Monday, February 26, 2018

Half-Term

It was a busy week leading up to half-term; my students had their science exam and half literature exam (I give them two shorter ones and average them). It rained for early morning swim, but that did not diminish the kids enjoyment of the novelty of jumping in the dam before breakfast, and it rained after tea so they had to play up at the school for the morning instead of going swimming as usual. We served lunch in the covered play area; loud, and it did require a lot of taking balls away while we were eating, but a much better space than the chotas down at the river.

On Saturday Ruthie helped me do string art with the 5-6 girls; it turned out really well!

I got some relaxing done over half-term (naps are the best) including the leaf projects my students did to finish off our botany unit.

Now it's back to schoolwork again; hopefully the kids get back in the groove quickly! It's hard to believe we're past the half-way mark for term 1...

Monday, February 19, 2018

Hearts, questionable activities, and a busy weekend

This week has been interesting. Valentine’s day was a lot of fun with cards appearing all day on my desk from different students. The kids had a lot of fun showing their appreciation for friends and teachers, and there was a nice air of brotherly love going around. Sadly, they did not put the same enthusiasm into their work, so we have been trying to get back on the right foot ever since.

I was on this weekend, and in addition to dealing with the usual supervision things, I found that someone had pooped in the trashcan in the hall bathroom, and some has been emptying out all the hand soap and filling the dispenser with water. What even?

Oh the good side of things, my two kids who are on probation are going to be able to stay in 7th grade, and thought it stormed most afternoons, I’ve found a low-impact workout that I can mostly do (who knew how much you use your tendons for lunges?) when I can’t bike. Oh, and here is the bike:

It’s nothing fancy, but I am very grateful for it. Even though it does take up a lot of room in my kitchen…

Half-term is Friday and Saturday of this week, and it’s midterm marks time, so my kids have several tests and a leaf collection project due this week. Should be interesting!

If you think about it, please pray for the kids. There has been a lot of immature and plain mean behavior lately--more than usual. Pray for us that we will with grace dispense justice, and that we will help root out these character flaws in our students.

Parting shot: I got a big kick out of watching some first and second graders play doctor while on Sunday morning supervision. There was a dramatic death scene, ‘shots’, and careful knee reflex checking! I love it when kids play imaginatively like that.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

A tale of two chairs and some little girls indulge in hearts

In the 8 years I have taught in this classroom, my main chair at my desk has become progressively more and more shabby. And, I can tell you from long experience, marathon marking and report writing sessions in it were not comfortable affairs!

The goods from the fall container just arrived and are being distributed, and LOOK! The lovely folks at Subury sent me an office chair! It has some miles on it, but it is sooo much better than the one I had. A little cleaning and Fabreeze, and it’s good to go. It is truly the little things in life that make all the difference.

I was touched when the headmaster found and refurbished a bike that was tall enough for me. I’ve taken it for two test runs, and it has been exhilarating to have a physical outlet again, and to not feel earthbound. Five months is a long time to feel like that…

On Saturday, as I have grade 3 and 4 girls, we made Valentines in craft. Because if you know anything at all about that age group, Valentines are right up their alley! I have such good memories of making Valentines with my siblings as a kid; I wanted these girls to have some of that too.

Last week was extremely challenging; many of my students are struggling to adjust to grade 6, or they probably really shouldn’t have passed grade 5. I was in a lot of pain from my shoulder (stress is NOT good for it), and there was a lot of immature behavior on top of the other issues. On the other hand, there were some little successes that showed that the battle is not in vain. Prayers for patience, strength, and wisdom for me would be appreciated! I am so thankful for the rest I got this weekend; it has been a long time since my soul found such peace. Okay God, I can do this week—but only with You!

Monday, February 5, 2018

Life is sure full of interesting sometimes...

So, as I write this, I am currently without a working toilet in my house because over the last 8 years roots have taken over my soak-away system to the point where nothing was going down anymore. A valiant crew of plumbers worked all morning on it, and had started to make a little headway apparently, but it's going to be a huge job to get it all sorted out. So, until then, I'm trekking to the guest block to answer the call of nature. I'm really praying it is only another day or two--who knew how beautiful flushing toilets really were?

My infected toe is improving a bit with my regimen of saltwater soaks and antibiotic ointment. It doesn't hurt as much to walk around, and so I'm optimistic and praying that it will soon clear up. Having spent several years suffering from toe issues, I'm being aggressive now!

On Sunday I did something I haven't done for 12 years--rode a bike. I'm trying to find a form of exercise that won't strain my tendinitis, and so I went into the bike shed and found the biggest bike I could. Sadly, it was still rather too small for me, so the strain on certain muscle groups was pretty intense. I thought I might die before I made it back down the long end of the airstrip, but I didn't fall off which I had sort of been afraid I would, and I got a good work out! Today my ankle has been sorer than usual, so I stuck with housecleaning as my cardio. There was quite a bit of dirt tracked in by the plumbing rescue squad...

Parting shot: One of my favorite projects to do with my kids is these mobiles that remember the good things from the year past and set some goals for this year.