My Favorite Literary Character

I probably should have written this post back in the summer, because I will probably be foggy on details now, but I would like to share with you all my favorite literary character. As background, a little over a decade ago, the people around me started discussing this thing called Lord of the Rings. I thought it sounded like the dumbest thing I had ever heard of, but one day my brother brought home the movies and suddenly I was hooked. Yes, I did the bad thing and fell in love with the movies before I read the book. I did a skim reading of the books one winter around that time, but it wasn't until this summer when I carefully read them through.

I must say since I watched the movies first, details to blend together, and I am guilty of picking and choosing what changes I like best. Originally the love story between Aragorn and Arwen hooked me as crazy as that may sound. I still like these characters a lot, but further reading into the story I quickly realized the small part their loved played into this excellent trilogy. I could tell you all the characters I like and why for there are very few I dislike apart from the villains, but my very favorite would have to be Faramir.

From the first time I saw "The Return of the King" my heart broke for him when his father admitted Faramir would have died in his father's place. Then Faramir goes out on a suicide mission to prove his loyalty and earn his father's love only to be placed on a burning pyre alive. I suppose it was a pity I felt, but the more I actually read of the story, the more I began to admire this character that Tolkien created.

When Faramir was a very young boy his mother passed away and his father drifted away in grief. It was during this time that Faramir became close with his older brother Boromir despite the fact that his father favored Boromir. Tolkien points out that no matter what favoritism was shown, Faramir still loved and admired his brother. No jealousy ever separated the brothers. Despite Faramir's love for his brother, he still did what he could to make his father proud. This affected his choice in holding Frodo and Sam prisoner when the ring came to his possesion. Yet in the end, Faramir chose the right choice over pleasing his father knowing there would be harsh consequences. His father did indeed verbally abuse him for his choice and comparing him to Boromir. The sad truth is that Boromir met his fate in his lust of the ring. Denethor, as Faramir' father was named, had no desire to return the ruling on Gondor back to the rightful king, but Faramir did so with pleasure after only ruling for a brief spell. After almost dying in a suicide mission to earn his father's love and healing from this wounds and the pyre, Faramir met and fell in love with the lady Eowyn of Rohan. When expressing his feelings, he was bold but not assuming.

From everything I read (and have seen) about Faramir (and I know I am forgetting some things right now), he is selfless. In today's world, we all seem to have this feeling of entitlement. We want what we want when we want it, and many times we ruin relationships with others to meet our own needs first. Faramir was never shown as perfect. He toyed with pleasing his father above all else even if it was the wrong thing, but he still made the right choice in the end. He had a kind spirit and a good heart. In a deleted scene, Pippin tells Faramir that he has "strength of a different kind." He may not have been the warrior that his older brother was, but Faramir took wise council from others and learned from it. His actions led to a part in saving Middle Earth from destruction.

The Bible says:

 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—  rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:3-4 NKJV)

Faramir could have let his self worth come from what his family thought of him. He could have competed with his brother to be the best soldier. He could have fought to keep his stewardship of the throne or been arrogant with Eowyn. Yet he did none of this. He maintained a gentle spirit and did his duty for the people of his land. What a better place the world might be if we stopped focusing on what we think we should have and started putting others first.

                                          

Reasons I'm Thankful to be a Teacher

I thought I would take a moment and blow the dust off of this blog. I have many excuses reasons for my silence of late. First of all, I have a new blog documenting my teaching adventures. Currently I am working on a Thanksgiving post from the pre-k front. So there. In my defense, I haven't completely neglected blogging. God has truly been working in my heart these last few months, but the battles feel more personal. I do share with close friends and family, but I don't feel like everything needs shared on the world wide web. With that said - I have finally found some inspiration in an area I enjoy sharing about - teaching!

