The Impact of a Thank You!

As a teacher and as a Christian I want to be supportive of my students (actually all students of the school).  I want them to know that I care about them.  I want to be visible to them outside of the school walls.  Therefore I try to attend extra-curricular activities, especially sporting events, as much as possible.

Yesterday I went to some basketball games that students were playing in.  The first couple of games included students that I teach everyday.  I love being there to cheer them on!  Often when they see me, they say hello and/or wave to me.  I also went to a game for younger students.  I had a parent tell me that he really appreciated that I was there to support the students (he had also seen me at the earlier games, as his daughter played in one and he was the coach).  He made sure that his younger daughter told me thank you for coming to her game.  It really made me feel like I was doing something good.

Then today I got another thank you from a parent (her daughter was on the younger team and her husband coached).  She said that after the game a bunch of the girls were talking about how I was there!  They just thought it was really cool!  She said how much she appreciates it!  I told her that I love watching the students play and try to see all the different teams play at least once (I am going to more games next weekend for some teams I haven't seen play yet).

The impact of those thank-yous were pretty big!  It really made me feel like I am doing something important!  In the past I have had someone within the school question my commitment and my priorities.  I just wish this person could hear all the thank yous that I get in circumstances like this.  While lesson planning and grading are important parts of being a teacher, I also think that showing students that I care about them (especially about them as more than just bodies in the classroom) is an important part of my vocation!

So I guess in response to those thank yous I say "You're welcome" and thank you for recognizing my dedication and commitment to the students and their families.

Have a blessed week in the Lord!

-SingleLutheran

pity party

The past couple of weeks have been difficult for me.  Two weeks ago something happened school related that really made me feel defeated.  I'm not going to go into it a lot on here, but let's just say that it didn't leave me with a lot of self confidence in my abilities as a teacher.  I really felt like someone had lost their confidence in my ability to do my job.

Tonight has also been difficult, because I've been thinking of that fact that I don't get to see any of my family for thanksgiving.  Holidays can be a difficult time for me because my family is so far away.  I know that I have been blessed with so much and that I get to see my family at Christmas, but it's hard to remember that when I see peoples' statuses/comments on Facebook about seeing family.  Thankfully I was invited somewhere for Thanksgiving.  It would have been much, much harder had I not been invited anywhere (like I was my first Easter here).

Tonight as I was watching a "Biggest Loser" special, I kept telling myself that I need start working out again!  I cannot let myself keep going down this road.  I've gained weight since the school year started and I need to reverse that.  I guess you could say that I was having a "pity party" for myself.  I was thinking about all the things I'm struggling with-my weight, never having been kissed or in a relationship, being away from family, still being lonely, school stuff, needing a new car (but not being able to afford one), low self-esteem.  

Thankfully I have a counseling appointment on Monday.  I guess I'll have a lot to tell her.

I do know that I have SO MUCH to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!!!  God has blessed me with so many wonderful things!!!  I just need to remember that!!!!!!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!!

God bless!!!!

In Christ,
SingleLutheran

It's hard

It's hard exactly put into words how I've been feeling lately.  It seems like a lot of thoughts have been going through my head since the last time I wrote anything on here.  I can remember thinking in the past few weeks "I should write something in my blog about this" but never actually getting around to it.  I don't particularly like when that happens.  Sometimes I think that happens with my therapy appointments.  I think of stuff I could talk about in-between appointments, but then I can't always remember them when I actually go to the appointment.  I'm just going to start somewhere and see here it takes me.

School-It has been kind of busy and crazy.  A lot is going to be happening between now and the end of the school year.  We've been back in school a week since spring break and it was a exhausting week just trying to get back into the swing of things.  This following week is going to be busy too.  I've just got tons of stuff going on.

Spring Break-I didn't go anywhere for break.  I just stayed here and tried to get some work done.  I did get some time to relax and work on some extra school-related stuff.  I didn't get everything done that I wanted to (like my taxes, which I finally did on Thursday instead).  It was kind of a lonely week because my two closest friends here were both gone (one was visiting family, the other was on a business trip).  That made parts of my break very hard.  I just didn't have a chance to really do anything socially.  I just wish that I could reach out more to others, or that they would reach out to me more.  I wish that I would have had enough money to go visit my brother and his family.  Then I could have spent lots of time with my niece and nephew.  I guess I'll just have to settle for seeing them this summer when I go visit my parents.  At this point I don't think I'll be able to make a separate trip to New Mexico to visit them. 

Friends-Do you ever feel like your best friends don't want to spend time with you?  It seems like lately I've been feeling that way.  It seems like my best friend down here and I don't do much together anymore.  There are times when I would like to do something together, but so often she has other plans.  I've been feeling like she's willing to take the time to make plans with other people but not with me.  I know I can't expect to be able to do something with her all the time, it just seems like the amount of time we are able to spend together gets less and less.  Another friend (one from college) is hopefully going to be moving closer to me this summer (only 4 1/2 hours away instead of 7).  I'm hoping that this means we'll be able to see each other a bit more.  I'm hoping that she'll come and visit me sometime, since she's only been here to see me once in the 3 years I've lived here (and that was for only about 12 hours).  I do get frustrated though because she does take trips to other places and even mentioned something about going to visit a friend out in South Carolina this summer (which is probably at least 3 times farther than coming to visit me).  I just feel like people don't see me as someone they really want to spend time with.  I don't feel like I'm on their "priority" list.  Thats a hard thing to deal with, when I so badly want to know that people care about me. 

crazy week

So it's Thursday and this has been an interesting week.  First of all, we don't have school tomorrow due to ice and snow.  So I'm stuck at home....wait it's really not my home.  I'm actually house-sitting/teen-sitting for the next five days.  It will probably be good for me to have some interaction with other people over the next few days.  Plus, they have cable at their house.

