On the coolness of owning a sword...
D: Hey, J has a sword in his room.
J: Yeah, and a shield.
S: And a lot of Lego.
Me: Okay, so J's the coolest student.
J: Yeah, but it's not always good because at night after I go to bed my dad's always banging around in the bathroom and it makes the sword move and it hits the shield.
On memory verses...
J: No, but I really tried to call you and find out the verse.
Me: But you didn't call me. If you had, your number would show up on my phone.
J: Well, probably you were at work or something.
Me: Your number would still show up as a missed call.
J: Oh. Well, I told my mom to call you.
On getting giant rat gummies...
1: Ha, I have a root beer rat.
2: My rat is white and yellow.
3: I want that pink rat.
4: My rat's head is lemon.
Sunday 29 September 2013
Sunday 22 September 2013
Sunday School
Today was the first day of Sunday School. We have an extra class this year. When we started, we had only one elementary school class, then later we split into grades 1-3 and 4-6, and now we're having grades 1-2, 3-4, and 5-6. The challenge is finding the room for the classes. We'll all be happy when we can build our own church (we have land now, but it will be a while before we can even start building).
We did get all the classes into rooms. I spent some time this morning directing people to the correct classes (and I suspect one family never did get it all straight; they wanted to send all three girls to the same class regardless of their ages, but we did get them into two different classes). One young man wasn't sure if he was in the right class, so I asked him his grade. He wasn't too sure of that either. Parents....I don't mind if you home school, but would you please tell your children what grade they are in for the sake of organization and paperwork! We finally decided that he's in grade 3 and got him to the correct class.
My class went well. We're in the "overflow room" (or "satellite sanctuary" depending on who you ask). We meet in a school, and use the gym as the sanctuary, but it's getting too full, so we have a video feed in one of the classrooms as well. Anyway, that's where we are this year. I was assured that I would have 2 long folding tables for my class. I got one long one and one short one, which is not enough for my class. I managed to get another table, but I'm going to have to figure out how to fit in a couple more students. We had 2 new ones and 2 who weren't here today.
In fact, there are several more students than we had expected. Of course, that comes from gathering numbers in June; we had families join over the summer. The grade 3-4 class is too big (and it's mostly grade 3 students). We have to switch them with the grade 1-2 class (which is the smallest so far), which means that next week I'm going to be directing children to the correct classes again!
We did get all the classes into rooms. I spent some time this morning directing people to the correct classes (and I suspect one family never did get it all straight; they wanted to send all three girls to the same class regardless of their ages, but we did get them into two different classes). One young man wasn't sure if he was in the right class, so I asked him his grade. He wasn't too sure of that either. Parents....I don't mind if you home school, but would you please tell your children what grade they are in for the sake of organization and paperwork! We finally decided that he's in grade 3 and got him to the correct class.
My class went well. We're in the "overflow room" (or "satellite sanctuary" depending on who you ask). We meet in a school, and use the gym as the sanctuary, but it's getting too full, so we have a video feed in one of the classrooms as well. Anyway, that's where we are this year. I was assured that I would have 2 long folding tables for my class. I got one long one and one short one, which is not enough for my class. I managed to get another table, but I'm going to have to figure out how to fit in a couple more students. We had 2 new ones and 2 who weren't here today.
In fact, there are several more students than we had expected. Of course, that comes from gathering numbers in June; we had families join over the summer. The grade 3-4 class is too big (and it's mostly grade 3 students). We have to switch them with the grade 1-2 class (which is the smallest so far), which means that next week I'm going to be directing children to the correct classes again!
Friday 13 September 2013
Why I Consider Changing Careers
Me: There's an "e" on the end, and it makes the vowel say its name. Try this one.
Him: (looking at "kite"): kittie
And again...
Me: Remember: there's an "e" on the end and it makes the vowel...
Him: Say its name.
Me: Good; now try this one (showing him "cube").
Him: Ummm...cubbie.
And it goes on and on and on until....
