08.31.08
first week summary…
Well, I have officially finished my first week as a teacher. I never worried about whether or not I would like teaching; I always knew it was something I would enjoy, but every afternoon when I got in the car with Amanda to drive home, we would inevitably say something like, “I never knew it would be so fun!” It really has been so much fun! Now, I realize that only a week in it is still the honeymoon phase before the kids get all crazy and the teachers get all complainy, but I refuse to predict that I will begin to like teaching less.
So for a vague summary that will keep me out of special ed jail…
Monday my kids did not come to my class; instead they stayed with their homeroom group all day to learn classroom procedures. I got to go around and observe them, check on them, and get to know them by watching them. Basically, I was a stalker. I helped my aides (yes, I get TWO!) figure out their daily schedules, and I continued setting up my room and getting things in order.
Tuesday I had only 2 kids come to me (rather than going to a class with a sub), and we got to know one another, and I took them to the cafeteria to practice typing in their lunch numbers. They were only with me for a short while. I finished getting everything ready for kids…
Wednesday was my first full regularly scheduled day. All of my kids came! 7 in the morning, 5 in the afternoon. And it was so much fun! We learned all about good choices, and repeated the classroom essentials over and over and played games with them and talked about them and practiced them. I love teaching my kids scripture, and they don’t even know it!
Thursday they came again and I taught our classroom procedures. My class meets all together at the beginning, then they break up in to partners and rotate through the different stations, then we all meet back together at the end. This takes a lot of practice to get it right with 9, 10, 11 year olds. But they picked up on it very quickly, and all of the possible kinks I was worried about were not issues, hooray!
Friday we practiced the station rotations again. I was on the phone when some of my kids were first coming in the room, so I gave them the look, and pointed at their desks, and they sat down. But after a while they started getting a little rowdy, and when I hung up they all started complaining about each other (this is considered a BAD choice in my classroom). I spoke to them sternly about entering the classroom and reviewed the classroom essentials, and one little boy’s eyes got really big, and he said, “Did you used to teach 6th grade?” haha it was so funny…
Over all a successful week. Thank you, Jesus!
08.29.08
and the winner is….
Peppermint!
Yesterday my class was learning about place value using base-ten blocks, and one of my students looked up at me and said, “Fourth grade is fun!” It was so sweet! I am totally not used to compliance, so having students who behave is weird to me. I wonder how long it will last…
08.27.08
class pet
We have a class pet! He looks just like the fish in the picture. So today I took nominations for the fish’s name. Here is how the conversation went:
“Blue Fish!”
“Light Blue!”
“Blue!”
“Sky!”
(I would redirect their thinking…they were reeeally stuck on this blue thing…)
“Shark!”
“Little Shark!”
“Big Sharky!”
(another redirection…)
“Pretty!”
“Beautiful!”
“Butterfly!”
“Butterball!”
“Nemo!”
“Elmo!”
“Robin Hood!”
“Peppermint!”
“Pokey!”
“Happy!”
So…I narrowed it down, and tomorrow we will all vote. The fish will either be named…
Peppermint
or
Butterball
I am so excited. My students are great. I wish I could talk more about them without getting sued, but I would rather not go to special ed jail!
08.21.08
weird.
Today I said, “Back when I was in college….”
Weird.
Today I was asked to be a guest lecturer for a college class.
Weird.
Today I submitted lesson plans to my Assistant Principal.
Weird.
Today an older adult called me Ms. Moore.
Weird.
Today I called an older adult by her first name.
Weird.
Today was weird. Being an adult is weird.
08.19.08
Remembering Camp Arka
Two summers ago during my stay in Poland I had many wonderful experiences. Here is just one of those that I was able to share on my seminary discussion board. (Yes, I started seminary yesterday!) I thought I would share it here:
I spent a summer teaching English to Polish adolescents for the purpose of evangelism and discipleship. During our stay we would occasionally encounter Mariusz, the owner of the campsite on which our team lived. At first he seemed to go out of his way to avoid our group. After a few weeks, Mariusz began making eye contact and returned our greetings. By the third week his toddler came out to play with us, and eventually the formerly elusive Pole invited us all to watch the World cup matches with him each night. He began to observe the dynamics of our group, which was unified by our common love of the Lord, regardless of mixed nationalities, ages, and backgrounds.
