Q&A Time

Happy Saturday Y'all

A few days ago, I asked friends on Instagram to share any questions they may have about my life/ministry here in Senegal, West Africa. So I have included these in this post. If you're reading and have any other questions after this, either ask below or send me an email. 

I'm basically an open book :)

I came to Senegal for the first time in July 2009 and I’ve been here ever since (minus 1.5 years halfway through when I went back to help out with my dad).

I am the only Special Education Teacher at my K-12 school. So I could potentially have students in all grades. At the moment, I have them in all grades but K, 1st, 2nd, and 8th. And yes, it’s just as crazy and fun as you would think :)

Thankfully they are not all in my room at the exact same time. But we do often have a lot of overlap of different grades meeting at once. So I do a lot of rotation style teaching. And thankfully I have someone helping out in my room for half of the day this semester. So that helps too. Honestly, it isn’t always easy. But we make it work. And everyone is learning and happy, so all is good.

I love teaching Bible the most. Second would probably be a tie between  English/Writing and History. I teach all subjects (just not to the same grades). And honestly, I enjoy it all. ...except, I may not love some things as much as others. Case in point: Higher level Math. Yuck!

As of now, I am planning to come back to the States this summer. I need to speak in a few churches and do a bit of missions support raising. I also need to get some CEUs for my education side of things, so I’m hoping to attend the MEGA Conference in Alabama this summer as well.

I did NOT have COVID. My school requires teachers to quarantine if they have traveled internationally. The requirement is 3 days. But after discussing it with my supervisor, I chose 7 days just to be extra cautious, considering the more high-risk nature of some of my students.

We are currently in-person (F2F). Here’s hoping it stays that way the rest of the school year. :)

Ceebu yaap - It's the most deliciously cooked mixture of rice, beef, and veggies. Typically, it's cooked long and slow and is full of incredible flavor. While I do enjoy all of the Senegalese dishes I've tried, this one is by far my favorite.

That’s a hard one. They’re both easier for different reasons. 

The US is easier because there are certain protocols in place for teaching SPED that we don’t necessarily have here. Plus there’s Walmart and Target and all sorts of Teacher Stores to easily and cheaply buy resources I need. And in terms of finances, I get paid far more teaching in the US.

But, at the same time, it’s easier here. I don’t have nearly as much paperwork to do here. I teach in a Christian school so I can freely teach about/discuss God and His awesomeness with my students. And I don't really care about the money. That's not why I'm here.

I love Alabama. It will always be “home” for me. But, I don’t know... Some days I could see myself being here forever and then other days... 

And if I’m being honest, while I do love Alabama, I could be happy living anywhere. I really could. So even if I end up moving back to the US at some point, there's no guarantee that I'll stay in Alabama.

My ankles are definitely improving and are better than when I left Dakar 7 weeks ago. But they're still not at 100%. I have done damage to the muscles in the left one (the good one). Plus, my range of motion is awful in that one. So I’m still having occasional pain/swelling in it. And then the right one (the broken one) still has the fracture that won't completely heal for some reason. But my range of motion is far better in that one. I may never be back at 100%. But at least I’m not in pain all the time anymore. And for that, I am grateful.

I am a Missionary Associate with the Assemblies of God. My primary ministry is to teach at Dakar Academy. Therefore, I am a Missionary Teacher :)

I’m currently studying the book of Romans.

Help me pray for continued healing in my ankles. Help me pray for peace of mind, as well.

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 Today, I'm joining Erika and Andrea, for their weekly Friday Favorites linkup and sharing a few questions about my one of my most favorite parts of my life... my job and my life in Senegal. A few days ago, I asked friends on Instagram to share any questions they may have. And these are the ones in this post. If you have any other questions after this, either ask below or send me an email and I'll be happy to answer them for you. I'm basically an open book, after all :)

And yes... I do realize it's Saturday. I fully intended to post this yesterday (Friday). But I ended up staying in bed most of the day, taking full advantage of my last day of peace and quiet in quarantine, with very little screen time. So blogging was definitely low on my list of priorities.

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What's Up January

  Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up. 

Every month we answer the same list of questions based on how things are currently going in our lives. 

The questions are...

 

What am I eating?

Thanks to a gift card from a friend I’ve been enjoying my fill of Taco Bell during this trip. A couple nights ago, I finished out the gift card by treating my mom and nieces to a yummy dinner after we sent the girls’ mom and dad out on a date night.

What am I reminiscing about?

Memories with my dad... I so miss him.

 What am I loving?

I have loved the extra time spent with my family. I hate it took an injury to make it happen. But I have definitely loved it!

What have I been up to?

