Ten Days

Wow, I can't believe how quickly time has gone by over the past 10 months! I am very happy, but it is so hard for me to believe that there are only 10 days left of the school year. I am ready for my class to move on this year. I feel confident that they will all succeed in first grade. I have taught them all to the best of my ability. I currently have 16 precious students in my kindergarten class, and have had the pleasure of teaching 19 students throughout the school year. I smile everyday that I hear my kids picking up a book and reading it - or trying to. And while I don't really like for them to talk in the hallway, I always smile when I hear a student trying to sound out a word or asking, "Miss Hynninen, what's that word say?" We are currently reviewing all of our math skills by going through a practice workbook. It has been amazing to me to see how many things they remember - their little brains are amazing little sponges! We are also going back over our handwriting which has been somewhat of a nightmare. I am definitely going to be more picky about that from the very beginning. Like I've said, they learn things so quickly - and unfortunately, they also learn bad habits quickly. For example, I have a student that hates to write so he will write the first letter of his name and then scribble a little wiggly line for the rest of his name. Ridiculous!! I have another student that will put big spaces between her letters on her handwriting sheet, so she won't have to write as many. I have another student that will just not do her work - and thinks I won't notice! Unfortunately for these students, I have been exceptionally picky over these last few weeks. I will erase their shortcomings and send them back to work during recess (I don't intentionally pull them away from their play time, but that is when I have the time to check their work - and lucky for them, they've been given extra recess time in recent days because we actually have time for that!) Two of the three students I just mentioned have begun to change their ways and know they need to do their work the right way the first time. Of course, there are still those students who just don't care. I pray everyday that their attitude would change - they have a LOT of school ahead of them and don't need that attitude to last.

Not only has time flown in the school sense, but in my personal world. It is hard for me to fathom that I have been a homeowner for almost 6 months - crazy! And I have lived here for just over four months. I walked into this strange house on November 26 that had completely white walls, and it now only has 8 white walls (4 in the hallway and 4 in the bathroom). Every room has furniture and almost every room is completely finished. I bought the final piece for my bedroom this weekend (at Wood You in Auburn) and it will be my first summer project. I am going to "paint" it white and then de-stress the wood to try to make it match my armoire. I plan on doing the same thing to the bedside table I bought as well. I am hoping that my dad will get my armoire fixed and moved in by the end of the summer, so then everything will be complete! I would love to have some chairs and a lamp table in my living room, but I think I'll save up for those and get something I really like. So for now, everything is good.

I cannot believe I am about to finish my second year of teaching. What a joy and challenge it has been - a whirlwind for sure that nobody could have prepared me for! Only by the grace of God have I survived this "real world" since graduating from college. It has been exciting, but it has also been hard. Looking back, it is obvious to me that the Lord has worked in my life. There have been times of grief, and there have been times of joy. There have been times of tears, and times of laughter. He has definitely walked by my side through every time and I am thankful. He has placed people in my life at the appropriate moments reminding me that His timing is perfect. He has completely changed my plans reminding me that He has a perfect plan for my life. God certainly has a funny sense of humor, but He also has a funny way of reminding us "who's boss" so that we always come running back to Him. I have definitely done my fair share of running in the last two years, and I hope that I am now at least running on the same track that He wants me on so I can slow down and smell the aroma of His love that is surrounding me.

I apologize for not posting in a while, but obviously, life has been a little hectic. I hope that things are slowing down, so I really can stop and smell the roses, as people like to say. I'll keep you posted if that actually happens. In the meantime, I pray that the Lord will reach out to you and to me so we can continue to grow in the knowledge of His grace.