The 26th birthday has arrived. It’s crept up on me. This school year is really flying by so quickly, granted it we are only entering November and there are months to go. It has been just a busy, busy time. Not that that is a bad thing. Things have been going well and I’ve been learning a lot and am being stretched in many areas. I’m thankful for that and hope I’m up to the tasks set in front of me.
I never got to a “Holi-birthday List” this year, so clearly it will be just a Christmas list at this point, though I’m not sure what all that might entail. The thing is, I can’t really think of anything I really “want” or “need”. It’s all icing at this point. I’m grateful to have a job, have wonderful friends and family, have a roof over my head and clothes to wear and those are the things that count because I know God’s got it all under control and He’s blessed me with another year. One of the best gifts I’ve gotten on my birthday this year has been a nearly three hour conversation with two amazing friends in Pennsylvana last night. Speaker phone, pictures, video, guessing games…all included in this conversation that took place at 10:70 (and if you’re curious about that, just ask…it’s a thing from back in college). It’s nice to know technology can bridge the gap between people in some small way.
In other news, as is customary for me at this point in the year, it is ON. The Christmas music, that is. 
It IS the most wonderful time of the year, starting TODAY!
Last night at a meeting I was in with several other Quest volunteers, I decided that our icebreaker would be sharing what we would like our super power to be…if we had one. One of them, a music teacher, shared that she’d love to have the power to make people break out into song thus making life…a musical. I like that idea quite a bit. The great thing is that this is a reality. This is the greatest video ever. I wish life were more like this…. So many more smiling faces.
The first guy’s dance moves are hilarious and watching people constantly run in and join is entertaining. And when you think it doesn’t get any more awesome, techno Julie Andrews comes in and we see them doing the macarena and many other hilarious dance moves. Then they all go on their merry way.
Further proof that life CAN be like a musical…
Love it.
Life has been very busy lately with school, a class I’m having to take, church, conferences, several parties, and now October is here and FLYING BY. I think there are literally 5-6 days this month when I don’t have something after school. Weekends are full too. I’ve been working on school stuff, church stuff, wedding parties, grad school application, rounding up everything to go with that, and studying for the GRE. Suffice to say, I’ve had quite a busy beginning of the school year and needed much sleep. But alas, I have a moment and can post something!!
Friday 5: Seven Days
- This past week, were you more predator or prey? Predator… As in a predator for information. Going to the UNC sponsored World View Symposium on education, globalization and 21st century skills was mind blowing. I came away knowing a lot, having a lot more questions, a lot of ideas, and ready to change it up and take it up a notch.
- Which Beatles song title could best be the title of your week? Eight Days a Week
- “Roses are red / Violets are blue / ___________ / __________.” How would you complete this poem so that it described this past week? I learned something new this week/How about you?
- How many pieces of unopened mail are sitting wherever you put your unopened mail? 2-3
- What was the best meal of the past seven days? Caribbean Chicken Wrap at HAM’S in Chapel Hill
This past weekend we had something called Student Takeover at church. Pastor Steven preached a message aimed at the students in our church (middle school, high school, college) challenging them to answer 4 important questions about who they are, who they answer to (world vs. God), etc. As a special part of this service, the creative team put together a music video to encourage them to do well in school this year with a few of the band players (the awesome Larry Tran who plays the keys and Luke Hill who plays the drums). It’s HILARIOUS. Check it out.
We’ll start with the solemn and then end with the humor of children. They provide such laughter…
8 years ago today I was a senior in theatre class when a girl came in and mentioned something about a plane and a building. Nothing was said about where it was, so we all just thought it was a tragic accident or something that happened on a movie set. I went to lunch and this was all everyone was talking about. By the time I got to my psychology class we saw the news and saw what actually happened. TVs were on in all classrooms. When I got to AP English at the end of the day, Dr. Taylor decided the tv needed to finally be shut off – that we didn’t need to keep watching everything over and over. So for those 50 minutes…we sat there, with the lights off, quiet and just reflecting. I remember our principal coming over the PA system once or twice to calm fears and for students with parents who may have been in NY or DC to come to the office to make phone calls so that they didn’t have to keep wondering about their family.