I've been doing a few intensive Physical Therapy sessions each week. Oh my word, y'all... They've hurt. But it's been good. And I can definitely tell a difference. I'm still not at 100%. And according to my Physical Therapist, it's possible that I may never be. But it's definitely much better than it was. So for that, I am definitely grateful.

What am I dreading? 

30ish hours of travel... Sitting is not ideal for me at the moment. Even with the improvement I’ve made, my ankles still do not like me sitting for long periods of time with my feet hanging down. And lots of walking still hurts too. So long flights/layovers when I can't really prop my feet up for very long are a (literal) pain.

What am I working on?

Giving myself permission to rest... My goal is to do better at this in 2021. 

 What am I excited about?

Seeing my students’ faces again next week...

What am I watching?

Very little...

What am I reading?

I'm currently reading my 5th book of the year. Having lots of "down time" helps with that. That's for sure... I'm hoping I can keep it up when I get back to work. We'll see. :)

What am I listening to?

I’ve been listening to one of my most favorite sounds in the world... I love hearing these girls’ sweet little voices/giggles. They’re growing up so much. It hurts my heart to miss out on so much of their sweet little lives. But I am so grateful for all the time I have with them, listening to them chat about all the things. It definitely does my aunt heart good. 

What am I wearing?

Two of these bracelets...

 What am I doing this weekend?

I leave early Friday morning, heading back to Senegal. I’ll arrive there on Saturday morning. So I imagine I’ll be spending the weekend, unpacking, working at the school, and at some point... Crashing from jet lag.

What am I looking forward to next month?

Not sure what February will hold... So we’ll see.

What else is new?

Lesson planning across two continents... My sub is still in Senegal, being awesome and working with my students, checking in with them, sending me texts full of information and pictures of various textbook pages and worksheets, grading their assignments, holding video chat meetings for students to present their projects, emailing back and forth with them, etc. I’m here in the US for the rest of this week, so I did what I'd ordinarily do in modifying my original sub plans to upload/create virtual learning lessons instead, since our school is doing that this week. And my sub and I will chat each day about how things are going and see if we need to make any changes as we go. I've said it before and I'll say it again... This woman has been a lifesaver. My teacher heart is so happy, knowing my people are taken care of. And I can continue to enjoy my last few days in the States with my family, and not have to officially work while still being on unpaid leave for the rest of the week.

And that's what I'm up to this month.

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

Currently

Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today I'm joining Anne from In Residence for her monthly link-up, where we share what's currently going on in our lives. And each month, Anne gives us a list of prompts to use to guide our posts. 

October's prompts are...

  * admiring *  going * making * scheduling * wishing*

I'm currently admiring the handiwork of some of our elementary students. I love seeing their creative minds, thinking up these elaborate structures. I love hearing their conversations with one another, making plans for what steps they’ll need to take. And most of all, I love seeing them work together, encouraging one another, whether it be while studying spelling words, reading aloud, writing a story, practicing multiplication facts, or being creative and building something like the bus pictured below.

I'm currently going to be sending a fun envelope to my nieces, thanks to a co-worker making a trip back to the States. Yay for the chance to send fun mail. I also may or may not have found some inexpensive holiday book options on Amazon to send them as well. My aunt heart is super happy when I can spoil my nieces just a little :)

I'm currently making very little food. I'm trying to eat up what I have in my apartment. Even if that means means taking a sandwich and some chips for lunch, instead of a normal “hot lunch” like what I’m used to. 

I'm currently scheduling Physical Therapy appointments for my ankle. Or at least someone is helping me to do so, since my French is not the best when needing to know medical terminology... Also, we’re finding it to be somewhat difficult to find a PT with teacher friendly hours. Fun times, y’all. 

I'm currently wishing the news I’d gotten on my ankle would’ve been better. It turns out that not only has my fracture not fully healed, but I also have a torn ligament. So it totally makes sense that I’ve literally been in pain while walking, every single day for the past 4 months. Help me pray that PT helps and I don’t have to end up needing surgery...

 And since it's my blog and I can, I thought I'd share a couple more :)

I'm currently attending our Professional Development sessions today and tomorrow. I'm a weird one. The learner in me is stoked when we have workshops and training days and stuff like this. I love it!

I'm currently reading my 32nd book of the year. And now I'm starting to wonder how many I will have read by the end of the year. Knowing that I have a long weekend this weekend, combined with both Thanksgiving Break and Christmas Break happening before the last day of 2020 helps. I can read all sorts of books during those times when I'm off from work. So who knows what my 2020 Book Total will be :)

I'm currently missing my family. Ironically, the COVID situation in Senegal seems to be under control. Go Senegal! But it's still pretty rough in the US. So I just don’t know... Do I go at Christmas? Do I wait 'til summer? Decisions, decisions...

