We wouldn't have to go to school tomorrow. Isn't that how the song goes? No?? Oh.
I want snow really bad because I think it's fun and fresh. It's December 20th for crying out loud. Christmas is 5, count em' FIVE (5) days away! If I didn't want snow in December, I would live somewhere else!
There's a funny thing about Kindergarteners and Christmas. They KNOW about Christmas. They are super excited about Christmas. They LOVE presents, trees, candy canes, cookies, and everything else associated with the holiday. BUT, they don't yet understand the concept of time. They don't understand that the anticipation should actually be for a 2 week break off of school. I try to tell them that they are about to get to stay at home for 14 days and they cheer because I say it excitedly but not because they really understand what that means. They don't appreciate getting to sleep in and not having to go to bed early or do homework. They look at the calendar with Christmas so clearly labeled with a nice little tree and still see the 5 white days before we get there so they don't get really excited. I mean they get excited about a Christmas game we might play or talking about Santa but really only when it's happening RIGHT NOW. Tomorrow, I will be asked 30 times before 10 when the party is going to be and what's going to happen and if they'll get to eat extra candy but they'll probably forget to ask about Christmas. 4 more days is practically an eternity. Why even waste the time when there are cupcakes to be eaten TODAY.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Keeping up with the Joneses
We didn't like taping things to walls in the hallway so our principal ordered us bulletin boards. They finally got them all put up in October and since then it's been "keeping up with Joneses" bulletin board style. See for yourself. They show kids artwork, teacher artwork, teacher hard work, pre-bought kits, and a variety of other combinations.
Mine is the first one with the reindeer. "Rein in the excitement." That's right. Hold it in. Don't get too excited. BUT, it is supposed to snow enough to stick tonight so I'm no longer holding it in. BRING ON THE SNOW!!!
Mine is the first one with the reindeer. "Rein in the excitement." That's right. Hold it in. Don't get too excited. BUT, it is supposed to snow enough to stick tonight so I'm no longer holding it in. BRING ON THE SNOW!!!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
FINALLY something funny
Ms. Lock-I have a frog in my throat.
Student-Really? (He's totally serious.)
Ms. Lock-Yep. It's making my voice so scratchy.
Student-How did it get there?
Ms. Lock-I swallowed it.
Student-EHHHHHHH!
Much later
Ms. Lock-Do you want to look down my throat and see the frog?
Entire class-YES!! I WANT TO SEE! GET OUT OF THE WAY, I DIDN"T SEE!
I can still project if I need to and it doesn't hurt but my regular talking voice isn't sounding very good. In fact, one of my students just said it was different. I have a "new voice." The old one has taken a vacation I guess. It was pretty funny to see how long I could have had them going with the whole frog thing. They really bought in to it. I could almost see his imagination picturing me swallowing a frog and what it was doing down there and how was it going to get out and so on.
We came back from Thanksgiving break with GREAT attitudes and apparently our minds needed a break too because the interventionist who has been working really hard and intensively with my lowest kids saw three of them make HUGE gains. They have to name a random list of letters to see how many they can get in a minute and one girl DOUBLED her total from two weeks ago. She went from saying 19 with 5 errors to 41 and no errors. It's pretty amazing and why year round school is very beneficial. They need a break sometimes to help them refocus and come back strong. We won't be to year round by next year but hopefully the year after that. I think it would rock.
Also a funny story is that today the fire alarm puller klepto got INTO the trashcan. Yeah, the big one. He climbed inside. Probably just to see if he could. I have no idea what we will do with him. Too bad he didn't get stuck. Just kidding! Right?
Student-Really? (He's totally serious.)
Ms. Lock-Yep. It's making my voice so scratchy.
Student-How did it get there?
Ms. Lock-I swallowed it.
Student-EHHHHHHH!
Much later
Ms. Lock-Do you want to look down my throat and see the frog?
Entire class-YES!! I WANT TO SEE! GET OUT OF THE WAY, I DIDN"T SEE!
I can still project if I need to and it doesn't hurt but my regular talking voice isn't sounding very good. In fact, one of my students just said it was different. I have a "new voice." The old one has taken a vacation I guess. It was pretty funny to see how long I could have had them going with the whole frog thing. They really bought in to it. I could almost see his imagination picturing me swallowing a frog and what it was doing down there and how was it going to get out and so on.
We came back from Thanksgiving break with GREAT attitudes and apparently our minds needed a break too because the interventionist who has been working really hard and intensively with my lowest kids saw three of them make HUGE gains. They have to name a random list of letters to see how many they can get in a minute and one girl DOUBLED her total from two weeks ago. She went from saying 19 with 5 errors to 41 and no errors. It's pretty amazing and why year round school is very beneficial. They need a break sometimes to help them refocus and come back strong. We won't be to year round by next year but hopefully the year after that. I think it would rock.
Also a funny story is that today the fire alarm puller klepto got INTO the trashcan. Yeah, the big one. He climbed inside. Probably just to see if he could. I have no idea what we will do with him. Too bad he didn't get stuck. Just kidding! Right?
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
YES.
One of my students thinks I look like Faith Hill from the Monday night football intro. YES.
I have not yet killed the klepto fire alarm puller. YES.
With the help of Skittles, my students are now sitting in their seats 75% more of the time than they were 2 weeks ago. YES.
Thanksgiving break has officially started. YES.
I have tomorrow to cook, do errands, catch up, and sleep in. YES.
My only plans for the weekend are eating and hanging out with family. YES.
It's cold outside. YES.
Basketball season is here. YES.
I have not yet killed the klepto fire alarm puller. YES.
With the help of Skittles, my students are now sitting in their seats 75% more of the time than they were 2 weeks ago. YES.
Thanksgiving break has officially started. YES.
I have tomorrow to cook, do errands, catch up, and sleep in. YES.
My only plans for the weekend are eating and hanging out with family. YES.
It's cold outside. YES.
Basketball season is here. YES.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Tornados in November
Student: Ms. Lock, it's tornado weather!
Ms. Lock: No, it's just a lot of wind and rain. There's no tornado.
three minute interlude of writing instruction
Class is interrupted by another teacher.
Teacher: Ms. Lock, we're under a tornado warning. We're moving classes to the hall.
Ms. Lock: Everyone line up!
We spent 30 minutes of our afternoon sitting on the floor in the commons area trying to keep 240 students quiet and sitting calmly on the floor. My students just assumed it was a drill and quickly began complaining that it was boring and why couldn't we go back to class yet. As far as I know, there was never a funnel cloud spotted but some hail and strong winds. The area was under a warning for the better part of 30 minutes until the conditions passed. Good times in Kindergarten.
Ms. Lock: No, it's just a lot of wind and rain. There's no tornado.
three minute interlude of writing instruction
Class is interrupted by another teacher.
Teacher: Ms. Lock, we're under a tornado warning. We're moving classes to the hall.
Ms. Lock: Everyone line up!
We spent 30 minutes of our afternoon sitting on the floor in the commons area trying to keep 240 students quiet and sitting calmly on the floor. My students just assumed it was a drill and quickly began complaining that it was boring and why couldn't we go back to class yet. As far as I know, there was never a funnel cloud spotted but some hail and strong winds. The area was under a warning for the better part of 30 minutes until the conditions passed. Good times in Kindergarten.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Keeping Up
This last week had it's share of big ups and downs. It started off rather terribly with a visit from the school psychologist as she was trying to observe one of my students. The entire class was just really restless and not doing anything particularly well. She was aghast and I was feeling pretty insignificant. It led to a couple of conversations with my principal about what we can do to get everybody back on track and my mean face firmly planted on. It was only a four day week but it definitely ended better than it started. The next 7 days before Thanksgiving break will be a lot of going back to the basics. We are going to keep it simple and matter of fact. Stay in your seat. Raise your hand.
Sometimes I wonder what it will be like to teach for 30 years. That's a LONG time. I think for the most part it would be good. However, I wonder about how I will survive things like packing a sack lunch everyday. How many containers of yogurt will I eat in 30 years? I'm not so sure about that.
2 more things
Illini football makes me depressed. I will forever be fan but I'm also not sure how I'll survive 30 years of that either.
I am 98% sure my van would not have started when it was cold last week. When I was scrapping the frost off my windshield, that's what I was thinking, "I made a good choice to get rid of the van."
Sometimes I wonder what it will be like to teach for 30 years. That's a LONG time. I think for the most part it would be good. However, I wonder about how I will survive things like packing a sack lunch everyday. How many containers of yogurt will I eat in 30 years? I'm not so sure about that.
2 more things
Illini football makes me depressed. I will forever be fan but I'm also not sure how I'll survive 30 years of that either.
I am 98% sure my van would not have started when it was cold last week. When I was scrapping the frost off my windshield, that's what I was thinking, "I made a good choice to get rid of the van."
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Thursday Thoughts
This is going to sound very shallow and lame but the only thing that gets me through Thursdays is Thursday night TV. I am wearing sweats and waiting for Bones, Grey's, and The Mentalist. While I'm waiting, I'm watching NCIS and Castle from earlier this week. I'm also doing laundry and writing this blog. By the way, NCIS from last Tuesday is HILARIOUS.
We have decided that Thursdays aren't really the best days. As teachers, we're feeling the weekly drag and the kids are typically just all kinds of riled up. I've also noticed that the end of the first quarter tends to bring out whining. I've had loads of whining lately which is just about driving me crazy. I think everyone is over tired from Halloween, 5 day weeks, and the drag of school. It's the reason year round school is a good idea. I don't know if we will get to it as fast as next year but here's to hoping we try. We need two week vacations about mid-October. The extra sleep would do everyone a world of good.
In three years, I've improved at some of the little things. I'm still working on others. I've remembered to teach my students how to push in chairs. I've yet to figure out how to teach them to pick up their trash.
There is a mouse that lives my ceiling. I hear him chewing on the tiles during my plan time and believe you me is it disconcerting. The janitors have put in a trap for him but it's yet to catch anything. He's just running around up there trying to get down to the crumbs. I hope he finds the trap first. I need him to go away.
We have decided that Thursdays aren't really the best days. As teachers, we're feeling the weekly drag and the kids are typically just all kinds of riled up. I've also noticed that the end of the first quarter tends to bring out whining. I've had loads of whining lately which is just about driving me crazy. I think everyone is over tired from Halloween, 5 day weeks, and the drag of school. It's the reason year round school is a good idea. I don't know if we will get to it as fast as next year but here's to hoping we try. We need two week vacations about mid-October. The extra sleep would do everyone a world of good.
In three years, I've improved at some of the little things. I'm still working on others. I've remembered to teach my students how to push in chairs. I've yet to figure out how to teach them to pick up their trash.
There is a mouse that lives my ceiling. I hear him chewing on the tiles during my plan time and believe you me is it disconcerting. The janitors have put in a trap for him but it's yet to catch anything. He's just running around up there trying to get down to the crumbs. I hope he finds the trap first. I need him to go away.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturdays
This was my Saturday. Baking Halloween cookies while I watched the Illinois game. I took my cookies to a Halloween party and went as depressed Illini football fan-no costume necessary.
We had a great field trip last Monday to the Reindeer Ranch. The weather was sunny and 60. There was a little wind but it didn't bother the kids any. Everyone did a great job on the bus and outside. No one was afraid of the reindeer and no one got hurt. It was a very uneventful but successful field trip. It's a great short trip; and since we probably won't be able to go to the zoo because of budget restrictions, the best one we'll go on this year.