Because we were pretty sure that we weren't going to have school tomorrow, today was a pretty laid back day at school.  The first part of the week was busy with the normal stuff of choir and Wednesday night at church.  On Monday I had a counseling appointment and then a meeting for church stuff.  We ended up having our meeting at a resturant.  I spent a lot of time deciding what to eat at the resturant (it was Mexican), so I could eat something healthy.  I ended up eating a chicken fajita salad.  It was good and really healthy.

I've worked out everyday this week (except Sunday) for at least 30 minutes.  Wednesday morning when I did my weigh in, I'd lost just over 3 pounds.  That put me at exactly 6 pounds in two weeks.  Now I know that future weeks won't all be like this, but it gives me a lot of hope that I can do this.  It just helps with my motiviation.

Take care and God bless!!

Reflections on my weekend

It's a Sunday night and I'm up later than I normally would be, but that's because I don't have work tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to the day off, but I still have plenty to do.  At least I did accomplish some stuff this weekend.

Yesterday morning I did a 3-mile walking DVD in the morning.  Today I went for a walk outside (because it was a really nice day and I figured I could use some sunshine) for about 30 minutes.  I've now worked out everyday since Tuesday (6 days).  I feel like I have more energy during the day.  Today I didn't work out in the morning.  Instead I went for my walk this afternoon.  I could tell a difference earlier in the day after church.  I just didn't have as much energy.  I ended up not taking a nap at all this weekend.  Usually I take at least 1 nap a weekend (almost always on Sunday and sometimes on Saturday).  I'm looking forward to working out again in the morning.  Because I don't have to do to work, I'll have more time for a longer work out.

Yesterday I spent time at basketball games at school.  Some of my students were playing.  Four different teams from my school played, but unfortunately none of them won.  But it was still good to be there.

This morning I sang on worship team during second service.  Thankfully over the next three months, I'll only be singing on worship team once a month.  Two times a month was just getting to be too much in combination with singing at least once a month with the church choir.  I do like to be able to sit by my friends in the pew a time or two a month.  Sometimes I just feel more in fellowship when I'm sitting with them.  I know that probably shouldn't be the case, but it is.  I especially feel that way when I sing on worship team, because when I sit in the pew during the sermon, I'm usually sitting along.  It's just different (and I usually don't like being alone).

Today I also go caught up on my grading and I got it all recorded in the gradebook (on the computer).  It feels so great when I stay caught up on my grading.  I know it makes things easier and less stressful during the week.  I just have to make sure I keep up with it for the rest of the year.  Usually things get harder the farther into the quarter it gets. 

One thing I didn't get much done on this weekend, was the chapel message I need to write by Tuesday.  My class is going to be doing the message during school chapel on Wednesday, so I have to write the message.  I have somewhat of an idea, but I haven't written anything yet.  My class needs time to practice on Tuesday, so I'll have to write it tomorrow.  Thankfully after church today I do have a little more idea of what I want the topic/theme of the message to be.  I plan on going up to school tomorrow afternoon and working on it there (I think I'll get more done there than here at home).

Well it is getting late (at least for me), so I'm going to head to bed.  I plan on writting again soon (probably on Tuesday or Wednesday after I do my weekly weigh-in).

2 Hs....halfway done and homeschooling

Today was the last day of 2nd quarter.  That means that this school year is halfway done.  I cannot really believe it, because it has went by so fast.  We had our Christmas party starting at noon.  It was a good time of food and gifts.  I got some really cool gifts from my students.  I am truly thankful!!!  Many of my students really liked the gift that I gave them:  a cookie cutter and sugar cookie mix.  A parent even called me tonight and said how much they appreciated it!  They thought it was such a cool idea!  That was just really the icing on the cake today.

Today was also bittersweet because one of my students won't be coming back after Christmas break.  Her and her older sister (7th grade) are going to be homeschooled by their mom starting in January.  This girl was a new student at our school this year.  I think she was doing very well in my class, both academically and socially.  I know that many of the students in my class are going to miss her.  Another girl even started crying today when she had to say good-bye.  I know that this girl isn't leaving because of anything that I've done (or haven't done), but it's still hard.  I still feel like I've failed in some way (even though the decision was made more for the older sister).  I really wonder how the mom is going to do at homeschooling.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about homeschooling.  While I think some people do a great job at it and it greatly helps their children, others I don't think have the necessary experience for it.  I know what it's like to teach students day after day.  I went to college for 4 years to prepare for this job and I still don't know everything.  There are still some days that I'm still figuring out how to teach different concepts.  I just worry that some parents choose homeschooling without thinking about if they are prepared for the academic part of it.  If someone has very little to no knowledge of what to teach or how to teach, how can they do an acceptable job.

Now don't get me wrong, I think some children can thrive in homeschooling situations.  I've known people that were homeschooled and they've done very well.  I also currently know some people.  On the other hand, I also know of some situations in which the child has not done well, or really struggled when they've entered a traditional school.  I just feel like a lot has to be thought about when thinking about homeschooling...just loving your child a lot and being a good Christian does not necessarily mean that you are going to be great at homeschooling.  I think if you reduce the qualifications for good teaching to these things, you lose the respect for the teacher.

As a teacher, I think that would greatly hurt our society, and would lead to more and more teachers truly not caring about what they do.

-In Christ
SingleLutheran



P.S.-I don't mean to offend anyone or their decisions.  I'm merely stating my opinion from a teacher's perspective.