I recently changed jobs. I went back to a job that I had two years ago. For the last two years I was teaching and each day was a struggle to get out of bed … a struggle to put on a smile. I began looking back in my life to see what had worked in the past. I once had a job where I felt celebrated. A job that I looked forward to … or at least didn’t dread.

The job was available and I started back on Monday. It’s the best decision I could have made. I had to move backwards in order to get moving forward with my life. It doesn’t always make sense, but it is true.

It’s like giving up to win … becoming weak to become strong … sacrificing to gain. The concepts I’ve learned in my walk with Jesus are ones that don’t seem to follow the norm. Serving to become great … humbling yourself to be glorified … and finally … backing up to get ahead.

God is trustworthy. We can put our backwards things in His hands and always count on getting the best results. Broken becomes whole … ugly becomes beautiful … nonsense becomes sensical. What a wonderful thought for a Friday.

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My students have finished their textbook for this year. They have to take an end of book test before they can move on to the next book. They all failed almost all of the end of book tests. So, what I decided to do is review for a section … retake the test … review for a section … retake the test and so on. So my purpose of reviewing is to ensure that they will pass the test.

Do you think it helps them if I keep answering the question wrong? Today we had this question:

The  _____________ of the fish are big.

(a) gill

(b) gills

(c) gill’s

(d) gills’

The first time I told them it was (c). As I explained it one boy said it should be (d). I reread it and humbly corrected myself. As we reread it I realized the answer was actually supposed to be (b). But by then I was too embarrassed to change my answer again. I decided to count anything right on that one since I had confused them so much.

Can I blame that on the eye surgery?

Today I was looking at a packet of Pepperoni and noticed this:

Look at this last sentence. Does that really say “DO NOT EAT THIS PACKET”? You tell me … are people getting stupider or is it the education system’s fault?

I went to the doctor yesterday to have something removed from the bottom of my foot. Yes … that sounds nasty. It was just a bump on the ball of my foot. I could feel it when I walked and it was driving me crazy. The doctor asked, “So has this been hurting?” I said, “Not really, but my left foot is really sensitive to socks and things. I can feel it and it really bothers me.” “Your feet are very calloused, do you work out a lot?”, asked the doctor. “No I don’t work out at all. I just wear my shoes too big so my feet slide around a lot”, said the freaky lady with the bump on her foot.

… I think that I’ve gotten stupider since I became a teacher. Maybe it really is the education system that is messing us ALL up.

**** I’m adding this onto this post because it was really cute. I was at the eye doctor this morning. A grandmother was there watching the three children while the mom was in the doctor. The boy, who had already announced that he was in first grade, went to the restroom. He came out and said, “Nana, they’re rich in there.” She quickly told him, “Shhh.” He said, “Really, go look, the part where you wash your hands is golden.” It was really cute.

They drove south one winter until they could stand outside with no coats on & we never saw them again.

Here’s today’s …

I have too much to lose, she said, if I cross that line. Like what? I said. She could not think of anything that day so she said she’d get back to me. Since then I’ve been thinking what I would lose if I cross my line & I haven’t come up with anything either. There’s always another line somewhere.

I believe Proverbs addresses friends like this …

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Today the question revolved around “indenting”. How in the world do you explain this to students? I think I spent more time trying to explain indenting than I did explaining the whole assignment. I asked several times, “Are there any questions? Does everyone understand?” Heads nod up and down.

Minutes after they are working independently I begin to wander the aisles. There isn’t much indenting going on. I try again. This time I show them books. I show them paragraphs. I draw arrows on the board. “Are there any questions? Does everyone understand?”

By the time the papers were turned in,  more students failed to indent than students that indented.  In one class I got so frustrated I didn’t know what else to say. My assistant said, “Guys she’s said it over and over … listen.” I had explained it every way I knew how.

They say you’re not teaching if no one learns. I’m changing the name of my profession to “Mere Talker”. I’ve not taught them anything yet.

I did freak them out a little when I threw the marker. Luckily I didn’t throw it at anyone … I just lightly tossed it into the air in frustration. It was that or strangling someone. The marker seemed like the better choice.

It says in red that if I walk 10,000 steps then I can eat 30 calories. Doesn’t air have more than 30 calories?

 It also says I have to be a “preson” and I don’t know that I’ll ever accomplish that.

 I can eat 90% of the men’s … does that mean I can eat 90% more than them? That doesn’t sound right.

D. makes a specific note about a salaried man. How does the food I eat know if I have a job or not? 

1 calorie equals 30 steps. So if  I walk 10,000 steps then (if I’m doing my math correctly – which I may not be) I think I will burn a little over 333 calories.  But then what did they mean when they said I could consume 30 extra calories if I walk 10,000 steps. Sheesh! This is why I can’t eat better. Just reading this stressed me out so much that I went and ate a box of candy. Thankfully it only POSSIBLY had traces of milk in it (see below).   

                                                                  Whatever you do … don’t make the pedometer to wet. Does that mean it might spray me? Probably only if I don’t put it on correcitly.

EEK!!! Traces of milk!!! What has this world come to. Is there not a food I can consume that is completely unhealthy anymore?! Well, it says MAY so maybe I got the batch that escaped the milk tainting.

Trust me … I wish I didn’t notice this kind of thing … it is exhausting.

Old Shirt

I love my old shirt with skeletons on it. It is the beautiful shirt that I had. I wish could by an another one. I hope to pass it down as a traditionial shirt. I hope that I get so more money to get another one until it become sold.     score 16

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One thang that is important to me is my necles. My grandparants bought it for mje. I wa so happy I will give it to my son. I will cheras it for ever.   score 18

(this is the child that wanted to know why he could wear a necklace in class but not a hat)

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My special ideam is my ipod. Because I like to lission to music. Music gets me consontrated it caulms me down. It gets everything off my mind music keeps me from doing the things I always do like getting in trouble with the cops and so on and so on. Music keeps me from talking back and keeps my mouth shut. It keeps me from all the drama outside. It keeps me from going back to jeauvy. And going back to my old ways.  score 14

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My favorite person aka Baby d. Baby D is short, white, and always wear blue. I got Baby D. On my birthday. It came with some candy. Sour streaws, big candy apple & a popcorn ball. I got hot chips, popcorn hot cheetos. I went to joyland I was fun. Back to the subject Baby d. smalls like Ice cream. And that is all I can tell. Bye.  score 14

(I must admit this is one of my favorites. I like that it smalls like ice cream.)

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