Small Wire

I shared one of my favorite poems with my American Literature class today:  Anne Sexton's "Small Wire."  I usually teach it in conjunction with Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" sermon because they are both written out of the Puritan tradition, although there are a few hundred years in between them.  I asked the students to write a short 20-minute essay comparing and contrasting the two views of God with their own.  I decided to write with them...

One of the most important things in life is our relationship with God.  Not just that we have a relationship, although that matters, but what kind of relationship we have.  Our view of God will dictate the quality of connection we have with Him and our view of God is determined by our upbringing, our experiences, and our personal efforts to establish and maintain a relationship with Him.  Jonathan Edwards wrote and delivered his sermon at the height of the Great Awakening in the 1740s.  Ministers at the time were using every tactic they could to bring their parishioners back to where they felt they should be, back to the Puritanical tradition of an angry, jealous, no-nonsense God.  Edwards tried to terrify his listeners into coming back, and he succeeded.  But at what cost?  Obedience at the price of love? Edwards describes us as loathsome creatures--even to God our creator, who preserves us on a whim rather than because he loves us.

Anne Sexton, on the other hand, realized that even though our connection with God might be tenuous at best, it doesn't matter.  God will easily and lovingly not only connect with us, but will hold us close and not allow us to fall.  Sexton was a descendent of Puritans, so she knew the traditional concept of God, and yet writing in the 1970s, she had a much more open view of God.  She also understood that our need for God is there, it is inevitable, even though we might not understand it fully.  The relationship is a two-way experience, though.  Both are involved--God and us.

My view is even more evolved than Anne's, I think.  I had the great privilege of growing up in a home where a loving, merciful, generous, and kind God was actively included in every aspect of living.  My father, a theologian in his own right, and a great student of the Bible, would often share his thinking and learning with us, so by the time I got to college, I had a healthy understanding of, and appreciation for, a God more like Anne's than Jonathan's.  College teachers continued to challenge and encourage my thinking and my relationship in ways I am only now beginning to appreciate.  What I thought was the norm turns out to be somewhat unusual for most.  But it has given me is a place and a way to minister to others in encouraging their own personal discovery of the true character of God and for that I am thankful.

Preparing for Day One

We are one week away from starting classes again (school starts on Monday, classes begin on Wednesday), but have been in pre-session meetings since last Thursday.  During and in between those meetings, I've been talking with various colleagues about the importance of writing.  The more I said, the more hypocritical I felt.  With my mouth I was saying yes, it's important to write, to let your students and colleagues see and know that you write.  A new colleague shared extensively with us about the importance of writing in the classroom and our departments are collaborating on creating a whole-school writing protocol, complete with rubrics that will help all disciplines work towards competence in writing in each and every discipline.  But here it has been seven months since I've written here!  That is about to change . . . I hope.

Thing is, I go at this in jags.  sometimes I'll be on a writing jag and other times I'll be on a reading one . . . and rarely am I on the two at the same time.  For me, it's almost physically impossible as they require two opposite actions of me.  And yet one feeds off of--and inspires--the other, so I really should be able to do both, right?

Yes.  I am determined.  Wish me luck!!!

Trying my hand at writing with a quill pen at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, England.

On and On

"The road goes ever on and on."
~ J.R.R. Tolkein

"It's your road and yours alone.  Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you."

Those are the quotes for today's bell work.  I asked my students to describe the road they are currently traveling--literally and figuratively.  Who is going with you?  Where are you going?  Where do you wish you were going?  Why?  I'll be interested to see their responses.
During the school year, I'm on a road kind of like many here in Arizona--a straight shot getting you fairly easily from one spot to the others.  When I first moved here, a friend I had known in Boston (a city not known for it's straight, logical roads) sat down with me and described the road system here and said "you'll love driving here.  It's so logical.  You'll always know where you are and where you're going."  Wrong!  I have never been more lost and confused within a mile or so from my house or work than in this state!  You can be driving along on a road and suddenly you will dead end into a neighborhood.  So, logically you'd think you could go left (or right) and then right (or left) and then left (or right) again and find yourself back on your original road.  But no.  You can't get around the neighborhood so easily.  Instead, you'll find yourself lost in a labyrynth of twists and turns that have you going in the complete opposite direction from where you started.  Drives.  Me.  Crazy.