Tomorrow is Halloween and I've been told it's a beast of a day. It's been on Saturday and Sunday the last two years so I haven't had to deal with the chaos that is this holiday. We are having a small party and an assembly to keep the teacher's sane. We don't get to dress up like we did back in the day. I remember enjoying it as a kid but as a teacher I'm pretty gosh darn sure I'm glad we don't do it. Trying to put 22 students in costumes which they will then immediately begin pretending to be sounds like an awful nightmare. I'll stick with playdoh and a "Circus Boy" assembly thank you very much.
I went in to school today for the second time this year. I haven't spent nearly as much time prepping this year as the last two but I don't think it's been a good thing. I've been relying too much on what I think I know but it hasn't been working. I needed the extra time to gather my thoughts, get extra prepared, and put myself in a good place for the next three weeks. We have three weeks and two days until Thanksgiving break with a four day week thrown in the middle so I know it's going to go fast. I'm afraid it's going to go too fast and we won't accomplish the things we need to get done. I'm okay with where we are right now but I know we've still got a long ways to go. I've settled back a little and in Kindergarten that's never a good idea. They'll just run you right over. Today was a preventative measure to ensure that doesn't happen. Here's hoping it works.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
October Happenings
We were rained out of our field trip last week. It was the most absolutely miserable day in October that we have had so we elected to stay at home. It was smart choice because we would have had to spend the entire on the bus. We are going to go tomorrow (Monday) instead. It's supposed to be 65 and sunny and if the weather is anything like it is today it will be perfect. We are going to the Reindeer ranch again. The Fireman (good? no?) is not going with us. I'm 98% sure he would run off into the corn maze and we would have to send up flares and search parties. It's been decided that it's just safer for him to stay at school. He has also started stealing things. He's quickly becoming a 5 year old kleptomaniac. He's taken a Capri Sun out of another student's lunch box, a 5 dollar bill off my desk, gum out of the speech teacher's purse, and the list goes on. Maybe his nickname should be Klep.
We still managed to salvage the week by carving a pumpkin on Friday. This is the third year I've done it and I wondered before I did it if it was a good idea. It's fun and the kids enjoy it but one slip up with that giant knife . . . but I didn't slip up and I got really good pictures of my kids digging out the pumpkin guts. One girl is even holding her nose while bravely reaching in to pull out a few seeds.
The end of the first quarter is tomorrow. I can't believe it's been 9 weeks already. One quarter of the year done already?!? How is that even possible??
We still managed to salvage the week by carving a pumpkin on Friday. This is the third year I've done it and I wondered before I did it if it was a good idea. It's fun and the kids enjoy it but one slip up with that giant knife . . . but I didn't slip up and I got really good pictures of my kids digging out the pumpkin guts. One girl is even holding her nose while bravely reaching in to pull out a few seeds.
The end of the first quarter is tomorrow. I can't believe it's been 9 weeks already. One quarter of the year done already?!? How is that even possible??
Friday, October 7, 2011
Randoms
We have settled into a pretty good routine in room 25. I need your help figuring out a nickname for the "alarm puller, shirt cutter, attention span of a gnat" kid. It just so happens that he has the same name as one of my brothers and it's really starting to ruin the name for me. I have a feeling I might start shuddering when I hear the name and that's probably not good when it happens to also be family. All suggestions are welcome. It needs to be catchy and short and quick. GO.
Parent/Teacher conferences have come and gone. This is a four day weekend for the kids and a three day weekend for me. It was hard to imagine how we survived last year with no holidays. We had so many five day weeks I forgot what long holiday weekends felt like. I think I'm going to remember pretty quickly though. DVR here I come.
The new ride is great. It still has the new car smell and starts every time. It gets pretty good gas mileage (27 hwy) and has already started to store my random crap. Currently there are balloons, clothes that need to be given away, and a printer.
I like that the weather is nice but it needs it to be about 10 degrees cooler. The combines, wagons, and tractors are out and it just doesn't feel right to no be able to put on a sweatshirt. I LOVE sweatshirts.
Parent/Teacher conferences have come and gone. This is a four day weekend for the kids and a three day weekend for me. It was hard to imagine how we survived last year with no holidays. We had so many five day weeks I forgot what long holiday weekends felt like. I think I'm going to remember pretty quickly though. DVR here I come.
The new ride is great. It still has the new car smell and starts every time. It gets pretty good gas mileage (27 hwy) and has already started to store my random crap. Currently there are balloons, clothes that need to be given away, and a printer.
I like that the weather is nice but it needs it to be about 10 degrees cooler. The combines, wagons, and tractors are out and it just doesn't feel right to no be able to put on a sweatshirt. I LOVE sweatshirts.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
"I'm a big girl now"
Me: I just don't know what to do. I hate making decisions.
Colleague: Do you want someone to just tell you what to do?
Me: YES
Colleague: GET RID OF THE GRANDMA VAN!
Me: That was the easy decision.
I would like it said that I am not a person who likes car shopping. I'm not picky. I have a hard time knowing what I want. I am not good at making choices probably because I don't really know what I want. I'm not pushy or demanding. I'm almost too low-key. Anyways, after 5 days of shopping I just said yes and made the deal. I only shopped at Ford because I was already tired of the hassle and pressure. I think I got a decent deal and in the end the decision came down to working with the person I felt the most comfortable with. I have a little tirade about the other person I worked with but I should probably be nice. He was just trying to be helpful. It's his job after all.
I cleaned the following out of my van; When you don't own a garage or house with lots of room, your vehicle becomes your storage space. As indicated by the list of things I have been driving around for 1-3 years.
toothbrush
dental floss
sprinkles
$23.00 and a lot of change
Brake fluid
lint brush
an American flag and mounting set
5 bottles of water
3 text books
1 10 year old Dog Fancy magazine (This is much improved because 2 months ago I had over 30 issues in there)
Coupons
300 gas receipts
Bandaids
Paper Towels
And the usual car things like an ice scraper, umbrella, tire gauge, and maps
The Details
2011 Ford Escape
New
Moon Roof (Apparently it's no longer called a sun roof but I have no idea why)
Sync Systems (allows you to answer your phone hands free)
It does all other standard things. Basically the moon roof was the only added special feature.
I finally came in possession of it Tuesday evening about 8 PM after waiting a few extra days. It was not on the lot in Champaign but a dealer trade from somewhere else. I never actually heard where so they probably didn't want to tell me but all that doesn't really matter. It just means I had to drive the van to 130000 miles and the new vehicle has 500 already. I think it made the drive to work faster. Probably not. But it's sure going to feel like for a few days. : )
These are the few pictures that I took but the sun made was making it hard to not have a glare. It's just so gosh darn shiny. It also looks really long but it's not. Just 2 rows. 5 seater. Who wants a road trip??!?
Colleague: Do you want someone to just tell you what to do?
Me: YES
Colleague: GET RID OF THE GRANDMA VAN!
Me: That was the easy decision.
I would like it said that I am not a person who likes car shopping. I'm not picky. I have a hard time knowing what I want. I am not good at making choices probably because I don't really know what I want. I'm not pushy or demanding. I'm almost too low-key. Anyways, after 5 days of shopping I just said yes and made the deal. I only shopped at Ford because I was already tired of the hassle and pressure. I think I got a decent deal and in the end the decision came down to working with the person I felt the most comfortable with. I have a little tirade about the other person I worked with but I should probably be nice. He was just trying to be helpful. It's his job after all.
I cleaned the following out of my van; When you don't own a garage or house with lots of room, your vehicle becomes your storage space. As indicated by the list of things I have been driving around for 1-3 years.
toothbrush
dental floss
sprinkles
$23.00 and a lot of change
Brake fluid
lint brush
an American flag and mounting set
5 bottles of water
3 text books
1 10 year old Dog Fancy magazine (This is much improved because 2 months ago I had over 30 issues in there)
Coupons
300 gas receipts
Bandaids
Paper Towels
And the usual car things like an ice scraper, umbrella, tire gauge, and maps
The Details
2011 Ford Escape
New
Moon Roof (Apparently it's no longer called a sun roof but I have no idea why)
Sync Systems (allows you to answer your phone hands free)
It does all other standard things. Basically the moon roof was the only added special feature.
I finally came in possession of it Tuesday evening about 8 PM after waiting a few extra days. It was not on the lot in Champaign but a dealer trade from somewhere else. I never actually heard where so they probably didn't want to tell me but all that doesn't really matter. It just means I had to drive the van to 130000 miles and the new vehicle has 500 already. I think it made the drive to work faster. Probably not. But it's sure going to feel like for a few days. : )
These are the few pictures that I took but the sun made was making it hard to not have a glare. It's just so gosh darn shiny. It also looks really long but it's not. Just 2 rows. 5 seater. Who wants a road trip??!?
Monday, September 19, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Found!
I vaguely remembered putting the camera cord in one of the bags that I had that weekend, but I thought I checked them all. Last night, I realized I hadn't looked in my "get ready" bag. (The one that had my blow drier, shower stuff, straightner, etc.) Turns out there it was! So yeah because I was going to go buy a new one today anyway.
I'm WAY behind and in need of some backtracking so here are the before and after pictures of my room.
Before
BLUE WALL!
After
Complete with hundreds of dollars worth of new reading materials
It looks very much the same as last year with a few small exceptions. I debated long and hard about taking out the kitchen but I just couldn't do it to them. They LOVE the kitchen and I just couldn't justify taking away that exhilarating part of Kindergarten. I organized it a little better and made it easier to clean up and thus far it has gone pretty smoothly. I'm sad to say that I haven't had a funny kid emerge yet. Seems like out of 22 there should be at least one that has me laughing out loud but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe I'll step up my game and start asking ridiculous questions to elicit some great responses. It can seriously be the highlight of a year. One even tried to guess my age and said 25! He was only a week away from being right so that pretty much dashed all hope that we might have a funny year. They even drew serious pictures of themselves. No werewolves, monsters, or vampires. I ALWAYS have a vampire. And by always I just mean the last two years but still. I was coming to expect it. Just a couple of blue people which is not even very creative. I have a couple kids who don't know their colors so it's highly likely that all that happened there. Sigh.
We have gotten off to a pretty good start thus far with everyone. The impulse kid wants to please REALLY bad so as long as I'm noticing and giving him that extra smile I think he can stay on track. The fire alarm puller, sleeper, school supply ruiner is an entirely different story and his nickname on this blog is going to become "The Youngin." One day last week he was standing next to me in the gym and put his hand on the fire alarm AGAIN. I almost freaked out on him getting his hand away. His response? "That's an alarm clock." My response, "That is NOT an alarm clock!" Oh goodness. There is another that has quite a few issues the biggest being cursing at and hitting adults. He might be getting a behavior plan. I'm not complaining though because I can't say that I have the worst of the high flyers in Kindergarten this year. There is about one in every class and since mine don't scream (yet) and I haven't had the behavior interventionist assigned to my room for 2 hours a day I'm counting my blessings. I do have a very low group of kids though. It's going to a great teaching challenge to bring these kids up and see how far they can go. It's definitely one that I'm more excited about. I refuse to lower my expectations for them and if we can be successful I know it will be my most rewarding year yet.
Let's see, what else? We lost our regional softball game 10-11 in 9 innings. So while it was disappointing that we lost it was a hard fought game and we were proud of the girls. We finished with 3 wins and some losses. I lost track and it didn't really seem important anyway. We'll have 7 of our 9 starters returning next including our starting pitchers so there is a lot to look forward to next year. I also have big news about a big purchase that I've recently made but I'm going to hold you in anxious suspense until Monday. Then, there will be a picture which is all you really want to see anyway. Dun, dun. Dun, dun. Dun, dun.
I'm WAY behind and in need of some backtracking so here are the before and after pictures of my room.
Before
BLUE WALL!
