Currently

Drinking: Iced vanilla chai tea lattes.  When I lived in the DR my mom sent me this wonderful vanilla chai tea latte mix.  It was a special treat on rough days.  This summer I have been drinking it iced since the weather has warmed up.  So yummy.

Listening to:  More than Conquerors by Rend Collective.  The other week I Bible journaled the lyrics/verse to this song (see this blog post).  On Saturday night I went to church.  The worship leader said, "Tonight we are learning a new song for this church."  And guess what song it was...  I love it when God taps me on the shoulder with the same lesson until I start listening.

I also discovered a new Spanish artist, Jaz Jacobs.  I even bought her cd.  "Senor sobre mi situacion" and "Purfume a Tus pies" are two of my favorites.

Writing: down my blessings.  One of my mentors in the DR gave me a cute little jar before I left Santiago.  It is a blessing jar.  It is amazing how when we are obedient, He blesses us abundantly.

"All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God."  Deuteronomy 28:2

Watching: Ghostbusters (Kevin was my favorite) and the Last Ship

Reading:  Blog posts by these wonderful ladies.  Writergirl5786 has beautiful posts on the Illustrated Faith Revival Camp.  I absolutely adore reading what she does each week with the prompt.  Seeds of Creative Grace has beautiful posts that make me want to buy everything in Illustrated Faith's shop.

Wanting to read:  Uninvited by Lysa TerKerust and Without Revival by Lisa Bevere

How has your week been?  What have you been learning?  Reading?  Sipping on?

Con mucho amor. 

Looking for Lovely

What I've been reading:  Throughout my life I have always been a fiction-lover.  In middle and high school I stuck to realistic fiction.  In college my taste switched to Christian fiction.  I fell in love with the Baxter family in Karen Kingsbury's series Redemption and then Sunrise.  I actually cried when I finished all 15 of them...  After college, though, my book taste switched to non-fiction, and that's where it's stayed these past few months.

Another summer read I kept seeing on social media was Looking for Lovely by Annie Downs.  After stalking her on Instagram, I decided to get her latest book.  I loved her concept of finding loveliness in everyday life.  At the end of each chapter she has a looking for lovely challenge, such as going on a walk and looking for what God wants you to see, or painting your nails.  I thought I might create a looking for lovely bucket list to put in a journal or something.

One thing that surprised me about this book is that it is much more autobiographical that I thought it was going to be.  Annie weaves tales of her struggles in life to connect with the topic of the book.  It is showing readers her own personal journey to find lovely.  It is a quick read that left me looking at the world in a different way, always searching to find beauty in the day to day.
 

Annie also wrote Let's All Be Brave, which sounds like a title I need to read.  What's on your summer reading list?

Con mucho amor.

Currently

Reading: As I roam on Instagram, I find book suggestions from other Jesus girls.  Two books that kept popping up on social media are Girls with Swords by Lisa Bevere and Wild and Free by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan.  One of my coworkers was also talking about Radical by David Platt.  I love being able to have time to soak up a good book.

I haven't started Wild and Free yet, but I have read half of Girls with Swords.  Bevere's main idea is that the devil  is out to get us girls because God has called us to do mighty things for His kingdom.  I 100% agree with her on that.  It is so easy to feel like a target, but God has given us tools to fight back against the enemy.

"You are a royal daughter of the King - handpicked for a purpose."  Lisa Bevere

"Lovely One, you already know you are a target.  You might as well choose to be a warrior hero."  Lisa Bevere

Radical is about the church in the United States.  He makes readers question, what is the point of church in the USA?  Are we spending more money on fancier buildings, air hockey tables for the youth room, or are we using our resources to reach out to the lost people?  Especially since I am working as staff at a church, this book is making me think about what we do and why we do it.

"We are afraid that if we stop and really look at God in His Word, we might discover that He evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship than we are ready to give Him."  David Platt

Finishing: Garden City by John Mark Comer - a nonfiction book about work and rest and finding our passions.  I feel like I am in this strange in between time of trying to figure out what is next in my life.  This book encourages us to use the passions God has placed in our hearts.

"If you don't do it, not only do you rob yourself of the life God called you to live, but you also rob the rest of us.  We need you."  John Mark Comer

Writing: Prayers and song lyrics that touch my heart and bring me back to Jesus.

