Discouraged

"why should I feel discouraged? And why should the shadows fall? Why should my heart feel lonely and long for Heaven and home? When Jesus is my comfort. A constant friend is He. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches over me."

Lately I have been so discouraged by my job. I feel like no matter what I do someone is going to dislike it. If I change the way I do something to please one person, two more jump on my back. I thought that by working in a Christian environment I would at least have the spiritual encouragement. However, I sometimes feel that working in a Christian school makes some parents feel they have more of a right to tell me how to run my class!
What happened to "Let no one look down on you because you are young." ? Just because I am only 24 and in my first year of teaching doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing. Last time I checked a California Teaching Credential was good for something. I can't change my age or the fact that this is my first year so why should parents use that as an excuse to jump all over me?
I guess if I can get through this year, I will be able to make it through almost anything. I just wish the parents would cut me some slack.

Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

Okay so the title is of course borrowed from the book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day". But sometimes I like to change it from Alexander to my own name. Today was one such day.
After rushing to an appointment that I was late too, I discovered that I had in fact made the appointment for a different location. To top it off, the lady next to me in the parking lot hit my car with her door and was a total jerk about it! She had a Christian fish on her car, which made me want to yell "You claim to be a Christian and yet you are acting like a JERK!" (or substitute another appropriate word) but I didn't because yelling wasn't Christian-like either.
She was very sarcastic and chalked it up to "well you're in a public parking lot, it happens." then continued to justify it by saying "you have a lot of marks on your car already." So you think I want more??? Does the fact that my car already has mark make it ok in your mind? In the end all I could do was walk away and hope she didn't continue to proclaim a Christ-centered life while acting like a complete moron.
Moral of the story: people are ignoramuses, even ones that claim to be saved- unfortunately. If you claim to be "not of this world", don't act like you are!

Racially charged...

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I love people for who they are not what they look like or what they can give me. So today when I was charged with being racist because I did not get in the middle of the campaign fight IN MY OWN CLASSROOM and questioned as to whether I was simply passing a student through without care because they are black, I was fed up.

Why is it that when a white person doesn't support a candidate who happens to be black they MUST be racist? Why can't I be opposed to them simply because of what they stand for? (or don't) It seems like our post-modern society is so focused on NOT being racist against certain ethnicities that there is a backlash that does just that. Concern for making sure that black people are not discriminated against often turns into discrimination against anyone that might just have that capability.

Don't get me wrong, I think that our history's past of racial discrimination is shameful and terrible. However, in order to make our world better than pre-civil rights times, we must stop focusing on the color of people's skin (whether it be black, white, olive, or otherwise) and look at everyone the way Christ did; either souls in need of a Savior or God's redeemed made in His image.

Planning on getting a substitute?

Teachers take heed...




-Leave a lesson plan written out for your sub. If we come in and you tell us the day's plans in the 2 minutes before we leave, chances are we WON'T remember it all and it will stress us out. We have enough stress coming into an unfamiliar class as it is!

- Leave instructions for how the discipline/positive reinforcement works. If we don't know how to get them motivated to work, chances are the day is going to be hectic because they already think they can get away with stuff when a sub is there.

-Is thee a penalty for going to the restroom/getting drink during class? LET US KNOW! You don't REALLY expect kids to be honest when there is no one to hold them accountable, do you? I know it's sad... but it's the truth.

-If the sub has a duty at the beginning or end of class, tell them what to do. It might sound silly but since we've never been teachers we have NO IDEA what bus duty or pick up duty means.

-Have paper in your class for the sub to write a note on at the end of the day that is bigger than a post-it. It takes a LOT of those things to tell you about the day.

-Put suggested time frames on your lesson plan for each subject. It helps us pace so things get done. Don't just assume we know how to cram all the stuff in before lunch. Which reminds me... don't forget to tell us when lunch is!

- name tags and/or a seating chart is helpful

-Organized clutter (emphasis on the organized)


doing these things will make the sub less stressed out about being in your room, helps the students respect him or her, and makes the day run smoother. Subbing is not an ideal job for most. Sure it's a one-day thing with no committment after the bell rings, but it also leads to stress and frustration when the kids are unfamiliar, the supplies are nowhere to be found, and the discipline is lacking. We are helping you out by being there... a little help from you would be nice