This post seems appropriate considering November is the month for Thanksgiving. Of course I should be grateful everyday, but lately the blessing of being a teacher hit me like a ton of bricks. Granted, some days are really tough! Sometimes I'm struggling with personal issues, and 10 children need my help with their homework. Other days that cold virus they gave me feels like death in my dramatic mind. Then the week comes when all students declare a free from all the rules we've learned all year. The list of challenges can seem overwhelming, but I would not trade it for anything in the world. Here are some reasons I am thankful that God called me into teaching (in no particular order):

   

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2. Laughter - They say laughter is the best medicine. These kids keep me smiling day in and day out. Even on days when their behavior could send me over the edge, they at least have style in delivery. I really have to check myself to be sure I am not reinforcing negative behavior, because some days it is so hard not to laugh. From answers to questions, reactions to the opposite gender, stories from home and sometimes just plain old innocence - these kids keep a constant smile on my face. If you're friends with me on Facebook, you may have some idea of what I am talking about.
3. Challenges - What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Parts of my 2 jobs in education settings make me feel inadequate. Some days I almost find myself questioning why God placed me there, yet I feel so blessed that He did. Both worlds have taught me so much, and God has given me such a compassion for people I never would have thought about working with before. I can see a great change in my approach to teaching the 2nd time through than the first. I believe this to be a good sign as I should always be growing and changing for the better in whatever I do. I also continue to see I have so much to learn, but the Lord has been my guide through every step of the way, and I know He will continue to do so.
4. Working with Kids - All my life I have always wanted to work with kids. Ever since I was a child myself, I've enjoyed holding babies and playing with the younger crowd. As much as I would love to be a wife and mother - that isn't in the cards for me right now. God has bigger and better plans than I could imagine for myself. As I pray and try to seek His direction in what all that may entail, He has me in a wonderful set up right now. It hit me driving home one day that I am daily exposed to 100+ kids daily. That's a huge responsibility when it comes to making a difference. These aren't just kids I am passing on the street. These are children under my care, my teaching and if nothing else - my example. That thought can be overwhelming, but for someone who wanted to work with children - the Lord sure did bless me. Not only do I have my own students, but I have been able to visit with my mom's class as well as teaching Sunday School and serving in the church nursery. It may not be mothering, but it's a joy to serve in this capacity.
5. Enjoying the Small Things - Now that I am a teacher, I realized I lost the wonder of childhood somewhere along the way. Obviously this comes with growing up, but teaching has brought some of the wonder back. Lately my computer backgrounds have something to do with the theme I'm teaching - apples, pumpkins, leaves, holidays, etc. Recently driving through the countryside and seeing the various pumpkin stands brings a smile to my face. I have a hard time going into a store and staying away from the holiday aisles to see what could be used for a learning center. I spend my weekends dying noodles and making play dough. I do it for the kids, but I cannot deny that I have a ton of fun preparing these lessons for them. I wouldn't call myself a total Pinterest addict, but I do enjoy searching for adorable things to do with my kids. I love decorating the classroom which spreads into decorating my house. I enjoy baking, crafting and many other things simply because it brings joy to my students.
6. Camaraderie - Friendships are something to be cherished. The Lord blessed me with many wonderful friends throughout the year. However, there is an extra special connection with my teaching friends. Those friends all teach different age groups and subjects, but I like to say we all have the same stories with differing levels of cuteness. It's wonderful to share student teaching experiences, field experiences, college courses, and now that some of us are into our careers, we can share about the struggles and victories each day. I love all my friends dearly, teachers or not, but I am thankful for that special connection that being a teacher brings.
7. Stories - One of these days I will be off on my own, but for now I am living with the parents. It really is awesome with my mom being a kindergarten teacher. Awesome for us anyway. The men in our house would probably disagree. My youngest brother has a death glare that could kill when we get started, but it is so awesome to come home and share about our day. Pre-K and K are fun ages, and we always have something fun to share. I also cherish the advice my mom gives when I come home with a problem. Her wisdom from all her years of experience is a wonderful treasure.
8. The Bible - I have the blessing of teaching a Bible lesson at the preschool. Some of the children are not always exposed to the love of Christ. It's such a blessing to share with them. I love to see how fast they absorb the lessons and see it in use in their daily life. Hearing these precious children sing praises to God melts my heart every time. I look forward to sharing the true meaning of Christmas with them in the weeks to come. Learning about both thanks and giving is already proving a blessing.

Wow! I feel like I should go for an even 10, but the inspiration is running dry. I could think of many more reasons, if I didn't have to wrap this up right now. Lots of blessings packed in that list, but lots and lots of responsibility. Honestly, I run short many days. I could certainly do a better job, but this is life. Instead of focusing on my failings, I need to pick myself up, look at the blessings, and rely on the Lord to do a better job. I'm still praying about what is next in life, but until then I will be thankful for all that I have.