After
Complete with hundreds of dollars worth of new reading materials
It looks very much the same as last year with a few small exceptions. I debated long and hard about taking out the kitchen but I just couldn't do it to them. They LOVE the kitchen and I just couldn't justify taking away that exhilarating part of Kindergarten. I organized it a little better and made it easier to clean up and thus far it has gone pretty smoothly. I'm sad to say that I haven't had a funny kid emerge yet. Seems like out of 22 there should be at least one that has me laughing out loud but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe I'll step up my game and start asking ridiculous questions to elicit some great responses. It can seriously be the highlight of a year. One even tried to guess my age and said 25! He was only a week away from being right so that pretty much dashed all hope that we might have a funny year. They even drew serious pictures of themselves. No werewolves, monsters, or vampires. I ALWAYS have a vampire. And by always I just mean the last two years but still. I was coming to expect it. Just a couple of blue people which is not even very creative. I have a couple kids who don't know their colors so it's highly likely that all that happened there. Sigh.
We have gotten off to a pretty good start thus far with everyone. The impulse kid wants to please REALLY bad so as long as I'm noticing and giving him that extra smile I think he can stay on track. The fire alarm puller, sleeper, school supply ruiner is an entirely different story and his nickname on this blog is going to become "The Youngin." One day last week he was standing next to me in the gym and put his hand on the fire alarm AGAIN. I almost freaked out on him getting his hand away. His response? "That's an alarm clock." My response, "That is NOT an alarm clock!" Oh goodness. There is another that has quite a few issues the biggest being cursing at and hitting adults. He might be getting a behavior plan. I'm not complaining though because I can't say that I have the worst of the high flyers in Kindergarten this year. There is about one in every class and since mine don't scream (yet) and I haven't had the behavior interventionist assigned to my room for 2 hours a day I'm counting my blessings. I do have a very low group of kids though. It's going to a great teaching challenge to bring these kids up and see how far they can go. It's definitely one that I'm more excited about. I refuse to lower my expectations for them and if we can be successful I know it will be my most rewarding year yet.
Let's see, what else? We lost our regional softball game 10-11 in 9 innings. So while it was disappointing that we lost it was a hard fought game and we were proud of the girls. We finished with 3 wins and some losses. I lost track and it didn't really seem important anyway. We'll have 7 of our 9 starters returning next including our starting pitchers so there is a lot to look forward to next year. I also have big news about a big purchase that I've recently made but I'm going to hold you in anxious suspense until Monday. Then, there will be a picture which is all you really want to see anyway. Dun, dun. Dun, dun. Dun, dun.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Lost
My camera cord. Otherwise you be getting a great update complete with before and after pictures of my room, the "Kindergarten Faces," and maybe even a wedding picture or two from Ryann's wedding last weekend but alas it won't be so. It is either lost in my van, at school, or in Avon. I know I picked it up to take to Avon last weekend but have checked all the bags and it seems to have disappeared. I didn't think I took it out but I can't find it either so no pictures for now.
Instead, I will just tell you that one of my students has pulled the fire alarm. The same one pictured in the previous post. On a positive note, I think he made it through all last week without cutting any holes in his shirt! If nothing else, I will have taught him how to appropriately use scissors. Success. One said straight up to me, "F_ _ _ you, stupid" and "Tie my shoe, stupid girl." He's getting a behavior plan. 11 of 23 only know 0-5 letters. 8 of 23 know 23-26. A few things have been frustrating but for the most part it has gone well and the three day weekend has very much helped me catch up with things and hopefully prepare for a really great September.
Softball will be over this week and while we haven't had a lot of success the girls are fun to coach and have had great attitudes about everything. We should be much improved next year.
One last thing. I wish I was just a teensy tintsy bit as cool as Jason Bourne.
Instead, I will just tell you that one of my students has pulled the fire alarm. The same one pictured in the previous post. On a positive note, I think he made it through all last week without cutting any holes in his shirt! If nothing else, I will have taught him how to appropriately use scissors. Success. One said straight up to me, "F_ _ _ you, stupid" and "Tie my shoe, stupid girl." He's getting a behavior plan. 11 of 23 only know 0-5 letters. 8 of 23 know 23-26. A few things have been frustrating but for the most part it has gone well and the three day weekend has very much helped me catch up with things and hopefully prepare for a really great September.
Softball will be over this week and while we haven't had a lot of success the girls are fun to coach and have had great attitudes about everything. We should be much improved next year.
One last thing. I wish I was just a teensy tintsy bit as cool as Jason Bourne.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
How everyone really feels . . .
after the first day of kindergarten.
Do I really need to say anymore???
Take in mind that this was taken in the middle of an all school assembly where 250 students were shouting "I AM RESPECTFUL!" at the top of their lungs, the principal was talking on the microphone, a video was played, and there was lots of screaming about the PowerStore. Yes, I think it was a long day. Yes, we survived. Myself and all 22 students. Even two days later, this is all the energy I can muster for a post. But I'll give you the barebones facts.
9 girls.
13 boys.
2 (including the one above) 4 year olds.
1 with absolutely no self control. (He's already grabbed someone's butt in the lunch line)
2 sad short lived criers.
1 screamer when she doesn't her way.
6 silent watchers
2 repeaters
0 lost
3 days done
177 to go
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Impact-Part II
I didn't intend to write 2 parts but when I was finished with the last post, I realized that I only talked about what happened in Africa. I never got back to the more personal part of it. The way this trip changed me. I'm probably still figuring it all out but I'm also pretty sure that's the point.
A couple days after I got back I embarked on a road trip. I figured that after having survived 15 hours on a place I would like to see how it compared to 15 hours in a car. (It is in fact better in a car minus the part where you travel a million times slower.) I set out driving and figured I would "debrief" myself while I drove. I only had the radio so it was the perfect time to reflect on what exactly God is teaching me. Or better yet, what He wanted me to do next. I tend to be a little emotionally detached so I didn't come back feeling that much different than when I went. I didn't "feel" changed or moved. I was reflective and needing to do a lot of thinking. God likes to drop things in on me while I'm thinking (AKA-talking to myself). THEN, I start to feel the change and see the difference. THEN, I can start to do something about it.
I thought about a lot of things while I was on the road. I prayed for the team that went and the people we met. I thought about our impact in Addis and how I could tell people about the trip in way that helps them understand why I think it's so important. I tried to decide where to start when people ask, "Tell me about your trip!" For the record, I still haven't quite figured that one out yet. I pretty much just start talking until eyes start to glaze over. As evidenced by this month long series of posts, there's a lot to say. Anyway, I'm not really sure where I was but I was thinking about going back next year. I was thinking about what I might change, do differently, or what it could look like. I was thinking about how great it could be and how many people I could convince to go with me. It was all quite inspiring when God just dropped in a bombshell of a thought:
"Jessica, you're life isn't supposed to be lived mission trip to mission trip. Your WHOLE LIFE is a mission trip."
Well, isn't that humbling. God likes to put me in my place when I get a little carried away. I should put it on a bumper sticker because it's going to stay with me awhile. I realized I shouldn't be focusing so much on how God can use me in Africa when I'm not in Africa right now. I'm in the United States with people who need God's love, mercy, and grace all around me. I interact with people who need God and are searching for Him everyday. I don't need to go to another country, state, or town to for God to use me or to be His light. I have to do it here too. It shouldn't just be a constant high and low as you go from outside your comfort zone to right back into it. I should be living my life with the same passion and energy as I plan for and think about a mission trip. It's not wrong for me to want to go back to Ethiopia or on another overseas trip, but it is wrong for me to neglect what I can be doing RIGHT NOW for the people around me. It's too important not to forget.
Right now, I don't feel called to go live in another country (pause for a big sigh of relief from my parents.) I DO, however, feel very strongly about the kids I'm teaching. I truly do love what I do even when it's hard and disappointing. I'm already starting to feel the excitement of meeting my new class and imaging what this year might bring. I was discouraged some last year but I never dreaded going to work. I've enjoyed my vacation but it's starting to seem right that in three weeks I'll have a new class list. I don't know what to expect but I do know that it's where I'm supposed to be right now. This IS my current mission trip, and I need to be preparing and treating it as such. It's giving me a fresh look on the year and a renewed passion that I needed. I have three weeks to get ready for my best year yet, and I plan to do just that.
Now, don't get me wrong, I believe that every person should go on trips outside their comfort zones to love God's people. You should never let age, time, or money get in the way of stepping out in faith and going on trip. God wants that opportunity to impact your life so don't use any excuses to opt out when He's giving you a way in. You won't be disappointed. It keeps you humble, changes your perspectives, and allows God to use you in completely different ways. I might have spent this next year treading water and barely keeping myself afloat in my classroom. Instead, I'll be more prepared and reenergized. I'll attack it with a passion I don't think I would have had otherwise. I will be a little bit different but by God's grace it will be better and I will be too.
I think I've finally said just about all I can say about Ethiopia 2011. I've exhausted my personal list of things I wanted to write about and remember as well as some requests from others. I hope it was well worth your time and reading. I did the best I could.
As a P.S
While I've already determined to live my life more as a mission trip instead just trip to trip, I'm still thinking about what next summer might have in store. I've been asked to lead this trip for next year; and so far, I can't think of any real reasons not to-which, as a friend kindly pointed out, was how I ended up going on this one in the first place. I'm not sure what exactly will transpire next but it could definitely involve me asking you if you want to go to Ethiopia in 2012. Did you get a little bit excited when I said that? Good. You're going. Get ready.
P.S.S.
Softball started yesterday and school starts on the 16th. Blogging will be back to school related things shortly but will probably be in hiatus for the next few weeks. I've got work to do.
A couple days after I got back I embarked on a road trip. I figured that after having survived 15 hours on a place I would like to see how it compared to 15 hours in a car. (It is in fact better in a car minus the part where you travel a million times slower.) I set out driving and figured I would "debrief" myself while I drove. I only had the radio so it was the perfect time to reflect on what exactly God is teaching me. Or better yet, what He wanted me to do next. I tend to be a little emotionally detached so I didn't come back feeling that much different than when I went. I didn't "feel" changed or moved. I was reflective and needing to do a lot of thinking. God likes to drop things in on me while I'm thinking (AKA-talking to myself). THEN, I start to feel the change and see the difference. THEN, I can start to do something about it.
I thought about a lot of things while I was on the road. I prayed for the team that went and the people we met. I thought about our impact in Addis and how I could tell people about the trip in way that helps them understand why I think it's so important. I tried to decide where to start when people ask, "Tell me about your trip!" For the record, I still haven't quite figured that one out yet. I pretty much just start talking until eyes start to glaze over. As evidenced by this month long series of posts, there's a lot to say. Anyway, I'm not really sure where I was but I was thinking about going back next year. I was thinking about what I might change, do differently, or what it could look like. I was thinking about how great it could be and how many people I could convince to go with me. It was all quite inspiring when God just dropped in a bombshell of a thought:
"Jessica, you're life isn't supposed to be lived mission trip to mission trip. Your WHOLE LIFE is a mission trip."
Well, isn't that humbling. God likes to put me in my place when I get a little carried away. I should put it on a bumper sticker because it's going to stay with me awhile. I realized I shouldn't be focusing so much on how God can use me in Africa when I'm not in Africa right now. I'm in the United States with people who need God's love, mercy, and grace all around me. I interact with people who need God and are searching for Him everyday. I don't need to go to another country, state, or town to for God to use me or to be His light. I have to do it here too. It shouldn't just be a constant high and low as you go from outside your comfort zone to right back into it. I should be living my life with the same passion and energy as I plan for and think about a mission trip. It's not wrong for me to want to go back to Ethiopia or on another overseas trip, but it is wrong for me to neglect what I can be doing RIGHT NOW for the people around me. It's too important not to forget.