Me: Okay, lets do sight words. Remember this one (showing him "done").
And every. single. time. despite repeated times practicing how to say it, he gives it a long o sound. Yes. This is the only time he remembers and applies the silent e rule.
And another time:
Me: What is a sunflower?
Him: A flower.
Me: What is is daisy?
Him: A flower.
Me: What is a pansy?
Him: A flower.
Me: What is a bluebell?
Him: A flower.
Me: Good. So what are all of these?
Him: Ummm...I don't know.
And they wonder why teachers snap eventually.
Him: (looking at "kite"): kittie
And again...
Me: Remember: there's an "e" on the end and it makes the vowel...
Him: Say its name.
Me: Good; now try this one (showing him "cube").
Him: Ummm...cubbie.
And it goes on and on and on until....
Me: Okay, lets do sight words. Remember this one (showing him "done").
And every. single. time. despite repeated times practicing how to say it, he gives it a long o sound. Yes. This is the only time he remembers and applies the silent e rule.
And another time:
Me: What is a sunflower?
Him: A flower.
Me: What is is daisy?
Him: A flower.
Me: What is a pansy?
Him: A flower.
Me: What is a bluebell?
Him: A flower.
Me: Good. So what are all of these?
Him: Ummm...I don't know.
And they wonder why teachers snap eventually.
Saturday 7 September 2013
Today's Frustration
Am I the only one who gets frustrated with trying to get people to help? It seems everyone has an excuse. I get really tired of "I prayed about it and I just don't feel led to help." Hey...there are times when I don't "feel led" to teach either, but I do it (those would be the mornings when I'm tired and I "feel led" to go back to sleep). Or, they don't "feel called" to help. I'm pretty sure the Bible never says anything about needing to "feel called" before you do something. If it means that much to someone, though, I'll be happy to call them.
I'm not really sure, though, how to respond to people who use any of "feel" excuses. I really, really don't think that it's a particularly biblical response. I don't see the Bible telling us to serve if we feel called or led. It just says to serve the body.
I would like to respond with one of these:
For those who don't think they're gifted in teaching and who don't accept that I can teach them all they need to know:
Oh, and a recent frustration: Do NOT tell me that you can't help after all and "let's see how God will provide." He did provide: He provided you. You changed your mind (yes, you prayed, but what's your point? You prayed and God told you it was okay not to serve?).
So far I've been perfectly polite to people who have these excused for not serving. I'm going to need a lot of prayer to keep being polite, though, if I keep hearing this nonsense.
And that is today's frustration.
"I don't care how you feel. The question is, are you willing to serve your church family?"
"Where does the Bible talk about feeling led before you serve?"
"I'm glad you prayed about it. I still don't understand how "feelings" come into the equation."
"Where does the Bible talk about needing to be "called" to serve?"
"Well, if you really need to be "called" give me your phone number and I'll call you."
"Wait...are you telling me that if I don't think I'm gifted in something, I don't need to do it? Great: I've decided that I'm not gifted in giving or showing mercy. So now I don't have to do either of those things, right? They're in the same passage (Romans 12:6-8)."
I'm not really sure, though, how to respond to people who use any of "feel" excuses. I really, really don't think that it's a particularly biblical response. I don't see the Bible telling us to serve if we feel called or led. It just says to serve the body.
I would like to respond with one of these:
For those who don't think they're gifted in teaching and who don't accept that I can teach them all they need to know:
Oh, and a recent frustration: Do NOT tell me that you can't help after all and "let's see how God will provide." He did provide: He provided you. You changed your mind (yes, you prayed, but what's your point? You prayed and God told you it was okay not to serve?).
So far I've been perfectly polite to people who have these excused for not serving. I'm going to need a lot of prayer to keep being polite, though, if I keep hearing this nonsense.
And that is today's frustration.
"I don't care how you feel. The question is, are you willing to serve your church family?"
"Where does the Bible talk about feeling led before you serve?"
"I'm glad you prayed about it. I still don't understand how "feelings" come into the equation."