Grow Up

     

  If you know me well, you may know that I am a fan of BBC. Robin Hood, Merlin, Sherlock, Doctor Who....okay, you all get it - I am a nerd. One of the reasons I became such a fan girl is because of my friends, Sarah and Emily who introduced me to Merlin. The rest sort of followed, but whatever - none of you need to know the entire history of my epic nerdiness. The reason I enjoy these fandoms we share is because of the life lessons we draw from them. Before you freak out, please know that I do not use tv shows to guide my every step. It's just sometimes in our nerdy discussions, we end up rabbit trailing onto some great spiritual truth from something that we have learned. Visit Sarah and you'll see what I mean.

    Ok - so here is what I have been thinking a lot about lately. Above you will see a beautiful lady named Marian. Actually her name is Lucy Griffiths, but let's not kill the moment. Marian is of course the infamous love of Robin Hood's life. Every telling of the legend is different, but BBC presents Marian as a head strong girl quite capable of taking care of herself. She had to because Robin left her alone while he went to fight in the Crusades. Upon his return, he was shocked to find that Marian's father had been overthrown as sheriff and an evil man had taken his place. Robin Hood stated that he would not tolerate this injustice. He gave up all that he had (another lesson for another day) to live as an outlaw in the woods, protecting the people from the corrupted Prince John and the evil sheriff.

    Robin Hood sounds like a great hero, and in fact I think he rather was. The problem was at times he would make rash decisions because things were not fair. He ended up in jams because he wanted his own way. Marian knew how the system worked after all her years spent in Nottingham without King Richard's protection. She knew they could not have their own way all the time. She had found her own way to help others by becoming the Night Watchman. 

  As the Night Watchman, Marian was able to help those in need without openly defying the powers that be. She protected herself and those she helped by keeping her true identity a secret. This way she could serve for a long time to come. There were times when she encouraged Robin to do the same for the complete protection of the people. To do this she would constantly tell him, "Grow up."

    Robin and Marian both had to make many tough decisions for England. It meant self sacrifice and giving up things they wanted. When Robin would discourage Marian from making these choices, she always gave the same reply, "Grow up."

     Friends, this is what I must do. "Grow up." I have decided that I too have been holding on too tight to what I decided is right rather than what I know is right. It is time that I give up my selfish dreams and do something that counts. It is time that I stop living for self, and completely and totally surrender myself to God. Honestly, this has been my desire in life, but in growing up, I realize there is yet more I must do. 

     All of the sudden I find myself pursuing goals I used to be afraid of pursuing. I am not yet ready to announce to the world wide web what all this may entail, but if you think about it, please pray. I am on the verge of making a big decision that could change my life forever. That probably sounds a lot more dramatic than it is. Really it is all in God's hands, and I seek His guidance. Let's just say I have a teaching degree and there's a great big wide world out there.

       "Grow up" - "Okay!"

Perspective

    The last weeks have really been a fast pace learning experience. What's new, huh? I guess that is what happens when you are working in a couple different fields at once, not to mention the fact that what I do changes every couple of months. For the last session of the after school program I work for, I was longer tutoring, but strictly assisting with the YMCA.

      I must say I am so grateful the Lord brought about the tutoring job because that is how everything started. I enjoyed being able to solely focus upon a career in teaching and working with children because that is where my heart lies. However, the tutoring was challenging and I admittedly got frustrated quite often. It proved to be a great training in patience and understanding. It took me a very long time to learn these lessons, and I am sure I haven't learned all there is to learn about handling these situations. These last 6 weeks have altered my perspective greatly.

     It hit me that the reason I was struggling with teaching these precious children is I do not share their perspective on life. Going in I realized that they would be coming from completely different backgrounds, but I guess I never stopped to think just how different. Different doesn't have to be a bad thing, but different leads to different feelings, different thoughts, different reactions and the list goes on. The way I was trained on how to deal with things growing up did not match how my students deal with things. Thus the conflict and frustration.