Then there are the mountain roads--north and south of where I live.  I'm not very good at driving on roads I don't know and that do not give me a fair amount of distance views.  Roads that have a lot of twists and turns are slow roads for me because I don't want to miss a curve and lose control.  The first time I drove north to Sedona and beyond took quite a bit longer than I drive it now.  And I didn't offer once to drive the hairpin turns of the White Mountains on our road trip East this summer.  Once I know a road, though, I travel it easier.  And faster.

So much for the literal road I'm on.  Figuratively, I start my day on a winding road that I have no idea where or how it will end.  For some reason, that doesn't unnerve me the way the actual unknown road does.  Perhaps because I've gone into this unknown so many times before.  Coming to Arizona was one such big adventure. But every day has its own journey with its myriad opportunities to wonder about the day's mile posts.  But that's a whole other story.  I'll have to leave that for another day.

Crazy Enough

"The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do."  Change the world.  Back in the 80s I thought I could change the world.  One person at a time.  I read Ann Kiemel's books...devoured them...about being just one, but that God and I, we'd change the world.  "You watch.  You wait.  You'll see."  That was my mantra.  I embraced the idea whole-heartedly.  I challenged my friends and my students to join me on my journey through change.  It was exciting and energizing to think about...and to make the effort.  I carried that energy with me through the 90s and loved it all, loved the idea that I could make a difference.  In all my thinking about change in my world, there came changes in me.  As I traveled the world, literally, I began to see things differently.  More globally.  I began to think outside my world...and realized it would take more than just me (and God) to effect some of the changes I saw.  That was a good place to start, but it couldn't stop there.  I would have to encourage others to effect change in their world, too, if we wanted to make a dent at all.

In recent years, I have started each of my classes with a 10-minute writing session.  Initially, it was just free-writing designed to wake their brains up, but for the past few years I've been more focused and intentional with what I want my students to think and write about.  This morning, I paired the above quote with another one about making a difference:  "You can't change it all at once.  It's gonna take multiple people at separate stages of people's lives taking and making a difference.  It's not just gonna take me."  I guess that's where I am now--realizing that where I am attempting to effect change in the lives of the young people around me, I am not in a vacuum.  Many came before and many more will come after.  This could be daunting and/or discouraging, and could possibly cause one to say "why bother then."  But there's also this:  "I can do all things through Christ." I am crazy enough to believe it is indeed possible to change my world after all.

Photos taken in Butterfly Wonderland in Phoenix, Arizona

Relief and Accomplishment

For the past month, I've been working on a big editing project.  One that has required us to reflect.  One that has asked us to look at the key experiences of the past six years of our school's life.  We are preparing for our accreditation visit next month and I'm on the writing and editing team for the self-study.  It has been an interesting journey.  My assignments were to write chapter one (the school profile), head up the focus group about curriculum and instruction, and then edit the whole project.  Last week, I was editing every spare moment.  Some sections went through three and four edits, and some are first drafts (and it shows).  When different people are writing different sections, it's challenging to try to put it all together as if it came from one source, one voice.  Hence the late nights and the hours (five and six hours each the past two nights) of work after a full day of teaching!!!  All told, I logged over 50 hours of overtime--for which I cannot be paid since I'm on salary.  Something's a little skewed about that, but that's another story. . .  

