Setting Records

I almost didn't want to post, because that would mean Tim Naehring would be booted from the page. But here I am.

I won the contest at school for most festive classroom. Actually there was no contest. But if there was, mine would win. I suddenly realized I could decorate my classroom, so now it sports a green garland over the chalkboard, with white Christmas lights. My large collection of Christmas ornaments is hanging up as well. I have snowflakes (made by my 7th and 8th graders) on my windows. I even have a poinsettia plant that Uncle Paul bought for me! The Christmas spirit is alive and well in my classroom, and I think the kids are really enjoying it.

The other record I set was the one for longest and worst commute ever. This morning it took me 1 hour and 50 minutes to get to school. And I kept being surprised I hadn't gotten in an accident yet. It was really strange. I left the house, first of all, at the last possible moment. But Uncle Paul had just noticed that my right rear tire seriously needed air. I figured I could still make it, since devotions always start late anyway.

Ha.

I got to the place where they sell air for 75 cents. I put in my quarters, the machine started, and then I discovered that the nozzle was either firmly jammed or there was some trick to getting it to come out. I called Uncle Paul who told me where to find another air thing. I found it, and this time was successful. Interestingly enough, my 35 lbs of air tire had a mere shmere 6 lbs in it! Oy vay.

I zipped back onto the road, still not having hit 295. Kimberly called. She usually calls when I'm in Fall River. I wasn't even close to Providence yet. Ay ay ay. I chatted with her for awhile until I had almost hit a van for the second time, and then decided I needed to concentrate. Did I mention it was raining all this time?

So I get to the place where you have to quickly and stealthily cross a million lanes of traffic to get onto 195. Nothin doin. For the second time in my life I, who usually pride myself on my ability to maneuver in traffic, missed my exit because I couldn't break into the line of traffic. You should have heard the bellow that emerged from my mouth when I sailed on down 95, inexorably parted from my road. Actually you shouldn't have heard it. I would have been mightily embarrassed.

In any case, I took the next exit and realized it would not get me anywhere fast. I found my way back to 95, hoping I would be north of my exit. Nope. Definitely south. So I resigned myself to my fate, and took 95 all the way down to the Newport bridge. For those of you readers not familiar with the highway system of RI (let's see... that would be everyone except Melissa) that is kind of like going from NH to RI via Chestnut Hill. Although not quite as long, thankfully.

I got to school 1 hour and 50 minutes after I left the house.

But today ended up being a super day! Ahhh, I love teaching. I love my students. I even love Earth Science!

Elizabeth Goudge's A City of Bells

I just finished reading A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge. What an incredible story. It captures so many elements that make up the human existence. It covers the lasting nature of art, the duality of the pain and the beauty in life, the possibility of re-birth. Goudge is able to demonstrate the depth of these things without being heavy-handed about it. She portrays it in a way that makes the reader, however unartistic and undeep he may sometimes be, follow the pathway the story opens up, and sink and rise with the characters. The reader, therefore, experiences the catharsis - the cleansing of the emotions - that the finest works inspire. I wish I could quote half of the book right here. But instead I suggest you wheel around from your computer, dash at once to the closest library/friend/relation/bookstore, snatch the book greedily, and begin at once.

So Much to be Thankful For!

Here I am in the comfort of home, surrounded by family, and thankful for so many things. Some of the things I'm thankful for are:

*Four amazing years at PC, and the euphoria surrounding graduation.

*An incredible job that God led me to, and that I love every day.

*A wonderful home situation - I love living with Uncle Paul and Aunt Laura and Melissa. I love the fun we have, the conversations we have, the harmony and fellowship we have. I couldn't ask for a better "second family."

*Some fantastic summer excursions, including one to GA to see the Adamses with Melissa and KJ, one to Coolidge Point with my family, one to Busch Gardens with Lisa, and one to Rockport with Amy and Lindsay.

*The gift of Faith, and the lessons God has taught me about Himself this year. He is so good, so faithful, so trustworthy.

*Material blessings like my new car and new cell phone!

*My dear, dear friends. What would I do without them?! And I'm thankful for ways to keep in touch - e-mail, blogs, phones, and (best of all) get-togethers!

*And I'm thankful for my dear family. What a source of love and support and strength...and fun! Hurrah for parents, siblings, and nephews!

God is so good, and I'm thankful for these things that come from Him.

Conversations with Michael

Michael is becoming more and more verbose these days, so the occasional telephone conversation has progressed from the days of "Hi, Iah!" to actually dialogues. Today he called with some big news. His tooth had fallen out! I had forgotten (if I'd actually known) that his tooth was loose, and the news was a total surprise. This was big! Therefore I screamed and jumped around with joy for awhile. I cannot wait to see the little gap! I can't believe how old he's getting.

The phone call ended up being the longest I've ever had with him, lasting perhaps half an hour! Fortunately I had been feeling a distinct Michael-withdrawal, and was willing to spend some real quality time.

