I came back to a re-painted classroom all ready for me to decorate. It was a little different than what I had expected, so it took me a little while to decide how I wanted to set it up. This is always a fun part of being a teacher. Erika, my aide, and Kelli (2nd Grade Teacher) laughed at me as I sat there thinking and just looking at my room :-) Well, here is finished result. God is gracious and the new set-up seems to be working well. We have a great BIG Bible poster to use this year, also!
Here is our first class picture. It's wonderful that I already know some of these kids from last year, which makes learning names easier. They are a different bunch than last year, but I love them all the same. They have different needs and personalities, of which I am learning how to best be their teacher. This can be humbling at times, especially when I thought my second year might be a little easier. It some ways it is, but I still have a lot to learn :-)
Give Them Grace - The theme of what God is teaching me this year is grace. I am daily learning about how this looks in my classroom. My heart's desire is for my students to experience God in a way they never have before. As my weaknesses are being laid before me and my own abilities to accomplish this ministry are being challenged, I am humbled at how much I fall short on my own - yet I continue to depend on my own strength despite this knowledge! What a freeing thought and growing process to learn daily dependence on God and his grace that is so abundantly given to us. I am reading a book called Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick. One paragraph that really spoke to me on how I discipline my students this year was this:
"Give your children grace today by speaking of sin and mercy. Tell them that they can relax into God's loving embrace and stop thinking that they have to perform in order to get their welcoming Father to love them. Tell them that they can have hope that even though they really struggle, they are the very sort of person Jesus loved being around. Dazzle them with his love."
When I become discouraged, I have found comfort in these words:
"The disciples couldn't hinder the children from coming to him even though they tried. When God calls our children to come to him, even if we haven't gotten it all right, even if we've trained little Pharisees or have a house full of prodigals, nothing is impossible for him. He can break through all our flawed methods and redeem all our frail errors. The world tells us that our children's success depends upon our success. The world knows nothing of God's ability to use our failures as means to bless. "What is impossible with men is possible with God" Luke 18:27"
Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick
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| My former students still stick around and say hi! |
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| Trip to Usaquen with the Spanish Teachers - always a fun time! |
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| We found Gelato - yum!!!!! |
Prayers/Praises:
God's grace to be everywhere around our classroom. I want my students to know and feel his grace in a way that they never have before.
Safety in Colombia - There are farmers who are striking and causing roads and buses to be closed down. They also don't want people passing through their land during the strike - which has caused violence to occur. Please pray for the safety for everyone here and that the farmers would work with the government quickly to resolve their issues. Also, there may be a shortage of some produce during this time as well. Here is a link if you want to read more about it -http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23850074.
Two occurrences of sospechosos (suspicious people) around my apartment building, Los Cipreses, that were trying to sneak in. What a blessing that our guards kept us safe!! Prayers for continued security and protection from these people
Love in the gospel,
Carrie
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