Embracing Change

How does one embrace a new season of change? This seems to be the ever present question in my heart at the moment. My life seems to be full of change, with the biggest being the fact that I recently said goodbye to my co-teachers and students after five years. Words aren’t enough to thank people who have greatly impacted your life. “Thank you” just didn’t seem to suffice. But I hope each one knows how valued and appreciated they are to me. My sweet students were the most difficult to hug goodbye. After five years with one, a few less with the others, your heart grows quite attached. 

Now my heart is asking the question of, “Who am I?” For so many years, one of my titles was that of Teacher. Although I know it’s not true, I feel as if that specific title has been taken away from me. My dear husband has been trying to convince me otherwise. I do influence many others, just in a different realm from the classroom that I’m accustomed to. In this new season of life, I’m beginning to recognize how greatly my job influenced my view of myself. Did my view of myself as Teacher rank higher than that of Daughter of the King? He should be my all, my everything. All else falls under that.

I found this very fitting and encouraging excerpt from a post written by Ann Voskamp. May it inspire you today as well.

"Don’t grieve that it’s gone, wonder that it was.

Laugh that you lived and dance that you dared.

Inhale that it happened — and it was grace…

The best way to prepare for what’s ahead  — is to be present to what is now.

Be present to the gift of now.

And right then —

it lights, the sheer sheen of His grace falling on everything."

End of the year ramblings

Although my summer vacation started almost two weeks ago, my brain still has a hard time remembering that. I still find myself thinking about my students at times and things that happened throughout the year. So I thought I'd share a few of those moments with you-

Favorite quotes from the year::
-Far too often I say or do something that my students quickly notice.
One day, I said,"Oh, my" without really thinking.
Student replied: "What?"
Me: "My head hurts."
Student: "From water?"
Me: "No, but I should drink some."
Student: "Drink water for a healthy head!" :)

That same student once said (to me),
"I smell your breath."
"Doesn't it smell very good?" I asked.
"No," she admitted.
"It probably smells like coffee. What should I do about it?"
"Drink more coffee."
She didn't have to tell me twice!

Most of my students enjoy singing so it's not unusual for me to hear them singing randomly throughout the day. One day I overheard the Veggie Tales theme song..."Broccoli, sour cream..." That one made me laugh! I had to inform her that it's actually celery, not sour cream. :)

The last week of school we were able to witness a small miracle of sorts. In the middle of class, a student said, "Look! A butterfly!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing so I spun my head around and sure enough, there it was! The butterfly that I had deemed dead weeks ago was anything but. We were beyond thrilled that it made its appearance before school ended for the year. After letting its wings dry several hours, we released it and this time our pet flew off without any little fingers coming in to squish it. :) You can read more about that here.

We named this smaller butterfly Little Flower, since it was "pretty like a flower." They thought that was an appropriate name to go along with Rainbow, the name of our first butterfly.

What the students had to say about Little Flower:
-The girl who first noticed it said, "I look over and I saw it coming out! I think it's pretty. I think he's so wet!"
-(Whispering) "He might find the other one (butterfly.) The other one is far away."
-"I love it!"
-"Wonderful (butter)'fly!"
-One of our students uses sign language and he signed that he wanted it to 'fly.'

When I asked what they learned about patience from all of this:
-"Patience means sit down really quiet; wait for your teacher's ready. Patience has to wait."

That wasn't quite the answer I was anticipating, but it has much application to life. Being still and quiet; trusting and waiting for the help of others; patience is waiting.

All in all, the caterpillars to butterflies experiment was a wonderful one. The students were begging to do it again next fall so we shall see what happens.

One last thought:

My students know how to encourage me. I received both of these cards from the same student the last week of school. The card on the right reads,
"Miss Janelle,
Hope you have a good day.
I like you.
Math is fun."

And notes like that have a way of making my day! As she encouraged me, I was reminded of the power of encouragement. Big or little, we are called to bless those others. What a challenge for all of us.

Happy summer!

Gone, but not forgotten

Yesterday was bittersweet. It was the day I said good-bye to one of my students for quite awhile. It was also our last day of school for the year as well as the day of his 'graduation.' As we were walking out to the buses for the final time, one of the girls grabbed E's hand and held it for awhile saying, "I'm sad." I didn't tell them that I was too!