Right now, I don't feel called to go live in another country (pause for a big sigh of relief from my parents.) I DO, however, feel very strongly about the kids I'm teaching. I truly do love what I do even when it's hard and disappointing. I'm already starting to feel the excitement of meeting my new class and imaging what this year might bring. I was discouraged some last year but I never dreaded going to work. I've enjoyed my vacation but it's starting to seem right that in three weeks I'll have a new class list. I don't know what to expect but I do know that it's where I'm supposed to be right now. This IS my current mission trip, and I need to be preparing and treating it as such. It's giving me a fresh look on the year and a renewed passion that I needed. I have three weeks to get ready for my best year yet, and I plan to do just that.
Now, don't get me wrong, I believe that every person should go on trips outside their comfort zones to love God's people. You should never let age, time, or money get in the way of stepping out in faith and going on trip. God wants that opportunity to impact your life so don't use any excuses to opt out when He's giving you a way in. You won't be disappointed. It keeps you humble, changes your perspectives, and allows God to use you in completely different ways. I might have spent this next year treading water and barely keeping myself afloat in my classroom. Instead, I'll be more prepared and reenergized. I'll attack it with a passion I don't think I would have had otherwise. I will be a little bit different but by God's grace it will be better and I will be too.
I think I've finally said just about all I can say about Ethiopia 2011. I've exhausted my personal list of things I wanted to write about and remember as well as some requests from others. I hope it was well worth your time and reading. I did the best I could.
As a P.S
While I've already determined to live my life more as a mission trip instead just trip to trip, I'm still thinking about what next summer might have in store. I've been asked to lead this trip for next year; and so far, I can't think of any real reasons not to-which, as a friend kindly pointed out, was how I ended up going on this one in the first place. I'm not sure what exactly will transpire next but it could definitely involve me asking you if you want to go to Ethiopia in 2012. Did you get a little bit excited when I said that? Good. You're going. Get ready.
P.S.S.
Softball started yesterday and school starts on the 16th. Blogging will be back to school related things shortly but will probably be in hiatus for the next few weeks. I've got work to do.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Impact
When going on mission trips, there is always an expectation of change. Change in the place you are visiting. Changing the people you meet. And, being changed yourself. You want to leave an impact and be impacted. (And we usually like to be able to take a picture of it to show off to friends at home.) We usually go with the idea of how much we are going to do for others but don't take into account how much will be done for us. How much going will change our own perspectives, outlooks, and relationships. It usually happens that almost everything you can say that you gave was also given back to you. Love, care, relationships, friendships, encouragement, and humility are just few.
When we returned, I was asked if I thought we really made an impact for Jesus with the kids we met and who came to our VBS. Honestly, at first I had to answer that I'm not really sure that we did. I thought that was going to be the place where we made the biggest difference. But God surprised me. It wasn't the VBS or even the medical clinic. It wasn't in something I could easily explain or take a picture of. It was with His people. It was the encouragement that we were able to give to the people working with these children and in the community. It was apparent that the kids didn't need our 1 hour VBS lesson and skit to know about God's love. They see it EVERY DAY in the sunday school teachers, social workers, and program directors. Just by being a part of the projects, even if they aren't sponsored, they are cared for and loved in ways that will ultimately change the course of their lives.
As a teacher, I know how hard and draining kids can be and especially those kids that are so needy. To think that every single one of these kids is in that situation where basic care and love are not a given is staggering. When I wrote this post in April, I was thinking about one student in my class. But if I was seeing 240 kids in that situation?? Visiting homes that leaked, listening to stomachs growl, watching bruises come and go, and seeing sad eyes watching you is what they are serving every day. There is only so much they can do. The money only goes so far and time is always running out. I can't imagine how hard and draining it must be. But, they have servant's hearts. Big ones. They teach the children that God loves them and takes care of them, and the kids know it's true because they are experiencing it. Through sponsors across the world and the people who are His hands and feet in the country, God's love is being felt. We didn't need to be there for God to do that or make His impact there. He's already doing it His way with His people in a much bigger way than we could have ever imagined.
So what about our team? What did God have planned for us there? What was the impact He wanted us to make because we know His plan is always better than ours? Well, we know how it feels to always be the ones giving. To be the one that is always giving of oneself, and not getting anything in return. The constant pull to help every child but not know what else you can do. I think it's one of the hardest things God calls His people to do. Lots of people do it but I have never seen it in such a sacrificial way as I did with the people who worked at the projects. There are 4 adults for 240 kids. I would argue that kids are the hardest because they can't help themselves. They are at the mercy of others who may or may not be caring for them as a parent should. They don't have a way out and we are only limited humans. Only God can rescue everyone. And, He also rescues us. It was in that place that we were to make an impact.
We were there to give that love back to them. So, we gave them a break. We allowed them to rest. We showed them that they weren't forgotten. We showed them that someone is noticing and and that someone cares. We gave them tools to continue their work and hopefully make it a little easier. We left them toys to brighten their days. We prayed with them. We prayed for them. We acknowledged their sacrifice, humility, service, dedication, and hard work. We praised their efforts and will continue to share that with the people at home. Hopefully, we showed God's love to them in the same way that they are doing with the children. It might have only been a few days in each place but God can make it be enough. He can use that week to sustain them for a year or two or three. So that, His children keep feeling His love through His people-the ones who can be there every day.
So you see we did make an impact for Jesus on this trip. It just wasn't in the way I expected. And, it wasn't in a way we could see or take a picture of to bring home and show you. Sure we played with kids, told a bible story, and gave them lots of kisses but that wasn't where the change will be noticed. The change is what happens after we let. We will keep happening for years after we are gone. It was in us being there and loving people we hadn't even met. It was in showing God's love to others so that they could keep giving His love to so many more. It was witnessing, showing, and experiencing the love that keeps on giving in a way that only God's love can do.
When we returned, I was asked if I thought we really made an impact for Jesus with the kids we met and who came to our VBS. Honestly, at first I had to answer that I'm not really sure that we did. I thought that was going to be the place where we made the biggest difference. But God surprised me. It wasn't the VBS or even the medical clinic. It wasn't in something I could easily explain or take a picture of. It was with His people. It was the encouragement that we were able to give to the people working with these children and in the community. It was apparent that the kids didn't need our 1 hour VBS lesson and skit to know about God's love. They see it EVERY DAY in the sunday school teachers, social workers, and program directors. Just by being a part of the projects, even if they aren't sponsored, they are cared for and loved in ways that will ultimately change the course of their lives.
As a teacher, I know how hard and draining kids can be and especially those kids that are so needy. To think that every single one of these kids is in that situation where basic care and love are not a given is staggering. When I wrote this post in April, I was thinking about one student in my class. But if I was seeing 240 kids in that situation?? Visiting homes that leaked, listening to stomachs growl, watching bruises come and go, and seeing sad eyes watching you is what they are serving every day. There is only so much they can do. The money only goes so far and time is always running out. I can't imagine how hard and draining it must be. But, they have servant's hearts. Big ones. They teach the children that God loves them and takes care of them, and the kids know it's true because they are experiencing it. Through sponsors across the world and the people who are His hands and feet in the country, God's love is being felt. We didn't need to be there for God to do that or make His impact there. He's already doing it His way with His people in a much bigger way than we could have ever imagined.
So what about our team? What did God have planned for us there? What was the impact He wanted us to make because we know His plan is always better than ours? Well, we know how it feels to always be the ones giving. To be the one that is always giving of oneself, and not getting anything in return. The constant pull to help every child but not know what else you can do. I think it's one of the hardest things God calls His people to do. Lots of people do it but I have never seen it in such a sacrificial way as I did with the people who worked at the projects. There are 4 adults for 240 kids. I would argue that kids are the hardest because they can't help themselves. They are at the mercy of others who may or may not be caring for them as a parent should. They don't have a way out and we are only limited humans. Only God can rescue everyone. And, He also rescues us. It was in that place that we were to make an impact.
We were there to give that love back to them. So, we gave them a break. We allowed them to rest. We showed them that they weren't forgotten. We showed them that someone is noticing and and that someone cares. We gave them tools to continue their work and hopefully make it a little easier. We left them toys to brighten their days. We prayed with them. We prayed for them. We acknowledged their sacrifice, humility, service, dedication, and hard work. We praised their efforts and will continue to share that with the people at home. Hopefully, we showed God's love to them in the same way that they are doing with the children. It might have only been a few days in each place but God can make it be enough. He can use that week to sustain them for a year or two or three. So that, His children keep feeling His love through His people-the ones who can be there every day.
So you see we did make an impact for Jesus on this trip. It just wasn't in the way I expected. And, it wasn't in a way we could see or take a picture of to bring home and show you. Sure we played with kids, told a bible story, and gave them lots of kisses but that wasn't where the change will be noticed. The change is what happens after we let. We will keep happening for years after we are gone. It was in us being there and loving people we hadn't even met. It was in showing God's love to others so that they could keep giving His love to so many more. It was witnessing, showing, and experiencing the love that keeps on giving in a way that only God's love can do.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Meeting Dawit
I'm not giving you location update because believe or not I'm still in Champaign! In fact, I will be here for 5 whole days! Amazing, I know.
I didn't even know it when I decided to go on the trip, but my mom's sponsor child lives in Ethiopia. They had started sponsoring him about 2 years ago and even though I wasn't the one writing him letters, I was given the chance to meet him. He doesn't live in Addis but Compassion would bring him in so that we could spend a day together. There were two other people on our trip who had sponsor children from Ethiopia too so it was planned that on our last day would be all get to meet them. He and his family lives about 180 kilometers outside of Addis in a mid-sized town. He came with his dad and the social worker for the project where he's enrolled. They actually came in the night before and got to stay in a hotel which I'm sure was a special treat and something he'd never done before. We met at the Ethiopian version of an amusement park which was basically mini fair rides. They had bumper cars, a ferris wheel, merry go round, and a spinning swings that just about made me sick. They also had a really big arcade with games and Dawit liked the car games the best. You don't get to drive in Ethiopia until your 19 and most people never will but it's still the most exciting thing for a ten year old boy. We got a chance to talk through translators and go on some of the rides. I'll admit that it was a little awkward at first and the conversation was pretty slow but I took some pictures of our family to show him which helped a little. Like most ten year olds in Africa, his first love is soccer and he would really like to be a soccer player some day. But if that doesn't work out maybe he'll be a doctor. : ) I took a few gifts for him and his family as well. It was mostly practical things like toothbrushes, soap, and a washcloth which were more appreciated by his father than him but his very own soccer ball made up for the practical nature of everything else.
We guessed that he probably liked soccer and took a soccer ball to him. It was definitely his favorite thing. This is a video of him playing with it. He was really good. A sports club is one of the things offered at his project and his team won the tournament between all the surrounding projects. He was very proud and even the social worker couldn't help but brag a little bit about it.
As quiet as he was during our meeting, I'm sure he'll be the star of the show back at home. With his back of goodies, soccer ball, and arcade experience under his belt, he'll probably talk about it for weeks. His father was extremely grateful since Dawit's sponsorship lifts a financial burden from his shoulders. He has three other siblings at home and jobs are hard to come by. They were gracious and wonderful people and it was very special to meet them even if I'm not the one sending the checks or letters. Family is family and they are now a more real piece of ours.
