First Day of School

I walk in nervous. I am very thirsty when nervous. I spend the night before crying, not feeling prepared, and tossing and turning. I got 3.5 hrs of sleep. I had to meet parents, children, get supplies sorted, comfort children, and teach routines. I got up early to read my Bible, pray, and have coffee. Even after six times, and this being my seventh I was still a nervous wreck.

The Lord definitely helped me get through the day--I could not do it without Him. I am thankful for the prayers of my facebook family, and the encouraging words.

I entered into my apple themed classroom. I took a deep breath, drank almost half a Tervis cup of water, and prayed HARD! 8:15 came-parent began to come in with their kids, my classroom began to fill up with excited and scared boys and girls. I came out of my little comfort zone and met new parents and kids. I shared my verse of the year with them and my desire to be a Christ-like example to my students. The parents left and it was time to start a day. Coloring sheets in hand I passed them out, passed out crayons and got my kids busy coloring. It was time to start going through supplies. We also had to go upstairs to a different restroom since our restrooms are being worked on (brand new bathrooms)...what a time getting 18 kids up those steps, to the restroom, and their water. We went back down and went through supplies...before I knew it it was restroom time AGAIN and then lunch....oh I was late on my first day of lunch and my second day of lunch....hopefully I will be on time tomorrow. My class and I had time for a Bible lesson and a Phonics lesson. Then rest time and my "prep period" (a.k.a. break) came--oh how my feet were not happy. After school I prepared for the next day and went to Starbucks for a "Cotton Candy" Frappuchino...which is like happiness in a straw (a grande vanilla frappe with two pumps raspberry), and best of all its PINK! I came home, made dinner, attempted to watch a movie--and fell asleep in the middle of it.....Oh and I did soak my feet sometime in there too....

That said, I made it through Day 2, exhausted....but excited!

Pink Frappuchino (Cotton Candy)

18 Desks

First Day Coloring

Day 2: "Called by Your Name"

John 20:16 "Jesus said unto her, Mary."

You may be wondering what I could get from this short passage...and I did to. Then I read the story to go along with the passage. When Jesus lived here on earth He knew every one by name, and called every one by name. He didn't say "hey you there." I have a tendency to be very bad at names...especially getting them mixed up. I have 18 precious names to remember--names that will impact my life for the next 179 (now 178) days. Some names I will call more than others...some names they will be said when I call on them in class. I want these precious children know how much I love them, and how much I desire them to love God.

Day 1: Walking in Jesus' Footsteps

John 2:6 "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked."

I recently downloaded a teacher devotional book on my Kindle app, called Morning Meetings with Jesus: 180 Devotions for Teachers. I decided this would be my devotional book this year. Devotions in fact is one thing I have struggled with. This means I am getting up at 5:45, having devotions along with my morning coffee then getting ready for the day. I also decided to attempt to write 180 blog posts this school year....to share what I am learning.

Day 1 was the verse above. This is the verse I shared with my school parents this school year and have claimed it as my personal teacher verse. I want to be a teacher that is like Christ. A teacher that my students can follow after, and be a good Christlike role model to my kids. In order to do this I need to watch and learn God's ways---as I do this I will become more like him. I need to better understand Him to imitate Him.

Please pray as I do this this year. I want my students to see Christ in me.

My 2013-14 VCA classroom

Calendar Board

Five Minute Friday: Story

It is finally Friday, and today I am linking up with LisaJo for Five Minute Fridays. This is a time when bloggers, writers, and friends come together and write for five minutes on a topic--no editing...just writing. I have been joining in on Five Minute Fridays for the past few years.So here is goes....the prompt of the day is STORY

BEGIN

We all have a story. We all come from different backgrounds. We all come from different families, cultures, and different places around the world. We have our sad stories that make us cry as we tell them or listen. We have the funny stories that make us laugh so hard we can hardly get the words out. We have the inspirational stories--and even those that make you scratch your head. 

I think of my life--very simple life as a single Christian school teacher. One that the Lord is writing and has writing for the past 30 years. A story that only God can pen down and has the whole book written already--I am just waiting for the rest. I wonder if the story the Lord has for me has me getting married, having a family--or if its being single and teaching for the rest of my life. I want God to be the author of my story, and I want to live out the story He has for me--not my own. I do/can have my own story written out...my own dreams, but ultimately the best story of all is the one God has planned for me. 

