a new mindset from the teacher :)

What's been on my mind and schedule lately?
A total change of heart from the Lord.

And for the record, this year should not be going the way it is, but we serve an AWESOME GOD, and that very same Awesome God has changed what was meant for evil into a GREAT and MIGHTY work :)

Finally, I can say that i'm on the right side again :)

Okay, so long story short, Erik and I were hoping to be pregnant by now (we're not), and I was really hoping that by this time next year I'd be enjoying being a stay at home mom.

God had different plans.

We ended up getting tested this summer, and after long and hard weeks, things got complicated, and doctors reports just didn't line up with what the Word of God had told us. I continue to believe for our babies and just ask me about them :) We're ready for Khloe, Dakota, and Dallas to manifest themselves :) But until then, I continue to believe God, and we've got room for them in the house.

That being said, I was going through the heat of the battle right before school started. There were some awful times in there, and times when it just felt crummy. Those of you who have children have no way to understand this, but I consider you blessed. Be patient with those of us who are still waiting for children, as it is a very difficult road to travel down, and you are still in a different "club"

Anyway, for those of you parents who don't understand, some of the battles that you go through (or at least I did), are feelings of complete rejection, lack of understanding and anger...for me the worst part was just trying to help my spouse receive love. The fact that the "doctors" say we couldn't have children didn't change my opinion of my husband in one bit. But hearing that from my husband that things might have been different if it were ME experiencing the problems, well that was a tough one to swallow.

Well school training started, and wouldn't you know it? Our spirit-filled principal invited a Christian speaker, Flip Flippen (author of "The Flip Side") to train us on Capturing Kids Hearts...and I boo-hooed through most of the presentation. He was talking to us about how our kids have "baggage" with them every day...so what was OURS? And we didn't want to share OUR baggage with a complete stranger, so why should they? And how do we get past the BAGGAGE to meet the need of the child? AWESOME PRESENTATION!!!!

AWESOME! VERY ANNOINTED! And that's been working in my classroom :)

I made the decision that I liked what he spoke to us about, and I was going to incorporate that into my classroom,. One of the things he does is called a 'social contract' Wouldnt' you know THAT gets me out of my teacher comfort zone?

THere are like the 10 commandments of teaching, and one of my top 10 is definitely
Thou shalt not talk in my classroom (for the thoughts of an administrator walking into a "chatty" classroom is quite unnerving!)

Wouldnt' you know on the class contracts one of the things that EVERY class said was "we want to be able to talk while we work?"

YIKES!!!

But the whole thing with a social contract is that THEY get to make the rules (so they demonstrate ownership, it's not just you giving them YOUR rules for them to follow)...

It's been successful...and I even had one class say "We want to be able to sit anywhere we want to with teh knowledge that YOU can move us if it's not working!" AMAZING!

I couldn't stand the noise level the other day as they were working, so I took up their work and told htem it was for a grade---surprisingly they did well...at least I'll have the documentation for my "noisy" somewhat unorthodox classroom...

But that very same clasroom gave me a kid that now says "can I be in math ALL day? I didn't think i'd like it this much, but now I do."

What an honor!

Every kid that walks into my room is a ministry opportunity, and sometimes we have to come out of our teacher comfort "boxes' to experience it, Last year, I missed out a bunch. This year? Ah, I'm relaxed, and having fun :)

It's great.

I'd write more, but it's late, and I want some sleep. Cheer uniforms tomorrow :)