When the Teacher Becomes the Student

Four weeks in, teaching 4-year-olds has already accomplished what four years of undergrad and two years of graduate school could not: I now have the ability to take a nap after 3 pm and still fall asleep at bedtime. Oh, and my evenings are a success if I can manage to keep myself awake until 8:00. It's a brave new world.

The identity of life's biggest mystery has now become clear to me. How can four-year-olds have ALL the energy and still somehow manage to steal all of mine, too?

As we have settled into a routine, life feels like it has hit the repeat button.


Do some fun school activities.

Have the same conversation with the same child for the 637,425th time.

Play during free time.

Have the same conversation with the same child for the 637,426th time.

Remind the children that friends don't poke other friends.

Have the same conversation with the same child for the 637,427th time.

Do some fun school activities.

Have the same conversation with the same child for the 637,428th time.

Eat snack.

Have the same conversation with the same child for the 637,429th time…


I know that adjusting to a structured school setting can be challenging, but I look forward to the day when the message "We all have to do the activity Miss Marken tells us to" sinks in as clearly for some of them as it has sunk in for me (maybe 637,430 times will be the charm?)

Last week I found myself repeating that idea yet again as I was introducing shapes in math class, and longing for the day when a little more maturity finds its way into my classroom and this particular battle is more of a memory than a reality.

To get their bodies as well as their brains involved in learning about shapes, I cut out a large orange triangle and placed it on the floor. I then instructed half of my class to march around it while I played a song, with the promise to the other half that they would switch places halfway through.

To my absolute amazement, the kids sitting on the floor sat quietly and waited for their turn, and the kids marching in circles around the triangle actually marched in circles around the triangle. I, for the first time since school started, found myself not having to remind anyone what they were supposed to be doing. Maybe this teaching stuff isn't too hard after all! The freedom of that 3:19 was exhilarating. And overwhelming. I had no idea what to do with myself.

So I started singing along to the song. Our weekly focus was on everyone being special and unique, so to help reinforce that notion I had selected one of my favorite kids' songs. I thought my singing might help the children focus on the words of the song and hear some of its message.

Little did I realize the profound effect that moment would have on me.

I got to the bridge of the song and heard these words leave my mouth:

…but God wasn't finished
He had more to do.
He planned something wonderful—
that's when He made you. He made you!

He thought it all over,
He got it just right.
You make Him happy—
you are His delight.
When you look in the mirror,
you'll see His touch…
because God made you special
and He loves you very much!

As I sang those words, I looked at the seven precious souls in my classroom. Each one an intentional creation of God. Each one made perfectly, exactly how their loving Creator intended them to be. Each one placed where He intended them to be right now. Each one entrusted to me to help them navigate through this stage in life.

This year I know I will have to issue more reminders that friends really don't poke other friends. Or burp in their faces. Or push each other out of the way to get a certain spot in line. This year I know that conversation 637,430 will happen, as will conversation 637,431. And once that conversation slows down another will rise to take its place.

This year I know God will entrust to me seven children to love, guide, and be an example to. Each one made in God's image. Each one a delight to God.

A Sunday Blessing

This morning at church I sat behind a family with three small children. The youngest boy appeared to be around two, and he sat contentedly in his father's lap for the entire service, looking through a cloth book that contained activities such as buttoning, tying, and zipping. He unlaced the cloth shoe and then tried to tie the string to a string on a different page. He worked patiently for several minutes until he was satisfied that his knot would stay. He then looked proudly up at his father and excitedly whispered, "I did it!" His dad looked down and gave him a small, encouraging smile. The little boy beamed as if he had been handed the world, and then he turned his attention back to the book.

As I watched this exchange, I realized that that little boy was giving me a picture of how I should live each day. While I may not always clearly understand the things that are going on around me or why I should respond to them in the way He has asked me to, I can sit contentedly in my Heavenly Father's arms, focused on the work He has given me to do. When I need approval, I should look to Him alone, and His smile is the highest affirmation I can receive.

I was blessed to witness this one simple exchange between father and son. It amazes me how our actions may be a blessing to others in ways that we may never see or realize.

"Rissa"

Yay for summers, when sisters graduate from high school (wait, WHAT? When did my little sis get THAT old?), internships only require a few days of work a week, and little buddies need playing with while their parents are out celebrating an anniversary. Being "Rissa" for a whole day was so nice!

I can guarantee you that whoever you were with on Friday were not as cute as who I was with. Or maybe they were equally as cute. No way they were cuter!

Cannot believe he was born while I was in college. Surely I am not that old, am I?

This is the Star Wars wizard right here. I promised him that I would finally get around to watching those movies this summer. I fear that if I don't, I will never be able to understand a word he is saying ever again. This should come as some comfort to those of you who have wondered how I could have been a media major having never seen Star Wars. This is a wrong in my life that will finally be righted. (Also, I would like to note that he was not mad here. He was merely trying to figure out why I was taking a picture of him and not the goat. I don't think he could understand it.)

Those buddies who were little when I left for college are no longer so little. So, I babysit the younger ones, and I socialize with the older ones. It's a good system. After all, I go over there to play. We really need people who are responsible around!

