So my sister worked at a camp this summer and she learned in her rushed training that she couldn't call those campers that had issues and caused problems "problem campers". Instead, she had to call them "GBC"s... for Great Big Challenges. I love it, and I've adopted it to use. I have a Kindergarten student that is a major GBC and he is OOC=Out Of Control. In fact, I have a bruise on my leg from when he elbowed me on Friday because I was having to restrain him. He was trying to run all over my room and 'hide', which is nearly next to impossible within my classroom - thanks to him. I used to have some cute "reading nooks" but he took advantage of them, so they were gone after the first 2-3 weeks of school. So, anyways, my GBC is OOC and I'm so frustrated. I thought I could wait for the testing with the psychiatrist, but I'm not so sure anymore. Thankfully, it's less than a week away now, and I do have a plan in place and supports at school. MAYBE I'll make it through with this GBC.
I just need to get this off my chest... There is nothing I hate more than being taken advantage of and being lied to. "Well, I feel the same way" is what you may be saying, but I just have to vent. I have allowed too many people to totally take advantage of me, and yes, it probably is my fault, but I sure thought they would eventually get it. However, here we are - 2 months into this, and they are still just expecting me to take care of everything for them. ANNOYING! And yes, I'm fairly certain everyone hates being lied to, but UGH! I can't decide if I like the fact that someone has flat out lied to me (and been incredibly rude about it) or if I would rather this person have lied about things behind my back, and found out later. All I know is that this is crap and I shouldn't have to accept it. Unfortunately, I do have to at the moment, but we'll see what comes to light on Monday.
The Lord is quite obviously teaching me patience right now. And quite obviously, I'm failing miserably at learning, but I know that I am growing as a result. God is faithful, and I know that He will take care of these things. While I know this, I have still allowed things to stack up in my head and in my heart, and it is starting to get to me. I am not sleeping well, and I can't stay focused on anything. My mind is all over the place all the time. I am hoping that with lots of prayer and a determined effort to get to bed earlier, things will start to turn around. And maybe just time is all I need for these other issues to settle down. And of course, as always, only time will tell!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
WOW!
So the PTA Reflections contest topic this year is what makes you go WOW! Too bad I am not a student anymore, so I can't enter the contest, but I sure know what I would say... how DUMB people can be sometimes makes me go WOW! I realize this is pretty insulting, but there really are some dumb people out there. Unfortunately, I feel like I have them surrounding me in my life right now. No worries - I'm not letting them rub off on me, so I will always be the same Allison you have all come to know and love! I wish I could go into more detail, but I am afraid that things could go incredibly sour and get bad for me, so you just have to trust that there really are dumb people in the world. And I'm not saying that people are not educated, although we all know that is the case sometimes. What I'm talking about are the people that really don't have common sense AT ALL, and really don't think about things before they speak/act. It really drives me crazy. Haha, talking about this makes me think about the fact that my college roommate and best friend, Brittany, and her mom, Phyliss, have always joked about all the stupid things they've witnessed/experienced and how they want to compile them into a book. I think it is a great idea and I have a few ideas myself that I would want to add anonymously.
Something else that makes me go WOW are my students. They never cease to amaze me. We have only been in school roughly six weeks, and they are already making so much progress. And no, they are still not where my class last year was, but I can't hold that against them - these are completely different kids! I have a small group of 4 girls that can already decode and read words, which is amazing. I honestly didn't think I'd have any readers until at least December, but these girls have kicked into high gear and are rocking and rolling. Another small group of students is well on their way to decoding - they just need to finish learning all the letters and sounds without confusion! So I might actually have a better class than I originally thought... WOW!
Sorry for the delay in posts... life has been a little crazy. I finally finished writing the flag work for my color guard last week and I finished teaching it today. I'm fairly certain I didn't teach it quite right, but as I told them, "Details, details." Haha, I can't worry about it, because we have our first competition this weekend! I am so nervous, but I'm trying not to think about it. Last Friday, we performed a big portion of our show for the first time and I thought I was going to be sick before they started. Thankfully, I missed the very beginning because I was setting up equipment, but I can only imagine how it's going to be this weekend when we have the entire show ready to perform. Yikes!
Last week was conference week, so I met with almost all of my students' parents. Talk about something that makes you go WOW! And that's not necessarily a bad wow... I was really surprised by how much some of these parents really care about their child's education. Of course, there are those bad wow's, in which I think, "Poor kid, no wonder they are the way they are... their parents don't care about them." It's so sad, but is another part of my job - I get to love on these kids and show them that I care for them! Hopefully, I do that most of the time - even when I'm not in the best of moods.
Hopefully, there won't be such a long period of time before I post again, but I can make no promises with the way life is going these days. However, I wouldn't trade this busy life for anything - except maybe the opportunity to go back in time to my college days, or even a present-day opportunity to visit Brittany, or just a day to rest and relax, or... So maybe I WOULD trade this busy life, but it's what I've got for now, so I'll take it!