"Where does the Bible talk about needing to be "called" to serve?"
"Well, if you really need to be "called" give me your phone number and I'll call you."
"Wait...are you telling me that if I don't think I'm gifted in something, I don't need to do it? Great: I've decided that I'm not gifted in giving or showing mercy. So now I don't have to do either of those things, right? They're in the same passage (Romans 12:6-8)."
Friday 6 September 2013
Books and Stuff
In my last email from Chapters, they had recommendations just for me: Blubber; Charlotte's Web; and A Wrinkle in Time. Yes: Chapters thinks I want nothing but children's books. I might need to change my ordering habits. I mean, at least Amazon once recommended Star Wars ice cube trays (because I ordered a season of The Muppet Show, if I remember correctly).
Hey...I just bought the newest Muppet movie last week from Amazon. Hold one while I check what they're recommending now...
Because I purchased The Muppets, Amazon thinks I would also like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, because everyone knows international, Cold War thrillers go perfectly with the Muppets. Of course, they also recommend all the other Muppet movies, as well as The Avengers and The Adventures of Tintin.
For the record: I bought the Muppets because I was buying stuff for school and needed something fun as well. It's good that I have it because for school I'm reading a terrible book by a terrible "pastor" who CAN'T WRITE. Seriously, I could handle reading a book that teaches something I think is completely wrong if it's well written, but this one might kill me. It's written at the reading level of a 5th grader and the emotional level of a junior high girl. I think I get stupider just reading it. And I will not tell you the name because even bad publicity is still publicity.
To recover I read Ephesians. Also, I'm reading Against The Tide: The Valor of Margaret Wilson by Hope Irvin Marston. It's part of the Chosen Daughters series. The series looks at Christian women in different periods of history and how they affected and were affected by what was happening around them. They're fictionalized biographies: their overall outline is true, and the women, major events in their lives, and the historical events and people around them are true. To make it a story, though, it needs to include some of what they were thinking, some extra characters...things that are fiction, but don't draw away from the historical accuracy of the stories. This story takes place in 17th-Century Scotland, a time when the Covenanters (who held that Christ alone was head of the church) were being persecuted by the king and his men who wanted them to proclaim the king as head of the church.
My recommendations: Watch The Muppets (and The Avengers, actually), buy whatever you want and prepare for the recommendations that result, and read the Chosen Daughters series.
Hey...I just bought the newest Muppet movie last week from Amazon. Hold one while I check what they're recommending now...
Because I purchased The Muppets, Amazon thinks I would also like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, because everyone knows international, Cold War thrillers go perfectly with the Muppets. Of course, they also recommend all the other Muppet movies, as well as The Avengers and The Adventures of Tintin.
For the record: I bought the Muppets because I was buying stuff for school and needed something fun as well. It's good that I have it because for school I'm reading a terrible book by a terrible "pastor" who CAN'T WRITE. Seriously, I could handle reading a book that teaches something I think is completely wrong if it's well written, but this one might kill me. It's written at the reading level of a 5th grader and the emotional level of a junior high girl. I think I get stupider just reading it. And I will not tell you the name because even bad publicity is still publicity.
To recover I read Ephesians. Also, I'm reading Against The Tide: The Valor of Margaret Wilson by Hope Irvin Marston. It's part of the Chosen Daughters series. The series looks at Christian women in different periods of history and how they affected and were affected by what was happening around them. They're fictionalized biographies: their overall outline is true, and the women, major events in their lives, and the historical events and people around them are true. To make it a story, though, it needs to include some of what they were thinking, some extra characters...things that are fiction, but don't draw away from the historical accuracy of the stories. This story takes place in 17th-Century Scotland, a time when the Covenanters (who held that Christ alone was head of the church) were being persecuted by the king and his men who wanted them to proclaim the king as head of the church.
My recommendations: Watch The Muppets (and The Avengers, actually), buy whatever you want and prepare for the recommendations that result, and read the Chosen Daughters series.
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