And when I say "babysit" the three little ones, this is what I mean. My secret has now been exposed. (After this, we played Pretty, Pretty Princess, but I was so intent on strategizing how to become the princess that I failed to get any good future blackmail pictures of the boys. Also, I think the best definition of maturity is "the ability to exercise restraint to NOT always take the crown when you land on 'choose any piece' in Pretty Pretty Princess, because you know it is the only piece that you can and will lose before you get to go again." This is such a hard real-life concept to grasp.)

July

Somehow, we are three weeks into July, and in spite of my attempts to get everything done my to-do list keeps growing longer. Two weeks from today I will be a Virginia resident again, and four weeks from today I will have completed my first day of official classes as a Graduate student. While I'm excited at dusting off the old books again and diving once more into the world of academia, the details that come with starting a new chapter in life are a little overwhelming.

And somehow, in the midst of finishing an online preparatory class, wrapping up things at work, and moving to another state, I have to figure out a way to say good-bye to this little guy.

I know God would not have widely opened this door and directed me to it if He was not going to give me the energy and strength to walk through it. And while "Kissa's" heart will definitely break to leave my current buddies, I'm really excited to see what God is going to do with me in Virginia.

"Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Blessings ALL mine with 10,000 beside!"

Sleepover With My Girls

"Miss Karissa is too boy-ish…" "Yeah, her bed is red and blue and looks like a boy's!" "And girls aren't supposed to like baseball!"

Chloe

"Jenna, why do you read those books? They have bad words in them." "Yeah, I know. She calls someone D. U. M. B.!" "And there's the S word…you know…the C-H word... [whispers] Shut Up."

Essie looking rather suspicious.

"Ha, now we know what your secret ingredient to making pizza is—oil!" "That's true, but did you see what else I put on there?" "You put something else on it?" "Yep." "So we don't know then, do we?"

As I suspected. She scared me to death up there.

"All we want to do is go back to your house and play school, and all you want to do is stay at the playground and swing." "I never get to swing." "We get to swing all the time. I'll swing some for you later."

It's a good thing I didn't feed them any sugar… 

"Miss Karissa, Essie has moved and taken over my spot, and now I don't have anywhere to put my head." "Well, Mosby is sleeping on my pillow, so I can't sleep there. Where do you want me to sleep?!"

Jenna

"Last night was the greatest night of my life!" "Why, because you were at my house with Chloe and Essie?" "Yes!"

Best Friends

Wednesdays

For the past year and a half I have had the privilege of teaching our kids program on Wednesday nights at my church, and it is easily the second biggest highlight of my week (the biggest, of course, being the Sunday School hour on Sunday mornings when I'm in the nursery!)

We have four kids who come on a regular basis and a handful of others who come and go. Last May we started memorizing the books of the Bible, and two weeks ago we finished learning all of them. Last week I printed out a list of the Old Testament books and cut them out then made the kids put them back into order. They did so great, only mixing up a couple of the minor prophets. Let's face it—who hasn't mixed those up at one time or another? 

Their favorite activity is coloring, which gives me an easy lesson on weeks I'm too busy to plan anything big. Pick a Bible story, find a picture they can color while I read it to them, and they're happy and content. That has given me so much flexibility to start connecting stories with the book names they're learning. We have an Esther Ruth in the class, and as a result, those two books are, somewhat biasedly, our favorite books and stories.

We also love to sing together, or just dance/run around in circles while the music plays. Our favorite song is Ha, La, La, in which we have to do things like squeeze knees and scratch backs, or, as is most often the case, just scream, "Ha-la-la-la-la-la-lay-luiah" at the top of our lungs. I'm sure the youth group, meeting directly across the hall, is every bit as thrilled about music time as we are.

These pictures were taken during a rendition of the song. No matter how many times I say we aren't going to get on top of the table, we somehow always manage to end up there. My constant, ineffective, fussing about this seems to fall on deaf ears. My love for them and my example to them is, I hope, falling on tender hearts, which one day will help shape these kids to grow into valuable instruments in God's hands.

With a Thankful Heart…

I had intended to try to do a post a day this month with something I am thankful for, but suddenly it is Thanksgiving already and none of the aforementioned posts have actually happened. I will, therefore, consolidate them into a single, albeit epically long, post. 

(Note: these are not really in order of importance or how I would necessarily rank these blessings. I numbered them simply to match days in November leading up to Thanksgiving.)

I am thankful for…

1. My sisters. Sisters are built in friends with whom I share a bond that exists with no one else. They can drive me nuts sometimes, but I'm sure I drive them nuts sometimes too, so it's all fair. Also, no one else can truly nail a game of Spades like we can. But, then again, we've had a few years worth of practice in that area.

2. My church family. I have been exceedingly blessed with being a part of two wonderful fellowships of believers. I always viewed the people in the church I grew up in as my extended family, and really hated to miss a Sunday at church for any reason. Leaving them to go to college was as hard for me as leaving my family, and whenever I go back to visit I feel like I can pick up right where I left off to catch up with everyone—I guess distance cannot break that bond of love.

