Empty

This morning I still had 5 days left to get used to the idea of saying goodbye to my students, to finish reading the story my third graders were fascinated by, to keep my promises, to buy a good-bye gift for my reading students, to take lots of pictures. Or at least, so I thought. Then today, 10 minutes into my last class of the day, our principal asked all homeroom teachers to return to their classrooms, so I took my kids back to class, wondering what was going on. With 45 minutes left in the school day, they handed out papers to all the teachers, explaining that we were closing for the year due to an increase in flu symptoms at our school.

When I go back on Monday, the halls will be empty, but I'll have cupboards full of workbooks I told students they could take home with them at the end of the year, desks with the pencil cases and crayons I bought for my students still inside them, and books on hold at the library that I now have no reason to pick up.

It's hard to have so little closure. It would have been disappointing any year, but on a year when I'm leaving for good, it's really sad. I broke down and cried for awhile, then went to say good-bye. I stopped in room 213 first to say good bye to Dynamo, Thing 1, and Princess Fiona. When I told them I wouldn't be back next year, I wasn't the only one crying. All 3 of them were distressed. I told them I'd be back to visit in December, and that they would be just fine without me. I know it's true, but they didn't quite believe me.

I didn't tell the students in the other classes I was leaving. I had wanted them to know why I was leaving, and where I was going, but it seemed selfish to tell them if they were going to be that upset. I know when they come back next year, they'll notice I'm not there, they might even ask where I went, but they'll move on, and there probably won't be any tears.

It's hard to say good-bye. I worked at this school for 4 years, and I've known some of my students for that long. My favorite student my first year was a cute second grader with a smile that melted my heart. He was my most difficult student- he acted out, never did his homework, and was way behind my below grade level reading class. But, he was enthusiastic, he loved learning about new things, he was affectionate and funny. I watched him grow from a Spanish-only speaker to a confident bilingual student. I haven't taught him in the past 2 years, but I still see him around. Today I caught him on the way out of his classroom on his last day in elementary school to wish him luck in middle school. He still acts out and never does his homework, but he smiled at me when I wished him luck, and his smile still melts my heart. I'll miss him and so many other students who have brought me headaches and challenges, but even more joy, smiles, and laughter.

Arepa City

Spanish meet-up met at Arepa City, a new Venezuelan restaurant on 2nd street, on Tuesday.  I've been looking forward to trying it out since I saw it was opening back over Easter weekend.  I was not disappointed.  Not only was the food fun, different, and tasty, the price was right.  My bill came to $10.82 and I had an appetizer, dinner, and dessert.  Their specialty is arepas, a type of corn cake, which are popular in Venezuela and Colombia.  My arepa came stuffed with shredded flank steak, black beans, queso fresco, and fried plantain.  My appetizer was tostones, which are green plantains that are mashed, flattened into circles, and fried.  There were probably 6 different mayonnaise based dipping sauces for the tostones, chocolate mayo being the most unique and the avocado one probably my favorite.  For dessert I had the mocha flan, which was quite tasty.  

I'll have to go back again sometime before I leave.  (which, by the way is in exactly 4 weeks and 1 day, not that I'm keeping track or anything.)

Relay for life

Friday we had a mini relay-for-life at school.  It was pretty emotional seeing all the staff and school families walking in memory of someone, and more encouraging to see the larger number of people walking in honor of someone.  As I watched, I thought about the people in my life cancer has touched.  

In Memory of: 

Stephen Mayers

In Honor of:

William Buchanan

Heidi Gropp

Michele Nissel

Paul Panty

Jan Nielsen 

One good thing about first graders. . .

"The first person to finish their work can sharpen the pencils" really works as a motivator.

What my blog is all about

Thanks to wordle for the word cloud.

Yet another reason to get married. . .

Today during our phonics word building, I had my kids make the word "wife" with their magnet letters. I explained what wife and husband meant. One of the kids asked if I had a husband. I told them no. Sunshine said, "you should get one and then he could come to school and be your helper". Sure, why not? Sounds like a good reason to me.

A Garment of Praise

On Friday, I wore heels to work. Usually, I wear more practical shoes, but since Friday was parent teacher conferences and I was only working until noon, I decided I could deal with heels. I told my coworker that I like the click my heels make as I walk down the halls- they make me feel important. Saturday evening I went to a Chinese New Year celebration with my family. Dressing up to go out made me feel elegant and sophisticated. As I walked back into the house after the celebration, I reflected that I felt like a different person than I had that morning, hanging out with friends, wearing a gazillion layers to keep warm in a cabin heated only be the fireplace. What I wear changes my self-perception. It influences the way I act. As I was thinking about that, the phrase “put on a garment of praise” popped into my head.


I couldn’t remember where it came from, so I looked it up. It’s from the same passage in Isaiah 61 that Jesus reads in Nazareth towards the beginning of his ministry. “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me . . . to provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (v. 1&3) Later on in the same passage it goes on to say, “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness. . .” (v.10)

If something as simple as putting on a pair of heels or wearing jewelry can change the way we feel about ourselves, imagine what a difference being clothed in praise, salvation, and righteousness would make in our lives. The beautiful thing is, we don’t need to strive on our own to be robed in righteousness and praise. All through this passage we see that this is God’s work for God’s glory. He tenderly, lovingly, heals our hurts, releases us from captivity, and adorns us to be whole and beautiful. If we have accepted the work of His son’s death on the cross, we are already crowned in beauty, anointed with the oil of gladness, robed in righteousness, and wearing garments of praise and salvation.

Now that we are dressed as children of God, we must live as children of God. Once you’re dressed for a party, you don’t stop and wash the dishes. If you’re wearing high heels, you probably aren’t about to go play in the mud. Wearing our garment of praise, we shouldn’t be found speaking discouraging, complaining words. Dressed in righteousness, we need to avoid the sin that would soil our spotless robes. Living with a crown of beauty and a garment of salvation, we should walk securely in the knowledge that we are loved by God and our lives are safe in his hand.

So, I encourage you today, remember- you are clothed in praise. The blood of Christ has given you a robe of righteousness. You are crowned in beauty and anointed with gladness. Remember what you are wearing. Let your actions be ruled by the precious clothes Christ’s blood has purchased for you. Let your knowledge of yourself be based on robes that you have no right to wear, but that God has placed on you after rescuing you, giving you all the rights to those royal robes as someone born to wear them. When you do, here is what God says will happen, “[you] will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” (v.3) [Your] descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed." (v.9)