Sick Day #1

Let's face it- there will probably be another one at some point this year : )

Here's what today has looked like:

6:10-the alarm goes off, Ross happily reports that his throat still does not hurt, and unhappily reports that he must get up to go to work

7:00- Ross leaves, I fall fast asleep

7:45- my phone rings. It's Ben- he gives me an hour-long update on his life. Good times : )

8:45- I decide that I am now awake so I get up and eat breakfast.

9:00- Maybe I'm not so awake. I lie down on couch.

9:30-Maybe I should go lay back down in bed...

11:00- I now feel gross- like that mental feeling you get when you know you are sick and you've been lying around too much. I get up to maybe help that feeling dissipate.

11:15- I eat a lunch of French bread, butter and apple. Yummy!

11:30- I begin thinking about Parent Teacher Conferences (that are at the end of October) I calculate that if I meet with each set of parents for 20 minutes... I'll spend 7 hours and 40 minutes in conferences. Eek!

12:00- I begin thinking about report cards and develop a parent-friendly letter to go home with them. Then I develop Round-Robin-style-assessment centers for my parents and volunteers to help me with. Somehow, this is all deeply satisfying : )

2:00- I take a shower and scrub all that icky germ feelingness away.

2:30- I lie down for another nap

4:00- I wake up and decide that yes, I should go to school for a little while

4:15- I get in my car and drive the 1/2 mile to school- thankful that it's only a 1/2 mile. I sort of feel sick in my tummy.

4:20- I get to school- admire my sub's note, that starts with "Your class was great!" Then goes on to apologize about how she didn't finish quite everything on my list. No list of names, no complaints. Hallelujah!!

4:30- I get to work in making 2 sets of Happy Birthday things that I need for kids tomorrow and changing out my All About Me board. Unfortunately, I remember and then forget to change my calendar to October...

4:45- I get in my car to come home.

4:50- I come inside and decide to give you this update : )

The plan right now is to go back to school tomorrow. It's a half day (oh, yeah, more like 3/4) so, if I feel disgusting, I'll just leave right at dismissal. I think I'll make it okay. Please pray that I do and that my tummy feels better- I think it may be reacting to the penicillin a bit.

Thanks, guys. Love you!

Good News and Bad News

Which do you want first? Here's a piece of good news: I woke up this morning and my throat only hurt a little bit. I was sure that our prayers had been answered!

Then I went to a school and, just to be safe, popped into the nurse's office to have her look at it. I wish you could have seen her look of disgust. She told me that there was a possibility that it was strep and that I needed to have it swabbed.

So during a lunch meeting with my 1st grade team and the principal, I announced my dilemma. The other teachers agreed to take my kids for the afternoon while I went to the doctor.

I got my kids inside after lunch, tried to explain to them what was going on and left for urgent care. I was there for 2 hours and was told that I most definitely have strep throat. Great, huh?

The doctor also told me that I could go back to school tomorrow. My school nurse said I can not.

I hurried to the pharmacy to get my antibiotic and then hurried back to school to make up sub plans. Everyone else hurried me to get myself and my germs out of there...

I am thankful that I now know what is wrong and am working to get it fixed. Please pray for me and my kids tomorrow. For me, that I would have a restful, peaceful day and that my kids would be nice to the sub and learn something, too.

One more piece of good news: You can't get strep throat from reading my blog!

Making a Comment

I haven't played around much with my blog settings, until tonight : )

Just wanted to let you know that you can now leave a comment without being a registered user. You don't even have to leave your name if you don't want.

I encourage you to write something sometime. I want to know what you all are thinking : )

Please Pray for Me!

It's 6:15 on Sunday night and I feel gross...

Friday morning I woke up with a sore throat. It felt like I had slept the whole night with my mouth open. I probably did, because I've been fighting a stuffy nose since March or something...

Anyhow, Friday at school I just dealt with it. Friday night, we went to our pastor's house for a game night and I stayed up way past my bed time : ) Saturday morning I woke up and my throat just throbbed. Eating, swallowing, sneezing, just breathing made it hurt. I drank two cups of hot tea with honey and it felt better, for a while.

Last night Ross and I went shopping at a fun outdoor mall. I felt better then, but didn't sleep well last night. I kept waking up and then remembering how badly my throat hurt. Ross was sweet and got up a couple times to get me water and Tylenol. In all of this, I can be incredibly thankful for a husband with such a merciful spirit : )

Today I woke up with the same horrible pain as yesterday- drank the same tea and went to church. I laid down for a while this afternoon but my throat still hurts. And since it hurts to swallow, I haven't eaten much so my tummy has been slightly grumbling all day. I just feel gross.

Please pray that I would have a good night sleep tonight and wake up refreshed and without pain. I don't want to have to go to school cringing every time I have to talk.

Thanks, everybody. I love you!

33 Days, 44 Posts

I'm running out of ways to start posts. Today was a good day, don't know how else to say it, really : )

In the morning, we reviewed all of our reading concepts and took a test. After that, the kids started writing, when the fire alarm went off. This was the first time that the alarm had gone off while I had kids from the other first grade class. It through me off a bit. I couldn't remember who was absent, who I had sent away, and who had come. But everyone made it out of the building and was calmer than me : )

Soon after, we went to recess and Mr. Gentle showed up. The kids were cute on the playground, telling him their names and then running off to tell their friends that he was here. We went inside, reviewed our spelling and took another test : ) After this, the kids formally introduced themselves to Mr. Gentle and we played Sparkle. During the first round, one of my little boys that stood next to Mr. Gentle had to sit down AND... started crying. Ross had to console him. From this point on, the little boy became Ross' shadow. He wouldn't go anywhere unless Mr. Gentle was coming to and he cried every time he had to be left anywhere. It was borderline ridiculous...

While the kids were at music, Ross and I got the equipment we needed to share our pictures on my overhead screen. The kids soooo enjoyed looking at pictures of Ross' rocket stuff, our wedding, our house, and vacation pictures. It was fun to share ourselves with them : )

After school, Ross and I worked hard on rearranging the kids' desks and putting on new nametags. I graded lots of tests, too. We came home and took a short nap : )

Now we're off to our pastor's house for a young married get-together. Hopefully we meet some nice people. Ross and I are kind of in need of friends...

This weekend should be much calmer than last. Tomorrow I will work on stuff for school, go shopping (I think I haven't done that in years...) and go on a date with my dear husband. Sunday will involve church and home responsibilities.