I didn't even know it when I decided to go on the trip, but my mom's sponsor child lives in Ethiopia. They had started sponsoring him about 2 years ago and even though I wasn't the one writing him letters, I was given the chance to meet him. He doesn't live in Addis but Compassion would bring him in so that we could spend a day together. There were two other people on our trip who had sponsor children from Ethiopia too so it was planned that on our last day would be all get to meet them. He and his family lives about 180 kilometers outside of Addis in a mid-sized town. He came with his dad and the social worker for the project where he's enrolled. They actually came in the night before and got to stay in a hotel which I'm sure was a special treat and something he'd never done before. We met at the Ethiopian version of an amusement park which was basically mini fair rides. They had bumper cars, a ferris wheel, merry go round, and a spinning swings that just about made me sick. They also had a really big arcade with games and Dawit liked the car games the best. You don't get to drive in Ethiopia until your 19 and most people never will but it's still the most exciting thing for a ten year old boy. We got a chance to talk through translators and go on some of the rides. I'll admit that it was a little awkward at first and the conversation was pretty slow but I took some pictures of our family to show him which helped a little. Like most ten year olds in Africa, his first love is soccer and he would really like to be a soccer player some day. But if that doesn't work out maybe he'll be a doctor. : ) I took a few gifts for him and his family as well. It was mostly practical things like toothbrushes, soap, and a washcloth which were more appreciated by his father than him but his very own soccer ball made up for the practical nature of everything else.
We guessed that he probably liked soccer and took a soccer ball to him. It was definitely his favorite thing. This is a video of him playing with it. He was really good. A sports club is one of the things offered at his project and his team won the tournament between all the surrounding projects. He was very proud and even the social worker couldn't help but brag a little bit about it.
As quiet as he was during our meeting, I'm sure he'll be the star of the show back at home. With his back of goodies, soccer ball, and arcade experience under his belt, he'll probably talk about it for weeks. His father was extremely grateful since Dawit's sponsorship lifts a financial burden from his shoulders. He has three other siblings at home and jobs are hard to come by. They were gracious and wonderful people and it was very special to meet them even if I'm not the one sending the checks or letters. Family is family and they are now a more real piece of ours.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Medical Clinics
Current Location: Champaign, IL
The second biggest thing we did as a service to the projects besides VBS was a medical clinic. We had two doctors with us who had done very similar clinics in other countries. Ahead of time, the sites arranged for specific children and families to come. Some had specific things that they wanted us to see and others were very high risk. Paige and I took temperatures, weights, and used a translator to write down specific complaints that the child had. The primary complaints were abdominal cramps from hunger pains and skin rashes. Many kids were malnourished but were always smiling and laughing at us when we tried to say "thank you" in amaharic. We also saw what was probably pneumonia and a case of TB. Sadly, there was also a girl with a cracked sternum which probably was from abuse. With our limited resources there wasn't always a lot we could do for them but clean out their ears, give them a bag of basics and love them a little while they were there. Every child also got a toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloth, and soap. We also handed out a lot of vitamins, anti-fungal creams, and special shampoos for scalp irritations. We brought a lot with us but also spent more than a little time at drugstores getting things the doctors thought we needed. We ended up seeing over 100 kids between both sites which was quite a bit more than we planned for but we made sure everyone got a little health kit. The kids were amazingly quiet and smiley despite being poked and prodded by strangers speaking a different language. They just loved smiling at us and curiously watching everything we did.
I am still in awe of this precious boy. He was one of the first to come through and didn't have any complaints. I think he was 6 despite looking about 4 or 5. He must not have come with an adult because when he was done they just had him sit off to the side. Where for the next 2 hours, he just sat. He didn't fidget. He didn't whine. He didn't get up. He didn't complain. He just sat there and watched us. Since my job was only to write down temperatures and weights, I wasn't very busy and kept making eye contact with him. We spent a lot of time making faces at each other and smiling back and forth. Eventually, I remembered I had a piece of gum in my bag that I gave to him. He tore it in half to save some for later or someone else I'm not sure but I can guarantee that there isn't an American 6 year old out there who would of his own volition just eat half a piece of gum. LOVE HIM.
This was one of the rooms at the first site.
The second biggest thing we did as a service to the projects besides VBS was a medical clinic. We had two doctors with us who had done very similar clinics in other countries. Ahead of time, the sites arranged for specific children and families to come. Some had specific things that they wanted us to see and others were very high risk. Paige and I took temperatures, weights, and used a translator to write down specific complaints that the child had. The primary complaints were abdominal cramps from hunger pains and skin rashes. Many kids were malnourished but were always smiling and laughing at us when we tried to say "thank you" in amaharic. We also saw what was probably pneumonia and a case of TB. Sadly, there was also a girl with a cracked sternum which probably was from abuse. With our limited resources there wasn't always a lot we could do for them but clean out their ears, give them a bag of basics and love them a little while they were there. Every child also got a toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloth, and soap. We also handed out a lot of vitamins, anti-fungal creams, and special shampoos for scalp irritations. We brought a lot with us but also spent more than a little time at drugstores getting things the doctors thought we needed. We ended up seeing over 100 kids between both sites which was quite a bit more than we planned for but we made sure everyone got a little health kit. The kids were amazingly quiet and smiley despite being poked and prodded by strangers speaking a different language. They just loved smiling at us and curiously watching everything we did.
I am still in awe of this precious boy. He was one of the first to come through and didn't have any complaints. I think he was 6 despite looking about 4 or 5. He must not have come with an adult because when he was done they just had him sit off to the side. Where for the next 2 hours, he just sat. He didn't fidget. He didn't whine. He didn't get up. He didn't complain. He just sat there and watched us. Since my job was only to write down temperatures and weights, I wasn't very busy and kept making eye contact with him. We spent a lot of time making faces at each other and smiling back and forth. Eventually, I remembered I had a piece of gum in my bag that I gave to him. He tore it in half to save some for later or someone else I'm not sure but I can guarantee that there isn't an American 6 year old out there who would of his own volition just eat half a piece of gum. LOVE HIM.
This was one of the rooms at the first site.
Monday, July 11, 2011
VBS
Location Update: White Lake, Michigan
So far it has taken me 25 minutes to sit down and work on this post. Being in Michigan pretty much means I do a lot of nothing productive which in turn means even writing this is not happening very quickly. I'll try a little harder next week.
Before we left, we had conflicting answers about how many kids would be at each VBS site. We heard it could be 150 and we heard it could be 50. We didn't the ages or group sizes either. We tried to plan but without knowing how many translators, extra adults, and kids we would have we still felt very unprepared. We did know we would be doing something two days at each site so had two days of lessons and activities planned. We were going to teach about David with the first lesson being about how he was chosen to be king and the second about David and Goliath. We also had snacks, a craft, and a games all planned out. However, BE FLEXIBLE was our motto and we definitely needed to be just that.
At ET 566, we had somewhere in the ball park of 150 kids. The point of the lesson was about how we are all unique and that God chooses us each for His purposes. We did a skit of the bible story when God chooses Daniel from his brothers to be King. The best part was that we had some kids come up to be "sheep" that had to wear masks and baa every time we used the word sheep. The masks were pretty funny for the kids. For a craft, we used ink pads to put the kids fingerprints on the "bookmarks" and color pictures of things they were good at. It didn't occur to me until as I was explaining it that they probably didn't have books or know what a bookmark was but it was fun to use crayons and fingerprints anyway.
I couldn't even get them all into the picture . . .
The games did NOT go as planned because there were just too many kids and no good way to organize them. We had a pretty decent sized place to play outside but we just couldn't keep everyone contained enough to explain rules. It was at this point that we almost got trampled handing out balloons and opted instead to let them teach us their games. We also would take out a few toys, put everyone in a circle, and share. We passed around a soccer ball, blew bubbles, and shot up balloons for them to chase. Turns out the "teacher look" is pretty well understood worldwide and without speaking ahmaric I was able to get everyone to back off, create a circle, and practice throwing a frisbee to one kid at time. We only got to do one day of VBS at this site because we ran out of time and had to do home visits the second day. We joked with Atkelt that he probably just decided that because he didn't want to have to translate another crazy skit for us. He insisted that it wasn't and did let us to do two days at the second site.
At ET 565, we had two smaller groups of about 50 kids. Some of the kids came both days but we probably could have done the same thing twice and had mostly a new audience the second day. The second day was also hindered by a pretty heavy rain that came right when the kids were supposed to come. We probably would have had 20-30 more without the rain. Since this group was so much smaller, we probably could have done a little more with our original plan but since we had already done it once we just decided to stick to the same plan. We made bracelets with the kids the second day which turned out perfect since we didn't have as many beads as had planned. Everyone got enough to make a decent beaded bracelet and went home happy.
They filled these benches in a classroom that was much smaller than my room.
As a teacher, it was really interesting to watch the regular teachers interact with the kids. Just like any group of kids waiting for something new and exciting, they were pretty pumped up before we started. However, the teachers had obviously established great routines and expectations with them and it took only seconds to calm them down and get them ready. They counted down, got quiet, put their hands on their laps, and paid attention much easier and better than I expected. They were polite and well behaved throughout the entire skit and lesson. It was funny to watch them with the crayons and markers because while we started by just giving child one they would trade and pass around colors when they wanted something new. At the second site, we let kids keep one crayon or marker. Of course, there were a few that tried to sneak an extra one but he or she was almost immediately ratted out by a peer and would give it back with an apologetic and chagrined look. I was extremely impressed by how honest and respectful each of kids were about getting the one that he or she wanted. Many kids would take the snacks home to share with siblings too. They had really innocent and loving hearts and it was obvious that coming to the Compassion site was making a big difference in that area of their lives.
I would be remiss if I did this entire post with more than a mention of how we did all this without speaking more than one word of Amaharic (thank you). Our main translator, Atkelt, was our in country compassion guide, trip coordinator, and primary translator. He used to a Compassion sponsored child and often teaches sunday school. He was great with the kids and is the one in the welcome movie who steps in front of the kids when they stop singing and gets them to say "welcome!" It is definitely a challenge to work with a translator and get used to pausing at the right places to ensure there isn't too much of a break in getting to the point. All I know is that it got a little easier with time and he was the reason any point was made at all. As I muddled through the idea that God makes everyone special he elaborated and drove the point home. I'm pretty sure he added about ten times more than what I actually said in a way that made sense to them because when we asked a few questions at the end they did a really good job of answering the questions. It made me feel good that they did get the point we were trying to make even it if really was Atkelt that made it happen with my ideas and muddled, pausing, reworded English. Big props go to him and the rest of the staff that helped us because without them it would have been a train wreck and with them I can confidently call it a success.
Of course, like any good VBS we started off by singing! We taught them, Allelu, the B-I-B-L-E, and God is so Good in English. By the second day, we could do the standing up, sitting down part of Allelu, allelu, allelu, alleluah, Praise Ye the Lord! I wish I could have gotten that on video but was too busy holding the signs and trying to speed them up. It was really fun and took me way back to my own sunday school days. Definitely the best way to start the day.
So far it has taken me 25 minutes to sit down and work on this post. Being in Michigan pretty much means I do a lot of nothing productive which in turn means even writing this is not happening very quickly. I'll try a little harder next week.
Before we left, we had conflicting answers about how many kids would be at each VBS site. We heard it could be 150 and we heard it could be 50. We didn't the ages or group sizes either. We tried to plan but without knowing how many translators, extra adults, and kids we would have we still felt very unprepared. We did know we would be doing something two days at each site so had two days of lessons and activities planned. We were going to teach about David with the first lesson being about how he was chosen to be king and the second about David and Goliath. We also had snacks, a craft, and a games all planned out. However, BE FLEXIBLE was our motto and we definitely needed to be just that.
At ET 566, we had somewhere in the ball park of 150 kids. The point of the lesson was about how we are all unique and that God chooses us each for His purposes. We did a skit of the bible story when God chooses Daniel from his brothers to be King. The best part was that we had some kids come up to be "sheep" that had to wear masks and baa every time we used the word sheep. The masks were pretty funny for the kids. For a craft, we used ink pads to put the kids fingerprints on the "bookmarks" and color pictures of things they were good at. It didn't occur to me until as I was explaining it that they probably didn't have books or know what a bookmark was but it was fun to use crayons and fingerprints anyway.