      My desire is to be a good teacher and that means putting the child first. There are times when I just don't know how to react because I want to do what is best for the child. Since I am a human too, I know I have made mistakes when frustration and even anger take hold. Again, the last six weeks is what I needed. Before I was only getting about 2 hours a day with a select amount of the children. Basically the same group of kids all the time. When I began working with the whole program, I was exposed to more of the children for longer amounts of time. This is when things began to click.

       Will I ever get inside their heads and truly understand how they feel about things - no. I did not grow up the same way, BUT from being around them more, I have a better knowledge of where they are coming from. Just imagining myself in their shoes helps the world make a little more sense. I still struggle with my classroom management skills, but it is a work in progress. Being around the kids more led to them knowing me better. This is turn provided more respect from both parties, and things began to change for the better.

        What the last six weeks really taught me is how much I take for granted. I mean, it sounds cliche' and it is. I know I take things for granted, but I just never really thought of how extremely blessed I am. I come from a stable home and a close knit extended family. My family is by no means perfect, but the Lord brought everything together and I always feel supported. Not only is my family together, but we have a nice house, a big yard, a driveway, vehicles for everyone, constant supply of food, a Bible believing church, great friends. My parents have also provided my brothers and I with a Christian education, I was able to complete 4 years at Bible college, and I got 3 education related jobs my first year out of school in this tough economy. I have always been thankful for those things, and some of that is more important than other things on the list, but how often do I really think about all of those things together. Some people do not even have one of the things on that list and some of them might be the kids I go to work with everyday. It makes me feel greedy because there are times when I desire more in life, and yet to some people, I have everything in the world. Reality has slapped me hard these last 6 weeks and I could go on longer. Instead I will end with this, my perspective is changing, and my prayer would be to be more grateful for what the Lord has given me, and be more understanding to those who struggle.

Graduation Gown

So today after my pre-k kiddos finished their end of the year closing program, a couple of the girls tried on their graduation gowns to see if they would do the trick. Yes, it is already the time of year to be talking closing programs and graduation. As a matter of fact,  I have now been out of college for a whole entire year. What? I mean, wasn't I just trying to wrap my mind around the fact that senior year has arrived?

     This year brought a lot of new into my life. At the beginning of the school year I seem to remember blogging about how wonderful life was. I have enjoyed many of these moments immensely, but not everything has been easy. Juggling 2-3 jobs has proved difficult at times, but I believe I have finally been given the right balance. The Lord always knows just what I need. I am happy to say I will be teaching pre-kindergarten for at least one more year and working strictly with the extended day program partnership of the YMCA and a city school. I really do love the diversity and experience these situations bring me. I feel like I have seen and learned a lot this year, but I know I have only begun to scratch the surface of working with children in educational settings.

      I have also enjoyed being at home and the opportunities that brings. I feel a lot closer to my family now that I am able to be a part of all festivities. I love our schedules as we are apart enough to not get on each other's nerves too much. My extended family is the best and I didn't realize how much I was missing until I came back home. I have also reconnected with old friends and made many new friends. I also had several good and bad car experiences, but I am grateful for the freedom of my own wheels. Among all of this, I am still learning about good money management. Basically I am learning to live life in the real world, and it's going pretty well considering the big picture. This feels like one of the fastest years of my life, but then again, time does fly when you're having fun. Looking forward to seeing what year 2 brings my way!

Family

I'm surprised I have never done a post like this before, for this is a topic I think a lot about. This post is about family. I could go on and on about how I have the best family ever, but no one but my own family wants to hear that. I believe family like so many other things in this world is one of those things that God places you in based on personality, experience, etc. Some days it bothers me when people say they have the best family ever because I feel like I do. That's silly though, because we're all right I think. Your family is a precious God given gift, and that my friends means it is the best. The best situation for you.

    This is why I am so passionate about the subject. I think back on all of I have been through in my life. Friends have come and gone, jobs, school, cars, etc have all done the same. I think of my closest circle of friends and each one of them could probably tell you a little bit about my history in these areas. However, family - well they could probably say something about each. My family and this includes, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins have always been there for me, and I for them. They came to my school plays, graduations, birthday parties, church functions and of course holidays. It's just cool to think about how we have all grown and changed together, but yet we are always as close as we always are.