The conversation proceeded something like this:

Michael: Now I'm on the new couch in the living room.
Andrea: Oh wow! That's nice.
[Pause followed by high pitched beep]
Michael: Oops, that was me pushing the button.
Andrea: Oh, I was wondering what that was!
Michael: [Laughter]
Andrea: So what have you been doing today?
Michael: I don't know... Did I tell you my tooth fell out?
Andrea: Ya! Remember? I screamed and jumped around.
Michael: Oh ya! [Pause] Mama's laughing. [Laughs]
[Pause]
Michael: Are you there?
Andrea: Ya! Are you there?
Michael: Yes! [Laughs]

This conversation continued with some variation, but not too much. The "are you there" sequence was repeated four or five times. There were some moments when information was actually exchanged, but not too many. Information exchanges are highly overrated.

The happiest parts came at the beginning (with the initial news) and then when I told him I'd be home for Thanksgiving and he gave an involuntary "Yaaaaayyy!" Oh, and the "I love you" at the end was a day maker.

Man, I love being an aunt!

Report Cards!

Yesterday I had the joy of handing out my first batch of report cards. It was so interesting, yet again, to be on the other end of something I've experienced for most of my life. And the kids' responses were also interesting: a strange combination of anticipation and terror.

What surprised me was the astonishment that some students exhibited upon seeing a bad grade. How can you not realize when you're failing Latin? Wouldn't the succession of F's on quizzes and tests give you a clue?

Happily most of the grades I handed out were A's and B's. I did have a few C's, but only one was a C-. One of these C's was given to someone totally unprepared, however. That wasn't much fun, because she kind of crushed. I could understand that, since she's received mostly A's and B's on her tests. But it was the 38% on that one test that did it. Sigh. The good news, though, is that I went back to check my gradebook and discovered that it was really a C+! She was happier with that.

As the students all left, and the classroom was empty and quiet, I said to myself, "I miss getting a report card." I miss the excitement of opening it up, pulling it out, and doing the quick scan followed by the careful reading. I miss taking it home and hearing Dad say, "This is boring. Can't you do any better than that?" This was said, of course, as a total joke, which gave me great joy every time.

As I left my classroom to go home I saw two fellow teachers chatting in the hall. "I miss getting a report card," I said to them. There was a momentary pause as they both looked at me, and then they said in perfect unison, "I don't!"

Happy Birthday KJ!

Today is my little sister's birthday, and I would just like all the world to know that I think she is an extraordinary girl. She has such a heart for God and for her family and for her friends. She calls me up sometimes and tells me about lessons she is learning, and I have to restrain myself from saying "Oh Kimberly, you don't need to worry about that," from the biased vantage point of big-sister-who-thinks-she's-pretty-much-perfect-already. But it blesses me to see her responding so readily to the work of God in her life.

Of course, if she called me up and told me that God has been teaching her that she needs to let me poke her more often, then I would agree. There's this weird phenomenon that occurs whenever I get close to Kimberly. I am seized with the urge to poke her. I think it's because she's more serious than I am, naturally speaking, and she just brings out the most unserious side of me. So I get as goofy as possible and start poking her. She doesn't usually appreciate it, strangely enough.

Other than that, we enjoy a great relationship. For years, long before we should have been, we have been close friends. Back when we should have been constantly quarreling we were having sleepovers and taking walks and generally enjoying each other's company. That was a blessing I do not take for granted. And the relationship has only deepened as time has gone on.

So thanks, KJ, for being such a great friend, a dear sister, and a devoted fellow-pilgrim. I love you!

Today's Claim to Fame

Before Ryan Gomes was a Celtics player, he was my very own classmate at PC. I kind of forgot about the whole "he became a Celtics player" thing until this evening. I was watching the game while grading papers. This means that the game did not have my undivided attention (of course, neither did the papers...). But all of a sudden I heard the announcer say "he passes to Gomes" or some such thing. Up jerked my head! Gomes! My classmate! Look at the small town kid make it big! It was an exciting moment. He still looks tall, even among the Celtics players. But not as tall as he looked when I passed him at graduation, surrounded by happy family members. I can't wait to tell my kids about it tomorrow.

Happy Veterans Day...

And happy 11/11 day!!!

More On Teaching

Ahhhhh (sigh of glee to be back on blogger!). It's been awhile.

Guess what. I love teaching so much. I'm already depressed about retiring. Okay, not quite. But I was driving home today and had this weird moment where I was thinking sadly about how great it had been to teach, when I remembered I'm not done teaching yet! Strange, yes, but it's the end of the week and I think I'm entitled to momentary lapses in my short-term memory. Or yes, even severe cases of amnesia. Either way, I'm happy that I get to teach again on Monday! But meanwhile, thank the Lord for weekends (LONG weekends, especially!).

Today was red, white, and blue day at school! I found an excellent quote about patriots from John Milton, which I quickly tore out of its original context and used on the chalkboard with red, white, and blue chalk. Two girls took pictures of it. I AM NOT ALONE!!!

I am now studying The Hiding Place with my 7th and 8th graders. I was worried at first that it was too deep for them. But they are doing quite well, even if they don't get all the nuances. And I get to bring some of my outside knowledge in, too. Yesterday I taught them the song "By the Waters of Babylon," and today I taught them the Hora! They loved it!!! Ahhhh, what a way to start the weekend.

I just love those kids so incredibly much.

Of course, there are the ups and downs... Last Monday afternoon I was so irritated with them I just wanted to let loose with a mighty scream. I refrained, however, and the rest of the week went very well.

And now I have Veteran's Day off, and a nice long weekend to look forward to! Hurrah!