PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!

Today...... I got handed my contract. He told me that he can't promise anything, and things might change, but as of now, I will be the 5th grade teacher next year. WOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
I have such mixed emotions because I don't want Ann to move. I don't want her to go through that changing and adding of work. She would be moved into middle school to teach math and something else (that's the dangerous part----the unknown. We all sign unassigned or job determined contracts.) I want things to stay like it is now, without the P.E. part. I could do without that. :-) But, they can't. There will be about 13-16 15th graders next year, so there's only one 5th grade. This means I "get" to teach Language and Math and History next year too. yeah. wohoo. I need to work on my heart attitude about that.

I have a ton to do, but I'd thought I'd let you know the great news! Praise the Lord!

Laying it down at His feet.....AGAIN

I don't know when my future will be predictable. I don't know when I'll be able to say, yes I know EXACTLY what I'm doing next school year. I know, many of you out there who have been at their same job for the past 20 years are jealous of my annual job changing. Well, you can have it!

There will only be 1 fifth grade next year. That means that Ann or I will be changing our job. I wasn't okay with that about two months ago, but after laying it down at His feet, I was able to move on and accept the idea of maybe teaching 4th grade. Then I heard that our principal doesn't like to move 1st year teachers. So, that means I might be teaching ALL of 5th grade next year. I've enjoyed the subjects I teach and also have enjoyed the subjects I DON'T have to teach (I enjoy the fact that I don't have to teach them!). Again, after worrying and stressing out and tearing up about the possibility of that, I laid it down again and I was okay.

Over the past week, people have been getting their contracts. People. Not me. I don't know what's going on. Erin reassured me with the thought that he wouldn't just NOT give me a contract without having problems that we've discussed previously. But, anyhow, I don't have my contract. I think he doesn't know what to do with me next year. He doesn't have an answer to the question of, "so, what am I teaching next year?"

I JUST WANT TO KNOW!!! I have picked it back up from before His feet. I have taken it back into my own hands to have me worry about it for a little bit. As if I can figure things out and worrying will help. I know the facts. I know the truth-God knows ALL and sees ALL and knows EXACTLY what will happen. Yet, I pick it back up.

Lord, help me to lay it back down.

Filling in Bubbles

Good morning! This past weekend was SOOOOO beautiful here! On Saturday it was 85 degrees here! I sat in my back "yard" (which is really a fenced in weed pit) and graded papers for 3 hours. It's April 21 and I have my first sunburn!!!! I'm so proud. :-) Saturday night Robin and I went to a game night at McLean Bible Church. It was for the 20s, 30s and 40s of the area to come and play Taboo, Catchphrase, Apples to Apples, etc. Erin wasn't here this weekend, so she sent me forth to scout out the area and make some connections so she could just slip in and not go through the painful and difficult part of meeting new people. Thanks Erin! We met some nice women, a guy nicknamed Thor, God of thunder, and one brave man who dared to join a table full of estrogen to play Catchphrase. I think I was the youngest one there. I didn't really succeed in scouting out the area (aka I didn't really talk to any guys) but there weren't many my age there. This was my first step of "putting myself out there" and it wasn't as successful as I'd wished. Oh well, there's always next time!
This is the week of school that we all dreaded each school year. Filling in bubble after bubble after bubble after bubble after bubble. Taking a small break, a sip of water, a much needed trip to the bathroom, and then it's back to the bubbles. We, as the teachers, have a script that we need to read to make sure that we are making it as standard as possible. It's quite funny. I don't have to really teach this week, so that's nice! NO PE!!!! My days will be filled with going to each hand-raised child saying, sorry, I can't help you with that. Sorry, I can't answer that. You're doing fine, keep going! I'm sorry, I can't tell you what that word means. They know I can't answer questions, yet they will STILL raise their hands. I better wear good shoes!

I just got to talk to Cori on the internet with webcam and skype.....even though it was midnight here, it was worth it.........what a perfect ending to a perfectly beautiful day. Now, I can sleep.

What a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood....

Ahhhh.......flowers are out, the sun is shining and it's supposed to get to 82 degrees here today in sunny Nothern Virginia....

What a beautiful, beautiful day!

