May already?! Only one month left of school ... I have a feeling it is going to fly by!
Last night we had a girls' night with Lisa while the guys went camping. After we got the kids to bed, we made coffee, talked in the kitchen for awhile (funny how that tends to be the "hang out" place), watched a movie (Les Miserables), and ate popcorn and chocolate. It was a great evening!
In the morning, we had waffles and fried eggs. The guys came back in time for breakfast (of course) :) and we visited until a little after 9am. Headed home to enjoy our day off of school. I got a lot of schoolwork done and even got some things packed up for this summer. I know my last days here are going to be busy, so I'm trying to get a little bit done as I find the time.
Thursday, May 2nd:
I had a really good day with both fifth and sixth grade!
On Tuesday, a fight erupted between the two fifth grade classes. I had taken 5A into 5B's classroom since 5B was out in the garden and 5A's A/C wasn't working. 5B was sent back to class after 15 minutes and when they discovered 5A in their classroom, they went into 5A's room, throwing book bags on the floor and overturning the desks. Amid the chaos, I tried to explain to 5B that it was my decision to move 5A, but by this time 5B wasn't going to listen to reason and were happy to be angry. When 5A discovered what had happened in their classroom, they decided to take vengeance into their own hands and threw some of 5B's things on the floor. Because I was there and they were taking a quiz, they weren't able to do much damage, but then the words started flying back and forth. Things finally calmed down a little when the time ended and both classes returned to their rooms. I, on the other hand, left troubled, wondering how I could show them that backbiting and vengeance were not the way to deal with their anger. After I got home, I reviewed the list of sentences we had memorized, and asked God to provide an opportunity to address the issue and then give me wisdom to know what to say.
Today, class seemed normal. A couple rowdy boys were sent outside and I rewarded the quietest row with a "no homework" pass. They settled down and by the end of class, when the opportunity came to talk to them, they were quiet and attentive. As I passed back their quizzes, they asked me why they didn't get any extra marks (the day before I quiz, I usually let them earn some extra points). I told them that they'd lost the marks because they were not loving to 5A. "But Miss! They were in our classroom and they ..." I stopped them. "Which class am I talking to? 5A or 5B?" (They love an easy answer.) "5B, Miss!" I explained that we were talking about what THEY had done, not what 5A had done. "When you stand before God to give an account of your life, He is not going to ask you what others did to you. He is going to look at the things YOU have done. Regardless of what 5A did, were you loving to them?" I reminded them that we ought to "love others as ourselves" and that those who do not love, "do not know God because God is love." They were silent for a moment, then one student raised his hand, "I'm sorry we weren't loving to 5A."
I had a similar conversation in 5A. They began with "but 5B..." and I reminded them that in love they should have covered over 5B's sin. Yes, they had been wronged, but they should have been loving in response. One student chimed in, "And Miss, love is patient and kind."
In sixth grade, I had two good discussions about the verse for the day, "let all that you do be done in love." In 6B I explained that sometimes we have to do hard things (I might have to mark them wrong on their assignment, for example) but we must do those things in love and not with the wrong attitude (keeping with the example, I explained that I shouldn't mark them wrong when I am upset with them). [This turned out to be a good example for myself when I discovered later that they had cheated on their math assignment!]
In 6A, one of my students came up to me excitedly, "Miss, I just joined the charity club!" She likes to be noticed and make sure others know all the good things are doing. A couple other students had also signed up, so I used it as an example for our verse, encouraging them to be a part of the club out of love for those they are serving and with love for each other. One student raised the point that joining the club to show that they were better would "puff up" but "love builds up."
I was thankful for so many opportunities to talk with my students about things that matter most and was especially encouraged to see that they remember what we've talked about in the past.
Hannah and I walked home, despite the heat. I took a long nap and then we went over to John and Mary's for spaghetti and games. It was a relaxing evening and a good start to the weekend...