Listening to: Thy Will by Hillary Scott, Hay Libertdad by La IBI, Estar a tus pies by Miel San Marcos, and Messengers by Lecrae and For King and Country

Using:  Recollections washi tape in everything!  In my Bible, prayer journals, notecards...

Obsessing over:  Anything and everything with pineapples.  Stickers, clothing, wall decals, journals.

Teaching and Learning:  Wednesday nights I co-lead the middle school youth group at my church.  I love that God uses those moments with them to teach me lessons as I am teaching them.  Last Wednesday we had a campfire, and we read through Exodus 3:1-12, the story about Moses and the burning bush.

I love how Moses asks God, "Who am I..."  Many times I feel inadequate to do what God calls me to do.  But if He is asking us to do whatever it is, He will not leave us on our own.

This week we went to an arcade/game center nearby.  One of the girls had never been on the go-karts before, and she was too short to drive one herself.  I volunteered to drive her.  Every single day I drive.  I have been on go-karts many times before.  I was happy to go, but she was ecstatic.  She was screaming from happiness as we went around the course.  She had a huge smile on her face, even after we stopped.

I was thinking about how so often when we start or do something new - job, relationship, project, etc., it can seem so thrilling at first.  But then, we get into a routine.  We get bored, and it loses the specialness.  I want to encourage you all to take back that excitement, that zest, for whatever you are doing in life.  Do it with joy.  Do it with love.  Do it with passion.

Con mucho amor.

God is working all over the world

What I've been reading:  In the fall, the girls read an autobiography called Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose.  This story captured and broke my heart at the same time.  Darlene was serving as a missionary during WWII.  She was placed in a labor camp in the South Pacific.  Her amazing survival story empowered me to be more prayerful.

from: here

In preparation for our Haiti field trip, Annie spent the year teaching us French and Bible.  One morning in Bible she shared a story from one of her favorite novels, The Insanity of God.  A missionary in northern Africa was struggling to see how the church could survive under persecution.  He traveled all over the world studying and learning from persecuted Christians.

One of the mini stories this missionary collected was about a guy named Dimitri.  He was a pastor in a communist country who was imprisoned.  He spent each day in his prison cell waking up, turning to the east, and singing a heartsong praising God.  The other prisoners would throw poop at him and yell at him to stop.  If he found any little scrap of paper he would write as much scripture on it as possible and he would put it on the wall of his cell as an offering to God.  The guards would beat him and tell him to stop.  Eventually they were so fed up with him, they brought him down to be executed.  As they were dragging him away, all of the prisoners in the building stood up, faced east and sang Dimitri's heartsong.  The guards were so astonished and scared they did not kill Dimitri, but let him go.

from: here

Another story the missionary collected was from youth in Russia.  When they were under communist rule, they memorized chapters and books in the Bible so they would not forget them.  Now that they are free to worship, the youth don't even know the names of the gospels.  The author also mentioned how we are so complacent in our faith in the US that the devil doesn't want us to be persecuted.  Persecution would bring us closer to the Lord.  The novel gave me a lot to think about.

"Those of us who have grown comfortable with the teachings of Christ have allowed His teachings to lose their edge."  Nik Ripken  

The Cross and the Switchblade was one of the required Bible books for school this year.  It was a fascinating story about a small-town preacher who goes to New York to work with gangs.  God called him and he wasn't exactly sure why or what he was going to do.  I can definitely relate to that.  This is a story about redemption, forgiveness, and the amazing power of the Holy Spirit.  

One of our students recommended The Little Woman, another missionary novel.  Christin read it; she told me that I needed to read it next.  The beginning of the story is so much like my own life.  Gladys felt like she was supposed to go to China.  She had no plan or idea what was in store for her.  I feel that way about my next journey to Costa Rica.  I don't know what God has in mind, but I want to be faithful and obedient.

from: here

Another friend recommended a book about missionary Amy Carmichael.  I don't know anything about her life, but I want to gobble up this book to find out all about it.  I am excited to be able to spend time this summer reading and relaxing and resting.

What are you reading?  Any recommendations?  

Con mucho amor.

Bud, Not Buddy

What we've been reading:  We just finished one of my new favorite novels to teach, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.  I found lots of resources online that helped me, but I also just love the themes and morals from this book.  It is all about family, growing up, change, and the Great Depression.