All of those 50+ hours, I was accompanied by my friend and colleague, Jill.  She is actually the leader of the whole project and she truly has put her heart and soul into it.  She was able to take Monday off as we finally put the project in the mail to the visiting team at about 5 p.m. last Sunday.  I took a few hours off, but didn't want to miss out on my teaching.  The principal sent us out to dinner and a show Wednesday night, though, and we had a good time, first going to Brios for supper (delicious) and then to the Mesa Arts Center to see The Good Lovelies in concert.  Now, prior to last week, I had barely heard of this band, but Jill knew their music and really wanted to go.  I'm always game to learn new things, so I didn't mind going...and was pleasantly surprised and the delightful time we had there.

Our seats were great--third row in a small, intimate theatre that held about 200.  This women's trio of Canadian folk singers were funny...and good.  It was somewhat of a shock, though, to look around us and see that we were, besides the singers, the youngest people in the room, by far.  Don't know why that demographic...but we all enjoyed ourselves.  The girls kept saying "thank you for coming.  You're all so attentive!  And it's true.  The audience was on their best symphony hall behavior, quietly listening during the songs and clapping enthusiastically at their conclusion.  We also gave them a standing ovation at the end, which I believe delighted the singers enormously.  They are relatively new--only about 6 years old as a band.  I was impressed.

Of course you pay for doing something like that mid-week.  I have indeed been scrambling ever since to get everything done that needed doing before this day ended. But...it's all done now.  And so I go to my rest tonight tired, but with an enormous sense of relief and accomplishment . . .

The Good of Experience

"What is the good of experience if you do not reflect?"  ~ Frederick II

 Reflect on your key experiences of the past year or so.  What stands out?  What have you learned?  What more do you have to learn to become the person you want to be?  Kind of loaded questions I think.  Important to consider, though.

[Those were the writing prompts from Thursday.  I didn't have time to write much then, but have finished the thoughts I started with my classes from that day.]

So . . . what are some of the key experiences I've had this past year or so?  What stands out for me?  Professionally, I think I've had opportunities to stretch myself.  Two years ago, I was "just" teaching, not really wanting to do anything else for awhile.  I had come off five years of being principal, of doing something that I was passionate about, but didn't really want to be doing (paradox?).  I needed space.  I needed to learn to breathe again.  So I left Boston and moved to Phoenix, left administration to go back to only teaching.  The next year, I got back into a bit of administration--mostly in an advisory capacity--just enough to make it interesting, not enough to overwhelm me.

This year, though, I have a lot more to do in that department.  It's almost as if I have one foot in each camp--classroom and administration building.  It's been challenging...and draining.  Part of me want to go back to "just" teaching again.  It's certainly easier and far less stressful.  But clearly that is not possible for me.  I cannot seem to steer clear.  I have finally given up the fight and have accepted that I will never again be able to "just" teach.  It seems that God has something else in store for me . . .  Looking back, I find that I do not regret letting go of my plans and following where God leads.  Looking back, I see clearly what I could not always see in the moment.  Looking back--reflecting--I see the good of very experience and I see that, in God's hands, all things work together for good.  That is the good of experience.  And reflection.

Blessings, part 2

Not only is today's writing "Blessings, part 2," it's writing-with-sophomores, part 2.  My T/Th section of sophomores is a little bit bigger class, but aside from numbers, they are basically the same...interested and eager learners for the most part.  A fun group to teach and work with.  We are listening to Yo Yo Ma while we write...another one of the blessings in my life :)

When I was thinking of the word "blessings" a few minutes ago, I thought of how many of my friends end their letters with the word "blessings."  Quite a few of them do in fact, both male and female.  In a way, it's kind of a throw-away tag line, maybe even a trendy one.  I know when I first became a principal I was concerned (not in a major way) about how I would end--and begin, for that matter--any communication I sent from my office.  My direct supervisor always ended his missives with "4 His Kids."  His supervisor closed hers with, you got it, "Blessings."  So...what was my tag line going to be?   Truth?  I never did figure it out.  Many times it would be "Take Care."  But that would depend on how well I knew the recipient.  Most of the time, I just tried to say something that sounded like a satisfying ending...almost like the ending of an essay!  My salutation dilemma I solved with a simple "Good Morning," "Good Afternoon," or "Good Evening," depending on when I was writing.