I pray that you have a restful and relaxing weekend enjoying your Creator and the ones you love. And I look forward to sharing another week of crazy growth with you : )

Busy, but Good Busy

Today was busy, but good. And it's not over yet...

I felt really good during reading this morning, I started from the very beginning, reminding the children about our rules- listening, sitting still, raising their hands. And for the rest of the time, they obeyed them quite nicely. Perhaps I will need to review them every day.

The kids loved having mom and dad there- the kids were going a little bit bonkers, actually. We took another math test and it went beautifully! One, because the kids never saw the workbooks for chapter 3 and two, because I had two people to sit next to the kids that get overwhelmed by looking at these tests. My average score is an 85. Woo Hoo!

Our little centers went well. For the first time ever I didn't plan too much in a rotation. The kids made cute foam candy corn people, fall colored cookies and posters that displayed all that we reduce, reuse and recycle in our classroom.

After school, I had to hurry up so I could go to the dentist. I like my dentist and actually do not mind getting my teeth cleaned, but his hours of availability are icky. Teachers are never available from 7-4. Oh, well.

Ross and I just finished dinner and are eagerly awaiting highschoolers. Hopefully, some show up : )

Tomorrow should be fun. Mr. Gentle is coming to school! Pray that all goes well : )

1/2 Day with No Meetings= Best Day Ever!

Last night, I could not fall asleep and I kept thinking to myself "Oh, no! Tomorrow is going to be worse than today!" Luckily, I did fall asleep and today was the best day so far. Maybe it was because I was more rested, maybe it had to do with the fact it was a 1/2 day. It's debatable : )

Half days (they really should be called 3/4 days, but, whatever...) are very different because my English language learners do not go to their special class. It's kind of nice to keep everybody and not mess with switching at the very beginning of the day.

However, 16 of my kids have a special pull-out reading class that starts at 8:20. So they are still moving all over the place...

I listened to my higher kids read during this time and have decided that I am going to split them into two groups and do centers while the other children are gone. This will involve, of course, more planning... but should be a more effective use of instructional time.

After school today, I met with a parent of one child who has been consistently getting into trouble. On Friday she cheated on her reading test, yesterday she hit a boy who was walking past her, today she stuck her tongue out at another boy. The mom was furious. During our meeting, I mostly watched the mom chastise the girl in front of me. The girl told me that she wouldn't shout out so much if I called on her more. Oh, dear.... We'll see if her behavior improves any...

I got another special treat in my mailbox today! This one came in my real mailbox all the way from Georgia. Ross and I have friends that moved there a few years ago. Kelley went to the same college as me and sent me a picture frame that she received while working there. It says, "Those who can, teach." I am so thankful for all of you who continue encouraging me with words and deeds : )

I am eager for tomorrow. My parents are coming tomorrow, instead of Friday, because they are leaving for a trip to San Diego. When they come, we will be decorating fall cookies, making candy corn decorations and Going Green posters. Should be lots of fun : )

And on Friday... Mr. Gentle is coming to school! I am so excited to share my students with him and him with my students : ) It should be a great day.

Please continue praying for my restfulness. There's still a lot to do around here : )

One Tuckered Teacher

Today was my 30th day of school and my 41st post. Wow! That's a lot of teaching and a lot of writing. Thanks for being there every step of the way...

As you can tell from my title, I am tired. After my meeting last night, taking a shower, and trying to catch up with Ross a little bit, I fell fast asleep. When the alarm went off this morning, I was not ready to stir. Ross kidded me that he should of warned me that teachers do not get 10 hours of sleep. I don't need 10, I told him, just 9.5.

Let me tell you, though, that when you are tired, kids will walk all over you. Not on purpose, I don't think, they just realize that you aren't quite alert enough to get on them for every little thing, so they push the limits.

This made for a long morning. They were so chatty! I also received another new girl this morning- so that added to life's craziness, too.

I had a grade level meeting at lunch today. I don't like those : ( Although everyone tries to act civilized, you can just tell that there is division and strife. And I don't like those feelings.

The afternoon was better. I don't think I had woken up any, but the kids were sleepier- so it kind of evened out. We didn't have a special today, so we met for a class meeting. This was, by far, our best meeting yet. We always begin by reviewing our rules. The kids knew them well. Then I asked them what is going well in our room- How are we making it a safe and inviting environment?

Normally, at this point, kids just pick their best friend and say that they played nice with them. While this is an example, it's not a very good one. Today, however, kids were picking up on great ways that kids had shown kindness to one another- often things that I had witnessed as well, and was able to comment on. I am happy to know that they are cognizant of being a good, kind, fair classroom citizen.

I stayed at school for about an hour and a half after doing my parent pick-up duty and getting ready for tomorrow. I came home and went straight to bed. Please pray that I would be awake tomorrow. I want to be at least 5 steps ahead of them : )

Where is Mrs. Gentle? Where is Mrs. Gentle? Here I am! Here I am!

In case you don't fully understand my title line reference-- sing it to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin" or "Frere jacque". It'll make more sense...

Anyhow, I haven't fully blogged in a while because I've been busy being more than just a teacher! (Crazy thought, I know...)

On Saturday, Ross and I hosted 30 people at our home in honor of his parents' 35th wedding anniversary. It was very fun. We kept it a surprise, which added to the fun- and discomfort. His parents are the kind of people that don't want a big deal made out of them, but are TOTALLY deserving of a big deal. So we didn't tell them we invited 15 of their favorite couples. We just invited them to dinner.

It was a wonderfully special time. My mom greatly helped me decorate- we had cute red and black invitations, tableclothes, red and white roses, mom helped decorate dinner mints. You know, cutesy fun stuff. My aunt came over and helped us arrange the food table with pretty fabrics and "elevation" materials. Grandma came over on Friday and happily cleaned windows, dusted, and put Grandpa to work vacuuming. And I delightfully fed 30 people with the help of a crockpot. The only truly stressful part was keeping it a secret, and then on Saturday, I was stressing that his parents were going to be very unhappy. (Don't worry, that didn't happen)

Although relatively unstressful, however, it did take up my Saturday. Then, yesterday, Ross and I spent a decent amount of time at church. Between worship service, our volunteer positions, and his commitment to youth- it was a long day.

In the evening, while he corralled highschoolers (which I still believe is more difficult than six-year-olds...) I went to his parents' house and met Sarah. Sarah is a sweet girl from Michigan who just married Ross' cousin. On Friday, she'll meet her 2nd graders for the first time. She and her husband are moving here for this job- because there are very few teaching positions in Michigan.