One of the parts of the novel that I think is the funniest is all of Bud Caldwel's Rules and Things.  Bud is such a funny kid, and he is smart and innocent.  He has concocted all sorts of life rules that I typed and printed off for the bulletin board.  I would have loved to have time for the boys to create their own.  Next time I teach this novel I will incorporate this activity.

Names are important.  They are our identity.  Bud's name changes throughout the novel, and he talks about the importance of names.  I stole this idea from Miss Christin.  The boys and I looked up what do our names mean.  They had to create illustrations to go with the meaning.

I found a great pdf with ideas that came from a theater who adapted Bud, Not Buddy for the stage.  I absolutely love comparing different versions of the same story, whether from page to stage or screen. One of the activities in the pdf used the text from the novel to compare to the script.  Then, it asked the students to adapt a different part of the novel into a script.  We took the project a step further and acted and filmed the scene.  Here's the link to our version.

The pdf also had an idea to make rock journals.  I just printed off the page and the boys wrote three important days of their lives on the rocks.  It would be cool to purchase real rocks and have them write with a metallic pen on the rocks the memory.

At the beginning of the novel we created Bud's suitcase together.  We talked about the symbolism behind each object in his suitcase.  Then, I had the boys create their own suitcases.  I asked them what symbolizes them.  They wrote reflections on the back of their suitcases explaining each object.

I loved how this unit turned out.  I hope that I will get to teach this novel again someday.

Con mucho amor.

A Year Down Yonder

What we finished reading:  Last week we finished reading A Year Down Yonder.  It is a sweet squeal to A Long Way from Chicago.  This book is about Mary Alice spending a year at her grandmother's house in the country.  It takes place during the Great Depression and tells the tale of Mary Alice changing in a year.  

This website has a list of fun ideas.  I would have loved to do their suggestion of writing letters back and forth between Mary Alice and her brother/family.  We just don't have enough students in our little class of 3 to do that project.

The project we ended up making was a group calendar.  Each chapter of the novel breaks down what happened in a particular month of the year.  The boys each took two months to illustrate.  They wrote on the back what Mary Alice learned through that chapter.  They struggled a little with the writing part.  They wanted to just write a summary of the chapter, but I challenged them to take it a step deeper and write what the main character learned.

How are you pushing your students to think deeper?

Con mucho amor.  

Leave it all

What I've been reading:  Moving to another country.  Flying away from family and friends.  Being surrounded by another language, and culture.  Serving God.  Stepping out.  Slipping away from the comfortable life in the United States.  Leaving it all and trusting God to catch us.

I have never connected with a character in a book more than Katie Davis in Kisses from Katie.  The coolest part?  She wasn't a random character in a novel.  She is a real woman with a real story.

Kisses from Katie is a book about the life of the 20-something woman living in Uganda.  She adopted over 12 girls in Africa.  She has changed and transformed communities; Jesus is using her to bring the Ugandans closer to Him.

As I dove deeper into her story, I noticed so many similarities in our lives.  This book inspired me to step out even more from my comfort zone here in the Dominican Republic.  She encourages readers to give it all away.  She explains how we are not supposed to live a life of comfort.

"I believe that God totally, absolutely, intentionally gives us more than we can handle.  Because this is when we surrender to Him and He takes over, proving Himself by doing the impossible in our lives" (135). 

I have firmly believed that in my journey in life, God has not called me to live a life of comfort.  He constantly calls us out into the unknown.  I get to see Him work so much more.  At Bible study on Monday we were talking about how people will see us as the crazy ones for our faith.

He told the disciples to leave everything and follow Him.  That's a pretty crazy idea.  Are we doing that in our everyday lives?

I read this book over Christmas break when I was in Oregon with my family.  Life in the US is so easy.  I have friends, family, a car...  I never have to worry about my safety, about being robbed or attacked.  I never have to worry about how I am going to make it to the store, and if I have exact change to pay the taxi driver.  Katie reflected on being back in the US after being in Uganda for so long.

"I 'miss' Jesus [when I am in the US].  He hasn't disappeared, of course, but I feel so far from Him because my life is actually functioning without Him" (121).  