But back to the blessings.  A blessing today is our Week of Prayer speaker.  He looks almost exactly like Kris Kristofferson, but few of our students would know who that was.  They think he looks like Jesus, a dirty-blond-haired Jesus.  And he's telling them some pretty cool stories of Jesus, so in a way, that fits.  Anyway, he's been a huge blessing to us and it's only his second day.

Looking Back to Yesteryear

My second day (and third class period) of writing with my students.  This time it's seniors.  The lucky 13 in my first-thing-in-the-morning British literature class.  We're studying Hamlet and, unfortunately, had to take a three-week break right in the middle of it, so today we'll be looking back in order to understand the things that lie ahead (see the quote from yesterday's first entry) in Hamlet's life.  But first, they are writing.

It's interesting to go through a "last semester of high school" with seniors.  They struggle with wanting to get out now and hang on as long as they can.  They are done (or want to be) with high school work, but not necessarily high school life.  Especially in a boarding school environment, I think.  For me, I have to literally look all the way back to my senior year to remember what it was like for me so I can give them my best as we go through this last semester together.  Sometimes, especially as the end nears, I feel frantic that I didn't do enough, that I didn't tell enough, that I didn't take enough time with them--as a class or as individuals.  I don't like having regrets, but that's always one of them every year.

So, what are things that I need to work on?  Using my time better in class?  Using my influence more out of class?  Going back to my thoughts of yesterday about content of character as opposed to content of essay . . . what do I give them?  What do I say and do to help them know they need Jesus more than any single other thing in their lives????

Blessings

"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."  --Charles Dickens

This is the second writing prompt of the day for my sophomores.  What are your present blessings?  List and reflect them.  Well, one of my blessings, for sure, is my students.  I feel a great happiness when I think of them and see them learning and growing.  This writing year that we spend together is not easy.  And there's not a lot of "fun" literature because it's more about them as writers than others.  But they have worked hard.  I've not had to struggle to keep them focused.  I've not had to beg or bribe them.  I know they wish it could be more "interesting" at times, but it is always practical.  Even now.  And they get that.  What a blessing!

Another blessing is my family.  I spent almost all of Christmas vacation with them.  This was a longer break than usual, too, so I made the most of it.  I miss my family a great deal.  It's a real challenge to be without them, so any opportunity to be with them is a blessing.

My friends are a blessing, too.  I have many...too many to count, but not too many to appreciate.  Here, at Thunderbird, each one is very different from the other.  There are not many overlaps in interests--or time together.  That's been interesting to me, to virtually have a different friend for many of the interests in my life.  Last night I went and watched Downton Abby with one of those friends and had a great time laughing and enjoying the life of 1920s Britishers.  I look forward to next week's episode and the time to share again.

Semester Reflections

"Sometimes, you have to look back in order to understand the things that lie ahead." --Unknown

I'm writing with my students today.  It's been awhile since I've done that.  Years ago, I did it all the time.  Actually kept a journal in my classroom and wrote whenever I had them write.  I got away from it for some reason and have missed it.  Today, at the beginning of a new semester, I've resolved to get back to it.

So it's 1:10 p.m.  I have 16 sophomores in the room, heads bent over the page reflecting on the past semester.  What are things that worked in your academic life?  What are things that need work this new semester?  What will you do to assure success in 2013?  I love the sounds of thinking!  It's a beautiful thing to see and hear.

And what is it that I saw and heard from them last semester?  And what did they see and hear from me?  We learned to write from the ground up.  Bit by bit, piece by piece, we learned how to build an essay.  For some, it was easy.  The words flowed easily and smoothly.  There was no struggle to let them loose from their mind.  Others had to fight--with themselves, with those around them, with the distractions that are part of an active classroom.  But they learned.  And so did I.

There are always things that I know for sure work.  And then there are those I need to work on.  It's sometimes hard for me to explain something that comes so easily for me.  Not that writing is easy.  But I know how to do it...  So I have to try to remember what it's like to not know.  And sometimes that frustration keeps me from doing my best.  That's what I will work to improve this semester.