So, it was nice to meet with her to talk about school and to help make her feel comfortable. I'm hoping that when her husband moves here soon, Ross and I will have a nice couple to meet with : )

(Maybe you're like Ross and you're wondering what this has to do with teaching... I hope you're like me and are happy to see that my life is full of things other than just teaching...)

This all leads up to today, when I didn't want to get out of bed this morning : ) Again, I know. I just didn't feel like I had rested enough. I felt like I had either worked this weekend or, when I did have a break, that I wasn't with Ross. And isn't that what weekends are for- restful breaks with your husband?

Plus, I had a new teacher meeting tonight, so I knew I wouldn't be home until late. All of this made me not want to get out of bed, but I did anyway : )

All of this made me a not-so-great teacher this morning. My brain was only multitasking 4 things at once, instead of 11 : ) It wasn't too bad, but I realized this grogginess and lack of inspiration didn't produce my best day.

And that's okay. Because tomorrow will be better : )

Two quick bright points: I had a special treat in my mailbox today and when I saw the handwriting, I knew exactly who it was. One of my special, retired teacher friends who lives in the neighborhood dropped off a cute homemade card and a couple energy bars. What a special treat. I almost started crying... It's so nice to feel supported : )

On my way out of school today, I stopped to talk to my principal and show her my progress monitoring scores. She was very impressed. This makes me very happy, and, yet, slightly nervous. She did hire me knowing I was a good teacher, right?

I had another parent conference today. This one was with the mom of one of my special children. She wanted to know why her son couldn't be put back in a self-contained special-ed class! Eek! I'm not quite sure where this will go- but we'll see : )

Thanks for being patient with me. I look forward to sharing with you again soon : )

.... Here I am! How are you today, ma'am? Very well, I thank you. Run away. Run away : )

Quick Update

Like I said yesterday, I'm busy. This weekend will be so busy-- and so fun, too. I hope to give you a thorough update on Sunday.

For now, know that I made it through the week and am going back on Monday : )

Encouragement All Around

I'm too busy. I'm energized and invigorated (1st grade vocab word!) by all of it, but still... too busy : )

Today was a good day in the classroom. Each day I feel more like I know what I am doing and that it is a little less like work and a little more like something I was made to do. The feeling is so encouraging.

I sent home my first progress reports yesterday and got many signed slips back. There was room for parent comments on each of them. One of them was very special as both the mom and dad wrote me notes. They thanked me for having patience with their daughter and being such a great teacher to her. They commented that she loves school. How can you not love this job after that?

I also got a phone call from a dad who noticed that the progress report asked that he call me for an appointment and he was calling to make one. Thank you, Lord, for responsible parents! I'm eager to meet with the family tomorrow- the girl is a total blessing to our classroom. She has the sweetest, kindest spirit. She adds so much to our room! But I need to talk to them about her academics. She needs help and my job is to help the parents help her. Please pray that this would be a blessed time for all of us.

This morning at my prayer meeting, the lady I meet with had written a verse for me to take and meditate on. It is wonderful. You must read it as well. Zephaniah 3:17 says "The LORD is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Isn't that wonderful? He takes delight in me! He rejoices over me! It paints a beautiful picture of his love.

At lunch today, one of the ladies told me that another girl on our team was having a rough morning, that she was frustrated and felt defeated. I really like this girl and wanted to encourage her. I don't know if she's a Christian, but I sent her an e-mail telling her that I hoped she felt better and I included the verse- explaining how marvelous it was to have the Lord of all creation delight in us.

She e-mailed back and commented to me later how thankful she was for that e-mail. I don't know if she is a believer, but I believe that He is mighty to save. The lady I meet with for prayer is so bold in asking God to save, redeem and forgive the people at our school. It is amazing. Why don't I pray that boldly and directly? Please pray for my first grade teacher friend- that she would know salvation.

Tomorrow is one of my special boy's birthdays. Mom is coming to school and is going to bring birthday treats for him to share with our class. Please pray that he would feel loved and blessed. He so needs encouragement...

I pray that you feel loved and blessed, too : )

Jamba Juice=Smiles, Math=Tears,Starbucks=Happy Teacher : )

Well, the highlight of my day was definitely meeting with my cadre leader at Starbucks. A nice lady, who's a great teacher, who's easy to talk to and thinks like I do over a nice cup of tea. What could be better?

We talked about all kinds of things- from my two difficult boys, to my one little boy that is STILL five, to the dynamics and challenges of my diverse team, to silly staff meetings to stupid math worksheets. She's the one that got me thinking about ditching them in the first place. She said she doesn't give them ANY pencil-paper work until the middle of the school year! That's a bit extreme for me, but I can agree that the kids do learn better through experimentation and manipulatives.

We talked about our reading program- that is good and thorough, but still doesn't meet the diverse needs of our kids, let alone the standards our government says we must teach.

(As I am rereading this, I think it sounds a bit negative... Know that she was totally supportive, encouraging and professional, but also REAL with me. I needed that : )

Last night I was frustrated with our reading curriculum and was trying to explain to Ross why. Finally, I said, (this is a slightly paraphrased version) "You could use it and teach kids to read. But you don't want to teach kids to read. I do and I have a mind of my own, thank you. I didn't become a teacher so I could read out of a curriculum book. I became a teacher because I'm creative and like presenting things in a way kids can understand them."

Right? Which is more important to you: the curriculum that your child is learning or the teacher who is presenting the material to your child? Ughh!

I can't talk about this too much. It stresses me out...

The "Jamba Juice lady" came to school today (aka Auntie Pam). The kids enjoyed Jamba Juice while I read to them about insects. A delightful combination, huh? She came right after I gave the Chapter 2 math test- which worked out good, because I think the kids might have actually forgot how horrible the experience was....

Yesterday, when my principal gave the okay for me to ditch the workbooks, we agreed that I would still give the chapter tests - to keep up with our "progress monitoring." The kids had learned almost everything from chapter two and I had been avoiding it for a week, so I decided that I would review it today. Well, the review was great- so I decided to give them the test. Big mistake!! A girl started crying and I wanted to cry, too.

I "graded" them after school. Five of my kids aced it- completely. I could have told you they would. They are my mathematical thinkers. It's their gift. God knew they would ace it, too : ) My other 17 bombed it. Totally. They're completely ugly. I was getting sick while grading them. These kids are not dumb. They can become mathematical thinkers. They can learn to love math. But not with this ridiculous curriculum...