"Sometimes I felt it easier to cling to Jesus in that state of having nothing than it was to cling to Him while surrounded by the abundance of America" (132).

Those words touched and spoke to my soul.

Over winter break I opened my Bible twice.  I never once wrote in my prayer journal while I was in Oregon.  I had maybe two conversations about Jesus when I was back there.  In the DR I crave communicating with God in my prayer journal.  I spend time with Jesus in the word because my life would not function without it.  My conversations constantly talk about all the BIG things God is doing in my life here in the DR because I constantly rely on Him.  

Katie cries out, "I want big things from God!" (153) 

How often that has been my cry, as well.  Let that be our cry in 2016.  We wait expectantly for you, Lord.

Con mucho amor.

Currently Reading

What I've been watching and reading: I have been helping out with the youth group at one of the churches I go to.  Last Saturday we had a special day where we watched the most amazing movie.  It is called Faith like Potatoes.  It is about a Scottish gentleman and his family farming in Africa.  At the beginning of the movie he starts out a rough, mean, angry guy.  God transforms his heart and life and uses him in big ways in Africa.

The condition for a miracle is difficulty, however the condition for a great miracle is impossibility. 

We need faith like potatoes.  Plain, simple, real faith that will sustain us in our everyday lives. 

It is based on a true story, and there is also a book.  I am going to buy it on Kindle and maybe use it with the boys for Bible class in the spring.

We are currently reading Peace Child for our Bible class.  It is the most fascinating book about missionaries in New Guinea in the 1960s.  They are trying to connect to a culture based on treachery and cannibalism.  Every day when I stop reading the boys beg me for another chapter.

Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza was a book I found on this list of books to read before you die.  I splurged and purchased it from Barnes and Noble this summer, but didn't get a chance to read it until I got back here.  It is the story of a woman during the Rwandan genocide.  It is a heroic tale of survival and forgiveness.  

It is impossible for a person to harbor anger and hatred when their hearts are bursting with love. pg 223

One book that I fell in love with this fall is called One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp.  One of my bosses suggested it for a book to read as a class.  It is too poetic and wordy for the boys, but I loved it.  The main message is to be thankful.  We overlook all the little blessings God showers over our lives.  We get too wrapped up in ourselves.  Ann Voskamp challenges readers to make a list of 1,000 gifts or blessings in their lives.  

...live selfishly, skip prayer, complain, go to bed late, neglect cleaning the toilets.  I live tired.  Afraid.  Anxious.  Weary.  pg 27

The hurry makes us hurt. pg 66

The real problem of life is never a lack of time.  The real problem of life - in my life is lack of thanksgiving. pg 72

Thanksgiving is what multiplies the joy and makes any life large, and I hunger for it.  pg 48

A few weekends ago I went to the mountains of Constanza.  It was a wonderful time for me to simply rest, relax, and read.  In a meeting recently and someone mentioned the book Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan.  I purchased the book over the summer for the boys to read.  Many years ago when I was in middle school I remember reading it, but I hadn't opened it since then.  I gobbled it down over the weekend in Constanza.  I could relate and understand so much more now.  There is Spanish mixed in with the English text, just like how Julia Alvarez (one of my favorite authors) writes.

I often use websites that send me an e-mail with cheap or free Kindle books for the day.  Last year around this time I downloaded Sugerplum Homecoming.  I loved the Christmas love story.  This year I am looking for another Christmas-y story.  Any suggestions?

In high school I loved reading realistic fiction.  It was my go-to genre.  Since moving to the DR, I love reading Christian books and books about missionaries.  It is fascinating to read stories about how God is moving and working all over the world.  I also love reading multicultural books, or books that weave in Spanish.  I have been using Thrift Books to purchase novels.  When I spent $50 I get a $5 coupon for my next order.  I also have been buying books on the Kindle app, but I love actually holding books.  It is just challenging to do that here in the DR because there aren't many any bookstores.

My TO READ NEXT list:

• Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose: This book is also a true story about a woman in a prison camp during WWII.  The girls in the Reyes Academy are reading it at the moment, and this woman had incredible faith to endure the camp.  
• Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis: This is the story of Katie, a missionary who left her whole life behind in the US to move to Uganda.  She is only 22 years old and has set up a child sponsorship program with over 400 kids getting food, schooling, and the love of Jesus.  
• Faith like Potatoes by Angus Buchan: The book I talked about above. 
• A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah: One of the books I purchased for the boys this summer.  It is about kid soldiers in Sierra Leone.
• Fervent by Priscilla Shirer: The non fiction book that accompanies her movie, War Room.  It is a book about prayer strategy.  

