RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A TEACHER

Sitting in my classroom this afternoon I opened an email that warned: " Two Worst Foods for Weight Gain." I, of course, was munching on hot wings dipped in potatoes and gravy. (That makes the best dip for wings!!) Yum! I stopped mid-mouth. Oops. No, I can keep chowing down. Two worst foods? Potato chips and soda. Whew! I didn't have either.

The next email contained five questions to diagnose ADHD:

• Have great difficulty wrapping up the loose ends on projects?

• Have trouble staying organized?

• Miss appointments or obligations?

• Procrastinate on big projects that require thought?

• Have trouble sitting still?

• Struggle with restless energy?

What? Like all the paper lying around my classroom; the stacks of chairs; the unpacked supplies; my home office that stays buried in piles of paper; my living room curtains that still need to be sewn (since Christmas); my habit of sharpening pencils. Although I generally don't have trouble sitting still. At least not my body sitting still. My mind, on the other hand, is most often a whirlwind. My body is tired enough of late that it isn't physical restless energy, but the mental kind sure. Get me some Rit*alin! Quick!

However, I have accomplished some things!

School starts on Monday, for teachers. Students come on Wednesday. I've been working for two weeks to get my classroom set up, books on shelves, bulletin boards up, desks arranged, curriculum ready for one more year. Today was productive.

• Purchased and cut gutters to serve as book display.

• Bought two new plants: a fern and a Brown-eyed Susan

• Put posters on wall - (bought the tape with which to mount)

• One more section in the writer's notebook (teacher version)

• Bought last of supplies (I've spent at least $700 on supplies and stuff this summer)

• Copies for first three lessons requested

This weekend: Finish the writer's notebook (And just maybe finish the curtains!)

Monday: Tidy up the room

• Organize my desk area

• Finish the PBIS brochure

• Consult the core about the website, begin maintenance

• Start core brochure

Tuesday: Panic because all of the above is not done!!!

Wednesday: Fake it really well when the kids arrive!! Aren't we excited about his year???

Well, folks. That's the first week of school for ya! I'll be sure and remember to leave off the chips and soda. So glad I read that!!!

Bulletin Board -- Done!

Gutters/shelves purchased

Me, doing the Vanna White thing

Boston Fern

Brown-eyed Susans

Sunflowers

A poetry bulletin board

Another view of the shelved books and bulletin board

The entry welcome!

Aha!  Still to do!!  Papers everywhere!

More piles and stack of STUFF!

      Stacks and piles of other stuff!!

TaTa for Now!

An idea

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 5:29-32

I love social media.  It's given me so many opportunities to connect with people I otherwise might not even know.  And the re-connections! To see how my childhood friends have grown and blossomed has been nothing but a blessing.


There's one feature I would like to build in, though- something that Christians could have installed on their accounts as a safeguard: a passion-delay option.  When someone's feeling especially riled up, it would be great for a little screen to pop up with the following questions before they change their status:

Did you pray about this?
Are you being kind? Even to your enemies?
Are you helping the situation?
Are you sure this is true?
If an unbeliever reads this, will it draw them to Christ?
What is your honest motivation?
Is this truly a prayer request, or is this an attempt to find a loophole big enough to slip gossip through?
Are your words causing unity or division?
Would this be better leftunsaid?
Is anyone going to be hurt or stumbled by this?
Who will benefit from this post?
Would this be better said privately?
Are you SURE you don't want to cool down before you post this?

Wouldn't it be nice if this feature existed? Wouldn't it be nice if everyone used it?


It makes me cringe when I see someone I love post remarks on FB or Twitter that are clearly meant to be a barb at someone else I love. Do they realize the rocks they throw hit other people in the crossfire? Are they aware of the pain they're causing? Do they worry that the world is watching us tear each other apart?  I can't know.


Here's what I do know- it's making me much more aware of the words I use in social media.  When I feel compelled to complain about service in a store, I am going to remember that it's someone's livelihood. When I want to insult a person's outfit, I'm going to remember that the wearer is someone's child.  When I feel compelled to take a stab at someone's church leadership, I am going to remember the congregants. If I wanna say something about a celebrity or politician, I'm going to remember that person has a mother, a child, or a spouse who loves them.  Above all,  I'm going to try to be really mindful of the fact that Christ died for all sinners, not just me.


I can't control what other people write, but I can be more careful about what I write.  Will you join me in an effort to make social media a brighter place?


May God bless us all.

 

(Courtesy of His Girl )