Now, it's nearly 2:30 and I have the AP class with me.  This is a full classroom of juniors and seniors.  With them, I want to do more serious academic writing and thinking.  We've had a good semester, and they've done well, but we need to start focusing on the test prep.  I don't like teaching to a test.  Something in me rebels against that.  I don't know what exactly.  I like the freedom to determine what is important for my students and that takes it all away from me.  Which may be what frustrates me.  I am far more interested in the content of their characters than in the content of their essays!  But that makes it a little difficult to take an AP test if all I've done with them is develop who they are . . . and not what others think they should know.

Empty Nest = Full Nest

I've been reading quite a few Facebook posts from friends who have college-aged children.  Most of them are bemoaning the quietness of their homes now that those children have gone back to school.  I understand that loss, but it rather amuses me that I, on the other hand, am somewhat bemoaning the fact that tomorrow, I will be getting up early to face a not-so-quiet classroom full of children who have left their homes today to come back to school (I work at a boarding school).

While the quietness of my classroom beckons at the moment, I will be ready to exchange it somewhere around 10 tomorrow.  While I've enjoyed the break--longer than I usually have at this time by a few days thanks to the calendar--I am ready to get back to the regular routine (although it's anything but routine!).  What is an empty nest for some will become a full nest for me.  I look forward to it!

A Grand Time at the South Rim

A month prior to our trip to the North Rim and environs, my two adventure-buddies and several other colleagues and I spent a long weekend exploring the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  This time, we were doing an exploratory visit to check out the possibilities for an interdisciplinary field trip  for next fall.  We spent most of Friday with one of the rangers from the education department, but the rest of the time we were on our own.  Happily, we had Linda with us--and she had spent the past 20 years living and working in the Park, so we had an expert in our midst.  She added so much to what was already a fascinating visit!

We made our way up to north in small groups, but by the time we met up at our headquarters, there were an even dozen of us--including a teenager from Taiwan and a 2 year old--although circumstances back at school called two back the next morning.  Thursday was spent getting there and getting settled, but Friday was full, starting with several hours with our Park ranger, who took us through the woods and along the rim, showing and telling us things we'd never get on our own.  By mid-afternoon, we were ready for food and a rest, but there was so much to do, we didn't want to give over too much time to that.  So, on our own, we shopped and explored further.

Saturday morning, several of us got up early to see the sun rise over the canyon, and then some went hiking for a few hours.  I spent some time birdwatching along the rim.  We met back at the Kolb Studio for an art show, complete with the artists side by side with their art work.  Later in the afternoon, our "camp" was invaded by a small herd of elk.  The elk are, apparently, quite unafraid of humans and are very bold about grazing in populated areas of the park.

We spent a crazy and enjoyable evening at the El Tovar restaurant (porch seating) drinking hot chocolate and playing a somewhat rowdy game of "Mafia."  Much to our dismay, we were so noisy that some of the guest of the hotel sent down word asking us to be quiet!  Our students would certainly find that amusing!  To be fair, though, there were a few other guests who were at least as loud as we were, so it wasn't all us ;)

Unfortunately, we had to leave early on Sunday to get back for a mandatory staff meeting.  But we came away knowing that there was plenty of good material and opportunity for a full-fledged outdoor teaching unit.  Never mind, just plenty to see and do, period.

Come and Gone

Years ago, I wrote down a quote in my journal that said something like "Some people come into our lives and quickly go.  Some stay for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same."  I think it was one of those Flavia cards that were popular way back when, but I feel like I'm only just now experiencing it.  Truth is, I've been there before, but not recently.  It's a very bittersweet feeling...