One thing I really remember about that time was my prayer life heating up but I also recall how much we began to pay attention and really SEE EACH OTHER. People saying hello and holding doors where once before they would have bumped into another person and said nothing. Our humanity was never more apparent and that was something we really needed as a country because we were spinning out of control with out materialism, we were becoming money making robots, and we forgot the faith of our founding fathers. 8 years later…in some ways we are better off, but I have to wonder if we’re creeping back in the other direction… Once again forgetting our priorities, becoming robots again, letting our faith fall to the side, becoming complacent again. And honestly, I can’t say I see the current administration helping this situation – ready to openly talk with North Korea all of a sudden, it’s not terrorist it’s “criminal”, and so on and so forth.. The great thing, however, is that God is always has been, is and always will be in control.
Also good to know that there ARE people out there who remember well what happened and are changed and doing something about it. I had the news on for a second and they were talking to a guy who lost his father. They were standing at ground zero and he called it “ground hero” in passing. At first I thought he mis-spoke and then a minute later I realized that wasn’t a slip of the tongue…he did mean to say it that way. If you ask me, that’s a much better term and less depressing. In spite of the lives lost, over 3000 were saved at the cost of losing 30+ firemen and policemen.
Friday 5: 5 Greatest Things I’ve Heard at School (from kids)
1. “Ms. Gallagher, this is my new girlfriend!” – said by a 1st grader as he put his arm around a girl in his class. Her response? “______, you’re embarrassing me!”
2. To understand what’s going to go here, I have to first tell you that each week I’ve been putting a trivia question outside my door that has to do with something in Spanish speaking countries. The question is usually in English and the kids can respond at any time during the week and use books, computers, and ask people to help them with the answer. Well, this particular week the question was “In what country did the guitar originate?” I had a third grade class leaving and several of them were writing down their answers. One little boy put his answer in and then whispered to me, “I know the answer – it’s Alabama.” I asked him if he was sure and he replied, “No…wait…it’s really Tennessee, I meant to put Tennessee.” That cracked me AND his teacher up.
3. A week or so ago I was doing an activity with some second graders where we were discussing the difference between “nino” (boy) and “nina” (girl). I asked each of them whether they were a “nino” or “nina” and we were graphing boys vs. girls so that we could then count them up. I think in this particular class there were an even number of boys and girls so I decided to have some fun and added myself to the girls side so that there were more girls than boys. They thought that was amusing. Fast forward to dismissal… I’m in the hallway and that second grade class is walking to the buses. A girl in that class whispers to me as she walks by, “Thanks for making the girls win!” Again…laughter. It’s wonderful to know that what she truly remembered from my class that day was that THE GIRLS WON. haha.
4. “I will do whatever you want, whenever you want.” – first grade girl who is very talkative and wants to be the teacher’s pet. hahaha.
5. I was doing an activity with 5th grade asking them their name in Spanish – Como te llamas tu? Me llamo _________. After that they drew themselves and wrote “Me llamo ___________.” What did one boy write partially to be funny, partially writing what he heard (I had the sentence written on the board for them): “Me almond _________.” Now, if you say “Me llamo” fast enough, it can sound like “Me almond…” ha.
The last few days people have been asking how the first week of school has gone and honestly, I haven’t got anything on the negative side to say…except for maybe the whole having to get up at 5am thing.
I’ve spent this past week feeling so thankful and really EXCITED about the possibility this year holds. Things have been so positive so far and it’s been great. I know many factors play into the whole positive atmosphere right now – a new school year, so many people being thankful they have a job, shifts in grade levels (something new to learn), a great new assistant principal, and understanding and support among the staff with all the changes this year in scheduling and other various aspects of school life.
To be honest, last year I was ending the year in a rut. The first half of the 2008-2009 school year was great. The second half of the school year, so many things and situations that were out of my hands popped up unexpectedly. I tried to meet them head on and gave it my all…but it really wore me out handling the job of two people by myself while basically coaching someone else on how to try to teach Spanish. I was at the point where I was trying to decide if I wanted to stay where I was or if I needed a serious change of pace. I wasn’t really happy with what was going on with lessons, but not for lack of doing what I could given all of the extenuating circumstances. I was ready for the school year to be over.
For most of the summer, I did nothing remotely related to school and that was probably the best thing I could have done for myself. When workdays rolled around, I wasn’t jumping up and down with excitement, but I was glad to get back into a routine. There were so many things that were up in the air even at workdays that I wasn’t sure how the school year was going to start.
