I have a great dad. He is wise - the "wisdom from above" kind of wise. Over the years, he has taught me about 3 different types of errors people in the Bible made that we can learn from and learn how to avoid.
Here are his words...
1) I used to ask for "kings." This is asking for something that is not the Lord's will - he says no - and I pursue it anyway.
2) I used to do a ''moses." This is not understand the timing of the Lord and getting way ahead or behind His timing of something He really was leading me to do.
3) I used to create "ishamales--" just doing something that I have direct power to do, For example, when I quit my job, bought a car on lease, etc.
All 3 of these can be very costly in time and money besides delaying God's plan for my life.
Mon June 6- Wed June 8Seniors are supposed to report to 1st – 3rd periods, then go to graduation practice from - 2
Wednesday June 8Final exams for all other students
Friday June 10Grades due for all other students
Friday June 10Prom - seniors
Monday June 13School for all students
Tuesday June 14School for all students & graduation (seniors) at night
Wednesday June 15School for freshmen – juniors (originally a teacher institute day, changed to student attendance day to make up for a snow day)
Thursday June 16Teacher institute day
Friday June 17Pick up report cards
*I have seniors mixed into all my classes, so all my students completed a final in my class on June 1.
Please notice that students are supposed to attend school for 6 days after their final grades go in.What a waste.This is a good example of why the people who decide things like when to have days of student attendance should not be people with no previous experience in a school building.Because if anybody who works in the infamous “downtown” was making up the schedule, they would add those 6 days on earlier in the year.The would know that putting them after finals gives students a reason not to come to school, gives no opportunity to “celebrate” at the end of the school year, wastes 6 days of potential academic instruction, and increases the number of “behavior” problems (fights, pranks, etc…).
Over the past 10 days or so, attendance has gradually dwindled.Today, I had the following numbers:
1st period – 1 out of 29
3rd period – 0 out of 56 (seniors)
4th period – 10 out of 49
6th period – 8 out of 43
8th period – TBD J
What have I been doing for 7 hours a day these past couple weeks you wonder?
Grading final exams (until grades were due)
Creating piano and voice lesson advertisements for private studio
Looking for apartments
Reading lots of blogs
G-chatting with my brother
Looking for jobs in Lincoln
Getting latte's and doing target-runs on lunch period
Writing rec letters for students' summer jobs
Cleaning classroom and packing up my stuff
Chatting with students about summer, prom, etc...
Organizing resources I created this year for teaching
Working on our home budget
Pizza party with 8th period!
Let me just say that I did EVERYTHING I COULD THINK OF that was school related before I started doing personal stuff, but I just ran out of stuff to do for work...
Maybe if the people downtown knew what they were paying teachers to do these last 2 weeks, they would rework the schedule.
In closing, I heard the following announcement over the intercom yesterday in the middle of 6th period (name changed): "Ms. Williams, please return to your classroom. There are students waiting for you and you are supposed to be in your 6th period classroom." [You should know that Ms. Williams was suspended earlier this year for sleeping in class.]
Signing off from the almost-end-of-my-first-year-in-CPS,
Ren
I am currently reading a book titled Listening Prayer.It’s extra old (1987) and our copy is yellow-ish.I’m pretty sure it was purchased from a church booksale situation and the author is an old lady with huge glasses. HUGE.But the huge-glasses lady has a lot of wisdom.As I was reading, she quoted this passage from John 10 (verses 5-6, 27-28)
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice… My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.(John 10:5-6, 27-28)
She went on to write that when we are listening in prayer for the voice of God, we will be able to distinguish God’s voice because we are his sheep.
Now, I have heard this passage before and read it, but this time it J-U-M-P-E-D (those letters are supposed to be “jumping”) off the page!Has that ever happened to you? You’re going along, studying the Word, when it all clicks – a different type of “revelation” about something you just read…?That’s because it’s God’s Word and it’s “living and active!” (Hebrews 4:12)
Anyway, that happened to me.The words jumped off the page and God showed me this very clearly: the sheep’s ability to hear His voice isn’t proof of belonging, but rather assurance of belonging.
I always thought that this passage was teaching that if I’m truly a Christian, I’d be able to hear God and if I can’t hear Him, then I must not belong; that the ability to hear is proof.However, I think Jesus used this analogy more for assurance – if I belong to Christ, I WILL be able to discern His voice from others – from voices of the world and from the voice of the great deceiver, the father of lies.Now, that is assuring.I have the ability to discern God’s voice if I’m a believer because He has given that ability to me.And, I can be sure of this because Jesus promised it.
What about the times when you’re unsure?Keep listening and waiting until you are sure – because you can be sure.“His sheep follow him because they know his voice…”Notice, it does not read his sheep will follow him if they can figure it out.Nope!There is no “if.”It’s just “his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
I recently read a book titled The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need--And What We Can Do About It.
As the subtitle suggests, the book basically discusses the gap between even the best educated American students and students from countries around the world whose educational systems are better suited for the way our world functions. He starts out proposing that more and more jobs can easily be done from any location, and with the combination of rapid technological growth around the world AND students who are better trained in countries like Singapore, China, Denmark, and Germany (and who are willing to work for less $), America is losing out.
Before I go further, I'm curious to know what others think about the topic?? [true? false? overdramatic? already happening? etc...]
As a teacher, my calendar year goes from September to June, so this year is almost over! (June 17 to be specific)
I love teaching because it's a gift from God that I can use and because I love working with young people.
I also love breaks. Particularly, summer breaks. When I was a high school student, I really liked summer break. Now that I'm on the other end, I realize that teachers like breaks WAY more :)
Thinking back on this school year honestly makes my head spin.
Did I really ever "manage" my classroom? Did they learn anything? Where did that one kid who just stopped coming go? And what about that other one that went to jail? I should have done an end-of-the-year-concert. I really wanted to do more field trip with the kids. Am I failing them by moving to Nebraska? Who will they have next year? Will I wish I was there or be glad I'm not? Why are so many still so lazy?
It goes on and on.
Oh, and Friday, I am going to tell them I'm not coming back next year :( We'll see how that goes,
When I have clearer thoughts, I'll write more, but for now, that's all I got
