Or rather, I should say, I’m experiencing reluctant surrender.

I’ve been assured that my life isn’t my own and I guess I’m coming to terms with this. God has the reins. After an hour on the phone with a wise friend of mine, she reminded me that this is a good thing and that not understanding life as we know it is just reality (in far more words, I assure you). I’d love to say that, yes, this concept clicked in my mind and I’m completely at peace with the topsy-turvy nature of my days, but that’s far from true! Ha.

I’m also realizing that the theme of my summer is the learning of patience. Don’t ask me why I’m learning this virtue so late in life, but it just seems it’s smacking me of the face currently. *sigh* I look forward to the day when I get to look back on this time and say, “Wow, don’t you know it, that was a growing time for me. I was really challenged to change during that time.” You have no idea how many times I am able to do that reflecting on my time spent in France and I count that a blessing. I guess that I have to be patient for that time!

who?

By the time I post this, I’ve probably shared this story that I find incredibly funny (but probably doesn’t make anyone else laugh besides my family) one too many times. We were cleaning up from dinner on an otherwise normal evening: Mom was folding laundry, Dad was chopping rhubarb and I was doing the dishes with my sister. My Mom wished to share that Stratford has decided to make a map outlining places where a certain teen sensation has been. But when she said his name, it came out “Justin BeibLer”…and we all had to smirk. My childhood hero was a woman from a home improvement show named Joanne Leibler- and my Mom just decided to mesh the pop star and the hammer-swinging handy-woman into one name! Too funny. Just goes to show how involved our family is with “who’s who”…

the sun was shining, the birds were singing, the president gave me a ride…

This morning was one of the best mornings I’ve had in a while, and my mornings haven’t been all that half bad, so that tells you how wonderful it really was! I was standing at my bus stop, just a’waiting when I hear a car horn honk. I looked up to see who was waving at me, and it was none other than the president of my university!! No kidding. (I have this thing about people in authority, I tend to treat them like heroes. Ask me about one of my theology professors.) He said he had recognized me and thought he’d take pity on a student…I can’t argue with that! So I hopped in and went for a ride, and even got to park in his “president’s parking spot” with him. I feel so special. I’m sure by the time you read this, I’ve already told you about it, because it means that much to me. *sigh*

On a totally unrelated note, I was in theology class today and we were discussing pluralism with other world religions and the concept of exclusivism. To explain the topic further, our professor asked us if any of us were “dating exclusively.” Stunned into silence, none of us actually raised our hands despite our relationship status, wondering if we had understood his question- was he actually asking us something personal? In class? He responds to our silence by saying, “Man, I thought you guys were a cool class, I guess not.” BURN on us.

variety show

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to random thoughts.

Last week, I was in Florida.  And I have completed a couple of things from my life’s “to do” list. I ate alligator and pet a giraffe. Boo. Ya. Of course, this “to do” list grows as I do more and more adventurous things, so I don’t think it will ever be complete. And I’m perfectly content with this. Oddity of an American boy: I was in a large superstore [rhymes with Mal-Wart] and saw a guy wearing tight black pants, a tight black t-shirt, black hair, spacers in his ears, make-up on his eyes — carrying a package of “Bounce” dryer sheets. Irony.

On Monday, upon returning from above mentioned Florida vacation, school was cancelled due to snow. OH happy day. I even had a mid-term that evening! Now it’s snowing to beat the band, yet again. So much for global warming…

Wednesday, I stood outside my school in the freezing cold for half an hour. Why? Because I like to be cold. NOT. The fire alarm went off, and it was not a drill. FIRE- A real one! With fire trucks and all. I take that back, there was no fire, just lots of smoke that had apparently filled the elevator shaft. What an adventure. A cold one. Note to self: always keep my coat with me at school. Lesson. Learned.

And that’s all folks! Hope you’ll join me next time when my thoughts are more coherent…

in the air again…

She breathes a sigh of relief.

I am currently one class away from an extended reading break, spent with family in a place somewhat warmer and sunnier than here! And I guess I’m feeling like I got bitten by the traveling bug once more. Is it such a bad thing to love airports and airplanes? The adrenaline rush of going through security, hoping your belt won’t set off the security alarms (though knowing it will, and being embarrassed while you hold up other travelers while a security officer makes sure you check out alright). [Don't worry, no belt this time]. I find the process hilarious! I also love g-force. Not airplane food, but that’s such a small part of the experience. This is the first time my sister is going on an airplane- I’m so excited for her!

On the topic of something else entirely, here’s a quote I love (and maybe I’m thinking about Valentine’s day or something): “Maybe everything we’ve ever done has been for love.” – Byron Katie. Something applicable for loving couples and Christian brothers and sisters alike!

support groups// aka “being female”

I have a wonderful group of friends. I was standing in Redeemer’s main foyer looking for someone to talk to after an event, when  friend of mine walked up- we complimented each other on our outfits. What a lovely feeling, to know that someone else thinks we look nice. We saw another friend looking for a familiar face; she joined us and we each complimented her on what she was wearing. I’m sure she got all warm inside, before mentioning that we both looked pretty dapper ourselves. One more time, and another friend joined us and received the outpouring of compliments. [note: these are all genuine compliments, no word of a lie] How lovely to be encouraged and built up! Sometimes one kind or encouraging word can carry someone through the day.

I also noticed a couple of young girls (around 8 years old) who were singing from the hymnal together in church yesterday. The one was an exchange student from Korea and the Canadian student was helping her follow along in the music with her finger. How precious!

the people involved will remain anonymous…

This actually happened.

I had given some truffles I had made to someone and they texted me to tell me that they tasted like chocolate ecstasy. I felt complimented. I shared this with another friend, and they stated that they thought that was terrible! Isn’t ecstasy a drug of some sort? I explained that, yes, it was a drug and it makes you really happy. This friend responded with, well, doesn’ t it make you have to go to the bathroom a lot? I was thinking- what?!? They added, yeah, it’s like you add this powder to whatever you’re baking and it makes you have diaharrea.

Honey, that’s ex-lax. Hilarious. I’m going to keep them around for a while…

the wheels on the bus…

I went on a fieldtrip with the grade two class this past week to downtown Hamilton. I was reminded of how exciting leaving school premises between the hours of 9 and 3:30 was! Especially on a bus- in the back, feet on the hump. My favourite comment between two boy?  “Yes, we’re going on the highway!” “No, silly, this is the LINC!” — Yeah, any 7 year old could tell you that…

We were also working on a word list during language arts and the word to be used in a sentence was “knew.” One little boy put up his hand and said “I knew what you did last night.” The teacher had no response.