What are you reading?  What is on your book list?  

Con mucho amor. 

#bannedbookweek

What we've been doing: Last week was Banned Book Week.  I did not do anything last year to celebrate this week, but this year I saw Tracee Orman pinning lots of interesting ideas on Pinterest for the week.  I decided to join her and celebrate it with my students.

Day 1: We started off banned book week with a series of Youtube videos.  The first one we watched was a cute stop animation of what happens at a book store at night.  You can find it here.  Then we watched this man explain the history of banned books.  Lastly, we watched this video that showed many banned or challenged books and why they were challenged.

Day 2: These 11 quotes from authors on banned books provided a great discussion about the reasons behind banning books.  Next time I would use these quotes as a starting point for a class discussion where they would be graded.

Day 3: On Wednesday we went through a PowerPoint of these crazy reasons why 12 picture books have been banned.  Reading and discussing the reasons behind banning children's books really put things in perspective on the crazy reasons people don't want books shared.

Day 4:  The students took a "how scandalous is your reading history" quiz.  Then we looked at these images of banned book character's mug shots.  We spent the next hour drawing our own.  I drew Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird, but it's not good enough to post on the blog.  :)  Here were the final products of the rest of the kids.  We had Captain Underpants, Little Red Ridinghood, and even Gatsby!

Day 5:  We have never done a debate before as a class, so we decided to take on the challenge to end Banned Book Week.  Before starting, we talked about debates, what they look like and how you should talk and react.  My coteacher found a video of one woman doing a mini debate, representing both sides of the issue.  She tackled school uniforms.  We had the kids draw from a hat which side they would represent.  We gave them only five minutes to prepare for the debate.  Overall, it went well.  The side agreeing with banning books had much stronger arguments, but the side disagreeing with banned books had a better rebuttal.  It was a decent attempt at a first debate.

Next year I would love to create book covers with reasons why the book was banned.  It would be neat to have an interactive bulletin board, or bookshelf display.  It is a little more challenging to do in my tiny classroom.  I love dreaming and thinking about how I will change these lessons in the future.

International Dot Day

What we've been creating/doing: September 15th is one of my favorite days of the year.  DOT DAY.  Here is how we spent Dot Day last year.  This year I wanted the kids to be able to share the experience with others.  My friend teaches 2nd grade at a nearby private school that my kids used to go to.  We spent an afternoon sharing with them.

A few weeks early the kids created their own dots and spent time practicing reading aloud.  We displayed their dots on our clipboard wall display that I love.

The kids started by introducing themselves and reading the story to the second graders.  They did a great job projecting their voices and speaking up.  That was the main goal academically for this adventure.

Then, we split into small groups and my students asked questions about the message of the book.  They talked about what you can do to help and serve others.  Our main question was, "How can you make your mark on the world?"  Their ideas were adorable.

The last activity we did with them was helping the students create their own dot.  We had paint, magazines, markers, colored pencils, and more for them to use.  There were a few spills, but mostly laughter and creativity flying around the classroom.

It was a wonderful day, and my teacher friend even said we should come back again to do something with her class.

I also got to create Dot Day for two other groups of people.  Each Tuesday I go to a girl's home in Santiago.  Back in September we celebrated Dot Day there.  The girls loved the story and sticking their post its on the giant orange dot.  They did an amazing job creating their dots.

I also went to New Hope in La Vega and did Dot Day with the girls there yesterday.  It was a late Dot Day because I couldn't figure out how to get there.  :)  The girls struggled with the theme.  Some of them said their dots were ugly, or they got frustrated in the creating process.  But overall, the girls enjoyed doing something different on the weekend.  My favorite dot was one that said, "Jesus died for you, for me, and for the world."  It touched my heart.  There's a way to make a mark on the world.

Con mucho amor.

First Week of School

What we've been doing:  Popping balloons, photo booth, silly string, coat of arms, TED talk, and brownies were just a few of the things we incorporated into the first week of school.  Yes, that's right, I wrote we.  I am excited to say that I now have a coteacher!  Christin is 24, and this is her third year in the Dominican Republic.