Appreciated

Last week was full of little treats for the teachers. Well, some of them were little, others were huge, but all of them were very welcomed (and deserved :-) Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Monday we were blessed with a HUGE breakfast in the teacher's lounge, all donated by the parents. I brought back a plate of food to the classroom, and all of the kids were complaining that I was eating in front of them. One told me that they should have Student Appreciation Day and all of the teachers should bring in food for the kids. I responded with the fact that they are appreciated EVERYDAY and should just be quiet. 2 of my kids had to go to the office to deliver the lunch count, and they came back with, "Ms. Peffer, did you know that there's a BUFFET in the teacher's lounge! There is soooo much food!"

(More on this later...the bell just rang----off to a fieldtrip to the WW2 Memorial and Holacaust Museum, then to lighten the mood, we're bowling! Some of them think they are going to beat me, but they haven't seen the skills of this 4-H trained professional bowler.....)

Spider Man

I just got shot by Spider Man's web. It was a sneak attack this time, but lucky for me, I've had a web dispenser inserted into my wrist and was able to spray him back. Spider Man goes to my school, did you know that? Yep, he attends the 3 year old preschool classroom and enjoys eating snack and reading books with my 5th graders. He has decided to take up fighting off the bad guys in preschool. There is no cutting, pushing or fighting over toys when HE's around. He'll get ya.

Beware.

This is the remains of the Oesterlings house. Please continue to pray for them as they are going back to school today. It'll be a hard day for them, filled with hugs and tears and not a lot of concentration. I love you girls!!

How much we each REALLY have and how much we REALLY don't NEED

Please pray for my friends, the Oesterlings. They were awakened by their smoke alarm at 3am this morning, finding out that their house was on fire. They grabbed what they could and what was important to them (a stuffed animal for Christin :-) and stood outside, watching their house and all of their belongings disappear. They are staying at a fully furnished cabin across the street for the time being.
Dad and I headed out to Giant Eagle this morning @ 8 to get all the things we take for granted-toilet paper, fruit, napkins, lunch meat, soup, paper towels, kleenex, sugar, flour, dinosaur shaped macaroni and cheese, bread, milk etc. I added my own little touch and added goldfish crackers, chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes with a TON of frosting on them, and a bouquet of flowers. They needed a little cheering up and I thought that would do it. Christin, the youngest girl was so excited that I brought PB and J.
They are in good spirits but are teary when loved ones come and visit and when they get hugs (my specialty). No one was hurt and they are surrounded by amazing family and our church family is showering them with love. It just reminded me as to how much I have and how much I don't NEED. We saw God today. The mom usually keeps her purse in the kitchen. Last night, for some reason, she took her purse into the family room. The family room was either very close to the door and they got to it before the fire or there was no fire in that room. They had 2 keys for their car---one key had a melted chip and is useless, and the other key----was in her purse. Their other car was saved too, only losing the dad's truck. I'm sure they'll be filled with more God sightings as they go through this process of rebuilding.

Please pray for them and please, the next time you think you NEED something, just stop and think about people, all over the world, who have nothing. They might not have any earthly possessions left, but with God, faith and their salvation, they will never be without hope or the things that are most important.

Ex-Marching Band Kids

This is for all of my band friends who know this would be them and who find themselves getting in step with those walking beside you. It's okay. We all do it.

Location, Location, Location!

I just got personally introduced to a very very good looking man who was the guest speaker in 2nd Grade for their weather unit. He happens to be a soldier, who was here in a suit, and works with a staff member's husband. I might just have to put in a weather unit in our science curriculum...... :-)

It pays to be where soldiers are..... :-)

Oh the Times are a Changin...

This week our spelling list was of occupations. We had words like manager, pharmacist, physician,etc. Then, we had words like salesclerk and druggist. The kids had no clue what a druggist was and didn't know what the Rx symbol meant. They also thought that they shouldn't be learning the word druggist, being a Christian school and all and drugs being a bad thing. THEN, we come to the word homemaker. No one really knew what that was. I explained, "a homemaker is someone, usually a woman, whose job it is to stay at home and take care of the kids and clean the house and make meals, taking care of the family." These are some of the sentences I got.
"A homemaker stays at home and cooks."
"A homemaker is someone who stays at home and does chores."
"My homemaker is kind and helps me with my homework."
"Back in the old days there were homemakers."