I couldn't even get them all into the picture . . .
The games did NOT go as planned because there were just too many kids and no good way to organize them. We had a pretty decent sized place to play outside but we just couldn't keep everyone contained enough to explain rules. It was at this point that we almost got trampled handing out balloons and opted instead to let them teach us their games. We also would take out a few toys, put everyone in a circle, and share. We passed around a soccer ball, blew bubbles, and shot up balloons for them to chase. Turns out the "teacher look" is pretty well understood worldwide and without speaking ahmaric I was able to get everyone to back off, create a circle, and practice throwing a frisbee to one kid at time. We only got to do one day of VBS at this site because we ran out of time and had to do home visits the second day. We joked with Atkelt that he probably just decided that because he didn't want to have to translate another crazy skit for us. He insisted that it wasn't and did let us to do two days at the second site.
At ET 565, we had two smaller groups of about 50 kids. Some of the kids came both days but we probably could have done the same thing twice and had mostly a new audience the second day. The second day was also hindered by a pretty heavy rain that came right when the kids were supposed to come. We probably would have had 20-30 more without the rain. Since this group was so much smaller, we probably could have done a little more with our original plan but since we had already done it once we just decided to stick to the same plan. We made bracelets with the kids the second day which turned out perfect since we didn't have as many beads as had planned. Everyone got enough to make a decent beaded bracelet and went home happy.
They filled these benches in a classroom that was much smaller than my room.
As a teacher, it was really interesting to watch the regular teachers interact with the kids. Just like any group of kids waiting for something new and exciting, they were pretty pumped up before we started. However, the teachers had obviously established great routines and expectations with them and it took only seconds to calm them down and get them ready. They counted down, got quiet, put their hands on their laps, and paid attention much easier and better than I expected. They were polite and well behaved throughout the entire skit and lesson. It was funny to watch them with the crayons and markers because while we started by just giving child one they would trade and pass around colors when they wanted something new. At the second site, we let kids keep one crayon or marker. Of course, there were a few that tried to sneak an extra one but he or she was almost immediately ratted out by a peer and would give it back with an apologetic and chagrined look. I was extremely impressed by how honest and respectful each of kids were about getting the one that he or she wanted. Many kids would take the snacks home to share with siblings too. They had really innocent and loving hearts and it was obvious that coming to the Compassion site was making a big difference in that area of their lives.
I would be remiss if I did this entire post with more than a mention of how we did all this without speaking more than one word of Amaharic (thank you). Our main translator, Atkelt, was our in country compassion guide, trip coordinator, and primary translator. He used to a Compassion sponsored child and often teaches sunday school. He was great with the kids and is the one in the welcome movie who steps in front of the kids when they stop singing and gets them to say "welcome!" It is definitely a challenge to work with a translator and get used to pausing at the right places to ensure there isn't too much of a break in getting to the point. All I know is that it got a little easier with time and he was the reason any point was made at all. As I muddled through the idea that God makes everyone special he elaborated and drove the point home. I'm pretty sure he added about ten times more than what I actually said in a way that made sense to them because when we asked a few questions at the end they did a really good job of answering the questions. It made me feel good that they did get the point we were trying to make even it if really was Atkelt that made it happen with my ideas and muddled, pausing, reworded English. Big props go to him and the rest of the staff that helped us because without them it would have been a train wreck and with them I can confidently call it a success.
Of course, like any good VBS we started off by singing! We taught them, Allelu, the B-I-B-L-E, and God is so Good in English. By the second day, we could do the standing up, sitting down part of Allelu, allelu, allelu, alleluah, Praise Ye the Lord! I wish I could have gotten that on video but was too busy holding the signs and trying to speed them up. It was really fun and took me way back to my own sunday school days. Definitely the best way to start the day.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Church
Current Location Update: Avon, Illinois
We arrived on a Saturday morning and were able to go to the church service at ET 566 Sunday morning. On Sunday mornings, many people come early before church starts to pray. There is a prayer leader who is praying aloud and many members kneeling on the benches around the room. When it is time for the service to start, the prayer leader starts by leading a prayer rebuking the devil. I was initially surprised by the idea but the more I sat there the more I realized that it made complete sense. Why don't we spend a minute or two praying to make sure the devil is not working in our hearts and minds before we begin worship? It's a simple but powerful thing to do that might make a big difference in how we approach our time together in church. Much of the rest of the service was very similar to any you might attend in the states. There were announcements, singing, an offertory, and sermon. We had translators writing down much of the sermon and passing notes to us about it. I can't even comprehend trying to keep up with our pastor at Windsor Road to do that. After that, it was pretty obvious that it didn't matter that we didn't speak Amaharic because we were in good hands with Fekadu and Atkelt. We stumped them a couple of times with words but not very often.
One thing that struck me a couple of times when we were there was how passionate and selfless everyone prayed. It wasn't just a quiet conversation with the Lord but a heartfelt, passionate plea. I found it inspiring in that it wasn't casual. While there is nothing wrong with that at tines, I think we forget who we are talking to sometimes. God can and is doing such big things all over the world but He wants to hear what you have to say. So don't just pray like you are talking to customer service trying to get them to change your cable service. Pray like it's someone important that you love more than anyone else-because don't you? Pray like it's someone who cares to hear about your day-because doesn't he? Pray like it's someone who can grant you every one of your hopes and dreams-because can't he??
We arrived on a Saturday morning and were able to go to the church service at ET 566 Sunday morning. On Sunday mornings, many people come early before church starts to pray. There is a prayer leader who is praying aloud and many members kneeling on the benches around the room. When it is time for the service to start, the prayer leader starts by leading a prayer rebuking the devil. I was initially surprised by the idea but the more I sat there the more I realized that it made complete sense. Why don't we spend a minute or two praying to make sure the devil is not working in our hearts and minds before we begin worship? It's a simple but powerful thing to do that might make a big difference in how we approach our time together in church. Much of the rest of the service was very similar to any you might attend in the states. There were announcements, singing, an offertory, and sermon. We had translators writing down much of the sermon and passing notes to us about it. I can't even comprehend trying to keep up with our pastor at Windsor Road to do that. After that, it was pretty obvious that it didn't matter that we didn't speak Amaharic because we were in good hands with Fekadu and Atkelt. We stumped them a couple of times with words but not very often.
One thing that struck me a couple of times when we were there was how passionate and selfless everyone prayed. It wasn't just a quiet conversation with the Lord but a heartfelt, passionate plea. I found it inspiring in that it wasn't casual. While there is nothing wrong with that at tines, I think we forget who we are talking to sometimes. God can and is doing such big things all over the world but He wants to hear what you have to say. So don't just pray like you are talking to customer service trying to get them to change your cable service. Pray like it's someone important that you love more than anyone else-because don't you? Pray like it's someone who cares to hear about your day-because doesn't he? Pray like it's someone who can grant you every one of your hopes and dreams-because can't he??
Monday, July 4, 2011
Q & A
Q: Where are you right now?
A :I am in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Q: Why are you there?
A: I am visiting my good college friend Jessica, her husband, and their darling baby.
Q: How long are you staying?
A: Indefinitely. My van is broke.
Now that we got the current news update about my life, here are a few real questions and answers about my trip.
Q: What was the weather like?
A: The weather overall is very temperate. In a year, it will probably only range from 45-85 in the city. While we were there, the highs were between 75 and 80. We were very comfortable wearing jeans and t-shirts. Our Compassion guide from Colorado thought it was humid. No one in our group noticed. : ) The official start of the rainy season was Wednesday while we were there. It rained Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons but never for very long or very hard. They told us that as they get into July it might rain all day. We were glad to have missed that.
Q: Did you get sunburned?
A: No. The elevation of Addis is somewhere near 7,000 feet and we did notice the elevation when we were running around outside but I never wore sunblock and don't think my tan got much darker. It was probably because the smog created a "natural" filter of the sun's rays. Eek
Q: What is the population of the city?
A: The population is listed at 3 million but the guides told us it was much closer to 5 million.
Q: What would you do differently?
A: I would have liked to see outside the city. The only real disappointment of the entire trip was that we didn't make it out to see the countryside and rural population. I didn't even think about it much while we were there because I was so caught up in the experience but since I've been back I've thought about it a lot more.
Q: What were the accommodations like?
A: It was the American equivalent of a bread and breakfast. It is owned by a Texan who adopted from there. He owns five guests houses that cater to Americans staying in the country for adoptions and missions. I shared a room with one other team member and we had a bathroom for our floor. There was a front desk, computer, hot water, dining room table, and gathering/living room area. Overall, it was much better than I expected.
Q: What was the food like?
A: Traditional Ethiopian food is very spicy. You use their bread called injara to pick up and eat the meats that are prepared in spicy sauces. It wasn't my favorite but wasn't bad either. However, we actually ate more traditional food in the States before we left (once in a restaurant and once for our sendoff dinner) than we did in country. The guest house made us very good pizza, rice and veggies, a spaghetti casserole, eggs, and other similar Americanized entrees. We ate lunch at very nice (for Ethiopian standards) restaurants that make menus with westerners in mind. We could have gotten traditional food but I usually didn't. We didn't eat the vegetables and bread is served with EVERY meal. It's good bread but you are never in danger of going hungry with all the bread that they serve.
Q: What is the primary religion of Ethiopians?
A: 50% of the people are Orthodox. About 25% are muslim and 20% are evangelical christians. We saw a lot of Orthodox churches and visited an especially large one. We paid to go inside and sneak a peak. I don't know much of anything about the Orthodox faith but the people are very devout.
Q: What language do they speak?
A: They speak Amaharic. However, all children learn English in school and by high school most of the core subjects are taught soley in English. Therefore, the educated speak useable English. They use characters in their writing of which there are 216. Our translators spoke excellent English and even translated much of the church service we went to on pieces of paper they passed around. They also said learning our alphabet was a piece of cake because we only had 26 letters.
Q: What was the best part of the trip?
A: Playing with the kids and doing the VBS. They really paid attention and answered my questions really well. Thankfully, our translator often teaches Sunday School and I think he got the point across much better than how I tried to say it. He was great with the kids and often expanded a lot on what I said to help them get the point.
Q: What was your least favorite part?
A: Traveling home. First the goodbyes, then the lines, then the 15 hour plane fight, then more lines, then more security, then another plane ride, and then a car ride. Total it was 25 hours from when we were dropped off at the airport in Addis to when we arrived back at church. Ugh.
Q: Would you go back?
A: Absolutely. In fact, it's already being discussed. Want to come with me?????
A :I am in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Q: Why are you there?
A: I am visiting my good college friend Jessica, her husband, and their darling baby.
Q: How long are you staying?
A: Indefinitely. My van is broke.
Now that we got the current news update about my life, here are a few real questions and answers about my trip.
Q: What was the weather like?
A: The weather overall is very temperate. In a year, it will probably only range from 45-85 in the city. While we were there, the highs were between 75 and 80. We were very comfortable wearing jeans and t-shirts. Our Compassion guide from Colorado thought it was humid. No one in our group noticed. : ) The official start of the rainy season was Wednesday while we were there. It rained Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons but never for very long or very hard. They told us that as they get into July it might rain all day. We were glad to have missed that.
Q: Did you get sunburned?
A: No. The elevation of Addis is somewhere near 7,000 feet and we did notice the elevation when we were running around outside but I never wore sunblock and don't think my tan got much darker. It was probably because the smog created a "natural" filter of the sun's rays. Eek
Q: What is the population of the city?
A: The population is listed at 3 million but the guides told us it was much closer to 5 million.
