I can't believe that my last post was in MAY! Ridiculous amounts of things have happened since then, and I don't want to drone on and on, so I think I'll share it in the form of a story. :)
Once upon a time, there was a brand-new teacher who had no idea what to expect from a whole new place and school and people. The faraway place was supposed to be in a country she called home, but instead this city was full of crazy new twists, different accents, and plus there weren't very many bugs here! Not to mention she needed a blanket to sleep at night during the winter months....really? Winter here???
As the new school year approached in August, she began to realize what a HUGE task teaching would be, and spent a lot of time preparing and making fun posters for her computer classroom. She came up with some hopefully good rules, prayed a lot for this new phase, and said goodbye to the wonderful summer with Aulo, Bethany, Nelton and clan.
The beginning was full of surprises and fun discoveries with the kids. Realizing she would have to learn more than 150 names, as she taught Kindergarten -5th grade, plus preschool in the afternoon, she began leafing through past yearbooks. Phrases such as "I LOOOOVE you, Mrs. Sarah" from the preschoolers and "This game is sooo fun Miss Hoobyar...I think I'm going to like the next one too!" were encouraging and helped her get through the day.
One day in late October, as she was walking around during a beautiful 75 degree recess, doing her duty, a third grade group of girls stood frozen, staring in sheer horror at the shirt of their strawberry blond friend. "MISS HOOBYAR!!!!" came their scream to my ears. "Look!" Four sets of fingers pointed to a huge, cool-looking beetle on her shirt, as the victim of this bug's attention stood paralyzed with fear, eyes as huge as the beetle itself. Finally! A bug like where I used to live! thought this brand-new teacher. She brushed it off with her cracker package, stepped on it and moved on, chuckling to herself. The girls were so adorable as they walked carefully away, giggling with relieved tension.
Not to say that this teacher loves bugs or has never had shivers run down her back when a cockroach walks over her foot, but somehow the presence of the beetle confirmed that indeed she was in the country where she feels most at home.
This is only one little part of the new teacher's adventures. There are countless moments throughout the day where she has to pray for strength and patience, and others where her eyes fill with tears as a child is sobbing after disobeying (preschoolers :) Teaching is certainly not a walk in the park all the time, but with the Lord's strength, each moment of the day can be a potential for a child to learn something new! Praise God for these opportunities to share His Light with His precious creations.
Once upon a time, there was a brand-new teacher who had no idea what to expect from a whole new place and school and people. The faraway place was supposed to be in a country she called home, but instead this city was full of crazy new twists, different accents, and plus there weren't very many bugs here! Not to mention she needed a blanket to sleep at night during the winter months....really? Winter here???
As the new school year approached in August, she began to realize what a HUGE task teaching would be, and spent a lot of time preparing and making fun posters for her computer classroom. She came up with some hopefully good rules, prayed a lot for this new phase, and said goodbye to the wonderful summer with Aulo, Bethany, Nelton and clan.
The beginning was full of surprises and fun discoveries with the kids. Realizing she would have to learn more than 150 names, as she taught Kindergarten -5th grade, plus preschool in the afternoon, she began leafing through past yearbooks. Phrases such as "I LOOOOVE you, Mrs. Sarah" from the preschoolers and "This game is sooo fun Miss Hoobyar...I think I'm going to like the next one too!" were encouraging and helped her get through the day.
One day in late October, as she was walking around during a beautiful 75 degree recess, doing her duty, a third grade group of girls stood frozen, staring in sheer horror at the shirt of their strawberry blond friend. "MISS HOOBYAR!!!!" came their scream to my ears. "Look!" Four sets of fingers pointed to a huge, cool-looking beetle on her shirt, as the victim of this bug's attention stood paralyzed with fear, eyes as huge as the beetle itself. Finally! A bug like where I used to live! thought this brand-new teacher. She brushed it off with her cracker package, stepped on it and moved on, chuckling to herself. The girls were so adorable as they walked carefully away, giggling with relieved tension.
Not to say that this teacher loves bugs or has never had shivers run down her back when a cockroach walks over her foot, but somehow the presence of the beetle confirmed that indeed she was in the country where she feels most at home.
This is only one little part of the new teacher's adventures. There are countless moments throughout the day where she has to pray for strength and patience, and others where her eyes fill with tears as a child is sobbing after disobeying (preschoolers :) Teaching is certainly not a walk in the park all the time, but with the Lord's strength, each moment of the day can be a potential for a child to learn something new! Praise God for these opportunities to share His Light with His precious creations.