As I look back, I can't help but reflect on the cheerfulness that E brought to our classroom. Mr. Sunshine always arrived with a loud "Good Morning!" and a big hug for me. Those are two of the biggest things I am going to miss when school starts again in the fall.

Miss Janelle and Mr. E

on his birthday this past week



Just a quick walk down memory lane:

-I would often call him Mr. E. for fun and he would always respond with a quick, "I not Mister!" :)

-We went to the Philadelphia Zoo the other week for our field trip and as usual, he wanted to see the snakes. In his opinion, they are the best, simply because he knows his teachers hate them! Haha.

-One day, I was yawning and admitted that Miss Janelle was sleepy.
Mr. E. said, "I drive you home to sleep."
My response: "No, that'd be dangerous. You would crash."
E: "I not crash. I carefully!"
Miss Janelle wasn't so sure. :)

-Another day I was wearing a black headband and took it off when it began to give me a headache. E. grabbed it, put it on his head and said, "You cute!" I tried giving a stern look, but couldn't help but smile.

E was well-loved at school. This was demonstrated by the FULL box of cards, gifts and well-wishes that he took home yesterday. I think he was a little overwhelmed with the love shown by so many students, teachers, and parents. From receiving a diploma and having a special song sung in his honor at our all-school program to a school-wide treat of donuts and chocolate milk, his final day was a memorable one for sure.

We did have some challenging days with Mr. E at times, but he was an enjoyable student to teach. I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to teach him for three years. His vacancy will leave a hole in our classroom and in our hearts, but we have hopes that he will visit us on occasion next year!

My prayer for Mr. E comes from Numbers 6:24-26:

"The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”

From Caterpillars to Butterflies & Everything in Between

It has been quite the adventure. My students and I have been the proud caretakers of two black swallowtail caterpillars since last September.

 

This was a first for our class since we haven't had a pet until now. If you can call them pets. :)

 

The journey began in the fall when I captured the caterpillars on some parsley plants we have at home. They sure were hungry little things and devoured their food in no time.

 

In the beginning:

Jamming out to TobyMac in my car :)

 

After what felt like weeks of feeding them, they each formed a chrysalis.

Then the wait really began.

 

We made a butterfly countdown chart and predicted how many days it would take for the butterflies to emerge. Our first guesses were far too inaccurate so we had to take a second attempt.

 

Some days certain students impatiently asked if the butterflies would ever "come out." It was a good lesson in patience for all of us.

 

And then one happy morning, I gave an excited shout for the class to come see a newly emerged butterly. Oh, happy day!

Here were some of the comments I overheard in the following days:

• "I like it [butterfly.]"
• "Call him a she." // "No, he!" I had to settle that little argument. :)
• (As it was fluttering in its jar), "I think he's digging for food." [giggles]
• "It's smart. Good, good. Go up. Keep going! [climbing one side of the jar]
• "It's flapping!"

Since it emerged in early March, we fed it honey water and daffodils for a month until it was finally warm enough outside for the big day.

The students begged to have it "watch them work." I'm afraid it made for more of a distraction than anything, but they enjoyed it. I had to smile when I'd see them showing the butterfly their math papers.

 

At one point, I suggested we name our butterfly. I received some interesting suggestions:

• Tattletale [No idea where that came from]
• Juice
• Shell Rainbow

I think we finally settled on Rainbow. :)

Then came the day when it was time to let go.

One little girl told me, "He's gonna find a new home, like a tree."

After some coaxing, Rainbow  flew over to the sidewalk.

We walked over to get a closer look.

Before we knew what happened, our little guy ran over to give

Rainbow  an affectionate squeeze.

Much to our dismay, I might add. Thankfully, Rainbow  was just fine and soon

flew off with the breeze.

 

It has been a fun experience for all of us.

 

In case you're wondering, yes, we're still waiting on the arrival of the second

butterly. I'm afraid my hopes for this one are minimal, but maybe I'll be surprised

yet.

 

According to my inquisitive girl,

"It's tired. You have to tell the doctor so he can

check it, like he checks us, our heart."

 

I forsee no 'doctor' visits in the future, but we shall see and continue the wait.

Plans to be Still

"For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'"

Jeremiah 29:11-13

 

I was reminded of these verses yet again this week when my plans were interupted. There were things that I wanted to do. But the Lord said, "No, Janelle, instead you must be still."

