Another Monday...

Ok, so tomorrow starts not only another day, but another week. I must say the weekend has been long enough for me to begin missing the kids from school. Yes, I know hard to believe that someone could really miss lippy, rude, stabbing pencils in their heads kids, but I do.

I don't know how many people, if any at all, will read this post, but I would like to know: Was there a teacher that made a difference in your life? I really only had one teacher from K-10th grade, and while she was a wonderful mom and teacher, I must say there was one teacher that truly made the greatest impact on my life. It was a teacher that made me love being in her classroom. She actually wasn't really even my teacher, but she let me visit her classroom. She was a Kindergarden teacher in MI. She invited me to her classroom. I couldn't tell you what we did if you held a gun to my head, however, I can tell you that I will never forget how she cared about me indevidually, she wanted to teach me more about Christ and His love for me, and how she let each and every student know she loved what she did. There is not really anything that I can put my finger on from that short time in her classroom (probably only a day or so) but every time I think about how long the school day is, or how much I wish I were some place else, I remember her. Because of one lady, I am teaching today. She impacted me and I am impacting 20 lost students. Who will you impact today. We've all heard this more times that we can count but it's so true: Someone is watching you today, are you helping them to grow closer to Christ or pulling them away?

Let Christ be seen through us all as we begin a new week in service for His glory and not our own.

Never a dull moment...

There is one boy in the classroom that we have had trouble with when it comes to lying (and I’ve only been here four days). During small group activities, that particular boy came to me and said, “Miss Jaspers, so-and-so just jabbed himself in the head with his pencil and it is sticking straight out of his head.” Well, me, being the untrained, unbelieving person that I am told him, “You worry about you and let so-and-so worry about so-and-so.” Who would have ever thought that when he said, “so-and-so jabbed his pencil into his forehead” that he really meant that it happened!!! Not me, that’s for sure. A few seconds later I looked over and saw the boy that had “jabbed his pencil into his head” talking with my supervising teacher. She sent him to the office, so I went to talk to her about it. Come to find out, he had stabbed himself in the head with a pencil, but not deep enough to make it really “stick out of his head.” There were also several “lead marks” on his head, like he had tried several times before he actually broke through the skin. So, the next time some one comes up to you and says, “He jabbed a pencil in his head and it’s sticking straight out.” Remember that there was some one else in this world crazy enough to do it too.

Another day, another lesson...

Throughout life we learn many lessons. The most valuable lesson often come to us in the most unique ways.

While I am continueing to enjoy student teaching, I can't help but continue seeing the lost souls. How can I truly impact these young lives if we are not leading them to the ultimate truth. The truth of God's love and forgiveness of them. These young people have such an emptiness that needs to be filled. While I can, in some ways fill this emptiness for some of these students, they will never feel real love unless they come to Christ. How can I tell them of Christ and yet abide by the standard of the public school? When you hear two 2nd graders arguing about whether or not there is a God, what can I say to them? Is my love really touching them in a way that will lead them to search for God as they grow? Although I would say what most of the kids need is a bath and some real love and disapline, I can't help but see their hearts - empty and looking for something to fill them? What will fill them? While my "teaching" put an educational hunger as well as a spiritual hunger into their young lives?

So I'm now student teaching...

Ok, so student teaching is great, but much more heart breaking than I ever thought possible. I don't have much time to write now, because it's like 10:30 at night and I have to be at school at 7:30 in the morning. I will however post my journal (something I have to do while student teaching) here tomorrow sometime. That is, I'll post it if any one is even reading this:o)

Until then...

Getting started...

Ok, so I don't really know about this. Maybe no one will even read this, but I thought I would try what is one of the latest "things" for college students.

Although I have been just doing nothing for the last month, that will very shortly be changing. For those of you that don't know, I am done with my classes here at MBBC (YEAH!!!!) Not that I don't like MBBC, but I'm super glad to be moving on in my life. I begin student teaching on Monday at a local elementary school. It's Lincoln Elem. Right down the street from my house. I'll be there for nine weeks working with a great teacher (Mrs. Theter) and some really cool 2nd graders. Yes, I do already know them because of some feild work I had to do there last semester. After finishing there I will be going to Juno, a little town 12 miles north of Wttn. Where the next nine weeks will be divided between K-4 and K. I'm super excited, but a little nervous. I'm sure I will learn a lot and get some wonderful hands on training.

Well, I close for now since I have a friend waiting for me down stairs (what a rude friend I am!!)