Something else that makes me go WOW are my students. They never cease to amaze me. We have only been in school roughly six weeks, and they are already making so much progress. And no, they are still not where my class last year was, but I can't hold that against them - these are completely different kids! I have a small group of 4 girls that can already decode and read words, which is amazing. I honestly didn't think I'd have any readers until at least December, but these girls have kicked into high gear and are rocking and rolling. Another small group of students is well on their way to decoding - they just need to finish learning all the letters and sounds without confusion! So I might actually have a better class than I originally thought... WOW!
Sorry for the delay in posts... life has been a little crazy. I finally finished writing the flag work for my color guard last week and I finished teaching it today. I'm fairly certain I didn't teach it quite right, but as I told them, "Details, details." Haha, I can't worry about it, because we have our first competition this weekend! I am so nervous, but I'm trying not to think about it. Last Friday, we performed a big portion of our show for the first time and I thought I was going to be sick before they started. Thankfully, I missed the very beginning because I was setting up equipment, but I can only imagine how it's going to be this weekend when we have the entire show ready to perform. Yikes!
Last week was conference week, so I met with almost all of my students' parents. Talk about something that makes you go WOW! And that's not necessarily a bad wow... I was really surprised by how much some of these parents really care about their child's education. Of course, there are those bad wow's, in which I think, "Poor kid, no wonder they are the way they are... their parents don't care about them." It's so sad, but is another part of my job - I get to love on these kids and show them that I care for them! Hopefully, I do that most of the time - even when I'm not in the best of moods.
Hopefully, there won't be such a long period of time before I post again, but I can make no promises with the way life is going these days. However, I wouldn't trade this busy life for anything - except maybe the opportunity to go back in time to my college days, or even a present-day opportunity to visit Brittany, or just a day to rest and relax, or... So maybe I WOULD trade this busy life, but it's what I've got for now, so I'll take it!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
How Great Thou Art
As I'm sitting listening to my iTunes, this hymn begins to play. I am reminded how much I love hymns in general, and specifically, this one. The words are just so meaningful... reminding me how God created everything, is there in everything, and how He sacrificed so much for me. Who am I to deserve that? I am a sinner and don't deserve what the Lord has given me, yet He has blessed me with so much! Not only did He create the earth, but He created everything in it. Why wouldn't I praise Him for the works His hands have made? Words cannot adequately express how grateful I am for the things He has done and especially for the life He has given me. I pray that I am given many more opportunities to share His goodness with those around me and others.
I can't believe the weekend is a day away from being over... I have so much to do! Of course, I'm asking myself why I'm taking the time to blog, but I do have a reputation of procrastination that I have to live up to, so I'm doing what I do best! Last night I went to the MHS football game (as I will do every week), and honestly, I can't even tell you what the score was. I'm not much of a sports fanatic - I can enjoy them, but if there are people there to talk to and laughs to be shared, I'm much more into that. So, I involved myself in being social with the band directors. It is so nice to work with people that can have a good time and laugh about the same things that I can, and I don't think we'd have anything in common if it weren't for our jobs as the marching band staff. But that alone gives us enough to discuss! And I am grateful for the fact that I can invest in something I loved so much myself in high school. I really look forward to guard practices when I get a chance to form relationships with these high school girls who are thirsting for acceptance and love. We have a special bond from all the time that we spend together, and I am grateful for the opportunity to "give back". It has been neat to be a part of the band organization again in a different position.
Today, we had a guard practice all day. I feel as though it was incredibly productive, and while I had hoped for more, I am pleased. I am thankful for the effort and work that my girls put in for the long day. I hope that it will pay off for them and we will all see great results when it comes down to it. I came home exhausted and crashed on the couch while trying to watch the Auburn game. Once again, you can see how I'm not a sports fanatic - I had NO problems falling right to sleep while there was a football game on the TV.
Tomorrow after church, I desperately need to work on stuff for my "real job" - being a Kindergarten teacher! This next week, I have parent-teacher conferences Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. While it makes for a long week, it is nice to be able to establish those relationships with the parents of my students. I am eager to meet some parents, because it could quite possibly tell me a lot about my students! I have lots to get ready for those in addition to planning out the days that we get out of school early which requires me to completely redo my schedule that I have finally fallen into five weeks after school started. So that will be bucketloads of fun, I'm sure. ;)
I am looking forward to this next week, because on Thursday night, I have Bible study!! Sarah and I finally got this group of girls together with Mrs. Lynn and we are going to do a Beth Moore book. We met once already to talk about logistics and such, but this week is our first week to meet about the things we learn from the book. I am really excited about it. While I know the other girls, I am excited about the spiritual connections we will be making and the growth that we will make together as a result. I pray that we will form a bond instantly and learn and grow in the Lord so that we can build one another up in His name.
