These are pictures of the first grade class I've been with for the past two weeks (that is Spring Break of course). I was afraid I couldn't take two weeks of student teaching during Spring Break because I was coming of the hardest 3 at Moody I've ever had (I'm talking about academically). I had just run that camp, turned in a 30 page unit plan for one of my classes, and a couple of other huge projects, and then I finished it all off with three midterms. Then, on monday off to student teaching! So, it's been a little crazy.

Student teaching actually was a nice break, the family my friend Tami and I stayed with were so sweet to us. The 40+ hour weeks felt like nothing the way I've been running the past few weeks and accept for a tough bout with the flu it was an easy two weeks. I really hated the curriculum the school was under, because it was all about the worksheets and memorization (that is rote learning), but even that did turn out to be a blessing because I didn't have to put in the long hard hours that I probably would have on lesson planning (just because there wasn't that much you could do with it).

I look at it like this: teaching and learning are arts. If you give someone a paint-by-number, then you get what you get. You also suck a lot of the beauty out of it. Anyways, to make a long story short I didn't gain any amazing pedagogical skills, the theory behind this school was bad, and I really didn't develop my skills all that well; but it did remind me where my heart is in all this. I just love kids. Even first graders and even when I can't teach the way I want to.

I think I shall end with a couple of funny stories for the road for those of you dedicated enough to read through all of my rants on educational theories.

When I was teaching Bible we had to play this game where the kids identify whether certain qualities as being qualities of someone ready-to-serve or not-ready-to-serve. I made the mistake of not reading through the cards before I started the game. A lot of these cards were things the kids were unfamiliar with (so I explained them in simple terms). "Drunkeness," I explained, "Is when you've had too much alcohol to drink."

Then, this little kid with a mouth bigger than his entire body blurts out, "My big sister got sick from drinking too much alcohol... She threw up! My Dad was so mad!" This is a small school and small town and small church-- I'm sure mom and dad will be really happy about that one.

I guess this last story is more cute than funny so please discontinue reading if you hate cute: The teacher told my class that my professor was coming to evaluate my teaching and all of the kids were so excited--which seemed like a good thing. I figured it was probably not so good for my grade when several kids right in front of her blurted out, "She's older than Mrs. Hoffman! How old is she?!"

But that's not cute that's obnoxious. What is cute is that one of the parents told me her son came home and had the whole family praying for me. There are some good perks to a Christian School. We'll have to see if I end up in one as I just found out about two interesting public school opportunities I did not know were out there. Well I am impressed if anyone (besides you scanners whom I do not judge because I am one myself--but come on now you only read every third line or so) so I will be done for now.