During these late nights, Mariusz saw the way we related to one another, to the adolescents we were teaching, and to his own family. One particular evening the unbelieving man looked at a Polish woman on our team and exclaimed in shock, “You people really are Christians!” Taken aback by the tone of his declaration, she asked him exactly what he meant. Mariusz explained that year after year groups have come to his campsite, claiming to be Christians. After seeing the leaders of these groups bicker with one another, ignore the campers, and drink the nights away, he decided that Christians must be no different from himself. He concluded his story with, “I see that you all love the campers and love one another. You must be real Christians.” Our teammate then shared the way into a true relationship with the Lord with our curious host.
That night as I reflected on our conversation with Mariusz, I was reminded of Jesus’ words recorded in John chapter 13: “Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Because of the community that existed between my fellow believers and the relationships formed with those who do not know Him, we were given the opportunity to share the truth of the Gospel in a very personal manner. McRaney states, “Jesus clearly communicated that the reality of Christ rested to a large degree in how the disciples and other believers related to one another” (41). In today’s society, people place high value on credibility. If we are obedient in communing with other believers and building genuine relationships with non-believers, we become increasingly credible witnesses, which God uses to draw people to Himself.
08.17.08
Recipes
Since I am a poor teacher on a budget I have a new resolve to cook one big meal each Sunday and eat on it all week long. This should help me save money and eat healthier. And it also makes me feel very productive and accomplished when I cook a meal. So, frugality, health, productivity, accomplishments – all positive things in my book!
This week the meal was inspired by Bozena, the woman I lived with in Poland. Her parents are farmers, so she is very interested in supporting Polish agriculture. She always cooks meals with fresh fruits and veggies, which are so cheap and so delicious and completely organic in Poland. This meal is very colorful, so instead of listing ingredients, this is a recipe of pictures…
Bozena’s Pasta Salad
Cook the pasta, drain and let it cool. Dice up all the veggies. Mix it all together. Add a creamy sauce. Bozena combines a little sour cream, a little mustard, and a little milk. You can add tuna if you want. It is one delicious meal, and I get to eat it all week!
Also, this weekend I went to Lindsey’s house. It was such fun! We played the Wii – my favorite game is the people finding game. It is like the Where’s Waldo of video games. It is also the least video gamish game, and way fun for me. Not so fun for Matt. He thinks it is stupid. Together Lindsey and I made a super Polish breakfast called Racuchy z Jablkami. It is delicious, but definitely NOT healthy. But it comes highly recommended. Trust me, it these are delicious!
Racuchy z Jablkami
Mix together:
1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 500 ml milk, a dash of salt, 2 eggs, and add flour gradually until it is the consistency of thick pancake batter. Dice (very small!) 2 Granny Smith apples. Mix them into the batter. Heat oil in a skillet. Scoop 1/2 cup of batter into the hot oil and fry, flipping 1/2 way through until they are golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Here are some pictures from when Bozena taught me how to make them:
Mmmm…I love racuchy… If you don’t mind clogging your arteries with a little bit of fried heaven, then you should try these! Better yet, ask me, and I will make them for you!
08.13.08
Gold Medal
In honor of the Olympics…
At the end of my time in Poland I received this gold medal from the church congregation. This is “limited edition” with only six in existence. I felt very honored! On the front is the church’s name and logo. As you can see from the picture, I am very excited about this medal.
This is the back:
This makes me happy on so many levels. First of all, Polish-English is my favorite. I love hearing the blend of these languages when a native Polish speaker is speaking. Even though their English is often incorrect, I learned more about Polish grammar through these conversations because they often would use English vocabulary with Polish sentence structure. “Heart devoted heart.” This reflects Polish grammar.
Second of all, let’s look at the scripture reference one more time. First Pillipans. If we assume “Phillipans” is supposed to be “Philippians”, okay. But First Philippians? What?? Then comes the 1,3:6 which I can only assume means 1:3-6. I asked Mariola about this medal and she said, “We told the factory the right way. But they must not be Christians.” I guess that explanation is as good as the next!
08.11.08
I’m a big girl now.
Today was my first day of work.
Today I started setting up my first classroom. My very own classroom. Ms. Moore’s classroom. Craaazy!
Today I had to pick a health insurance policy, and wade through all the supplemental confusion of dental, vision, cancer, heart attack, stroke, long-term care, disability, etc… Call me optimistic, but I seriously doubt I will have a heart attack this year. Or a stroke. I decided to risk it.
Today I told someone that I am a teacher and I didn’t feel like a liar. Hooray!
Today was a day of firsts.
And now…reasons why I love working for a small rural school district:
1. The superintendent prayed in the name of Jesus Christ for us (teachers new to the district) as part of our new teacher orientation.