Intro activities: We started off the day with a photo booth using the chalk wall in my classroom.  Christin borrowed boas, top hats, pearls, fake mustaches, and more from the old school she used to work at here in Santiago.  We had fun using the chalk wall to draw halos, devil horns, and speech bubbles.  It was a great way to break the ice and get a little goofy at the start of the year.

Christin suggested we make coat of arms that represent ourselves.  She used this as a beginning of the year activity with her students before.  The girls coat of arms came out a little more creative than the boys, but it was great to see them thinking creatively.

Some of the students play instruments this year, so we got to start the day with worship.  I loved praying with the boys last year, so it is incredible that we get to incorporate music, instruments, and song into the curiculum this year.

We then watched this TED talk by John Green about paper towns and mapping one's life.  We then created mind maps with goals and ambitions for the year.  Everyone took a love language test and we set a challenge of loving someone this week.  I saw some cute notes exchanged with inspirational quotes, which made those needing words of encouragement feel loved.

We also had them write letters to themselves that will get opened at the end of the year.  This Khan Academy "You can learn anything" video accompanied the letter to themselves activity.

The students also brainstormed what a good student and good teacher act/say/do.  The answers were sometimes funny (a good teacher should shower, a good teacher should share their cookies) and sometimes very insightful.

It was a busy first day, but I felt so good at the end.  Tired, but good.  I got to know the sisters better and got to celebrate school.  Our hashtag for the year is #bestyearever.

Team building:  Christin and I thought it would be good to include some team building, fun activities at the start of the day this week.  We did charades one day (the girls creamed the boys).  We also completed the marshmallow challenge.  Using tape, yarn, marshmallows and spaghetti noodles they had to create the tallest structure.  The boys quickly built something that I thought would win.  But they girls ended up creating a taller tower by one inch.

Bible: Reading the Bible is so important.  Hebrews 4:12 says that it is LIVING and ACTIVE.  God uses it to speak truth into our lives.  I wanted the boys to learn how to read it on their own.  I wanted to give God an opportunity to speak to them individually.  I purchased these simple little sketchbooks.  I had them each pick a chapter or two out of the Bible to begin.  They spent a couple days reading the passage, and a couple days drawing the verses that impacted them.  It turned into a sort of Bible art journaling.  Each of the boys picked a book from the Old Testament.  I am so excited for how they turned out the first week.

Spanish:  On day 1 of Spanish class we played a game called Tingo, Tingo, Tango.  I played this game at youth group once here in the Dominican Republic.  There are a bunch of balloons with one question inside each balloon.  One person stands on the side and yells, "tingo, tingo, tingo..." while the balloon is passed in the circle.  When the person on the side yells, "tango" the person with the balloon must sit and pop it.

The kids used the answers to these questions to write Spanish stories about their summers.  One of my goals this year is to get the boys writing more, and they finished a mini Spanish story within week 1.  Awesome!

Writing:  I had the boys each get a writing notebook this year.  Every day they will come in and there will be a writing prompt on the board.  The first day I used a creative writing prompt, but each day is something a little different.  The boys need a lot of writing practice.  This week A wrote over a page, single spaced, and he is the one who struggles the most with writing.  J also wrote over a page one day.  I thought about stopping them part of the way through because we needed to move on, but I was so thrilled they were writing.

Happy Friday: To celebrate the first week of school, Christin and I sprayed the kids down with silly string and then fed them brownies.  They were so surprised, but then stated that revenge was coming.  It was a great way to end the week.

What I've been reading/watching/creating:  

This blog post about teaching that touched my heart and left me in tears.

The First5 app has been incredibly encouraging and convicting.

I got watercolor markers before I left to come back to the DR.  I have been having the best time playing with them.  Creating is a great way for me to get rid of stress.  Plus, I've made some pretty neat pieces.

Christin and I started watching the TV show Elementary.

I finished Confess by Colleen Hoover on the plane rides here, and I am currently reading Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult.  Next on my reading list is Talk like TED, a nonfiction book I would love to use with my students.

I am excited to be back in this country.  I am excited for new friendships, new adventures, new teaching ideas and resources.  I cannot wait to see what God does this year in my heart and in the hearts of my students.