So now I have to decide what I am going to do. I think I might write up my progress monitoring from this test. Show the principal my five 100's and seventeen 30's. Then show her the progress they have made in their counting skills. Prove that I am a good teacher and can teach math, just not with the materials I have been given.

You can pray for my little mathematical thinkers, the ones that are now and the ones that soon will be : )

Lastly, I wanted to share with you from my devotion this morning. I read Ephesians 2: 1-10. Read it and emphasize on verse 10. How are you His workmanship and what has He prepared for you to do? Are you doing it with all your heart and soul?

On our anniversary trip, Ross wrote me a short love note. In it he called me the "best teacher in the world" and he talked about how excited he was that God had picked the students that would be in my class, even before the world began. Those words give me encouragement every day. Be encouraged that He has chosen your job/role/relationships even before the world began and that He believes in you : )

Quick Update

Well, the good news is that I talked with my principal today and she took a two-second look at our math workbooks and agreed that they are rather confusing- thus, I do not have to use them. The not-so-good news is that I still have to give the chapter tests from the math program. This is so we are held accountable for student scores and progress. (That's not necessarily a bad thing...) The Chapter 2 math test (that I've been avoiding for a week now) is a doozy. I'm nervous for Friday...

One of my little girls was absent today. She's occasionally absent, so I didn't worry too much. At about 3:15 my phone rang. I was pretty sure it was Ross, so I was rather surprised when a little girl's voice was on the other end. I didn't understand much of what she said- and didn't even get her name until 1/2 way through the conversation. It was my little girl who was absent, calling to explain that she wasn't at school because she "couldn't find the bus." I don't know what that means exactly, and am a bit worried. The conversation ended as quickly as it began and I am nervous that her mother didn't even know she was on the phone. Please keep her in your prayers as well.

I have a busy night, so I am going to get back to my work. Tomorrow is early out (shh... the Jamba Juice lady is coming!) and I am meeting with my cadre leader at Starbucks. It should be a good day : )

The Mysterious Monday

Last night and this morning, I did NOT want to go to school. For no reason other than I didn't feel like my weekend was very relaxing. I wanted another day to recuperate. Last night, while getting into bed, Ross whined that he didn't want to go to work and I shot back that he couldn't whine. If he didn't go- the world would go on. If I didn't go- no one knows the damage that would occur....

But then when I got to school and was in the middle of teaching our Day 1 Reading curriculum, I realized how refreshing Mondays really are. In first grade, everything is done weekly- we read our stories for one week, focus on a specific letter-sound correspondence for one week, we spell the same 15 words for one week, we go over the same vocabulary words for one week. Let me tell you, by Thursday and Friday, everybody is anxious to do something new. 3/4 of my kids are giving me the "Okay, I get it, can we move on now?" look.

But Mondays are a whole day of introduction. This is our new story; this is our new sound; these are new words; these are our new vocabulary. I actually feel like I am teaching and not simply repeating myself.

So, in that sense, today was refreshing and "invigorating" (new vocab word : ) I was also invigorated when I took my kids to computers. I wasn't planning on it, but the other teacher who I share the slot with didn't want to go. I figured last time went so well, why not go again? And it was good- a nice treat for the kids and for me. And a huge ego booster when I can honestly say that I was flexible and it was a success.

Right now, if you can't tell, I'm feeling good about everything... except math. Let me explain. The kids and I are LOVING my new instruction. Today, I passed out hundreds charts and we colored the odd numbers red and the evens blue. Then we practiced counting forwards, backwards and by 2's. It was meaningful and great fun and everybody was able to follow along. I really believe that this is the way to teach math. However, when I was honest with our Program Coach about it this afternoon, she said I needed to run it past our principal.

Here's the deal: I don't want to. I'm afraid she is going to say no and I am going to have to go back to those dreadful worksheets- the blank stares- and flashes of frustration running through my body. Please don't make me!

Why would she say no? some of you may be asking... There's a thing in school districts called "Fidelity to the Core" Of all the things I think it is important to be faithful to, a silly curriculum book is not high on the list. However, districts like to enforce this thinking for a couple reasons. 1) It makes them feel better about all the money they spent on the curriculum. If they make you use it, then the money's not being "wasted." 2) It's the simplest way to make sure no teacher is slacking off.

This is the one that really bugs me. I want my kids to be great mathematical thinkers. So much so, that I am willing to do more work. Why would you want to deny me more work for the kids' sake?

So please pray for that. I need to talk with her about it- I need to be confident in my beliefs and yet respectful of hers. Uggh... I hate politics.

But I love you : ) Thanks for reading...

Plans Continue to Change...

So yesterday, my cousin that did get to stay, talked me into letting her stay another night. (Okay, okay- it didn't take much to convince me...) Ross and she and I (I think that is grammatically correct...) walked to my school, ate a yummy pancake breakfast, got some things organized in my classroom and then walked home. Ross decided to do some yard work and I continued doing school work. (I'm telling you- it never, ever ends!) K lied down on the couch and stayed there. I figured she was tired of all the school work, so I let her be.

Later on in the afternoon, the three of us went to Costco and to Penny's. She seemed out of sorts then, too. We got home and she fell asleep on the couch- for 45 minutes. Ross and I talked in our room for a while and decided that we'd like to take her to dinner and then rent a movie to watch together. She finally woke up, didn't know where she was, and said she didn't feel good. She said we could leave her there and go out to eat, but that she wasn't leaving the couch. (This isn't looking good, is it?)

We finally took her temperature. It read 101.1. So we ended up taking her home at 8:00 last night. None of my plans worked out the way I wanted them to work : (

Oh, well. It'll be okay. I don't know if I'm quite ready to start another week of school. Wasn't I just there? Didn't I just say "Have a nice weekend?" This week will be full of activities as well. Tomorrow I just have school, Tuesday is kickboxing and tutoring, Wednesday I am meeting with my district mentor teacher, Thursday will be the first night of a weekly high-school small group meeting in our home and Friday- I'll be totally wiped : )

Please pray for this week- especially the small group. Ross and I are both enthused for a chance to serve together. Please pray that kids would come and be receptive. We think we're going to do a study on key Christian beliefs (the Trinity, Heaven, Hell, etc.) so we need guidance there also. Please specifically pray that we would see this time as a blessing, and not an extra burden : )

Thanks for supporting me by reading and praying. I look forward to reporting how God is working back to you : )

Unexpected Fevers

Well- yesterday and today have not gone as planned. Luckily, I am a teacher and am totally accustomed to this sort of thing : )

Shortly after I posted yesterday, I got in the shower and left Mom and Dad to the cooking. My grandparents, brother and cousins all arrived and when I opened my bedroom door, it suddenly felt like I was at a party : )

We were ready to start dinner right about 6:00- when my aunt decided to take my little cousin's temperature. It read 103.1! Eek! So she was not able to stay. She cried very hard because she wanted to stay-- and if she couldn't, then her older sister shouldn't be able to either. We had another, "Life isn't fair" talk and sent her on her way home. Poor baby...