Graduation weekend has come and gone...and so have the seniors.  Last year, I didn't know them well enough after only a year of mostly trying to figure everything else out.  But this year, it was rather overwhelming.  Some of them have confided so much in me this year.  I knew them pretty well by the end of the year.  They asked me to be one of the speakers for their weekend, and I was honored to do so, but that talk was the hardest I've ever given.  The weight of it was at times so heavy that I could hardly move.  It finally came together . . . about an hour before I had to give it.  Felt good, though.  Felt right.


There were a lot of hugs and tears after the Commencement.  Since I teach at a boarding school, some of the kids had been together 40 out of the past 48 months, 24/7.  The knowledge that that time was over was almost impossible for them to deal with.  They were glad to be graduating, but did not want to leave the security of their friends.  I went home and tried to digest it all, but there was too much.


It was my birthday, too, and the class gave me a dozen roses.  One of the first boys I met when I arrived on campus last year introduced me before I spoke.  He told the story of helping me to move into my apartment and there were seemingly endless boxes of books.  "What must this woman wear," he asked himself.  "She has no clothes, only books!"  Made me laugh, because the truth is I have a lot of books, but also clothes...


So now they're gone.  And I, too, will be gone for the summer (mostly).  When I come back, there will be others to step in and leave footprints on my heart.  Yet another reason I teach.........

Best and Worst of Times

This is the moon of a few weeks ago...the biggest moon of the year (at least).  Doesn't look very big from this angle, but trust me, it was huge. It is rising over a neighborhood near my school.

Usually when there is a full moon, I brace myself for trouble at school.  The kids are squirrelly during the day, and usually something goes awry in the evening and wee sma's.  Didn't happen this time and I wondered when the shoe would drop.  Well, this past week is when.  With a week to go before their class trip and then graduation, seniors have decided to get the mischief out of their system before hand instead of afterwards (or not at all).  It's been a tough time.  And yet there have been moments.  Really good moments.  I guess you could say it's been one of those best of times, worst of times kind of weeks.  At times I felt very wise, at others, completely helpless.  It was a season of Light, it was a season of Darkness.  The spring of hope, the winter of despair.  One minute I felt we had everything before us, and the next there was nothing before us.  Sometimes I thought we were all going direct to heaven (figuratively speaking), but then, I knew we were all going direct the other way...(yes, a nod to Mr. Dickens).

There have been difficult discipline issues and it fell to me to be the bearer of news that was painful yet graceful.  And then the effort to make it OK, to help a reeling kids stay upright and not lash out.  In the middle of all that I was screaming (in my head) this is not supposed to be happening to me!  I left administration because of days like this!  And yet...I was glad to be the one, as it might have gone very badly otherwise.  What do you say when you know someone is hurting and they have acted out of that hurt--a hurt you know and understand yourself--and instead of being the voice of sympathy, you have to be the voice of reason?  I thought of my parents who sometimes said, while disciplining us as kids, "this hurts me more than it hurts you."  Yes...and I imagine that is how it is with God, too.  I do not envy Him.

This is just to say

that I love the look of surprise
on the face of
my students
when
they discover
the beauty, the power, the passion
that is
poetry.

But then there's the smile
of recognition
when one
meets a kindred spirit for the first time
as if they had always
been friends.
So sweet.  And so rare.

If you know William Carlos Williams, you probably know his amazing little poem "This is just to say."  We watched an enactment of that poem today in my AP Lit. class.  Most kids said "How is that poetry?"  Which was fine because it opened up discussion about what is art in the first place.  But one sat to the side and said nothing.  Just smiled that smile of recognition.  That, too, is why I teach.

Spring Break 2012

(I wrote this at the end of March, but had trouble with uploading the photos.)  It's been nearly two weeks since I've written here.  There's really no excuse for not writing sooner, at least in this week as it's my spring break.  The past two weeks, though were crazy--a lot of stuff going on at school, with evening meetings two and three days in a row.  We have our accreditation evaluation next year and have a lot of stuff to do to get ready for it, so that's much of what we're working on.  I am actually enjoying the collaboration.  We haven't worked together very much as a staff, so this is a good opportunity for us to get to know each other both professionally and personally.