I chose not to include in the definition "your mom!" because A LOT of moms here in DC aren't homemakers. They would have been confused. Obviously, me NOT including mom has also caused confusion. The one sentences makes it sounds like a homemaker is a maid!

I hope to bring you more thoughts of 5th Graders. Stay tuned!

Comments welcomed!

Hey friends! I changed a setting on the computer so that anyone and everyone can comment on postings. FYI.

Spelling Bee

The infamous Spelling Bee. Made famous after Aklia and the Bee made its debut. I really like the movie, by the way. Anyhow, at our school, we do multiple rounds in your classroom and then pick the best two to represent you at the Spelling Bee. Some children are nervous and really want to do well, others could care less and spell words wrong so they don't have to go. Yesterday, we had our schoolwide one. I was puzzled as to how it was run, seeing that we have only 2 5th graders and I didn't think they'd have a spell off in front of everyone for those 2 kids. I could do that in my room. It happened to be that it was K and 1st, then 2nd and 3rd, then 4th and 5th. So, my students were asked 4th grade words yesterday. They had studied the 5th grade words because they are in 5th grade. (duh.) So, they both got out really fast yesterday.
AND TODAY IT JUST GETS WORSE. My Spelling Bee participants come in at the end of the day and announce to the whole class, "you gave us the wrong list to study from. It was last year's words." Whaaatttt..... I got really REALLY frustrated and almost rushed out of my room to reem out the secretary who gave me that wrong list. When she gave me the list I noticed and was told that it was last year's list. I didn't think anything of it because who in their right mind would give the REAL list to students to study from? Apparently the other kids at other schools had the right list. Even some of our middle schoolers had the right list (or so I heard.) I AM SO MAD!!!!!!!!!!! I let them down. I made them study day and night for that spelling bee and it didn't even matter. I led them astray. I want a rematch! Now the blame is pushed to me as to why the kids didn't do well. I know the parents are upset. I'd be upset if I were a parent. Gosh darn it, I'm their teacher! I'm a little more than upset, I'm livid!!!!!!!!


Praise the Lord it's the weekend and I'll have time to cool off.....and enjoy Virginia Beach. :-)

Ahhhh....Middle Schoolers.....

I've been working with the Middle School girls as their P.E. teacher this year. I can't believe I'm doing this. I thought Mrs. Wise and Doc Brown were crazy when making us take Teaching PE, telling us that we may have to use it one day. Us? Elementary Teachers? Use PE? Well, here in Christian school land, they sometimes hire people who aren't necessarily qualified to teach the subject they are teaching. We have a PE teacher also teaching 6th Grade English and we have me, a 5th grade teacher also teaching PE. The REAL PE teacher can't teach my PE class, he's a guy and they are girls.
All that to say, I don't really know all of what I'm doing. Praise the Lord for giving me brothers and for giving me the desire to play recreational sports and to pay attention in gym class throughout my years. It's amazing at how many things I can remember from Gym, the rules to games, and my experiences with those games. I wouldn't EVER consider myself an athlete, but more often than not, I have this longing, deep inside me, to play basketball or to be the first one to volunteer to play volleyball.
What I DON'T know how to do is deal with middle school girls' attitudes. The eye rolling, the talking back, the talking while I'm talking. It's very hard to get a gym quiet with 26 girls in a big open space. I'm really trying to demand respect, but it's hard. It's hard because I care what they think of me. I care that they like me. I know, I know. In the world of teaching, I SHOULDN'T care, but I do. I want them to come to me for advice and to ask questions. I tend to see the wrong actions of one particular person, and call her out on it all the time. She tells me that everyone else was doing the same exact thing. I KNOW she knows better. I know both of her parents fairly well. I know she can do better. AND, when I go about correcting her, I KNOW she knows how to respond. But...she doesn't. How do I go about correcting in love when the attitude I receive in speech is less than honorable? I know the things I say to her now she'll remember. I remember what my teachers said to me. My words are chisels, working to construct a beautiful child of God. It all depends on where I put that chisel and how hard I throw the hammer and if I am going to add to the beauty or destroy God's work of art.