Her sister has been helping me grade and record tests and homework, and I just finished my first progress reports. Here are my average scores for the week. They're not as good as they have been : (

Reading Test: 75
Reading Words: 62 (this is highly disappointing, because it shows me that their parents did not help them practice, ugh!)
Spelling: 97 (Woo Hoo!)

Math was different this week: almost all of them can count to 100 or beyond, nobody can count backwards from 100 and their skip counting (by 2's 5's or 10's) is pretty pathetic, too. Now we know, right?

Have a great weekend. Do your best to not get a 103.1 temperature, kay?

From Bad to Good to Bad to Good : )

During breakfast, I felt like today was going to be a bad day... It turned out to be okay : )

Fridays are rather hectic, the kids have to turn in their homework and everybody's got something important to tell me. My twenty minutes to get stuff in order felt like four. Then, somebody dropped their breakfast-muffin- donut thing on the floor, and others walked through it-- ugh...

Then we switched classes - I sent my dear ELL's down the hall and got that teacher's trouble makers. We took our reading test and I was mortified as her kids peeked at other kids papers, drew on their tests, drew on other kid's private screens!! Oh, goodness...

But the day got better, it really did.

I sent the naughty ones back, Mom and Dad came and sat next to those who needed help during the spelling test and we played Sparkle with Daddy- good times. Mom and Dad also helped me get some reading and counting assessments done. Then we had lunch with my little student of the week.

After lunch, we went over our calendar and I pointed out that tomorrow was "Mr. Shever's" birthday. This was the best part. A couple little boys got up to give him a hug- then the WHOLE class gave him a huge bear hug. It was darling. Then we sang him Happy Birthday and ate pudding cups with whipped cream and Mickey Mouse sprinkles. Yummy!

After choice time, I sent them off to Art and then after Art, sent them home. At that point, I figured the day had finished well...

At about 2:45, the head secretary called over the intercom "Mrs. Gentle to the front office, please. Mrs. Gentle to the front office." Oh, dear. This can not be good. I walk down to the office, speak with the secretary and she asks if one of my boys got on the bus- because his mom was here to say that he didn't get off... This little boy is one that I am very concerned about- I think he might have mental issues.

I specifically remember him getting on a bus- whether it was the right one... Then I remember that a bus that is normally at the end of the line was at the front. The boy got in the very last one- I bet he was supposed to be on the very first one! I tell the secretary all this and she starts calling the transportation department. Meanwhile, the mother is not angry- but she is sitting in the corner crying...

The transportation department will not pick up the phone, and by now, the buses should be returning to pick up the older kids. So, I walk out to the buses to see if I can find him. As I approach, I see him get off of the wrong bus and hop on the right one. Oh good, he is found.

I spoke with him about knowing the bus number, not the bus order. He was returned safely, the mom stopped crying and all was well.

Right now, mom is busy making Mexican rice for dinner- Dad is anxiously awaiting his birthday enchiladas and I am, well, blogging. Tonight should be fun with the party and, it turns out, my two cousins will be spending the night- under the condition that they help me with school work : )

Have a great weekend and we will as well!

September 11, 2008

I don't really know how to describe today. It wasn't a great day, but nothing horrible happened, either. It was a mediocre day...

I wore my red top, navy skirt and flag pin and was asked within five minutes why I was wearing "that sticker" : ) One boy piped up, "Ooo! I know. It's another voting day, huh?" "No," I replied. Another boy exclaimed, "Ooo! Today they are going to announce who we picked for president?" Another no. During social studies time, I spent about five minutes telling them why the day was important and specifically telling them what life was like for me seven years ago.

All of them were shocked at the stories- both America's and mine. None of them acted like they had heard it before... If I don't tell them, who will??

Tomorrow will be fun. Mom and Dad are coming to school- they are going to help me do some assessments that can't be done on paper (reading words and counting). Then Dad is getting his own special birthday party with 1st graders. (You, too, could experience this privelege : ) Tomorrow night, Ross and I are hosting an "official" birthday party for Dad and Grandma. It should be fun : )

22 days with 22 students and a 22-year-old teacher

Can you believe it's only been 22 days?? Doesn't it feel like an eternity??

Today was another early release day. People keep asking me how many we have. FYI- every Wednesday is early out. Crazy, huh?

The biggest highlight of the day was when we received our new student- on our way to music. We literally walked past the office, were stopped by a secretary who asked me my name and then handed her to me. I held her little hand and encouraged her while my boisterous ones kept saying, "Who's that? Is she a new girl? Is she going to be in our class?" I dropped them off at music, and then quickly went back to my room to label folders for her and make sure a desk had everything it needed. I labeled a mailbox for her, too. She seems very sweet and quiet. She should be a nice addition : )

About fifteen minutes before we were supposed to leave today, my one little boy who has serious self esteem issues was caught talking while I was talking (again!) I had been very merciful so far, but had had enough, so I wrote his name on the board. He started with his "Tomorrow, I'm taking the bus" Then went on to... "I am going to destroy this place... take a big rock and throw it at the school... burn it down." Um, yeah, so tomorrow, he's going to start the day in the assistant principal's office. I had visions of his face on TV 10 years from now being a school shooter and me being devastated. It's sad, but we can't ignore any of those remarks anymore...

I had a district meeting this afternoon about our 90 minute reading block and what we are supposed to accomplish in it. The presenter was mildly entertaining, but the chairs were uncomfortable, it was VERY hot at the school and I, frankly, had more important things to do. Oh, well.

