Ohh the ups and downs of teaching

It's amazing how horrible one week can be and how awesome the next week can be!  One of my little punkins that wasn't so great last week has had an INCREDIBLE week this week!  She usually "signs the book" 20-30 times a week, so far this week? ONCE! :-)  We have a deal that I'll buy her a Junie B. Jones book if she has a spectacular week-- which I said after her awesome day on Monday. :-)  Looks like I'll be at Barnes and Noble this weekend!  PRAISE THE LORD!  I'm so proud of all my students and realizing this week how much I really do love them, even when things are hard. I feel like I may have found my "teacher voice" with them finally, after 3 years of practice! (Thanks, Baylor, for shortening the process for my professional career.)  Things are just really great overall.  God is so good, so faithful.  Things are really hard too, now that I think about it, but God is so good that my heart is able to have joy through it all.  Even though I cry a lot--- and definitely every sermon since my dad announced the divorce.  But the good news is: He's GOOD!!!!!!!! He's good! He's good! GOD IS GOOD!


On that note, this week, I'm teaching about India, and focusing on Hinduism and Buddhism, which I do my best to teach unbiasedly.  Today, I was reviewing the names of the Holy and Sacred Books for Hindus, and one of my students said, "The Bible".  I clarified that Hindus do not believe in the Bible, which was met with about 12 or 13 gasps.  A few students said to those around them, "What?  I don't believe in it either..."  Which was again, met by many gasps from their peers.  Soooo I'm hoping that maybe a little evangelical fire will be lit among my little world changers and that I'll see some salvations come through these little ones!

^{Jeremiah 30:}

¹⁸ "This is what the LORD says:
       " 'I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's tents
       and have compassion on his dwellings;
       the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,
       and the palace will stand in its proper place.

 ¹⁹ From them will come songs of thanksgiving
       and the sound of rejoicing.
       I will add to their numbers,
       and they will not be decreased;
       I will bring them honor,
       and they will not be disdained.

 ²⁰ Their children will be as in days of old,
       and their community will be established before me;
       I will punish all who oppress them.

 ²¹ Their leader will be one of their own;
       their ruler will arise from among them.
       I will bring him near and he will come close to me,
       for who is he who will devote himself
       to be close to me?'
       declares the LORD.

 ²² " 'So you will be my people,
       and I will be your God.' "

 Yep, I'll take it.... this is my prayer for this season of my life.


Oh yeah, and TOMS shoes tweeted a picture of my desk!!! Woo hooo! 


TOMSshoes 

  

Maybe teachers don't want apples anymore... This 2nd grade teacher reps TOMS in her classroom!http://twitpic.com/2qxtd6