 

How did He cause me to be still? By having me use some sick days from school. (Can I just say that I'm pretty sure there is no other profession that avoids sick days at all costs, but teachers?! It's just so hard to stay away from your classroom unless you physically aren't up to it.)

 

But alas, that was me this week. No matter what I wanted to do, God had other things in mind.

 

Too often, I put my agenda ahead of His. This was a good reminder for me of the importance of continually seeking His will for my life each day and putting His plans ahead of my own, no matter how good my intents may be.

 

So I've been doing lots of resting, both physically and spiritually over the past few days. I'll admit it has been good to spend some quiet hours in prayer and searching the Word.

 

The old familiar hymn Be Still my Soul  has been on my heart over the past few months, including this week. While searching for a new version of it, I came across this beautiful version. (Hmm, new worship song to learn for church?)

 

The challenge I leave with you is to be still before Him. And in doing this, find rest for your soul in Him alone.

Time to recess

Many years ago, the people of Israel were waiting for the birth of their Savior.
When He arrived, there was great rejoicing in a small stable.

Today we are also waiting. Waiting for His return.

Do we too rejoice, even as we wait in the midst of dark times?

There is a phrase I hear several times a day from my students:

"Time to recess." Every time I hear it, I think, "No, it's not time to recess; it's time for recess."

But then I began to think about it.

Recess means: to take a break from something; a remote or secluded place.

During the Christmas season, life is so hurried and stressful.

It's hard to take a moment to sit back and relax.

But that is exactly what Christmas is all about.

It's about rest. It's about recess.

Taking a break.

Going to a secluded place to worship and bask in our Saviour's presence.

To thank Him for His gift of love.

Giving us a reason to rejoice and a reason to hope.

via

This Christmas, I encourage you to take some "time to recess."

Praying you experience the richness of God's love for you,

found in the gift of His precious Son this Christmas!

Blessings,

Janelle

Today I choose to...

This morning I started a new journey; that of another school year, that is.  I'll be having some new students in my class this year so as I went into this week of change, I decided to try something new.  I thought, "How awesome would it be to start each day by saying/praying- 'Today I choose to ______.'"  So I tried it.  I said, "Today I choose to forgive _____."  (I really did fill in the blank, but I'm leaving it empty for obvious reasons.)  Wouldn't you know, as soon as I pulled into school, the person I had just sincerely forgiven, was the first person I saw and had the opportunity to talk to.  Isn't God pretty amazing?  It was a neat experience.  I'm anxious to try it again tomorrow and I challenge you to do the same.  See how it can change your life.  Making a consious effort to love, forgive, extend mercy, share Jesus, etc.  I'd love to hear about your experiences as well.

I also wanted to say that I'm feeling extremely grateful for God's mercy and graciousness in my life tonight.  I had a very scary encounter in which I choked on some ice cream (all thanks to my brother, who made me laugh at a very corny joke!)  The ice cream somehow got stuck in my throat and I was gasping for air and not getting any.  My dad did the Heimlich on me and somehow (along with my mom's prayers) I was able to cough and clear my throat passage, after what felt like forever.  I honestly had to cry when it was over because I thought I was going to pass out from not being able to breathe and/or be taken to the hospital via an ambulance.  It was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me!  Anyway, all that to say, God is so, so good.  Don't forget to thank Him for the little things that we take for granted every day.  Things like being able to breathe.  I'll never look at breathing the same again!

"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD." Psalm 150:6

Obedience is a gift- One that is given and one that is received...

I know that God has me where He wants me.  There is no doubt in my mind that His hand was at work when he called me to teach at a small private Christian school in my area.  However, the past few weeks have been frustrating for me.  This is my second year at the school and it has been by far the most difficult one yet.  Many changes have taken place in our classroom and it's been a hard adjustment period for me.  So I left school yesterday feeling frustrated, yet again.  And then some thoughts hit me.  What if I'm expecting too much from my students?  Do I really expect them to be perfect and obey me ALL the time?  Because I'm not perfect and I certainly don't always exhibit obedience myself!  And then I thought, "My Father must feel this way about me!  How many times does He get frustrated with me when I fail to show perfectionism and obedience?" 

Needless to say, these thoughts really sobered me and caused me to think about my life. I know I have a long way to go in both my role as teacher and in my role as student, taught by my Heavenly Father, the best teacher there ever was.  I desire to show as much grace, love, and forgiveness to my students as Christ has shown to me.  I cannot ask for anything more.