More Pictures from my School Year

We made stock exchanges, found icky sticky critters in the creek, performed a musical about God's faithfulness to the prophet Daniel, elected a President that the USA didn't,learned about New England, the Mid-Atlantic,
and South,mounted broom steeds as Rough Riders, invited parents to our parties, dressed up as famous Americans, rode in a Model T, ran ZZ's Treats at BizTown, painted on the playground, and had lots of fun that didn't get captured on camera.

Teaching is such a rewarding profession. In fact, it's so much more than a profession; it's a calling. Rather than "covering material," I want to help kids "uncover treasures" through education. As soon as I find something new and exciting in history or art, I just can't wait to share it with them. Equally wonderful is when they

are just itching to tell me something cool they've learned.

I feel a joy deep in my soul when I

see kids' eyes light up at the "aha!" moments when they finally understand a concept, when they can't wait to put on a costumeand deliver a presentation, when they display good leadership and good discipleship, when they write with their own "voice" and it's grammatically correct to boot, when they take responsibility for their personal space, their actions, and their schedules, when they tell me they like my multiple choice questions where three of the answers are possible and the fourth is ridiculously funny, when one or two of them say they'd like to be a teacher someday.

I watched these children mature before my eyes. Every one of them grew at least an inch, some three! Most of them weren't very organized at the beginning of the year, but I saw a lot of progress in that area. They learned to confess their faults more readily, to blame others

less often, to take initiative, to vacuum the floors thoroughly, to write more creatively, to think more critically, to handle disappointment, to meet deadlines, to be truthful no matter the consequences, to bail each other out on occasion, to laugh at my jokes.

God really blessed me with a fantastic co-teacher, Cheryl, who

quickly became a great friend. We have one of those relationships

that just doesn't take a lot of work; it's liberating and fun. Sometimes we get the giggles just anticipating what the other is about to say. I feel like I can share anything with her and she'll understand. Not only have we had a gazillion gut-busting laughs, we've also cried with each other. Such a friendship with a co-worker is indeed an unexpected gift I thank God for.

Giddy up, horsey. (Is this San Juan Hill? I didn't think so.)

It doesn't get much better than this.