Recent Goings-On:

In my classroom:
- We finished reading aloud the biography of Corrie Ten Boom. These kids are pretty obsessed with WWII and the Holocaust, so this was a good way to read and learn about it while hearing about a testimony of faith and perseverence.
- I rearranged the room before school this morning. I have a huge table that is probably 4'x8', and I put it in the center of the room with seven kids around it. Their desks are against the wall. The other desks are in groups of two all around the table, with the exception of the three stooges who find themselves on islands facing various walls.
- Today we made a quick door decoration that said, "I love my mom because..." and it was sweet to see them grab a marker, lay down on the paper on the floor, think, and then write about their moms. I wrote about mine too. :)
- We're studying fractions. So far, so good.
- We're reading Revolutionary War on Wednesday and for every chapter, they have to look up definitions in a dictionary and then answer comprehension questions. This has been so good for them in a couple of ways. First of all, as it turns out, they don't know how to use a dictionary. Talk about frustrating - but after ten chapters of vocabulary words, I feel like they will have mastered that skill! Also, they are often so bad at listening! Of course, I think that is obvious in the day-to-day frustrations of our class, but it is also their absolute lowest score on the SAT tests. This is a good unit because they have to listen as I read aloud to comprehend and answer the questions... And I don't feel bad about that because the book is WAY TOO EASY for fifth graders!
- I've been keeping up with my grading...
- Marco broke his arm this weekend and is now having to write with his left hand. It's entirely possible that I have never seen handwriting any worse than his... And yet I have that magic teacher-ability to read and interpret it...
- Yesterday, Juan Carlos told me I looked pregnant. In fact, his exact words were like this:
JC - "Miss, you look embarassed in that dress."
Me - "I look what in this dress?"
JC - "Embarassed."
Me - "Really? Why do I look embarassed in this dress?"
JC - "Miss - like you're going to have a baby..."
Yep. They boost my self-esteem on a daily basis... And I'm holding out hope that he used the word "embarassed" by mistake in his whole English-is-not-my-first-or-best-language kind of way.
- We've almost made it through April!!!!!!!

In my life outside of work:
- A whole lotta' nothing has been going on.
- Because I've been keeping up with my grading, I find myself with free time and no idea what to do other than to kill brain cells on Facebook.
- I'm currently reading a book called The Cage. It was a recommendation from a student, and it's about Jews living inside the gates of the ghetto during the Nazi occupation. (See? I told you... Obsessed.) However, I'm struggling to read it. After reading the biography last week and revisiting my feelings from my tour of Auschwitz concentration camp last year, I'm kind of feeling like I've had enough. And that leads me to Facebook as well so that I don't have to keep reading it...
- I've been enjoying the fruits and veggies that I got at the market last weekend. I got something like two watermelons, seven bananas, four tomatoes, three onions, twelve limes, four potatos, and two bags of green beans for $10. Twana says that when I will leave I will miss her the most and after that, I will miss the market. I think she's right.
- I've warned Twana that we're going to spend so much time together in the next two months that she will be ready for me to leave... And her parents are coming this Friday!
- I just found out today that instead of summer pay (which I didn't even know we received), our April and May paychecks will be double the regular amount, and I will receive a check from the school sometime around October! Woohoo for unexpected money!!!
- Lots of people that I know are having babies. Wow.
- Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred has been fun-ish for the last 20 days, but after Juan Carlos's comment yesterday (see above), I'm feeling discouraged.

My spiritual life:
- My absolute FAVORITE time of the day has become the hour before I go to sleep... That's when my apartment usually gets still and quiet, and I am able to lean back on my bed, turn on the lamp and the twinkle lights, and read some Scripture, Operation World, and journal some prayers... I wish I could maintain that feeling of peace throughout my entire day.
- The Bible reading has gotten a little scattered recently as we began following the life of David. We're jumping around through the Psalms, 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, and who knows what else. It's good though. I'm glad I've been sticking with it.

Things I'm hopeful about:
- The trip to Chicago in July and my very first Cubs game at Wrigley Field!!!
- Time with my sister this summer before she moves off to college.
- Possibly helping with the Hispanic ministry at Brook Hills if I get to move back to Birmingham.
- Eating Chickfila again... And Mexican food. And Zaxby's. And Jim 'N Nick's.
- A possible trip to Reevesville, South Carolina in August to learn to cook like Paula Deen. :)
- Returning to my old friendships and watching babies grow...