Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Teacher Rant...

I've been checking out some of the blogs Sharon has connected to her site. And while I enjoy most of them, (well, really all of them) there's something that I don't enjoy. And that is a critical spirit towards my profession. That is, my profession for now. I don't plan on doing this forever; that was never part of the plan. I believe with all my heart that a woman's place is at home. But when faced with reality, we do what we must until dreams can be lived.

One reason I even became a teacher was for the purpose of educating my own children. I have no qualms with the fact parents wish to educate their own; I myself will do that one day. And I will do it with all my heart. However, even when I am no longer in the classroom, I hope I never slight the job--or the battlefront--I've had. It bugs me to hear homeschooling parents belittle the public education system. Or rather, not the system itself--everyone knows that's corrupt and twisted (NCLB and AYP are perfect examples). But belittling teachers for the work they do gets under my skin. The people who put in 70 and 80-hour work weeks in order to educate the students under their care deserve credit. And what these wonderful, homeschooling parents don't realize is this: while they have a choice on whom they educate, we don't. We educate them all, problems and all. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

One great commentary on this subject is this article.

For those of you not involved in the public education system, this may sound wierd. I know the feeling--I've been there. I never started out to be a public school teacher, but now that I'm here, I'm doing my best. And I'm doing my best to let my students see Christ through me. That, ultimately, is my prayer--"Lord, may my students see Christ today."

God Bless you.

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Saturday, August 26, 2006

Food Time...

Spinach Whole-Wheat Bread Pudding (or bake... )
This was the result of having too much bread around the house, and needing to use up some bacon.... Oven: 375 1 1/2-2 c. Whole-Wheat bread pieces, chopped into 1 1/2" blocks
(I didn't measure, so I'm not sure...)
1/2 c. grated cheese, divided (whatever you have on hand--as long as it's fairly strong. I made it with sharp cheddar, but it would be delish with feta or a strong swiss.) 1 package frozen spinach, defrosted and drained (actually, I take a fine sieve, and press the water out...) 1 1/2 c. milk 4 eggs, beaten 1/2 t. salt (maybe less-- I eyeballed it, and did it to taste) freshly ground pepper to taste two dashes of nutmeg (VERY important! Don't leave it out, even if you're unsure!) 3-6 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled Put bread pieces in a shallow, 1 1/2 qt. dish. Take half the cheese, and mix it with the bread. In a medium-large cup or bowl, mix the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix in spinach. (At this point, I always test the mix to make sure the salt and spice content's right by taking a bit of the mixture, microwaving it, and trying it out. You can do the same, if you wish.) Mix with bread, stirring around to make sure bread is evenly coated. Top with bacon and extra cheese. Bake in a 375 oven for 35-40 minutes. A great Saturday Morn Thing.

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Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Haiku for a New Year



Now school has begun
And I am in need of sleep
Someone please pass some.


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Sunday, August 06, 2006

Forgiveness, by George Roemisch

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the wind-blown bud
which blooms in placid beauty at Verdun.

Forgiveness is the tiny slate-gray sparrow
which has built its nest of twigs and string
among the shards of glass upon
the wall of shame.

Forgiveness is the child who
laughs in merry ecstasy
beneath the toothed fence that
closes in Da Nang.

Forgiveness is the fragrance of the violet
which still clings fast to the
heel that crushed it.

Forgiveness is the broken dream
which hides itself within the corner of the mind
oft called forgetfulness so that
it will not bring pain to the dreamer.

Forgiveness is the reed
which stands up straight and green
when nature's mighty rampage halts, full spent.

Forgiveness is a God who will not leave us
after all we've done.

by George Roemisch


With appreciation from www.elise.com

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Wednesday, August 02, 2006

I guess I must update sometime...

And now's just as good as any!

**edit**
Pic's are now up!
(what few I have)

We had a great trip to Nogales and Tucson.
It was filled with blessings
--and sometimes, the battles that go with them.