Tomorrow is an important day for us Americans. I was hoping to do a small activity with the kids. I ran it past the principal first and she said that the day was too traumatic and sad - that families should remember it at home. I have very mixed feelings about that. So- I am going to wear my patriotic outfit again (red top, navy skirt) with a flag pin (eat that, Barack Obama) and happily answer any questions my kids have about my apparel.


Have a good night and remember to pray for those who lost loved ones and remember to savor your freedom!

P.S. My soreness. I was mildly sore yesterday, right after kickboxing. This morning, I woke up and felt the same pain. I was quite happy that it hadn't increased. Then, this afternoon, I went to get something out of a low drawer and I couldn't squat to get it. My legs just weren't going to do it. Price you pay, I guess : )

Another Long, but Good Day

Wow- a lot was accomplished today. I taught 22 six-year-olds, was crafty with mom, worked out with my mother-in-law and helped tutor two high school kids. I'm pretty tired, as you could have guessed.

School was good- not great, not horrible, just good. The principal came into my class today to ask a quick question. She wanted to know what position I was running for and why she should vote for me! The kids were pretty cute in explaining that they wanted me to be the next president and how I'd make a good leader because I'm "the best teacher ever" "the nicest teacher ever" and "pretty." In case you don't know what I'm talking about- a couple weeks ago, we learned about elections and the kids were asked to make bumper stickers with a "Vote for (insert their name here)" Most of them wrote "Vote for Mrs Gentle!" They are now hanging in the hallway.

Card making was fun. Mom and I go to this great place where you can make a bunch of cards for only a dollar a piece! We made cute baby, birthday and thank you cards. If you want more info, e-mail me. I'd love to take you there!

Lastly, kickboxing was really good, too. The class was almost 45 minutes long and I made it through quite strong! It was a good ego-booster and gave me some ideas on how I can exercise at home throughout the week. I'll have to give you an update tomorrow. My arms already hurt...

Oh, and as for math. Tomorrow the worksheets are taking the bus! No more silly pencil-paper activities! We're going to become problem solvers! (I'll have to give you an update on that one, too... but for right now, it sounds really good!)

Thanks for your prayers for strength and endurance. He answered! Please pray for tomorrow- it is a short day, I have a district meeting, and hopefully, Ross and I will have a nice, quiet night together.

Blessings!

Crosswalks

Today, on my way home from my new teacher meeting, I almost hit a boy running in the street. Not a residential street, but a large four-lane mile-marker street. The boy just ran out into the road- attempting to cross without using a crosswalk.

At first I felt shock, then fear, then anger. I have seen countless adults jaywalk- it's like "the thing to do" in our neighborhood. It saddens me greatly- and there is no better way to make Ross livid than for him to see someone jaywalk with a stroller or toddler in tow.

But before today, I had never seen a child do it all by themself. This boy was only 7 or 8 years old. A first grader running through the street.

Please, please, please be a good model of using the crosswalk and obeying other traffic laws. Somehow, this boy learned this behavior. Please help in teaching others the safe way to cross the street.

A Successful 20th Day

Today has been a very long day, but a very good one at that!

I finally feel like we are kind of in the swing of things- that we have an actual routine and schedule that we can follow and comfortably fit everything into- except for math. I'm still not quite happy with math...

I ran around this afternoon gathering things for volunteers to do on Wednesday, putting together an extra sub folder for my new teacher meeting and printing out a report card. No, it's not that time of year quite yet, I just figured it might be nice to know what I am going to be using to communicate with the parents. I'm glad I did. There are only three areas that are listed under social studies. I'd really like to dive in deep in those areas, and skim over the ones that aren't covered. I'm excited to help my students become the best patriots they can be : )

After that, I hurried to another school in the district for a new teacher meeting. This was a really nice time to meet with nice girls and talk about teaching 1st graders. New teachers are so open about struggles and challenges- it's nice to know I'm not the only one. I'm looking forward to meeting with my mentor teacher one-on-one sometime next week. Although I work with dozens of great people, I've been feeling a social disconnect lately. It does sort of feel like I only converse with six-year-olds... I'm eager to talk both professionally and socially with someone who has been there.

Tomorrow will be crazy, too. I'm meeting up with my mom to make cards after school, then heading to a kickboxing class at church, then meeting up with Ross to tutor high school kids. Please pray that I joyfully and energetically can make it through my day : )

One cute story before I leave you-- while we were lining up for lunch today, one of my boys quietly raised his hand. When I asked him what he needed, he just pointed at the floor where we had just been. One of my sweet little girls had fallen asleep sitting up! Without him, I may have just left her there... I quietly woke her up and led her to line, then quietly thanked the boy for being so kind in not embarrassing the little girl. It was a sweet and peaceful moment : )

Statistics and Stories

Well, it's just now 1:00. All the tests are scored and recorded, the homework is graded and ready to be mailed. The week's plans are completed AND... I have a sparkling clean kitchen. That is what I call a productive morning : )

Well, here are these week's scores:

Reading- 85%
Math- 88%
Spelling- 96%
Science- 90% and 71%

Reading went up. Math went up. I actually gave 2 quizzes this week, whereas last week was one test. Both quizzes gave the same average. Doesn't that mean their both really accurate?? For spelling, yes, they can earn more than 100%- which really boosts the average. 96 sure sounds good, though : ) For science, the first average is for a Performance Task. The kids had to draw a plant with all its parts and then label the parts. It's a nice alternative to a pencil paper test and their drawings were wonderful!! The second average is for the Chapter 2 pencil-paper test. That average is down from last week.

Okay, enough about statistics, here are two stories from yesterday that I forgot to include:

As lunch recess is ending, I walk outside and to the spot where my kids line up. As the duty teacher blows the whistle, I see one of my boys take two handfuls of sand and drop them on top of his head! His hands and head were all sweaty (because it's, like, 200 degrees outside, still) so all the sand stuck to his hands, his hair, his forehead, on his cheeks. It was totally disgusting. I walked up to him, started rubbing the sand off of him and tried to have a reasonable conversation about why he would do such a thing and why it wasn't a very good idea....

Meanwhile, the assistant principal is standing just a couple feet away, when I got the boy cleaned up and back in line, she came up to me and started praising me and my class. "They're so cute!" she said. This remark certainly made me smile : )

At some point yesterday (maybe it was at lunch recess, too) I walked past another 1st grade teacher telling a little girl that she "Must stop hugging me. They've made a new rule. We can't hug the children."

