Teachers Like Teacher Humor

I'm not sure if the funniest part about this picture is

a) The student's answer

b) The teacher's response

c) The way the question has grammatical errors.

But I do know it's a good laugh during a crazy week.

Dear teacher friends, please go here if you need some laughs, too.

Home Again

4 airports in 2 days. 3 different flights. Lessons of trust, patience, kindness tucked away within those moments, the ones that reminded me of my adulthood, of knowledge and confidence I've gained -- even though I can't pinpoint where it came from. I can only conclude that I've picked up bits of both along the way. And I had people reminding me of it, too.

Now I'm searching for words to capture this magic that's these emotions that come with returning to a place that I once knew as a temporary home away from home, passing my familiar landmarks along the way that have become friends along the freeway, seeing what will now be my home away from my home town, which will still be a sanctuary to me, a heart-lifting, rejuvenating place, but of a different kind -- the kind that I will go to for visits, that I will relish every moment in, but that I will be glad to leave for my very own sanctuary that I've put together my own way. A place that will be no less special, but that will have to share some of my sense of "home" with another.

The Midwest grew more beautiful while I was gone.

The moment I could see the North Platte again, I knew that I would always, always be a Midwest girl at heart who would always feel her heart swell with love again at being reunited with this home.

~"Where we love is home,/Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." [-Homesick in Heaven by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.]~

Perfect Height

I lose count of how much time I spent on average each day crouched to the height of 4 and 5 year olds. But it's my favorite place to be, because...

That's the height you have to be to truly listen to a child when their voice is hushed with curiosity, fear, confessions, admiration.

It's the height for creating alongside a child playing with Playdoh, challenging them to build their favorite dinosaur with you. Or an elaborate cake. Multilayered. Valentine-heart-style.

It's the height you need to be to build a supportive, trusting relationship with a child.

And it's the height where you can let your own inner child break free to play with the children you're surrounded by.

What's more -- it's the perfect height to laugh with the children. To explore, question, awe, wonder, think, discover with the children.

We lose so, so much when we forget to see from a child's perspective.

~"We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done...so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands." [Psalm 78: 4, 6-7]~

Texas Tidbits

This this week has reminded me of so far:

- How exhausting it is to be on your feet for 8 hours

- How exciting it is to spend the day with small children

- How prepared I am for this

- It is what I chose to make it

- Asking questions is totally okay, even if it feels silly (people appreciate that more than having to fix the goofs, anyway)

- Insecurities do more harm than good...and are silly half the time, anyway

- Accents are fun. And fascinating.

Some fun facts about Texas so far:

- The big grocery stores around here are Kroger and H.E.B...hm.

- It's been cold here (like in the 40s). Texans aren't okay with that. And they have to cover their wells and plants at night when it dips down into the 20s because the plants and wells aren't okay with that.

- The people here are super-sweet and polite. Even the kids. One of my little boys came up to me, introduced himself, and even shook my hand. I was speechless.

- There are Jack-in-the-Boxes everywhere. And Sonic. And I will try both before I leave at the end of April.

- Tomball has a magnet-effect similar to Seward: once people are here, they don't seem to leave, and they're okay with that.

~"Too often we are so preoccupied with the destination, we forget the journey." [-Unknown]~

Adjusting.

Whirlwind day: Bible class. Church. Being prayed over during the service. Lots of new names and faces. Settling into a new home. Meeting the principal, assistant principal, EC program director, and a number of other teachers.

Feeling excited/nervous/ready for tomorrow. We'll tour the school and town, get taken to lunch, fill out paperwork, go through the guidelines and expectations, and get keys and IDs.

I keep getting struck over and over that this is it. The real deal. I'm a full-on student teacher. No methods classes, just teaching. And learning. And experiencing.

God's already at work here. I'm blessed beyond what I imagined, and it's only the 2nd day.

~"Remember what Bilbo used to say: It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." [-J.R.R. Tolkien]~