The good news is that the girls purse was found with the other camera. Everything was there, the blackberry, and two camera's. A miracle really. In fact, what we prayed for. Although the girl that lost it was quick to say in the moment, "It's Mexico, as soon as someone saw the camera and phone it will be gone." God answers prayers. A very good opportunity for them to see that! It was so good as well because last week was prayer week! They also were doing such a great job going up to people at the park and sharing Scripture verses. They were supposed to pass out a verse to 3 different people (attached with suckers, another teachers great idea). I had two girls in my group pass out 5, they then ran out and asked if they could just go up to people and talk to them about Jesus. There are some really special sixth graders that I learn all the time from! I'm so glad that story, and week, can now have a great ending!
Brian and I have not had the same blessing with our camera. We knew when coming to Mexico there was a huge likely hood that things might get stolen. I guess that our pictures and camera is something we are going to have to let go. Letting go is something God has been teaching us a lot this year! Today Brian got some disposable cameras for our campout for the kids.
Yes, that's right we are throwing a campout for the 6th grade. Preparing for this, I had to sit down and think of some crazy fun games and campfire songs we did at the camps where I worked. It was amazing after 10 years how much you forget! I had such a hard time thinking of things. After being given some great websites by others, http://www.thesource4ym.com/ and http://www.creativeyouthideas.com/blog/, some of the games on there jogged my memory a little bit. They gave me some good ideas for my classes as well!
We have a wet and messy time planned for the kids. We'll have around 22 out of the 38 students at our house tomorrow. Thankfully, we will also have some other teachers! I'm not sure how it going to go, but we are planning on having a great time. I'm glad I'm not doing it alone. Sad thing though, one of the 6th graders that was really looking forward to coming broke his knee this morning playing basketball before school! Concrete courts hurt when you fall on them and this time it did some damage too! OUCH!
I've often felt this year, "maybe these are just not the ages for me". You have to be a really special person to work with Junior Highers." While I do think that does help, (some people just have a natural talent and ability), if we left it to just these people there would be very few of involved. Investing in the lives of young people is extremely important, yet there seems to be so few people actually doing it. I haven't been involved with Junior highers except for a few babysitters and a couple nephews for 10 years! I have to tell you I absolutely hate being who I have to be as a teacher to maintain a somewhat controlled classroom environment. It's really not me. But I don't mind a small group of 2 to 3, or when you get the chane to have fun and joke with them in situations outside of school. Through this experience I can say I never want to teach in a school setting again, especially Junior High. But there are things that I would be open to because of it that I might not have thought of before. Although many of them act like they don't like you in the classroom, they seem to still desire adult relationships. (Maybe not all with me, but with someone) Sometimes I think they don't really want to have anything to do with their teacher, and then I'm surprised later.
Junior Highers do get a super bad rap. Yes, they are incredibly moody, manipulative, judgemental and talkative. One day they hate you and the next day they blow your mind by actually saying something nice. For instance, on Monday one of my 8th grade students was mad at me because I wrote his name on the board because he was asking for lead for his pencil. My opinion was yes, I might get it wrong sometimes, but talk to me after about it. Plus there are many times that they should have gotten written up when they weren't. So he was mad at me for this "injustice". Then the next day I came to my class to find there were no tables or chairs. I was told I needed to find another classroom, but there are no other classrooms. So I quickly changed my plans and we sat in a circle on the floor. One kid comments how "cheap" the school is. Then someone said how there teacher (me) was mean or something like that. I just agreed that I was mean and whatever they said about me. Then the one student that was mad at me Monday was sitting next to me. He said, "You don't REALLY think you are a bad teacher do you? Because I don't think that. I think you are a really good teacher." One minute your bad and the next minute your good. Despite how bipolar they can be and they can "make" me, I don't feel like many of them have to many good adults speaking into their lives. For the same excuses that I give others give as well, "I don't do Junior Highers. I don't have the time. I don't like that age. They make me uncomfortable. They are crazy and you have to be crazy to work with them." etc. I think as with anything we really need to push through those excusses. Good lesson for me when I think so often, I'm not meant to be with Junior Highers, they are not my "age group".
No comments:
Post a Comment