~THE END~

Lessons from Childhood

This blog post has been on my mind for a long time...I knew what I wanted to say in my mind--I knew what my heart felt, but getting it on paper is the hardest thing. I also have to admit I didn't want to write it because its hard to "talk" about. So here we go---ready?! I don't think I am. 

Growing up was hard. My parents were wonderful, supportive, helped me academically, gave me the food I needed to eat, taught me to love God, taught me right vs. wrong--they were part of who I am today. I had all these wonderful things, but growing up was still hard...you may ask why. The answer is---the way I looked. I grew up being stared at, being laughed at, being called names, having lots of questions asked to me at a young age. The question was "What is wrong with your nose?" That question haunted me for years--to the point that I didn't care the way I looked because all people saw was my big, fat, ugly nose. I was called ugly, the boys laughed at me, the girls made fun, adults stared, kids stared. I finally asked my dad, "What do I say when people ask me whats wrong with my nose?" Dad's reply was, "Tell them God made you that way." So I did, half-heardedly told them that is the way God made me." But it still wasn't easy. There were all these gorgeous girls around me--guys paying attention to them---then there was me...plain Becca...well we will leave it at that. It was hard. I couldn't help it though because that is how God made me. 

In 9th grade, I had surgery but the doctor couldn't remove the entire neuroma--only part of it. It looked better--but still wasn't a pretty sight. Then college came...once again I was plagued with stares. I also worked with a bunch of kids and they asked ALL THE TIME...."Whats wrong with your nose?" Then it all came back to me--the memories of being made fun of---I also hated the way I looked. I wished there was a way to change it. There were times I would close my eyes and imagine myself looking "normal." But then something happened...I was at a breaking point. I snapped. I literally lost it---that is a whole other story. The day I lost it, dad took me on a drive. We talked. It helped, but it was still hard. I finally came to the point that I had to start liking myself and the way I looked. I started taking better care in the way I looked, took the time to do my hair, and apply makeup. I decided people can stare but I am "fearfully and wonderfully made." God made me this way for a reason--not sure why, and how He will use it for his glory, but he made me this way for a reason. I changed my attitude and learned to accept it. I see people every day who may not be the prettiest  or most good looking people---but I learn from personal experience to look past it. There could be something going on in their life, they may have had a bad day, they may just need a smile. Every one is beautiful in their own unique way. 

I have learned to laugh at myself, learned that there will people who will accept me and people who won't, learned that having a quirky sense of humor is the easiest way to help people look past my flaws, and learned to SMILE--always smile. A smile can make anyone's day. 

I have also learned that judging someone by the way they look isn't always what it seems. A person can be ugly or "different" and have the biggest heart out of anyone. A person can be beautiful and be mean, ugly, and a snob. Looks aren't always everything---its what is on the inside that counts. 

Lord, Send Me Anywhere

I haven't talked much about some hopes and dreams I have had for awhile. I have a lot of dreams--like going to Paris, getting married, having a family, and traveling the world. What can I say I am a dreamer--I can be caught daydreaming or talking about things I want to do. Over the past year, the dream--and hope and wishes of going into foreign missions has dwindled for a number of reasons. For one, I am very comfortable where I am right now. Second, I have been willing (unfortunately) to give up the fact I want to go to the foreign mission field to teach just so I can do what I want to do. Third, I am afraid, nervous, and unsure where to go and what to do. When I was in elementary school I talked and talked about being a missionary. Trust me, you can ask my teachers. I would talk about being a doctor on the mission field.. I would talk about being a nurse on the mission field. I would talk about being a teacher. When I was in high-school I dedicated my life to be a missionary--whether it was to stay here in America or go to another country. This time last year, I wanted to go to Africa, Germany, or to some third world country to teach boys and girls. Then something happened...that desire went away. I thought about it-- a lot. But then I thought, "No its not for me" or "No I don't want to." During the past few weeks, after a lady in my parents church asked me about my still wanting to go to Africa it hit me--I haven't thought about it for months. That desire to go help the Whitfields or the Coleys one summer dwindled away like a flame of a candle being blown out. The Lord is bringing that desire back. I still want to be a missionary outside of America--someday. I want to be willing to go anywhere. For now, the Lord is preparing me for this as Jacksonville, Florida, is my mission field at the moment. I pray that someday whether single or married I will be willing to go anywhere. I want to live out my life verse--Isaiah 6:8.