For instance--my father's van.
Which overheated on the way to Birmingham. Which caused my temper (Lord, please forgive me...) to overheat, because we had a plane to catch. We drove from Commerce to Birmingham sans AC.
But--as usual, when things go wrong--Daddy rose to the occasion. Thank you, Daddy--when I returned to the van the following week, the AC was working, and the van was no longer overheating.
The van, which was previously known as ?_thevan_? has a new name.

I have now dubbed it "The Hump-backed Whale".
It sure gave us a whale of an adventure.

We arrived in Tucson, our time, 2AM. Needless to say, there was some adjusting to be done.
We traveled to Nogales the next day.


You know, sometimes it doesn't matter if a place is dirty, smelly, and below our standards of living. Sometimes we need to see that--not only to see how blessed we are, but also to realize that the people--especially the Bride of Jesus Christ--shines out that much more. I met some incredibly precious brothers and sisters, and saw the Glory of God in them.

One wonderful testimony from the trip: While at the end of the service, the Holy Ghost fell, and a little boy (our best guess was 6-7 years old) who had never spoken, spoke for the first time. His first word: Gloria.

I was pretty amazed at my ability to catch--at the very least--the context of what people were saying. Lol-- I went in wanting to speak what little French I know at every turn, and ended up wanting to speak what little Spanish I know instead...


And I had some great people to help me out! Thanks to Sis. Norma, Sis.Bernice, Sis. Ellie, and Sis. Bertha especially! And to the brother that made us feel so at home that first night--much thanks also! It was such a blessing to meet you all.


This (when I post it) was my last photo of the trip, because--alas--being the accident-prone person that I am, I dropped my dad's camera. ( I woulda had mine--but that's another story all together...) I thought it was going to work at first--but nope. The lense would niether go in nor out. So--all the sights I saw after that were sans camera. So, I've decided I need to go back sometime. But--not in the summer.

I thought--being from the hot and steamy South--that I'd be able to tolerate the heat. But lemme tell you-- I've now discovered just how balmy the part of the world where I live really is!

You guys that live in Tucson-- I still don't know how you survive the heat.
I came home, grateful for my wet heat that's not so hot. (And when I heard someone complain about the heat today--I compared the dry 114 to our wet 85/90--and thanked God!)

After we got back to the states, we went to Bro. Pearry Greene's church (but Bro. Luke preached). I really enjoyed the service, as well as meeting and hanging out with the people there.


(I think I took this at Bro. Greene's church--someone please correct me if I'm wrong...)

The next few days, we went to Sunset Mountain, where I got to do something I'd wanted to do since I went last time:

Climb to the top.

(Oh, for a camera... ) Lol--

It was wonderful, as was Sabino Canyon. Unfortunately, I wasn't feelin' so swuff on Tuesday, so I couldn't hike much. But the gift shop/learning center at the base of the canyon had a great place to zonk out (it had a theater)--so that's what the majority of our sick crew did.

Afterwards, the people who wanted to act young went and played v-ball. The people who wanted to be older and sophistocated went to that infamous steakhouse (where they cut off your ties...) I was among the young and innocent.

Last Wednesday, we left Tucson at 6AM. Our time, 10AM--but that didn't help much, since by then we were used to the time.

I was basically worthless the next day... but after that, I feel like I've been going almost nonstop to get ready for another school year.

**end of edit**

One last word about the camera: After I'd realized it was officially broken, I prayed that God would fix it. I tried it a couple more times after that, and then let it go. It laid in my suitcase 'till I got home, and my mother asked about it. A few minutes later, my dad came up to my room with the camera in his hand--and it was fixed! He said that he'd pressed on the lense as he was turning it on, in order to "mesh" the gears together again--- but my mother said it looked like he'd just laid hands on it. Lol--God most certainly answered my prayer, even if it was by a different way than I'd thought it would happen!


On a more serious note:
Someone asked earlier if this was a Missionary trip to Mexico. And in truth, I have to say no. First, because I'm a girl. And secondly, because I went to get blessed myself. And through God's grace, I was. Through my Lord and Savior, and through His people.

~God Bless.

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