Q: What would you do differently?
A: I would have liked to see outside the city. The only real disappointment of the entire trip was that we didn't make it out to see the countryside and rural population. I didn't even think about it much while we were there because I was so caught up in the experience but since I've been back I've thought about it a lot more.
Q: What were the accommodations like?
A: It was the American equivalent of a bread and breakfast. It is owned by a Texan who adopted from there. He owns five guests houses that cater to Americans staying in the country for adoptions and missions. I shared a room with one other team member and we had a bathroom for our floor. There was a front desk, computer, hot water, dining room table, and gathering/living room area. Overall, it was much better than I expected.
Q: What was the food like?
A: Traditional Ethiopian food is very spicy. You use their bread called injara to pick up and eat the meats that are prepared in spicy sauces. It wasn't my favorite but wasn't bad either. However, we actually ate more traditional food in the States before we left (once in a restaurant and once for our sendoff dinner) than we did in country. The guest house made us very good pizza, rice and veggies, a spaghetti casserole, eggs, and other similar Americanized entrees. We ate lunch at very nice (for Ethiopian standards) restaurants that make menus with westerners in mind. We could have gotten traditional food but I usually didn't. We didn't eat the vegetables and bread is served with EVERY meal. It's good bread but you are never in danger of going hungry with all the bread that they serve.
Q: What is the primary religion of Ethiopians?
A: 50% of the people are Orthodox. About 25% are muslim and 20% are evangelical christians. We saw a lot of Orthodox churches and visited an especially large one. We paid to go inside and sneak a peak. I don't know much of anything about the Orthodox faith but the people are very devout.
Q: What language do they speak?
A: They speak Amaharic. However, all children learn English in school and by high school most of the core subjects are taught soley in English. Therefore, the educated speak useable English. They use characters in their writing of which there are 216. Our translators spoke excellent English and even translated much of the church service we went to on pieces of paper they passed around. They also said learning our alphabet was a piece of cake because we only had 26 letters.
Q: What was the best part of the trip?
A: Playing with the kids and doing the VBS. They really paid attention and answered my questions really well. Thankfully, our translator often teaches Sunday School and I think he got the point across much better than how I tried to say it. He was great with the kids and often expanded a lot on what I said to help them get the point.
Q: What was your least favorite part?
A: Traveling home. First the goodbyes, then the lines, then the 15 hour plane fight, then more lines, then more security, then another plane ride, and then a car ride. Total it was 25 hours from when we were dropped off at the airport in Addis to when we arrived back at church. Ugh.
Q: Would you go back?
A: Absolutely. In fact, it's already being discussed. Want to come with me?????
Friday, July 1, 2011
My Ethiopian Wedding
On the last night there, we went to an Ethiopian restaurant. We ate traditional Ethiopian food and there was music and dancing. The "band" was two stringed instruments, drums, and a flute. There were also singers and dancers doing traditional tribal dances. We were thoroughly enjoying ourselves by clapping along with the music and trying at times to imitate them. Then, they stopped and looked at us. They came down off the stage, walked straight to us, and asked me to come up to the stage with them. Then, this happened. (Copy and paste the link to view it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJUu3JCexns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJUu3JCexns
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Compassion International
We went on this trip through Compassion International. If you haven't heard of the organization, you should look it up and consider sponsoring a child. What they are doing for the children and families around the world is absolutely worth every penny. They are making a difference that is hard to fathom from here but absolutely necessary to those who are receiving it. The trip was an amazing way to really understand and see first hand what is happening on the other side of the world. It was also great to see that groups like Compassion are being the hands and feet of Christ.
This is their Mission Statement: In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.
Compassion starts project sites at well established churches. There is always a church affiliated with a project. The church will help by providing volunteers and space for the project to run.
Each project has four paid workers. A program director who plans activities, makes home visits, and runs the program. A social worker translates letters for the children, buys the children's gifts, supplies, clothes, and other basic necessities with the sponsor's monthly donations, makes home visits, and usually does the physical games with the kids. An accountant helps keep track of paperwork and teaches sunday school. All the children have very detailed files with every letter, health check up, and purchase made for that child. There is a lot of accountability in place to ensure the program runs smoothly. A medical worker gives twice yearly check ups, makes home visits, and deals with any medical issues a child may have.
Sites are all run differently as to what kind of activities are offered for the children. All will have sunday school programs and a once a week program that children must attend but that is usually the only constant throughout the programs. They may offer parent classes, after school tutoring, sports clubs, after school care, or additional schooling.
Most sites have between 200 and 250 children. While many of them are sponsored, there are always children who are waiting for a sponsor. They still get to come to the site's activities and receive the attention of the staff but they don't have the monthly support and gifts like the other children. The support of a sponsor basically takes the financial burden of raising that child off the parents. The child can attend school, be clothed, and fed all for $38 a month. A special Christmas gift would probably be used to help the family with a larger need but usually all the support goes straight to the child. Most of the parents have little to no income but it isn't because they aren't trying. On one of our home visits, we saw the mother down on the street below their house selling a few wares for basically pennies. She was an older woman who was taking care of her own daughter and her niece by herself. Without the support of a Compassion sponsor, it is hard to imagine what might happen to them.
Over 50% of the Ethiopian population are of the Orthodox faith. This means that while the children are going to Sunday School it is more than likely their families are not christians. It is the hope and prayer that many children and entire families will come to find Christ but it not the primary focus of Compassion's ministry.
The letters that are written to the children are very important and special. The children see their sponsors and heroes even halfway across the world. They wait anxiously for the letters and it most definitely hurts when the staff passes out letters and a child doesn't get one. All the letters first go to Colorado Springs and are then sorted by country. There is a head office in every country that receives all the letters for their country. The letters are opened and sorted by project site. In Ethiopia alone, there are over 300 sites. Once a week, someone from the site must drive to Addis and pick up their letters. Then, they take them back to the projects to translate and hand out to the children. The child write letters once every three months. They are than sent to the country office and translated. From there, they are mailed back to Colorado Springs and out to the sponsors. Most of the sponsors are from the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK.
There are many different programs within Compassion. There is child sponsorship which we saw the direct affect of However, there is also a leadership program that helps put young adults through college. Both of our translators were sponsored children who then went through the LDP program and came back to work at Compassion. Compassion also offers a child survival program for pregnant and new mothers. We were only told about this so I'm not sure of many of the details but you can look at Compassion's website if you want to know more about it. What you really need to know is that it goes beyond just giving a few children clothes to wear. It gives a child hope and a future from the very beginning to adulthood.
I hope I was able to give you a pretty clear picture of the people and program that I worked with for the last 9 days. We were the first groups to visit both projects. The projects have names that are affiliated with the churches but usually just identified by their numbers so I'll probably refer to them at ET 566 and ET 565 because that is the easiest thing to call them. Both projects had been up and running less than two years. Our presence there was fun for the children but a huge encouragement to the adults and staff members. However, I think that will be another blog post entirely.
Here is one of the games that the children taught us to play at the project site.
This is their Mission Statement: In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.
Compassion starts project sites at well established churches. There is always a church affiliated with a project. The church will help by providing volunteers and space for the project to run.
Each project has four paid workers. A program director who plans activities, makes home visits, and runs the program. A social worker translates letters for the children, buys the children's gifts, supplies, clothes, and other basic necessities with the sponsor's monthly donations, makes home visits, and usually does the physical games with the kids. An accountant helps keep track of paperwork and teaches sunday school. All the children have very detailed files with every letter, health check up, and purchase made for that child. There is a lot of accountability in place to ensure the program runs smoothly. A medical worker gives twice yearly check ups, makes home visits, and deals with any medical issues a child may have.
Sites are all run differently as to what kind of activities are offered for the children. All will have sunday school programs and a once a week program that children must attend but that is usually the only constant throughout the programs. They may offer parent classes, after school tutoring, sports clubs, after school care, or additional schooling.
Most sites have between 200 and 250 children. While many of them are sponsored, there are always children who are waiting for a sponsor. They still get to come to the site's activities and receive the attention of the staff but they don't have the monthly support and gifts like the other children. The support of a sponsor basically takes the financial burden of raising that child off the parents. The child can attend school, be clothed, and fed all for $38 a month. A special Christmas gift would probably be used to help the family with a larger need but usually all the support goes straight to the child. Most of the parents have little to no income but it isn't because they aren't trying. On one of our home visits, we saw the mother down on the street below their house selling a few wares for basically pennies. She was an older woman who was taking care of her own daughter and her niece by herself. Without the support of a Compassion sponsor, it is hard to imagine what might happen to them.
Over 50% of the Ethiopian population are of the Orthodox faith. This means that while the children are going to Sunday School it is more than likely their families are not christians. It is the hope and prayer that many children and entire families will come to find Christ but it not the primary focus of Compassion's ministry.
The letters that are written to the children are very important and special. The children see their sponsors and heroes even halfway across the world. They wait anxiously for the letters and it most definitely hurts when the staff passes out letters and a child doesn't get one. All the letters first go to Colorado Springs and are then sorted by country. There is a head office in every country that receives all the letters for their country. The letters are opened and sorted by project site. In Ethiopia alone, there are over 300 sites. Once a week, someone from the site must drive to Addis and pick up their letters. Then, they take them back to the projects to translate and hand out to the children. The child write letters once every three months. They are than sent to the country office and translated. From there, they are mailed back to Colorado Springs and out to the sponsors. Most of the sponsors are from the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK.
There are many different programs within Compassion. There is child sponsorship which we saw the direct affect of However, there is also a leadership program that helps put young adults through college. Both of our translators were sponsored children who then went through the LDP program and came back to work at Compassion. Compassion also offers a child survival program for pregnant and new mothers. We were only told about this so I'm not sure of many of the details but you can look at Compassion's website if you want to know more about it. What you really need to know is that it goes beyond just giving a few children clothes to wear. It gives a child hope and a future from the very beginning to adulthood.
I hope I was able to give you a pretty clear picture of the people and program that I worked with for the last 9 days. We were the first groups to visit both projects. The projects have names that are affiliated with the churches but usually just identified by their numbers so I'll probably refer to them at ET 566 and ET 565 because that is the easiest thing to call them. Both projects had been up and running less than two years. Our presence there was fun for the children but a huge encouragement to the adults and staff members. However, I think that will be another blog post entirely.
Here is one of the games that the children taught us to play at the project site.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Rules
We were told a lot of dos and don't upon our arrival. Most of them just helpful advice to keep everyone safe and healthy some of them we learned along the way.
Rules:
-Don't put toilet paper down the toilet. There is always a trash can for it if you are lucky enough to have it provided or to remember your pocket kleenex. The pipes are teeny tiny and not good for TP.
-Don't go out at night. Might be safe. Might not be. Better not to risk it.
-Don't take pictures of angry, drunk sheep herders.
-Don't take pictures of the US embassy. Oops.
-Wear ear plugs at night to block out the sounds of wild dogs.
-Don't drink the water.
-Don't eat anything washed in the water.
-Wear walking shoes.
-Don't try to hand out balloons to 200 kids at a time. You might get trampled.
-If you try to speak the language be prepared to be laughed at. You'll sound funny.
-Hold on when you are in the van. Try not to gasp too loud. The driver knows what he's doing despite the chaos around you.
-Smile a lot.
-Love a lot.
-Laugh a lot.
And the video of the day is what it is like to drive down the street. It doesn't fully capture it exactly how it is but it does a pretty good job. Notice the people walking and weaving through the cars and the fact that there really aren't lanes.
Rules:
-Don't put toilet paper down the toilet. There is always a trash can for it if you are lucky enough to have it provided or to remember your pocket kleenex. The pipes are teeny tiny and not good for TP.