Well, they’ve started well. While there are many changes with teachers switching grade levels (and the grade levels we have now – wow, phenomenal), additions to schedules, new technology expectations (and a good way to save paper!), the addition of a new assistant principal, etc…everyone is beginning this year ready for the challenges ahead, supportive and understanding, and thankful to be where they are with the job that they have been given. There’s something else I can’t quite pinpoint, but the atmosphere at school has just been so positive. I’m excited and I’ve changed some things up in my routine, added some things to my classroom management and added in some fun stuff for the kids for us to do everyday.
I’m excited. I’m so glad I’m able to say that after a hard second half of last year.
Also exciting:
- Studying for the GRE…even though I’m not sure what I want my master’s in yet. I figure it will become more clear to me after I take the GRE.
- Being part of the Globalization team at school and getting to go to the WorldView Symposium in October with 3 other teachers.
- My moodle page – http://moodle.ucps.k12.nc.us/course/view.php?id=2344
- B90X
- Fall weather is coming…sometime.
- Elevation’s new Matthews campus
I’m here…in this world. It’s a very busy one right now, however. Between back to back vacations and then school workdays starting plus a new campus opening up at church and school starting this week, well…you’re just going to have to wait for the stories and pictures about all of the above and more. They’ll probably be spread out over several posts since it’s all very exciting stuff, but here’s what’s to come:
- Ya Mon – Cruise to the Bahamas
- Trip to the Mountains
- Jury Duty and Taco Salad
- Workdays… Or How Long It Takes to Put Up 5 Bulletin Boards
- Matthews… You Just Got Elevated
It’s a miracle my brain isn’t fried after all the events that have occurred since last Thursday. Between the cruise, getting back to NC, having little sleep, and jury duty today… I’m mush.
There will definitely be a forthcoming post about the cruise, I just don’t have the brain power to handle organizing all of that on here right now. There are pictures and some video on my facebook though…
Today I had jury duty. Hooray. I was originally summoned for Monday, August 10. That wasn’t really going to work considering at 8:00AM I’d still be on a cruise ship and the rest of the day I’d be in a car heading back to North Carolina. Thankfully I got it changed to today. Sat around for a while, got called in the first group of potential jurors for a civil case, sat through questioning after questioning after questioning and at 3:30… After THREE DAYS of questioning potential jurors, they finally had their 12 and an alternate. And thankfully… I’m not one of them.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect today. I was intrigued by the thought of being on a jury, not a fan of the jury selection process though. That can last FOREVER. If I had been picked, it would have been hard to be on a case that would go into next week considering workdays start soon and I have a lot of work ahead of me. Throughout the day, however, one thing stuck with me that they presented during the orientation. They highlighted a program that the state has for serving and protecting children in court which members of the public can volunteer for as a guardian ad litem. I’ve heard the term before and hadn’t really associated it with anything. The funny thing is lately I’ve watched a few old episodes of a show that used to be on CBS called “The Guardian” which was about a lawyer who was sentenced to community service using his lawyer skills to be an advocate for children at Child and Family Services. Get it?? The GUARDIAN. GUARDIAN ad litem? The fact that I immediately linked those two things together was both entertaining and informative. Entertaining because I wasn’t expecting to have any reason to think about that show at court and informative because it helped me understand what guardian ad litem meant. I actually looked up information on being a guardian ad litem in Charlotte on a computer there while waiting around.
Lately something has been pulling at me…ok, let’s be honest, God’s been laying it on my heart that I need to get back to doing something with volunteer for the community work outside school and church (through which I also am grateful to have volunteer opportunities given to me). When I was in high school I volunteered at the hospital in the women’s and children’s unit for a year. It was a great experience. I haven’t had the chance to do something so consistent in the last few years between college and my first years of teaching. I’ve been looking around and listening in different places for a way I can start pouring more out of myself into others to help and build them up. It’s been hard to know what that might be… I’ve had several different ideas, I just haven’t acted upon them yet and then today I get summoned for jury duty and hear about the Guardian ad Litem program in Charlotte. I don’t get picked to sit on a jury. The info on the website filters through my mind throughout the day, I keep hearing what the clerks mentioned about the program over and over in my head. I’m beginning to think that the whole point of me being there, up early, fighting traffic, waiting, sitting, listening and in the end not being picked…wasn’t just to waste my day. Perhaps I was there to hear about this program so that I could do something about it.
Being a guardian ad litem is not a mindless volunteer position. There are actually 9 or so training sessions, you attend court cases, investigate things, make suggestions for placements, get an id, and are sworn into the position. It’s a lot of work. My heart is pulled towards it, however, for the chance to let the children out there in the city know they are worth something, they have someone on their side who cares about them and is looking out for them, and just to have the chance to be Jesus to kids who probably haven’t had the best lives. What an awesome opportunity to get to know them, mentor them, and be there for them in a rough spot in life.