Let me back up. In case you didn't know, sexual harrassment is a huge topic now. It might be as big as energy conservation, I haven't looked into it. Anyhow, I have heard at three different meetings now, from district to grade level, that we are not supposed to touch a child, ever. Can you believe that? Have you ever spent five minutes with a six-year-old? If you don't touch them within two minutes, they'll touch you within four- nearly guaranteed. They're very tactile beings. They're still learning about personal space and social norms. And they all love to show love through touch.

So when I saw this 1st grade teacher telling her student to stop hugging her, I was heartbroken. Many of these kids have not seen what appropriate touching looks like. Maybe their parents completely ignore them- or- and I'm sure this does occur- they watch family members hit and beat, but not appropriately show affection. And I don't even want to know about the kids who see, or experience, inappropriate physical contact.

They need me to give them quick hugs, and pats on the back. They need high fives and handshakes. They need reassuring squeezes and comforting holds. And I am committed to giving them what they need.

Go ahead and sue me : )

Thank God for Fridays : )

Four weeks now. I've finished four weeks. Doesn't quite feel right. In someways, I'm sure I just misnamed two Luises... in others, I'm sure I've been doing this all my life...

Today was good. It was very much like how I remember Fridays being in my first grade. We took three tests in the morning and played in the afternoon. Ah... life as it should be : )

We had another weekly reading test, spelling test and Ch 2 science test (we're bookin' it in science.) I'll be sure to post my scores later this weekend : ) I have a feeling that my reading will be up from last week, but science will be down.

We went to the computer lab and it was a total success! The kids remained quiet the entire time and were even showing me how to do stuff on the computer! All except one little boy, who didn't seem to know how to move the mouse... I'm sure in just a few trips he'll be a computer whiz, too.

Mom came today, which is always a blessing. She chatted with her little friends in the front office and has agreed to make cute gifts for all the teachers. She has definitely found her niche : )

When Ross got home from work today, Mom filled him in on my class. She overexaggerates a tiny bit, but it is amazing to hear from a 3rd persepective. I do have a lot to handle everyday!

So school was good. Nobody ran into any fire extinguishers : ) I am looking forward to this weekend to rest with a few social events scattered here and there. I'm pretty sure I'm over my cold, too.

Here's the one wrench thrown into my day, though. On the way to school, I drove past a shirt-less man walking down the street. He was rather scary looking and I felt very uncomfortable as he seemed to study me as I drove past. Nine hours later, mom and I are driving home from school and this same man is on our street on a bicycle, riding up and down the street, pulling into driveways and checking things out. He again, studies us, and seems to recognize me from the morning. I was a little freaked out.

Mom and I agreed that it wouldn't hurt to call the police. I did and gave them my story. They took information about the man and said they'd send a policeman over to check the area. Since then, however, I've felt quite uneasy. Please pray that God would bring me peace, that He would protect us, our neighborhood, and my school and that I would stand confident in His promises.

Thanks and Happy Friday!

Body Parts, Living Partners and Red Things of Death!

I'm not quite sure how to describe today. I'm in a better mood than normal, but I don't feel like the kids were really any more well-behaved or that I was any more effective as a teacher. I guess I just had a better outlook.

Here were some of the highlights:

1) At floortime this morning, we were discussing words that rhyme. I would give the students a word and they would think of as many words as they could that rhymed with that word. The last word I gave was "blue." The kids thought and thought and came up with shoe and drew (this one came with much prompting...) While they continued thinking, a girl right at my feet asked, "Mrs. Gentle, do boobies rhyme with blue?" Shocked, I ask, "What did you say?" This was a bad question (you knew that, didn't you) because she repeated herself and so did the little boy next to her. To top it off, when she said the b-word, she made grabbing gestures with two fists. Where the heck did that come from??

2) My kids had art today. Their art teacher also happens to be their PE teacher. He is really nice, young and brand-new (remind you of anyone??) Whenever I pick the kids up, they are always out-of-control... (click here to read about picking them up from P.E.) Today, the kids were yelling and laughing and throwing crayons (aka cleaning up...) I was trying to quiet, calm and arrange them into a line. As I am doing this one of my dear boys who needs extra special help asked, "Mrs. Gentle, do you live with him?" "Do I live with who?" I responded. "Him," he said, pointing to their art/PE teacher. I don't know where that one came from either.

3) I don't know quite how to preface this story. While it was happening I wanted to laugh and cry. Kids just do crazy things... I had bus duty today, which isn't terribly fun, but is much better than parent pick-up (I'll save that debate for another day) I was in the front of the line, leading dozens of 1st graders through the school, across the playground and out to the street. Just steps away from the buses, I see one of my little girls holding her mouth with her hand--completely covered in blood.

I quickly ask her what happened. She's crying and can't respond. "Did you fall?" She shakes her head no. "Did someone hurt you?" Another no. "What happened?" A girl behind her in line says, "She ran into that thing!" "What thing?" "That red thing!" Now I'm turning myself in circles trying to find the "red thing" that could possible cause this much damage and I don't see anything. Another teacher sees my struggle, gets the same information out of everybody and says I need to escort her to the nurse's office.

As we walk, we trace our steps and I tell her to point at the "thing" that hurt her. We walk across the whole playground, back through the hallways, when she finally points at a fire extinguisher cabinet that juts out of the wall. We have them along all of our hallways and I can not tell you how many times my kids have almost ran into them. I also can not tell you how frustrated I get when I see kids walking with their heads turned back.

So, being the uncompassionate teacher that I am : ) I lecture, "Were you walking forward with your head turned back?" She nods yes. "Haven't I told you not to do that?" She aggresively nods yes. "Now do you understand why?" The nods just become more and more purposed...

I take her to the nurse, who examines her. Turns out that this little girl also had a sunflower seed in her mouth. So when she hit her head on the metal cabinet, she forced the seed into her lower lip, cutting it deeply. Why does she have a sunflower seed- you ask. I, too, would like to know...

See, I'm telling you, my job is the most unpredictable one out there. I was told this morning we might have a lockdown drill today. We didn't. Will we have one tomorrow? Don't know.

I do know that I have 3 tests scheduled and a trip to the computer lab. Please pray profusely between 12:15 and 1:00 tomorrow : ) Mom is coming in to help during test time and computers and to make copies for me. (Isn't she great?) Still, though, you never know what might happen or what "thing" you might run into : )

1st Early Release-- Survived

When I was a child, I always loved Early Out days, for the obvious reasons. Who doesn't like an extra couple of hours to play at home? At my elementary school, we always got out in late morning, so often Mom would treat Ben and me to lunch. That was always a super special treat.

