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 * 

Even Though

Happy Tuesday Y'all

Last month, I read a blog post by Velvet Ashes that centered around the phrase,

Even though...

They centered it around Habakkuk 3:17-18, which says...

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation."

And ever since I read that post, it's been on my mind. 

And it reminded me of this song...

And then COVID-19 started spreading more widespread (literally, worldwide) than anyone could have imagined. And the news fed into a lot of the panic people were experiencing. Scrolling through Facebook or Instagram showed that many people were super scared and panicking.

Am I worried?

Honestly... I'm not too worried for myself. I'm taking the necessary precautions. I'm doing all the things I'm supposed to. Because of that, I'm truly not worried about myself catching this disease. I've stocked up on all of the essentials, so I have enough food and stuff to last me quite a while.

 However, my mind does wander periodically to worry about people in my life who are more susceptible to this illness. Family members, friends, colleagues, students, many of the Senegalese...  That's who I end up worrying most about...

Not to mention, in living overseas, there's an extra set of concerns. 

Last week the airport was closed down, which means there are no flights in or out, barring a major life/death level of emergency. ...which means, I'm basically stuck here for the time being. And if I'm being honest, I'll say that the feeling of being "trapped," so to speak, is a little unnerving.

And then yesterday, the government instituted a few more restrictions on us. A nightly curfew, no moving from city or city, etc. And the rumor mill is saying we should expect a total lockdown soon, if the number of cases doesn’t drop soon.

But, a good friend and I were talking about all of this yesterday...

It's weird. I feel as if I’m in this weird state of semi-peace and semi-anxiousness. I truly do feel safe and peaceful at home (my home here in Senegal). And in all reality, there are less cases in the whole country here than there are in my home state in the U.S. 

But I do sometimes worry. 

And it's in those times, those words in Habakkuk come back to me...

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

 And so, as I go through my days, I'll try to spend more time humming Micah Tyler's song and repeating those words from Habakkuk. And I'll remember...

Even though a disease is rapidly spreading...
 
Even though colleagues are battling for their lives, thanks to this disease... 

 

 Even though I'm a few thousand miles and an ocean away from family...

Even though I recognize that there is a small possibility I might not get to go home to see my family this summer... 

Even though special events may be cancelled...

Even though I'm basically stuck at home...

Even though my students are confused because our routine is changed...

Even though I miss my students something fierce (even if it is Spring Break)...

Even though there is doom & gloom all over social media...

Even though most news stories are panic/anxiety inducing...

Even though there are so many things I could potentially worry about...

Even though...

I can focus on Him.

"I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation."

Because no matter what difficult times I (or those I love) may face, God is still, and will always be, in control. And I will rejoice in Him.


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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.

 

January - Confidence

February - When God Gives A Girl A Brother

I Spy

I spy...

A St. Patrick's Day scarf

You know, for someone whose favorite color is green, I actually do not have that many green clothing options. But when you were an elementary teacher back in the day, you collect all sorts of fun scarves and other accessories.

A container of Clorox disinfecting wipes

I hate the smell of bleach. HATE it! But alas, when you're warned by the CDC, WHO, and NHS (and your school) to disinfect all surfaces, you do it. It's worth it, y'all. I don't want to risk any of my sweet babies catching this horrible disease. So it's been worth it to wipe down the desks and tables, door handles, fidgets/toys, every day, multiple times a day. 100% worth it.

A Dr. Pepper 

I'm not a coffee drinker. But thanks to a late night last night and an internal alarm clock that wouldn't let me sleep late today, even though I didn't have to be at work 'til 9:00... I needed some caffeine. Fun fact - I rarely ever drank a Dr. Pepper before moving to Senegal 10.5 years ago. But now... I love it!

A mess in the back

Y'all, I have some work to do over the Break. I'm actually looking forward to finally having time to go through my cabinets, re-organize everything, and start prepping for the next school year, when I'll need a bit more space. I was planning to do that over Spring Break anyway. So knowing that I might even get a bit of extra time to do it might be a nice thing :) 

A stack of Teacher's Editions of textbooks

After our staff meeting this morning, I'll be spending the rest of the day working on big unit plans for the 6 other subjects I teach (not counting the 5 I completed/printed yesterday for one student). Our plan is to go back to school on April 6, which is when our Spring Break ends anyway. But, in the event we have to stay closed, we'll shift into e-learning (online schooling) at that point. So, we're using this work week to our advantage and planning ahead.

6 stacks of student textbooks, library books, and other materials - Along with a letter to them, wishing them a wonderful Spring Break, and giving them my contact info in case they need to chat at some point

Our students are being allowed on campus today to retrieve textbooks, clean out lockers, etc. And since some of my crew keeps their books in my room, I wanted to have everything ready for them. As for the note... My teacher heart is hurting at the thought of a potentially extended break from teaching them. Some of my crew don't fully grasp what's going on. So they're experiencing confusion and sadness over not being at school, in their normal routine. Lots of kids feel this. But kids with special needs sometimes do even more because of that confusion. So I'm trying to do whatever I can to help them through this time. And if that means taking a bit of time out my day to chat on the phone or over Skype, then it's 100% worth it :)

A "sad" face

It's hard. I'm not going to lie. The fear of the unknown can be a scary thing sometimes. I'm a few thousand miles and an ocean away from my family. I worry about their health in this. I worry about family and friends and former students whose own schools have been cancelled, causing them to miss important events, maybe even graduations. I worry about my students, some with definitely weakened immune systems. I worry about school and potentially teaching my kids online, when they really really need the one-on-one, face-to-face interactions with a teacher to truly understand concepts. I worry about being able to fully meet their needs in a non-traditional teaching format. I worry about them feeling sad or confused and not fully understanding what's going on in the world right now. 

A thumbs up

But at the same time... I know this is for the best. As Christians, we are taught to respect those in authority over us. We respect our government leaders, or the government leaders of our host country, in this case. So we close school a bit. I'm happy my students are getting an extra week of Spring Break this week. They need that time to relax and have fun with their family. I'm happy I have this week as a work week. I was planning to do some long range planning over Spring Break. But this week is a blessing because now maybe I won't have to work so much over the Break (if any). I'm happy that there are very few cases of COVID-19 in Senegal. ...far less than in the US. I'm happy that my family is all healthy. I'm happy for technology keeping me connected with my family and my students, too. I'm happy that God is gifting me with some good times of physical AND spiritual rest. 

And above all, I'm happy that I know who is in control.