     I am so grateful for all of my friends, but this stage of life with family is so nice. Not only are they my family, but many of them are some of my closest friends too. It is nice to share your experiences with people who love you and have always been there.

      Writing this also reminds me of my heavenly Father. Not only has He always been there, but He knows my thoughts and heart too. His guidance is precious as one who holds all of this knowledge and knows what is best for me.

     This post is very rambling, but I just love my family so much, and I am grateful for all the time we have spent together. It is nice to be reminded of the people who love and care about you and you the same for them.

Bird Nest Project

Some days I wonder why I have a blog. I am pretty sure few people read it. This may be because I do not broadcast it often. After all, I don't have cute kids and stories to share, well with permission anyway. I do not believe it my place to tell all about my students. However, I recently thought how thankful I am for the resources the internet supplies in my lesson planning. With this in mind my goal is to share some of my projects I do in my classroom.

First up in my bird nest project. The inspiration for this project came from Dr. Seuss Read Across America week. My mom let me borrow her Seuss book from her kindergarten classroom, and I chose to read "My Nest is Best" to my 2 day class. The book goes over how birds collect various objects when building their nest. This made me think how fun it would be for the kids to make nests of their own. This project allows for creativity, but I will go over what we did and what I would change in the future.

First of all I will say that I love small groups. I do have an assistant, so this makes this possible for me. I don't always have the time for group work, but I love it when I do. Though I only had the one craft planned for this day, I did make it into 2 parts.

My assistant led the bird group. For this part I had stencils of birds for the kids to trace. We are trying to focus on pre-writing skills, so  I am hoping to do a lot of tracing activities in the weeks to come. I had a bird cut-out that I believe originally came from Microsoft Word clip art. You can find whatever shape would work best for you. I wish I would have picked a cut out a little more defined. Many of the children thought they were cutting out a fish. I also meant to have them glue feathers onto their cut out, but I forgot to get them out. If you have the time, I think it would be fun to decorate the birds with feather, googly eyes, markers, etc. This may be more appropriate for longer sessions, older children or a deeper study on birds. We gave the children the choice of blue, brown or red for their bird, but the possibilities are endless. The kids finished this part by gluing their bird to a background paper. We used gray, but again, you could change it as needed.

Now that we had the fine motor skills working with the birds, we needed the nest. I gave each child a half of a paper plate. I had them assemble their nest on the part that scoops in so it would be easier to glue the nest to the background page. I made a mud mixture by blending food coloring together until it looked brownish. All I can say for that is experiment! They really seemed to get into the fact that their glue looked like mud. Just be sure they realize it is glue for their objects and not just paint. Some were getting so into painting it, that they were letting the glue dry before they put anything "nesty" on it. I have them q-tips to spread the glue, but I think paint brushes would work better with glue. Normally we find that the little fingers handle the q-tips better, but the fuzzy and glue don't work together well.

I placed the muddy glue around the objects. They could choose cut up paper, ribbon, yarn, straws, felt, pipe cleaners and tissue paper for their nest. I had some left over supplies from previous crafts, so many things were already cut. However, anything new I left for them to cut to get in that fine motor skill practice. They all seemed to gravitate toward the same type of material, but it was a joy to see their creativity  I think I have them too many color options because the supplies looked like a nest, but the colors detracted from the project at hand. It's pk since they did get to express creativity, and sometimes it is good to just recycle and use what you have.

In the end they really turned out cute, and I believe the children had fun putting them together. I enjoyed hanging the final products up for a new spring bulletin board. I am ready to put winter behind us, and what better way than nest building! I glued their nests on after they left for the day. They did glue their birds, but I wanted to test out the durability of their nests. I encouraged them to drag yarn, pipe cleaners and anything like that right through the glue so it would stay. Over all they held together well. Most things that fell off I was able to replace right where the child had originally placed it.

Hopefully I can be more faithful about sharing my teaching ideas. With my 3 day class we did the paper plate "Cat in the Hat" craft you can find here. They turned out adorable, and I was able to split the groups into 2 as well. One group painted while the other assembled the hat and face. My first Dr. Seuss week as a teacher seemed to go well overall. With that being said,  Happy Crafting and Happy Springtime!