New Car

I apologize for my lack of blog correspondence. We have not had internet at our apartments for over two weeks, creating some chaos in the matter of entering grades and corresponding with parents and blogging!

However, I have a lot to talk about, and all of it good. First things first, God has provided me with a car! Just what I had been praying for: in my price range, automatic, newish, good condition. Already it has given me freedom and helped alleviate the problems caused by sharing one vehicle between five teachers. Thank you, Lord, for your provision in big things and small.

Semana Santa (Holy Week) vacation starts half day Friday. My students are beyond excited for a break, and I am looking forward to it myself. My friends and I are going to travel to Costa Rica for some time at the beach, rainforest, volcanoes, and Taco Bell. Yes, Taco Bell.

Tomorrow I am leading Chapel, and I need to put a couple of finishing touches on the lesson. Topic = Generosity

xoxoxoxo
Laura

Bears vs Gold E. Locks

Suspense filled the air. 

The 4th graders were going to court. 

Case: The Bears vs. Gold E. Locks

The Bear family is unhappy that a young girl broke into their house, used their things, and slept in their beds. Gold E. Locks protests that the door was open, and combined with the delicious smell of porridge floating out the door, was clearly an invitation to come in. Besides, she wanted to figure out the porridge recipe and give it to her dear mother!

What a fun day in 4th grade this was. My students took on all the roles in a court room and acted out a readers' theater to help them learn about the purpose of court and what the different people in a court room do.  

The courtroom

Being sworn in

The questioning begins!

The wanted to know if we were going to do the courtroom everyday. So cute. 

....

Things are officially getting very hot here. No rain, lots of wind, and dust, dust, and more dust. 

Thank you for your continued pray and support as I teach my 4th graders! 

Much love,

Laura

Parties

My students had a test yesterday in Social Studies over a unit on U.S. government. 

Question:

Name the two main political parties in the United States.

Student's answer:

Christmas and Thanksgiving

Not exactly the type of parties I was going for...

....

Concerning my last blog post about Sharon:

After an MRI last week she was ordered to rest, rest, rest, and not work. She is returning to school tomorrow, but she is still in a lot of pain. The doctor said the problem should correct itself in about six months, so this will be an ongoing battle. Thank you for praying.

Laura

Prayer Needed

My good friend, Sharon, who lives next door to me has a pinched nerve of some sort in her lower back. She is in a lot of pain and the nerve is causing her leg to be numb. Tomorrow afternoon she is going in for an MRI to see what the real issue is. Please pray for healing and that she can make it through the school day (she teaches middle school English and History) comfortably. 

Sharon is in the back with the white shirt

xoxoxoxo

Laura

The Amazing Race

Hebrews 12:1-3 
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. 
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

This past Thursday and Friday we had our upper elementary retreat. We stayed overnight (with 60 students - yikes) and spent two days running around the retreat center with our own mini version of the Amazing Race. We had a guest speaker come and share about how as Christians we have a prize that is truly worth running and persevering for, and His name is Jesus. 

Here are three of my favorite challenges that the students had to do:

Eat cow tongue

Find hidden clues in haystacks

Swim across a pool, free watermelons weighed down by nets and cinder blocks from the bottom of a pool, crack the watermelon open, and eat it in its entirety 

Some of the activities were hard, requiring teamwork and perseverance, just like our real and everyday lives.  Just about every student left exhausted and with a serious sunburn (myself included) but with a better idea of what it really means to fix our eyes on Jesus as we throw off the things that hinder us and run with perseverance. 

Fixing my eyes on Jesus,
Laura

100th Day

We celebrated a big milestone this Wednesday - the 100th day of school!

A great thing happened on the 100th day of school. In my class, each student has a goal to read 40 chapter books by the end of the year. I have a couple who are already up to 50 books, some who are still in the teens. There is one girl in my class who was a self-proclaimed book-hater at the beginning of the year. With LOTS of encouragement and some good books, I think her view on reading and books is changing. On the 100th day she reached her 40 book goal. Not only did this girl dislike reading at the beginning of the year, but she still has the lowest reading level in the whole class. I gave her a certificate, like I give all my students when they pass their goal, and told her how proud I was of her and had a high-five session. She was beaming and so, so happy. She took the certificate home to show her mom, and they immediately went out and bought a frame for it so they could put it on the wall! She told me all about it the next day and has decided she will read seventy books by the end of the year. Not a small task for a nine year old reluctant reader!

Here's some pictures of my kids during reading class yesterday (the best part of the day!):

During this time, students search for a good book, read, keep track of their books in their Reader's Notebook, or discuss some book with me. Currently, my class has been going through an extreme Percy Jackson and the Olympian phase, which has created some good discussions.

This Thursday and Friday is the 4th - 6th grade Amazing Race retreat. My next blog will fill you in on the details of some of the challenges, but here are a couple of sneak peaks:
Sunken watermelons.... cow tongue.... buried haystack clues....


xoxoxoo
Laura

Teeth & Tears

Last week was multiplication week. Before my students could enter or leave my classroom they would have to correctly answer a multiplication fact. Friday was the big day - the oral multiplication fact test. I told the 3rd grade teacher about it, who told me they were going to begin basic multiplication soon. So in class the next day she warned her students that next year they would have to know all their multiplication facts because Miss Eberly was going to give them a big test. One of the students burst into tears! This is the first time I have ever made a student cry - and a future student at that. Yikes. Hopefully they will start practicing this weekend... 

My fourth graders kept it equally entertaining this week.

Thursday's morning journal prompt: "How many teeth have you lost?"

One student's answer: "I hate teeth. You have to wash them." 

I have a prayer request: 

The second week in February the 4th - 6th graders are going on an over night retreat. Our theme is the Amazing Race and we will be talking about Hebrews 12: 1-3.  

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The other two teachers and I are new to NCA so we have never led this retreat before. We will have challenges like on the show the Amazing Race that will push the students and encourage team work, but our overall goal is for them to grow spiritually. I will keep you update as the retreat approaches. Also, if you have any great ideas about what challenges we should do, please pass them on. Thank you!

Time for me to get on with my Saturday night (aka grading papers). 

xoxoxoxo

Laura