I never even considered I might find another church body where I could love and be loved as much as I was at FBF, but God has shown me that His body is not limited to a single location and He blessed me with a church where I am accepted and loved, and am able to serve in such a way that the more I pour out the fuller I become. And while my family may live nine hours away, I feel as though I can actually reach them with a ten minute drive.

3. Uplifting songs. Those I have lived with know I can go through stages where I am stuck on one song and will play it on repeat for days on end (I will no longer admit to the play count that the Anne of Green Gables theme has in my iTunes…) Songs can usually touch me in a way that is difficult to communicate, sometimes on a more shallow level where I just marvel at the beauty of them (See The Light from Tangled, for example) and sometimes on a deeper level that opens my eyes to Truth (I Will Rise by Chris Tomlin, Better Than I from the Joseph: King of Dream soundtrack, This is My Destiny by Dennis Jernigan, and this list could go on and on…)

4. Joy. Joy goes deeper than happiness and can be present even in the midst of pain. What a precious and needed gift from God.

5. Friends, part 1. My friends from Virginia, to be more exact. No matter how long it has been since I've seen them, we can jump in and talk like we've never been apart. I greatly value the memories I have from my teen years, and I am so thankful for that time of my life. Even now just the mention of a name can bring a smile to my face. I was able to be myself in a larger group and was able to learn to love past differences. Now I am blessed by being able to see how God is leading and directing and blessing these same friends, even as great physical distances separate us.

(Way Back When…)

(Even Further Back…)

6. Friends, part 2. My friends from Asbury. While college was fun, being able to extend the social aspect of it and live with my closest friends for another year and a half has been a treasure. I am challenged and held accountable daily by them, and share so many inside jokes that we must appear at times to be speaking a different language. I am so thankful for the opportunity to share life with them and to be close enough to them to be able to see how God has changed and shaped and grown them over the past five years. Seeing God work in others' lives is as big of a blessing to me as looking back on my own and seen what He's done for me. I can honestly say I would not be anywhere near the person I am today without the presence of these friends in my life.

7. Love never dying. Until my junior year of college I could easily keep one hand on things at school and one on things at home and reach everyone dear to me. After that year, though, so many moves happened that I have people I love all across the country. I am so thankful that distance cannot dim love, and that one day we will all be in a place where distance is no longer a factor. I am so excited at the thought of what Heaven will be like!

8. The future. While unknown, it holds great promise. "For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

9. Lying in bed, listening to rain falling and a cat purring.

10. Beauty. Beauty in the world, and beauty in people. "There can never be a more beautiful you…you were meant to fill a purpose that only you could do…"

11. Enjoyable interests. I love that I can enjoy baseball and Psych and fun things in life. 

12. Children. I am so thankful for the number of children I have had in my life that I have been able to love and be loved by. I have probably learned more from them than from anyone else. (And I am thankful for the parents who have let me love their kids!)

13. God's perfection, and His grace for my imperfection. 

14. My years at Asbury. They transformed my life. It was there that my faith went from something I knew I ought to believe to something that I actually do. Through several influences there I began to understand exactly what my identity in Christ is. I wouldn't exchange those four years for anything.

15. The example my parents set for me. I never attended church because I had to, but because I could see my parents wanted to be there and so I wanted to as well. Being involved and giving time to the ministry of the church is just what you do. I also see another influence from them…I'm always one of the last people to leave on Sunday. Maybe that's why they want to get me a key :-)

16. Laughter. How empty life would be without it.

17. My education. While it is expected in the U.S. for everyone to have an education and we take that for granted, it is not something many people around the world are blessed to receive. 

18. How God has provided for me. I have never been lacking for anything, but have always had exactly what I need. Seeing His provision in the past gives me confidence that He will continue to provide, and that is one worry that I do not even have to consider. "My God will provide all my needs, according to His riches in glory…"

19. Baking. I love to bake. I love to bake more than I love eating what I have baked (and this goes back to being thankful for my friends: I'm thankful that they will eat what I bake, so that I can bake some more). Baking seems to be one of those activities that you can learn in a day, but have to work at it for a lifetime to master. I think that's why I love it so much.

20. Lessons I have learned. With each step of life's journey, I am able to look back and realize important lessons I learned through that experience. It also allows me to see how God is directing my steps, and I am humbled by how much greater His wisdom is than my own. 

21. Books. From a good novel to a history book to historical fiction pieces, I can get lost in another world through reading and experience things I otherwise would not be able to. 

22. Giving. The more I give the more I am filled, because it really is more blessed to give than receive. 

23. My glory being all the cross. I don't have to prove myself to anyone or spend my life trying to make a name for myself. My glory is all in Christ. "May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea. Him exalting, self abasing—this is victory! / May His beauty rest upon me as I seek the lost to win, and may they forget the channel, seeing only Him!"

24. Mashed potatoes. And turkey. And stuffing and gravy. And a day for the world to stop and to remember to be thankful. I really love the thanksgiving meal (which is fortunate for me, since I get two of them today!) , but, more importantly, I enjoy getting the hear and read what others are thankful for. Because that reminds me of other things I, too, have been blessed with.