However, as a teacher, I must say that I was slightly dreading today. Because our day was 1 1/2 hours shorter, our whole schedule had been tweaked. I was sure we were going to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Luckily, we had no such flukes, but there was definitely a sense of urgency the whole day. Everything was rushed and hurried. For some kids, this is no problem, but for others, it is very difficult.

As usual, my kids had a good morning and a rough afternoon. I am so eager for them to mature just a bit more, so they are not so antsy to get home. At our school, since most everybody is on free and reduced lunch, we have lunch as part of our early release school day. (So that nobody has to worry about going home hungry--seriously.) This means we have to stay at school quite a bit longer and don't have those fun teacher-lunch-outings (I miss those from my student teaching...) And it means that we have a definitive After-Lunch period in which the kids are crawling out of their skin in hopes of getting home.

Today, of all days, was also the first day of our special reading program. For 1/2 an hour, 2/3 of my class goes upstairs and works in small groups to improve their DIBELS scores. This leaves me with 6 very high students. I am excited for this time, because I often feel like these kids are bored during regular instruction. My goal is to make sure that this time is used wisely to challenge and stretch them.

I experienced my first early-release staff meeting today as a paid employee. It was mediocrely miserable - no, it wasn't that bad. Our main point on the agenda was energy consumption. Doesn't it seem like EVERYBODY is trying to use less energy? It's all people talk about... This topic brought up some lively and accusatory discussion. Part of our school plan is to limit classroom appliances (refrigerators and microwaves). Most of the teachers were VERY opposed to this. When I was directly asked how I felt about the subject, I had to honestly say that I thought the plan would work great. I don't have a fridge or a microwave in my room- and I'm surviving just fine- if it'll save us tons of money, why not?

The problem is that most teachers have become accustomed to such novelties and they are "sure" that life will be "miserable" if they can't continue keeping them. I am sure that that is not the case : )

Oh, yes, the solutions committee. Our problem to solve today was How do we cut back on congestion in the hallways? I must admit that I added NOTHING to the discussion on finding a solution- because I didn't have any grand ideas. The idea we (okay, they) came up with was to have kids enter their Art, Music, PE classes through one door and exit through another. We also decided that teachers are supposed to pick their classes up 3 minutes early in order to have the hallways clear.

If you have any other problems, be sure to send them my way. Until then, finish your week strong and I pray I will do the same...

Okay, now we'll talk about school

At lunch today, I was so looking forward to telling you that this was my best day of school yet. Unfortunately, the afternoon blew it...

We're still working on procedures and paying attention. My kids are still sooo anxious to go home. I can't really blame them, either : )

I made a little boy cry again today. He was late today, and I can not describe to you how much quieter my room was without him. When he showed up, the volume went up, too. So, after like 100, warnings, I finally put his name on the board. Immediately, his eyes welled up and his little body shook and I said "No, Christopher. I have warned you enough." He cried the whole way to music and I heard his little sobs as he walked in that door. After music however, didn't hear a peep out of him. He'll grow out of it, right?

This morning, being the cute, patriotic, conservative, primary teacher that I am, I put on a red blouse with a navy skirt and my "I voted early" sticker. I was very saddened that I was the only teacher who made any effort to promote voting today. Granted, it is a primary, but I didn't even see any stickers! And we're a voting site! I at least made the polling volunteers smile (and my kids more aware...)

I'm anxious about tomorrow. It is our first early release day. We have a meeting afterward that has 3 things on the agenda but it supposed to go from 1:30-4:15. Oh, dear... And I'm on the Solutions committee. I'm not sure what that means either. But I will find out tomorrow, and so will you : )

Because there is more to life than school...

Don't worry. I will post about the day's events soon. But for right now, I want to tell you about other stuff going on with Mrs. Gentle : )

First- we had a fabulous weekend. On Friday, we went out to dinner with my family and thoroughly enjoyed their company. When we got home, our neighbors across the street were playing outside. In the summer, when I had very little to do (ha, ha...) I would hang out at their house for hours. So Ross and I walked over and had a great time catching up. They have a 5 year old son who is in kindergarten and a 2 year old daughter whom Ross adores : ) The boy and I had a great time comparing school notes and Ross exchanged countless smiles with the little girl...

On Saturday, Ross and I enjoyed working hard at home together : ) Sunday was spent with a morning of church and fellowship followed by an evening of catch-up with Ross' parents who have been out of state for almost a month. Monday, Ross and I continued to work hard at home and visit with my extended family in honor of Labor Day.

What a blessing to live so close to family and to be able to share life with them! I'm so grateful for the many relationships that Ross and I are able to share.

Second, being around all these babies and cute kids gets a girl thinking... Ross and I were able to have a very sweet conversation yesterday about our future family, specifically about timing. Our original "plan" was to get pregnant around this time next year. In the past few weeks, I could only imagine how horrible it would be in my first trimester, hot, sweaty, totally exhausted and nauseauated with untrained 1st graders. Our new "plan" (which I plan to stick to : ) is to get pregnant mid-school year- when the kids are more trained and when the weather is beautiful. This would also mean having a nice amount of time to get ready for this beautiful baby. We'll see. Maybe God has some other timing planned : )

Third, I've been trying to be good by exercising consistently. I don't know how many of you struggle with this- but it is hard for me. Not so much doing it or even having time to do it, but doing it when I have time to do it : ) Yesterday, instead of sitting and talking with Ross, I paced the house, did kickboxing and talked with Ross. Today, before I left school, I decided that I was going to exercise first and blog later. The sooner I sit down, the sooner I lose my energy... If you have issues with being disciplined in this area- know that I am with you and am trying hard! (I figure if I post this, someone's bound to keep me accountable, right?)

Fourth, Ross and I have been going back and forth over what we wanted to do during my Fall Break. Well, last night we finally decided. We are going to go on a Mexican cruise! Yay! It sounds like fun. I can't wait to tell you how it is! What a fun thing to look forward to!

Lastly, while exercising today, I was listening to one of my favorite artists Tree 63. They are a marvelous Christian band. I heard one song that I have always liked, but today, it brought me to tears. You need to listen to it. You can click here and choose number 67 Walking Home with You. I have never been led to tears so quickly- nonetheless while working out! I hope God uses it in a powerful way for you like He did with me : )

Please know that God is using you in a powerful way as you continue to support and love me. You are priceless!