2. The assistant superintendent who I have met 2 brief times saw me, called me by name, gave me a hug, and asked, “How was Poland?”
3. My principal has genuine words of kindness on her lips at all times. And as a result every person I have met speaks only the very best about her. She is a highly-praised woman for all the right reasons. I feel so so blessed to be under her authority.
4. I got a “Visitor’s Guide” of “all there is to see and do in the area” in the small town where I teach. Hilarious. Here is an excerpt: “MRO offers waterfowl, upland fowl, dove, deer, wild hog, varmint, and squirrel hunts as well as fishing excursions and bird watching. Our Southern style Lodge accommodates 20+ people and is available for corporate or private retreats. Featuring rolling hills, flooded timber, and prairies.” My other favorite was this: “WCT has everything you need for your farm or ranch operation. From tractors, balers, mowers, discs, posthole diggers, sprayers, and more, we are ready to assist you with all your needs.”
Tomorrow we are having district convocation which involves the band, cheerleaders, and drill team. I enjoy that this town revolves primarily around FFA and high school football. Anyways, it will be my second day as an official member of the workforce!
08.04.08
FRAUD!
I feel like a fraud.
It seems like any moment someone is going to find out that I am not REALLY an adult, that I am just pretending.
I even rehearse these conversations in my head. For example, today I was shopping and all of the back-to-school clothes were out. I kept expecting a salesperson to come up to me and say,
“Hi, are you ready for school to start?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“What grade are you in?”
“Well, I teach 4th and 5th grade. Is that what you meant?”
(awkward silence)
“I’m also in grad school, so like, 17th grade?”
In my head I always “win” these conversations, and the other person thinks “Wow, she is so grown-up,” as I walk away. But I know that if it happened in real life (which it hasn’t, luckily!) I would either A) say something like above and then walk away a total jerk, or B) give a really vague answer to spare us both from awkwardness and walk away with them still thinking I am 16. I don’t like either of these options.
Here is the history of my “adulthood”. (See? I can’t even say it without quotes!)
First I thought I would be a credible adult when I turned 18.
Once I was 18 I thought, oh no, I am not really an adult yet. It must happen when you turn 21.
Once I was 21 I thought, oh, no, I am not really an adult yet. It must happen when you graduate from college.
Now I have graduated from college and I think, oh, no I am not really an adult yet. It must happen when…??? What now? I don’t know what the next “adulthood” milestone is. Will I ever stop feeling like a big faker??
Oh, being an adult is so weird.
(Even now in my head I am picturing some REAL adult reading this and thinking, “Rachel isn’t REALLY an adult.”)
08.03.08
Wojtek
If Mariola is my Polish mother, Wojtek is my eccentric Polish uncle.
This man has a crazy life story. He started drinking and smoking in his pre-teen years, and robbed stores, etc. Before too long he was homeless and alcoholic. Then he met Krzysztof, Mariola’s husband. Krzysztof befriended Wojtek, and counseled him through serious depression. One night Wojtek drank so much, his body began shutting down and he knew he was going to die. He remembered all that Krzysztof had told him, and he begged the Lord to save him. Instantly he became completely sober, and gave his life to the Lord. After that, he met with Mariola for coffee every day. Together they read the Bible and searched for answers to Wojtek’s many questions.
I don’t know about you, but if I was a young mother of an infant, I would be pretty hesitant to spend hours alone with an alcoholic homeless man in my kitchen every day. Have I mentioned how much I love Mariola? I LOVE this woman!
So……15 years later, Wojtek is the silly, strange, scrappy man we all love. He has been a mechanic for Wheels for the World for 15 years! Not only does Wojtek look like Rodeo Clown meets Sonny Bono, he laughs like Tigger. This man taught me the first Polish I ever learned. He also commonly uses sound effects to communicate. We have always sat together on the bus, and we just laugh and laugh and laugh.
This year the new team members asked me if I was drunk. That is how hilarious this man is. Then they sat by Wojtek at dinner, and they soon learned…there is no communication barrier that this man can’t overcome with laughter and weird sound effects.
I think my favorite thing about Wojtek is that he calls me “Mała”. This is the feminine form of “Little” and it is what Polish fathers call their daughters, uncles call their nieces, older brothers call their younger sisters, etc. I always tell him, “No! I am not small, I am an adult!” Then he says, “Oh, right, you have a diploma!” Then we laugh some more.
He also has a super cool job – he is the personal chauffer for the leading politician in one of the major political parties in Poland. Wow. Also a little scary, because when he drove me to the airport he drove part of the way on the sidewalk. But still cool.