Anyways, my eyes are starting to flutter on me again, so I am going to give in... until next time, I will leave you with the words of my favorite hymn to ponder...
How Great Thou Art
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
I can't believe the weekend is a day away from being over... I have so much to do! Of course, I'm asking myself why I'm taking the time to blog, but I do have a reputation of procrastination that I have to live up to, so I'm doing what I do best! Last night I went to the MHS football game (as I will do every week), and honestly, I can't even tell you what the score was. I'm not much of a sports fanatic - I can enjoy them, but if there are people there to talk to and laughs to be shared, I'm much more into that. So, I involved myself in being social with the band directors. It is so nice to work with people that can have a good time and laugh about the same things that I can, and I don't think we'd have anything in common if it weren't for our jobs as the marching band staff. But that alone gives us enough to discuss! And I am grateful for the fact that I can invest in something I loved so much myself in high school. I really look forward to guard practices when I get a chance to form relationships with these high school girls who are thirsting for acceptance and love. We have a special bond from all the time that we spend together, and I am grateful for the opportunity to "give back". It has been neat to be a part of the band organization again in a different position.
Today, we had a guard practice all day. I feel as though it was incredibly productive, and while I had hoped for more, I am pleased. I am thankful for the effort and work that my girls put in for the long day. I hope that it will pay off for them and we will all see great results when it comes down to it. I came home exhausted and crashed on the couch while trying to watch the Auburn game. Once again, you can see how I'm not a sports fanatic - I had NO problems falling right to sleep while there was a football game on the TV.
Tomorrow after church, I desperately need to work on stuff for my "real job" - being a Kindergarten teacher! This next week, I have parent-teacher conferences Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. While it makes for a long week, it is nice to be able to establish those relationships with the parents of my students. I am eager to meet some parents, because it could quite possibly tell me a lot about my students! I have lots to get ready for those in addition to planning out the days that we get out of school early which requires me to completely redo my schedule that I have finally fallen into five weeks after school started. So that will be bucketloads of fun, I'm sure. ;)
I am looking forward to this next week, because on Thursday night, I have Bible study!! Sarah and I finally got this group of girls together with Mrs. Lynn and we are going to do a Beth Moore book. We met once already to talk about logistics and such, but this week is our first week to meet about the things we learn from the book. I am really excited about it. While I know the other girls, I am excited about the spiritual connections we will be making and the growth that we will make together as a result. I pray that we will form a bond instantly and learn and grow in the Lord so that we can build one another up in His name.
Anyways, my eyes are starting to flutter on me again, so I am going to give in... until next time, I will leave you with the words of my favorite hymn to ponder...
How Great Thou Art
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Life comes at you fast...
I am a person that LOVES to be busy - in fact, if I have time to watch TV, I feel like I'm forgetting something that I'm supposed to be doing or somewhere that I'm supposed to be. I feel like I'm missing out on life... that's not to say I don't enjoy watching TV, but I also like to use the time I have to LIVE. I'll admit that I am a bit of a complainer and I often complain that there are just not enough hours in a day, but that's because there are some hours in a day that are used up by stupid things, and that's just annoying. For example, it shouldn't take me long to drive somewhere, but on average, I spend an hour in my car everyday. Yes, I realize that I have it MUCH better than most people out there - even most people I know. But, I still don't get to do everything that I want to do in a day because there are too many things that I HAVE to do in a day. Another example - eating. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE food and I love eating it, but it takes up time!! So I've decided the country that talks about sleeping when I die is a new favorite and is going to be my theme song. Honestly, I do better with less sleep than I do with more sleep. I got almost 8 hours of sleep between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning (thanks to being emotionally disraught and laying in bed for a few hours Tuesday evening) and I was more tired Wednesday than I was on Tuesday after staying up until 11:30 Monday night! I really don't understand, but I'll take it as God's answer to my shout-out for more hours in a day. Haha, I'm sure that's not really from Him, because sleep will help my body to rest, but there will be time for that later. For now, I'm going to live life and do the things I want to do!