I'm currently looking forward to this upcoming weekend. We don't have school on Friday and I'm planning to take full advantage of the extra time off from work by embracing the art of "self-care." I'm planning to rest/relax and also (and more importantly), spend some time in prayer and study of His Word. There's been so much going on lately that my brain feels like it's swimming. So I think having a little time "away" and "unplugged" will be good for my brain/heart.

I’m currently prepping to teach yet another lesson each day, of a class which I’ve never taught before. So it looks like I’ve got a bit of studying to do this weekend ;)

  So what about you?

What are you currently up to?

Tuesday Talk

Happy Tuesday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Ashley and Erika for their monthly Tuesday Talk link-up, where bloggers come together and talk about whatever is on our mind at the moment. 

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Want to know what's on my mind today?

Teaching

Yep, teaching.

Somehow time has sped by because I am about to start my 12th year of teaching. I love being a teacher. It's my passion. I joke that it's in my blood. But sometimes, I think that might just be true. I absolutely positively love teaching children. It fills my heart with joy. And I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is what God has called me to do.

But even with all of that, I need to let you in on a little secret.

Teaching is not easy.

Teaching Special Education is not easy.

Teaching Special Education overseas is not easy.

It's hard, y'all.

And then, throw in a global pandemic and "not easy" becomes quite the understatement. 

Our school will be starting in-person, with certain COVID-precautions in place. 

I’m looking forward to starting a new year, to seeing my students again, and even to getting back into a routine again. But I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t at least a small bit of nervousness. There are so many unknowns associated with teaching in the midst of a pandemic.

If I let my brain wander too much, I start worrying about the unknowns...

* the health of my students

* the health of my co-workers and myself

* the necessary precautions making teaching a bit tricky

* wearing a mask all day long during the school day

* "policing" students, knowing they'll need to be wearing their masks most of the day

* the number of COVID cases/deaths steadily rising in Senegal

* travel restrictions from the mission

* the possibility (although unlikely) of returning to online learning at some point

* all the unknowns associated with COVID-19

And those are just the COVID-related concerns I deal with as a teacher here. That doesn't count the concerns I have for my family and friends back home. That doesn't count all the normal teaching stressors/worries that I usually have. 

BUT HERE'S THE DEAL...

And yes, imagine I actually did yell that because I'm trying to be emphatic ;)

I cannot let my brain go to those wonderings. 

I simply can't.

So when I find myself veering that way, I stop.

I focus on the good. 

I focus on how I've seen God working in the midst of the insanity lately. 

I focus on God's Word and the promises/Truth inside.

I focus on God, Himself.

I have learned to rely on Him to help me through the times of worry.

I have learned to trust Him in the midst of the unknowns.

And you know... At the end of the day, the unknowns are still going to be there. The scary times are still going to come. Changes to life and ministry and teaching and travel and everything else are still going to happen. And difficult situations will still arise.

And while they may, indeed, be difficult, there's nothing I can do about them.

But what I can do is control myself. 

I can control how I think.

I can control how I act.

I can control how I respond.

And that is actually a powerful thing.

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 In case you missed the past few months' of Tuesday Talk posts, and you're curious, you can click on the link below to check it out.

January - Confidence

February - When God Gives A Girl A Brother

March - I Spy

April - Technology and Gratitude

 May - The 2019-2020 School Year

June - Forced Rest is Still Rest

July - * no post * 

Currently

Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today I'm joining Anne from In Residence for her monthly link-up, where we share what's currently going on in our lives. And each month, Anne gives us a list of prompts to use to guide our posts. 

August's prompts are...

  * choosing *  consuming * enjoying * ordering * remembering *

I'm currently choosing to work a little each day, slowly weaning my way back into a semi-routine. I'm definitely not doing a lot. But I figured if I do a little bit each day, it won't be too bad when the real "work days" start. And at the moment, I’m doing just computer work. Planning my SPED presentation for professional development days, starting IEP prep, figuring out scheduling (which tends to be an interesting "puzzle" every year), and more. Then I’m planning to start on classroom unpacking and rearranging next week.

I'm currently consuming far more water than I used to. I got in the habit of it at the beginning of the summer and I've actually noticed an improvement already. Here's hoping I can keep it up when school starts back and the cravings for more caffeine kick in... :)

I'm currently enjoying peaceful evenings, sitting outside on my balcony, every now and then.  And since the only time that it is actually semi-cool during this time of year is in the late evenings, that is when I typically choose to enjoy it. 