There’s more info on the Guardian ad Litem program here. Check it out. If anyone is interested in trying this with me, please let me know.
In honor of my departure for a cruise to the Bahamas at 4am on Friday, here’s the Friday Five… The 54 minute early edition.
5 Things I Should Be Doing Right Now
1. Getting a couple of hours of sleep.
2. Cutting and dividing up the snack I made to split between cars.
3. Putting the iPod away.
4. Putting the computer away.
5. Sleeping.
And with that, I’m off.
I found out last week that the staff at church would be doing something they are calling “B90X”, a take off from P90X (or whatever that thing is called…). Essentially, the entire staff would be reading the entire Bible in 90 days. Get it? B – 90 – X!
Sunday at church, the children’s director invited some of the lead volunteers in eKidz to join the church staff and gave us each a Bible (complete with a “B90X” stamp on the front) and the reading schedule they are using. I felt humbled and honored that they would seek to include us. I now have seen via twitter that Pastor Steven (@stevenfurtick) has put the challenge out there to the rest of the church and anyone else on twitter. He even included a link to the reading schedule so that people could follow it. It’s amazing and intense! Whole Bible…read before my 26th birthday.
I started reading yesterday and have a few thoughts and insights to share. Sure, lots of these stories have been spoken about before, I’ve read them, heard them in Sunday school, etc. For some reason, this go-round, different things are popping out at me and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Plus, since they gave me a Bible specifically for this, I’m marking it up like crazy. I’m going to try to put a link to the reading schedule at the bottom.
B90X Insights
- A huge theme throughout what we’ve read so far (Genesis 1-28:19) is God’s grace and mercy. It reaches so far we can’t even fathom it. How He loves us.
- Cain – despite the fact that he killed his brother, God still cared about him. Cain thought he deserved death and instead the Lord spoke to him and said those who sought to kill him would suffer seven times over. Incredible.
- Abram – It was interesting to me to note that as Abram left the land of his father and wandered for a while that each time he stopped, he built an altar to the Lord. Similar to the 12 stones, these reminded me of how we must remember where we have come from.
- Sarah – The Lord visited Abram and Sarah to tell them they would have a child…even in old age. Sarah laughed and it was intriguing to me how the Lord responded. Flat out serious asking, “Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything to hard for the Lord?” Great way to set someone straight. I love it. It also reminded me of the song “Healer” – “Nothing is impossible for you, nothing is impossible for you, nothing is impossible for you, you hold my world in your hands”.
- Sodom, Gomorrah and Abraham – As Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was in Sodom, it was interesting to read the back and forth between him and the Lord. Abraham pleaded for the Lord to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if he found 50 righteous men among the wicked. The Lord said if he found 50 He would not destroy the city. Abraham continued questioning the Lord’s intent, dwindling the numbers down from 50 to 45 to 40 to 30 to 20 and finally to 10. Each time the Lord’s answer remained the same, “For the sake of 10, I will not destroy it.” It’s funny how Abraham’s faith came into question here, wondering how far he could push the Lord into discovering His true intent. Even today we wonder how far we can push it. God was so patient with Abraham’s incessant questioning when from the start, He’d given him a clear answer. How patient He is with us and how much He must love us to not do the same amongst us today.
- Lot – Again, seriously, how can people wonder if the Lord is providing for them or not? The angels were with Lot overnight before they were set to destroy the cities and in the morning when they saw he was hesitant to go, they escorted him and his family outside the city. Even when we’re stubborn and hesitant, even when we’re right on the edge of trouble, He will still lead us out.
- Laban, Rebekah’s brother – Nice to see even back then the big brother was looking out for the sister. Just sayin’.
- Jacob and Esau – Ah. Boys will be boys. Food comes before everything else. haha.
Anyway. Loving this so far. Apparently they got the general idea for this through the website biblein90days.org where they call it “B90″. I like the “B90X” because it brings out the challenge in doing this, the exercise of a spiritual discipline, etc. Plus it’s just a fun name for it.
Here is the link for the reading schedule. It should automatically come up as a pdf download. I think my favorite part of the actual reading schedule from a creative standpoint is at the very bottom in the lower right hand corner. The Elevation symbol (^) Dharma style.