-Don't go out at night. Might be safe. Might not be. Better not to risk it.
-Don't take pictures of angry, drunk sheep herders.
-Don't take pictures of the US embassy. Oops.
-Wear ear plugs at night to block out the sounds of wild dogs.
-Don't drink the water.
-Don't eat anything washed in the water.
-Wear walking shoes.
-Don't try to hand out balloons to 200 kids at a time. You might get trampled.
-If you try to speak the language be prepared to be laughed at. You'll sound funny.
-Hold on when you are in the van. Try not to gasp too loud. The driver knows what he's doing despite the chaos around you.
-Smile a lot.
-Love a lot.
-Laugh a lot.
And the video of the day is what it is like to drive down the street. It doesn't fully capture it exactly how it is but it does a pretty good job. Notice the people walking and weaving through the cars and the fact that there really aren't lanes.
First Impressions
I am back from Ethiopia! There is no way I can get everything I want to say in one post so this is going to be the first of several. I've tried to think of the best way to explain and tell everyone about my trip but I'm not sure there is one. There are just too many pictures, movies, stories, and thoughts to break up in a way that makes sense. I'll do my best but be patient since it's going to take a week or two. I only plan on putting a few pictures here. If you want to see them all, check out Facebook and besides mine you can see the ones our team took if I am tagged in them. First thing is first impressions. I tried to write and journal about them so here's a first glimpse.
-Right next to the runway when we landed, there were old hollowed out junk planes. They were just abandoned where they broke.
-There is a haze that hovers over the city from the pollution. I've never seen anything like it. This is gross, but my snot was black from breathing and processing the smog within hours of being there.
-People walk everywhere. Very few people own cars for a city of 5 million so they just walk. If you are lucky, you might be able to ride a bus, van, or taxi. But mostly you just walk.
- Driving doesn't have any rules. Busy streets have a median down the middle and that's it. You have to have the perfect combination of patience and aggression to avoid accidents, people, animals, and other cars.
- There are very few economic divisions. There are mud huts across the street from nice well kept homes. A person wearing rags is waiting for a bus next to a businessman. The goats are herded through the city streets. The businesses are next to the homes. Everyone just lives and works together no matter what economic or social status.
- There is very little personal space. Everyone greets one another by doing a handshake, half hug. There are 60 people literally sitting on top of each other on a bus.
- Each home is in its own compound. A nice compound would have brick or concrete walls and a large gate. A smaller personal home compound would have tin walls and a small door. Usually there is barbed wire along the top of the wall. A compound may have one building in it like our guest house or 4-5 homes like the ones around us.
-How to build a building-Ethiopian style. You use stick scaffolding to literally hold up the building while you build. It's so hard to describe and completely fascinating that it works.
-Pollution is huge problem and not just the smog. There is trash everyone but surprisingly it doesn't smell very much. At least, not that I noticed.
-What you think is an alley is probably actually a road. Just honk if you want the horses, goats, or sheep to move.
-Honk is actually the second language of Ethiopians. Move. Coming through. Scoot over. Watch out.
-It is impossible to tell how old the children are. Very few people are over 6 feet tall and the children look at on average about 2 years younger than they actually are. I was constantly shocked to hear a tiny little boy or girl tell me he or she was 7.
This really just covers the tip of the iceberg but it's all I have for now. Until next time, here is a video of one of the greetings at ET 566.
-Right next to the runway when we landed, there were old hollowed out junk planes. They were just abandoned where they broke.
-There is a haze that hovers over the city from the pollution. I've never seen anything like it. This is gross, but my snot was black from breathing and processing the smog within hours of being there.
-People walk everywhere. Very few people own cars for a city of 5 million so they just walk. If you are lucky, you might be able to ride a bus, van, or taxi. But mostly you just walk.
- Driving doesn't have any rules. Busy streets have a median down the middle and that's it. You have to have the perfect combination of patience and aggression to avoid accidents, people, animals, and other cars.
- There are very few economic divisions. There are mud huts across the street from nice well kept homes. A person wearing rags is waiting for a bus next to a businessman. The goats are herded through the city streets. The businesses are next to the homes. Everyone just lives and works together no matter what economic or social status.
- There is very little personal space. Everyone greets one another by doing a handshake, half hug. There are 60 people literally sitting on top of each other on a bus.
- Each home is in its own compound. A nice compound would have brick or concrete walls and a large gate. A smaller personal home compound would have tin walls and a small door. Usually there is barbed wire along the top of the wall. A compound may have one building in it like our guest house or 4-5 homes like the ones around us.
-How to build a building-Ethiopian style. You use stick scaffolding to literally hold up the building while you build. It's so hard to describe and completely fascinating that it works.
-Pollution is huge problem and not just the smog. There is trash everyone but surprisingly it doesn't smell very much. At least, not that I noticed.
-What you think is an alley is probably actually a road. Just honk if you want the horses, goats, or sheep to move.
-Honk is actually the second language of Ethiopians. Move. Coming through. Scoot over. Watch out.
-It is impossible to tell how old the children are. Very few people are over 6 feet tall and the children look at on average about 2 years younger than they actually are. I was constantly shocked to hear a tiny little boy or girl tell me he or she was 7.
This really just covers the tip of the iceberg but it's all I have for now. Until next time, here is a video of one of the greetings at ET 566.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Shot Up
I've been vaccinated for practically everything under the African sun. Seriously. 6 shots total. 3 in each arm. 2 minutes tops. Tetanus, yellow fever, typhoid, meningitis, Hepatitis A, and a polio booster. The only lasting side effect thus far is that it feels like I did a few too many push ups yesterday. I'll probably be sleeping on my back tonight but I've been practicing the last few night anyway due to a little sunburn I've acquired while enjoying my first days of summer vacation. Despite my best attempts, I have unsuccessfully been able to sleep past 8 so I've just been getting up and going for a walk. Then, I go to the pool to get at least a little bit of a tan as a preemptive strike against getting sunburned in Africa. So far it's going pretty well. I'm not seriously bored yet and with all the packing I have left to do I'm pretty sure I won't be.
We leave for Ethiopia in just three short days. I can't believe it's here already. It's going to be a great trip. Prayers are appreciated. Look for photos here and on Facebook upon my return.
We leave for Ethiopia in just three short days. I can't believe it's here already. It's going to be a great trip. Prayers are appreciated. Look for photos here and on Facebook upon my return.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Stop and Smell the Flowers
Well, year two is all neatly boxed and packed away. It's amazing to think it's all gone by so fast. Time to stop and smell the flowers so to speak and write a little bit about some of the mini successes from the 2010-2011 school year.
1. A fantabulous parent who came on trips, sent encouraging notes, supported her son, offered to cut things out, and basically just was awesome in every facet.
2. That my students didn't pick at the tape and their name tags. Last year, I had to replace them almost every month and this year I think I redid them three times total. Sweet money I doubt that will ever happen again.
3. Students that ignored the chaos and just kept on listening. They rock.
4. The improvement of some really low kids who are now ready for first grade.
5. A closet that started and ended organized. Next year, I'm shooting for during the year too.
6. A really great Kindergarten team that worked well together and survived a pretty rough group of kiddos.
7. Air conditioning in June which happened to be 90 degrees plus.
8. Leaving at or before 4 about three quarters of the school year.
9. Only going in to school 3 or 4 weekends ALL YEAR.
10. Not procrastinating packing my room so that today on the last day I didn't have to do a thing but walk in and walk out.
Good thing I was ready too because they painters are EXCITED to paint in air conditioning and were already working at 8 this morning. It stunk like paint so much we didn't even sit outside our rooms to pass out report cards but instead sat in the commons together. We were supposed to have today to finish our rooms but apparently when the painting company found out we had air conditioning every single painter they employed jumped on the bandwagon and came to help. They were funny, talkative, and raring to go. They'll probably be done by the end of week. We're getting three slightly darker grayish walls and one accent wall. I chose blue for mine. Hopefully, it will be calming.
I know I didn't post as much this year as I did last year but I hope I kept it up enough to keep everyone up to date. Next up is a busy summer with trips, book reading, relaxing, and softball at the end. First up? Ethiopia, Africa June 17-26. Prayers appreciated and updates to come!!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
End of the Year Festivities
Zoo:
We can call our zoo field trip a success because nobody got hurt, lost, or had an accident. Definitely a success. The zoo was PACKED so the fact that no one got lost is definitely something to stand on. We had good parent help but it was also helpful that we left two of my most "spirited" friends at school in ISS. They had a chance to go but couldn't pull it together even for a trip to the zoo.
Fun Day:
At least 4 people got hurt and one person had an accident. On the plus side, no one got lost between the Youth Center and school so that was good. The walk there takes 15 minutes. The walk home takes 25. At one point, at least 4 kids were crying. 1 was sent home and at least 4 had to sit out different parts of the day. It was the first cloudy day in 2 weeks. It rained. I witnessed some shivering that was almost seizure like and I expect at least 8 kids to get sick in the next week. SMASHING SUCCESS. Always my favorite day of the year.
Best thing so far:
The looks on my students faces as they went down the water slide into freezing cold water at 9:45 this morning. They were SO excited to be there that at first they just went for it. But as they stood at the top of the slide it occurred to them that this might be a little scary. But everyone else was doing it so they took the plunge. The expressions were priceless as they went from excitement to hesitation to in-trepidation to terror to cold induced shock to giddy elation. Imagine all of that in an 8 second ride down a slide that ends in a foot in a half of freezing cold water and now you understand how it's my favorite day of the year. Let the shivering commence!
We have tomorrow as the last full day of the year and on Monday we'll take our well behaved (referral free) students to DQ. Again, we'll walk which takes FOREVER. However, we have 3 hours to walk a mile and a half and eat a Dilly Bar. Kindergarteners have short legs and they like to stop and smell the flowers. Literally. I'm not a big fan of slow walking but it's a good last day with my kids. It's sometimes a great idea to stop and smell the flowers. More on that later.
We can call our zoo field trip a success because nobody got hurt, lost, or had an accident. Definitely a success. The zoo was PACKED so the fact that no one got lost is definitely something to stand on. We had good parent help but it was also helpful that we left two of my most "spirited" friends at school in ISS. They had a chance to go but couldn't pull it together even for a trip to the zoo.
Fun Day:
At least 4 people got hurt and one person had an accident. On the plus side, no one got lost between the Youth Center and school so that was good. The walk there takes 15 minutes. The walk home takes 25. At one point, at least 4 kids were crying. 1 was sent home and at least 4 had to sit out different parts of the day. It was the first cloudy day in 2 weeks. It rained. I witnessed some shivering that was almost seizure like and I expect at least 8 kids to get sick in the next week. SMASHING SUCCESS. Always my favorite day of the year.
Best thing so far:
The looks on my students faces as they went down the water slide into freezing cold water at 9:45 this morning. They were SO excited to be there that at first they just went for it. But as they stood at the top of the slide it occurred to them that this might be a little scary. But everyone else was doing it so they took the plunge. The expressions were priceless as they went from excitement to hesitation to in-trepidation to terror to cold induced shock to giddy elation. Imagine all of that in an 8 second ride down a slide that ends in a foot in a half of freezing cold water and now you understand how it's my favorite day of the year. Let the shivering commence!
We have tomorrow as the last full day of the year and on Monday we'll take our well behaved (referral free) students to DQ. Again, we'll walk which takes FOREVER. However, we have 3 hours to walk a mile and a half and eat a Dilly Bar. Kindergarteners have short legs and they like to stop and smell the flowers. Literally. I'm not a big fan of slow walking but it's a good last day with my kids. It's sometimes a great idea to stop and smell the flowers. More on that later.
Monday, May 23, 2011
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