Four hugs, one curse word = a success!

Exhausted... how can that be?!?!  It was a four day week!  It feels like it should be the beginning of the school year again.  The kids are wild!  The teachers are out of shape and it is nearly grueling!  However, it has the excitement of the beginning of the year too.  For some reason I am loving the kids, more now then ever.  Even though one student made my blood pressure rise, yes I felt it and at 23 years old I should not feel it rise!  Thankfully I learned in my student teaching days, count to 10 and you can be over it, wait a class period and the kid will be over it.  Either way the show must go on!  Sure enough, the next day the kid was really kind to me, asking me questions and having a good time. 

I have a smile book at school.  It is where I write down all the things the kids do or say that crack me up and make me want to stay in this career for another day.  Since we all know there are days where we all think about changing our careers completely.  This week I was able to add two "make me smile stories" to the book.  Have some quality conversations with the kids and cherish the moments of being an 8th grade teacher for a little while longer.  Then it occurred to me...

Anytime I say I am a middle school teacher people always say, "that takes a special person"  Wrong, it takes a person that wants to be there.  It takes a person to see the good shine a little bit brighter than the bad, and it takes a person that can laugh off the moments when you want to curse or cry.  AND we all have those qualities, some just have a little bit more practice in this form of art.  AND that is why I love working with these kids. 

I love this job!  I love to teach!  I love kids!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE... thus why it is still so gosh darn hard to wait.  But wait I must.  God is love, he won't let me down and take away my love.  This I know, This I trust.  Happy Weekend!

Sunday Funday/ Easter Celebrations

Easter has always been my favorite holiday.  Seriously.  The best family gathering I can think of.  Thanksgiving is right up there but Easter has the bonus of the dawning of Spring weather!

The weekend consisted of being reminded how beautiful my high school friends are, we went out to eat at 6:30 (prime dining out time) in our sweatpants!  Then we went back to their house for some catching up, movies, and homemade daiquiris! 
Saturday was a bit different as well.  For once mom and dad were staying home and Brandon and I were heading out on a load.  Yup, he allowed me to haul some pigs with him.  I didn't do any work, just moral support.  It was great! 
Then Sunday= Funday!!!  It started with some cinnamon rolls, and the amazing food just kept coming.  The whole Rozeboom family gathered at my aunt and uncle's house.  The weather was beyond perfection!  The kids, big and little enjoyed playing with the toys, sandbox and four wheelers.  Then of course we had to take the new bikes out.  My hair was a huge mess, but I could have cared less.  The part that made this day amazing was that there was the smell of a bonfire all day.  The fire pit was being stoked all day long.  Summer will come, it has to.  The reason this is my favorite holiday is this is the usual.  The traditions are what makes this holiday.   **side note, I went to Washington DC and New York for a band and chorus trip in high school.  That year I called home on Easter Sunday to talk to my parents and in the background I could hear the hum of the three wheelers (at the time).  They were having egg races on them!!  I enjoyed my time in DC and NY but I really hated to miss Easter. 
With Easter over I guess we can look forward to Memorial Day, and being finished with school!!!  Something new for the holiday.  All of the veteran teachers say they can hardly remember a year when school was out before Memorial Day.  No news on the job yet, hopefully before Memorial Day!
Happy Spring!

Holy Week/ Best Week Ever

Usually my blogs deal with the past and reflecting on what has happened last week, getting everyone up-to- date on my life.  This week is a little different.  I had an amazing weekend. I made my Saturday morning pancakes, which were amazing, cleaned a bit and enjoyed the weather that was suppose to be awful, it was just windy and I will take that over the predicted snow any day, even if it did nearly tip me over on my biking adventure.  Stayed in with a movie, went to bed early...the usual taking it easy weekend.  I woke up this morning and wanted to go to church so bad.  I wanted to praise and worship really bad.  Then it occurred to me, it's Palm Sunday!  The kids at home would be walking down the isle with Palm branches singing the usual songs and I was bummed to not get to see it.  However, when I got to church, they had the kids doing a Palm Sunday singing as well.  Nothing against the kiddos in my parent's church, but the kids here, they can sing!!!  They sounded so good and had so much energy!  Followed by a great praise and worship and sermon.

This wonderful morning made me realize that even with the fear of the future being overcome by the one who is in control.  (why should I worry, his plan is what I pray be revealed, he can control it)  I still have some sort of hole in my heart.  Maybe a hole is the wrong way to explain it.  I feel restless.  I feel I have something and I need to share it, get rid of it.  I don't even know what it is.  I have so much love that I want to pour out all over this world...but don't know how!  I don't have an answer for what to do about this feeling, but I do have a substitute while I search and wait. 

With Holy Week upon us, or as my pastor calls it Best Week Ever,  I always realize that I don't know what happened,when in this process.  Sure when I was in college I started to give something up during lent, in order to sacrifice a part of me.  But why is that certain day a few months ago designated as Ash Wednesday?  What is Palm Sunday, when he came riding through on a colt (learned that today it was on a baby donkey, not even a full grown donkey) but why? Where was he going?  What is Good Friday?  When was he actually crucified?  What is the timeline and why's for the Lent Season?  That is my biggest question and quest.  So...as the ultimate gift of love, to sacrifice his son, takes place this week. I am going to learn as much as I can about it.  How do I know what it means to truly love unconditionally if I don't even know the greatest story of love in all of history.  Love enough to be crucified for me. 

Off to find answers!  Happy Holy Week!

" I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet the stones will cry out." Luke 19:40

Love

When I started this journey five years ago, to find a job that would be full of purpose I knew that working with kids was where I needed to be.  They are the future and some of them do have it pretty tough. 

Like yesterday, when a student was just not their usual self  I tried and tried to get the problem out but had no success.  So despite the fact that I had no clue what was wrong I went into "Love Mode".  I managed one, half smile. :)  You can see it in a lot of our kids this week, that something else is on  their mind more than school work.  This may be partially due to Electrolux closing it's doors last week and another business this week.  These families and the town have some changes in store and for many of my middle school students they are old enough to know that it could get bad. 

This brings me to what helped put the wheels in motion for my new challenge.  I have been far too focused on poor old me.  Who cares, sob story is over, move on.  I have a message hanging near my desk that I got from another blogger.  It goes as follows;

So...how do I wait actively?   Other than running and get my mind off of me.  I now present to you...

When I was in Michigan I noticed my friend had the movie "Fireproof"  and the book The Love Dare. I have seen the movie and enjoyed it and knew what the love dare was.  I was so amazed that he had this book, since it is primarily written towards married couples.  **Side note-This is also the main reason I love each of my friends, they encourage me to be a better person and they don't even know it!**  So, I have taken the challenge/ dare.  All week I have been taking what I read in the book and been applying it to my job.  I don't have a spouse but I have 165, 8th grade students that could use some major love!  Everyday opportunity after opportunity have come about to put this dare into motion.  By the end of this school year the 40 days will be up.  No matter how this job things turns out I will have done everything I can, loved unconditionally and worked my butt off, what happens while I wait is up to God.  And now after some reflecting and time with very important/ influential people in my life I can say with confidence,  I am not worrying about the details or the next step. 

Life is God's novel.  Let him write it.  ~Isaac Bashevis Singer