And now, going back to the emotionally distraught thing... This has been a long week, and thank you Jesus, it is almost over. Of course, then we start all over again, but maybe it will be better. Sunday morning a wonderful, influential, and genuine man from Marietta First Baptist passed away, and it was devastating. Since I've lived in a bubble that consists of my Kindergarten class and my color guard since July 21, I really didn't even know he'd been ill until a few weeks ago. Cancer took over his body and it just couldn't find it. Thankfully, those of us here on earth rest in the peace that comes from knowing that Mr. Jim Newsome is now healed and sitting in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's funny, because I used to think Mr. Newsome was the scariest man in our church (is scariest even a word?!). But, then I worked at our church and had to call on him all the time while a particular staff member that I was working for was out of town for several weeks. I know he probably thought I was the dumbest girl working at the church and he probably wondered why I was left "in charge" of certain things... like showing this man about our fire sprinkler system. I didn't even know if we had one since parts of the building are so old!! So, I called up Mr. Newsome, told him what was going on, and I could hear him smile and say, "I'll be right there." This happened NUMEROUS times over that three week time period, but he never seemed bothered. And the way he made me feel was great - while I'm sure he thought I was crazy, he never told me that or let me feel that he felt that way! ;) So, he turned out to be one of the nicest men at MFBC. In fact, someone had a nickname for him - "Papa Bear" and reflecting back, I think that name is quite fitting for Mr. Newsome!
The other thing that is distressing to me is the fact that people don't do their jobs and they get away with it! I can't go into much detail because things are still being worked out, but I just hope that should I ever go into administration that I would do my best to treat students fairly. I realize there are things that become difficult and you definitely want the people that work under you to feel supported, but there are limits. Did I go into my profession for the people I work WITH or the students I work FOR? I wish more people would ask themselves this question!! And that's all I'm going to say about that because I would like to keep my job, because contrary to the things I say a lot of times, I really do enjoy it and like it.
So, now that I've used up a lot of that time I talked about, it's time for me to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day with school and our first home football game - I'm SURE there will be a story to tell! Get ready...
And now, going back to the emotionally distraught thing... This has been a long week, and thank you Jesus, it is almost over. Of course, then we start all over again, but maybe it will be better. Sunday morning a wonderful, influential, and genuine man from Marietta First Baptist passed away, and it was devastating. Since I've lived in a bubble that consists of my Kindergarten class and my color guard since July 21, I really didn't even know he'd been ill until a few weeks ago. Cancer took over his body and it just couldn't find it. Thankfully, those of us here on earth rest in the peace that comes from knowing that Mr. Jim Newsome is now healed and sitting in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's funny, because I used to think Mr. Newsome was the scariest man in our church (is scariest even a word?!). But, then I worked at our church and had to call on him all the time while a particular staff member that I was working for was out of town for several weeks. I know he probably thought I was the dumbest girl working at the church and he probably wondered why I was left "in charge" of certain things... like showing this man about our fire sprinkler system. I didn't even know if we had one since parts of the building are so old!! So, I called up Mr. Newsome, told him what was going on, and I could hear him smile and say, "I'll be right there." This happened NUMEROUS times over that three week time period, but he never seemed bothered. And the way he made me feel was great - while I'm sure he thought I was crazy, he never told me that or let me feel that he felt that way! ;) So, he turned out to be one of the nicest men at MFBC. In fact, someone had a nickname for him - "Papa Bear" and reflecting back, I think that name is quite fitting for Mr. Newsome!
The other thing that is distressing to me is the fact that people don't do their jobs and they get away with it! I can't go into much detail because things are still being worked out, but I just hope that should I ever go into administration that I would do my best to treat students fairly. I realize there are things that become difficult and you definitely want the people that work under you to feel supported, but there are limits. Did I go into my profession for the people I work WITH or the students I work FOR? I wish more people would ask themselves this question!! And that's all I'm going to say about that because I would like to keep my job, because contrary to the things I say a lot of times, I really do enjoy it and like it.
So, now that I've used up a lot of that time I talked about, it's time for me to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day with school and our first home football game - I'm SURE there will be a story to tell! Get ready...
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Everybody's doin it...
...so you KNOW I'm going to try it too! I don't have much free time, but I am going to try this blog thing.
The name: "un-fil-tered"
Definition: reality-based
I have some friends that tell me I do not have a filter when it comes to what is (or is not) between my brain and my mouth. Now, keep in mind the fact that these people are very good friends of mine and I have no problem telling them how I feel or what I think about particular subjects. These are the friends that have seen all the "sides" of me and still love me for who I am, so I'm really not concerned. But I want to start this blog out with the disclaimer that this is my space for writing what is on my mind. If you don't like it or disagree with it, then don't read it. I do have good intentions (most of the time) though, so keep that in mind too.
Anyways, here goes nothing. ENJOY... or not - the choice is yours!!
The name: "un-fil-tered"
Definition: reality-based
I have some friends that tell me I do not have a filter when it comes to what is (or is not) between my brain and my mouth. Now, keep in mind the fact that these people are very good friends of mine and I have no problem telling them how I feel or what I think about particular subjects. These are the friends that have seen all the "sides" of me and still love me for who I am, so I'm really not concerned. But I want to start this blog out with the disclaimer that this is my space for writing what is on my mind. If you don't like it or disagree with it, then don't read it. I do have good intentions (most of the time) though, so keep that in mind too.
Anyways, here goes nothing. ENJOY... or not - the choice is yours!!
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