I've joined a women's Bible study group, too.  Which is good, of course, but takes time.  I find it difficult to say I don't have time for Bible study, though.  So I don't say it.  Even if it is sometimes true.  Instead, I try to use my time better.  Which is also good.  We did a 10-week series on the Fruits of the Spirit with Beth Moore.  What an intense but inspiring study we had each week!  Now we're looking at Luke with Elizabeth Talbot.  She's not quite as intense, but I'm learning a lot all the same.  I appreciate looking at things I've known all my life from a different perspective.

Meanwhile, it's my spring break.  I toyed with going away, and at one point my parents were going to come out for the week, but neither ended up happening.  Instead, I've been getting things done here--gardening, deep cleaning--and visiting some local venues--including the Desert Botanical Gardens...again (I was there two weeks ago).  We had a good rain at the beginning of last week, so the flowers had really popped out.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from that visit (including some of the birds and beasts I saw there):

Carded · 365 Project

Carded by Rondi Aastrup · 365 Project

I was grading journals this morning when this card fell out of one! It was from one of my senior boys who is an avid reader. He'd been talking about a book he really wanted to read and I found it and bought it for him. He was so pleased...and responded with this nice thank you card. It's amazing how little things can make a difference to some...

Like a Red, Red Rose · 365 Project

Like a Red, Red Rose by Rondi Aastrup · 365 Project

Since my school is a boarding school, we had to "have" school on Monday, Martin Luther King Day. We honored King's memory by doing various service projects throughout Scottsdale and Phoenix. Some groups went to elementary schools and cleaned up the playgrounds or worked in classrooms with teachers. Other groups cleaned up nearby streets and parks, and three groups stayed at school. My group worked in the neglected rose garden and three other flower beds on campus. It was hard but satisfying work. I rescued several of the roses we had to clip for my classroom. They are beautiful and smell heavenly!

One of my students took the photos of the roses before their trimming.  You'll notice in the one where the boy is clipping how neglected the beds really were.  They look infinitely better now!

Beginning Again * NaBloPoMo

One of my students gave his testimony at church today.  The theme for the morning was "Enjoy the Journey" and he talked about the beginning of a new journey he is taking with God--one that started when he got word from his surgeon that he will probably never enjoy an active life on his feet again.  He was injured twice in two successive basketball games just before Christmas and had surgery days after.  He had torn both his ACL and his meniscus; only the ACL could be repaired.

He's been active all his life, so you can imagine his disappointment when the doctor told him he'll most likely never be able to play sports again, or possibly even run with any kind of comfort again.  He admitted his disappointment and frustration and how he had cried out to God "Why?"  God's answer to him was to help him realize that even though he couldn't run, he could walk.  He could slow down enough to walk with others and share his love for Jesus and encourage them on their own spiritual journey through life.

This boy is one of my workers and we talk often throughout each day as he's going through the tasks I have for him.  He has been an inspiration to me several times, including today, as he works his way through what could be a devastating injury to him.  I'm sure he has his moments of despair, but he seems to be getting a handle on it, through his confidence in God's plan for him.  This new year, though, has definitely been a case of beginning again...

Back to Basics · 365 Project

Back to Basics by Rondi Aastrup · 365 Project

It was the first day back to school after the Christmas break.  There were a number of changes on campus during the two weeks--including the appearance of what looks like, to me, fall--with yellow leaves on the ground.  What doesn't change, though, is the warmth and friendliness of the students.  The first picture is a group of sophomores waiting for their first class of the day--and the new semester--to begin.

The second picture is taken from my classroom door looking towards the administration building.  (This is the picture I posted for the 365 project).

The third picture is taken later in the morning from my classroom door again, only looking across the street towards the church.  I like how the sun lights up the leaves on the lawn as well as on the trees.

This last picture is at yet another angle, taken of the church from my classroom door.  Note the lantern-like light the shows up in the fork of the tree.  It is, of course, on the other side of the tree, not in the tree.