I'm currently ordering nothing else. Although, I did just order these masks to use while working with a few of my kiddos next year, who need to be able to read my lips while I speak. It was a last minute decision. But I'm glad I did. Here's hoping they arrive before students do :)

I'm currently remembering all sorts of fun things from the past decade or so. This past week, I celebrated the anniversary of my arrival in Senegal for the first time, 11 years ago. How is it possible that it's been that long? Some times it feels like it was just yesterday...

 And since it's my blog and I can, I thought I'd share a couple more :)

I'm currently planning to go out with a few friends for my birthday tomorrow. Good people, good food, good times... All good in my book ;)

I'm currently looking forward to getting back into a routine. I love Summer Break. I may still wake up ridiculously early. But I 100% love not having to hear an alarm go off every single morning. Plus, I love that I still have all this free time and time to work at my own pace/schedule. But y'all... I'm really looking forward to seeing my students again. I really am looking forward to school getting back in session (with COVID related precautions in place, of course). 

I'm currently listening to this song by Cory Asbury ("Sparrows"). A friend shared it with us at our AG get-together the other day and I loved the lyrics. It's such a good song. Well, really, the entire album is good. I love it!

I’m currently trusting in God, thankful that He is the Master Author of my life. I’m thankful for the hope I can (and do) have in Him. 

  So what about you?

What are your currently up to?

2019-2020 School Year

Every month, I share a bit of gratitude for a person, a place, or an event in my life. And this month, as I reflect on the (almost) end of another school year, I can't help but let that be the focus of my monthly gratitude post.

Ah, 2019-2020 School Year...

On the first day of school, I wrote about what I wanted my students to know. 

And then in November, I wrote about how happy I was to FINALLY have my whole crew all together again since everyone had finally arrived.

We did a lot this year. We read and studied. 

   

We practiced writing and spelling.

We did all sorts of fun Math activities.

 

We learned all about the Bible and some of the key people in Church History.

 

We embraced our artsy sides.

 

We showed off our athletic sides too.

  

We made all sorts of silly faces.

We even had yummy treats at times.

 

 

We enjoyed chapel each week.

 

We had all sorts of fun at Christmas.

 

And I have to give a special shout out to this lady... I definitely could not have done what I did without her help this year. She has been (and still is) such an incredible blessing to me, to our students, and to our school, in general. I love that we get along so well and work so well together. And I'm so glad she'll be with us next year too! We wouldn't make it without her. That's for sure!

I led the Kids Club program again this year. Sadly, it was my last year to do it, as I'm going to have to cut back on my extra-curricular activities for next year knowing how much fuller my teaching schedule will be. So I fully enjoyed this year in Kids Club knowing that after 8 years of leading it, this would be my last year.

Kids Club was fun because it included all sorts of fun Bible stories and games.

 

I also led the Drama Team for the first time this year. It was a HUGE learning curve for me. But y'all... Those kids rocked it all year. They were (are) such an incredible group of high schoolers. I hate they didn't get to finish out the year like they'd planned and worked for. But y'all... I'm so proud of them. They worked hard. They had amazing attitudes. They were super talented and creative. They were helpful and respectful. They made my Tuesday evenings and my Christmas season so much more enjoyable. I loved getting to hang out with them this year!

 

   

Half way through 2nd Semester, Corona Virus became a common term in our world and we were so surprised at how quickly it spread worldwide. And we had to start using far more Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer than I ever thought possible. Oh, and we had to start wearing masks anytime we left campus, too.

And then we left school one Friday afternoon and didn't come back. Instead, we shifted to conducting school online. I just thought teaching Special Ed., in general, was challenging. Ha! Teaching Special Ed. online is so incredibly difficult. I had to plan lessons/activities for 10 (yes, 10!) different classes every day. I had to record and edit videos, hold virtual meetings, have read alouds over Zoom calls, require students to take pictures of assignments and submit them in our online portal, and so many more things that have made my tired brain swim most days. 

 But y'all... We're going to finish at the end of next week. The 2019-2020 school year didn't end the way I would've imagined or hoped. Online school was really really hard for all of us. But we made it work. And that was just further proof of how hardworking and how awesome our little A1 Family really is :)

And as I unpacked the boxes full of books and materials for my crew to use next school year, I felt such great anticipation. Next year will include more students and it will definitely be different from any other year I've taught. But I am so excited to see what God has in store for all the people who will walk through the doors of this classroom. It really is exciting!

And with that, I'll leave you with my favorite picture of the 2019-2020 school year...

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Today, I'm joining Ashley and Erika for their monthly Tuesday Talk link-up, where we, bloggers, come together and talk about whatever is on our mind at the moment.

 In case you missed the past few months' of Tuesday Talk posts, and you're curious, you can click on the link below to check it out.


January - Confidence

February - When God Gives A Girl A Brother

March - I Spy

April - Technology and Gratitude