A Picture Talk

Happy Tuesday Y'all 

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. I typically try to think of one specific topic to talk about.

For this month's Tuesday Talk post, I'm using the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words," as my guide. And since I'm WAY behind on sharing my photo-a-day posts, I thought I'd let this post take care of that too.

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At the beginning of each month, I'll share the previous month's photos. I'm sharing, if for no other reason, to help me remember some memories and thoughts that went along with each of my 365 photos from the month at hand.

However, life/work got crazy, and I forgot to post in September. Then, I forgot to post in October. Oh, and apparently I forgot in November, as well. Have I mentioned that work was crazy busy and that I'm also a bit absent-minded? Ha!

Anywho - Here we go...

You get three months for the price of one :)

Days 241 - 271 September

September, Part 1 included sights around town, fun at school, tasty things, laundry, and more.

September, Part 2 included cold remedies, a chameleon visitor, treats, Staff Retreat, and computer time.

September, Part 3 included games, time with friends, a cute MK's birthday, and more.

  Days 272 - 303 October

October, Part 1 included International Appreciation Week, a few whole class selfies, and other randomness.

October, Part 2 included lots of school events, a creepy bug, some treats, and a teacher's conference in town.

October, Part 3 included dress up days, a couple tasty experiments, fun with friends, and more.

Days 304 - 334 November

November, Part 1 included randomness in the classroom, a Kids Club movie, scenery, and Women's Retreat.

November, Part 2 included mail, football, Thanksgiving fun, Christmas decor, a special party, and more.

November, Part 3 included a science project, shopping for Christmas, softball, a party, a sunrise, and more.

And now... 

Now, I'm watching my crew take their last Midterm exam. Once that's finished, they'll have a break and I'll grade their exams. Then we'll have our Christmas party, full of presents and tasty treats, and lots of laughter, of course.

And when that's over, I'll head home and finish packing since I leave tonight, heading to my sweet home Alabama to see my family for the first time in 4 months. And in case you couldn't tell... I'm so excited!!! :)

And in case you missed them, here are the links to the previous months' photos.

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY 

AUGUST

Friday's Letters - All About Christmas

Happy Friday Y'all!

Today, I am joining Kristin for her monthly Little Letters link-up, where we write little "letters" to things as a way of sharing an update on our lives at the moment. 

And this month, all of my "letters" are Christmas-themed ones...

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Dear Classroom Christmas Decorations,

You are so fun and festive. Thanks for providing my students and me with a fun room to spend time in each day. You definitely make me smile. 

Dear Christmas Treats,

You were a fun surprise to give our students. To see their faces light up and to hear their voices shout was priceless. What a joy!

Dear Snowflakes,



You're fun to make. My students love creating you :)

Dear Reading Christmas Books,



I love reading you!

Dear Staff Christmas Party,

We have a very talented/creative lady head up the planning of you each year. And as always, you didn't disappoint. From the decor to the tasty food to the fun games and laughter... You were such a fun night for my co-workers and me!

Dear 96 Cupcakes,

I made you this past Saturday. I must admit... I hate baking. Like seriously... HATE it. But you weren't all that bad. And praise the Lord, you didn't burn on me (which is what usually happens when I bake anything). Anywho - You turned out great! And the kids all loved you! 

Dear My Christmas Elves,

I jokingly told you that you were like Santa's elves. You helped me wrap all the gifts for our Elementary students. You helped me frost the cupcakes and add sprinkles, too. You helped me package everything up. And you helped me carry everything over to the room where we hold Kids Club. Thanks for all of your help!

Dear Kids Club Christmas Party,

Speaking of you... You were so much fun! You included a Christmas movie that was new to almost all of us, tasty treats, and a gift to take home with us. You were enjoyed by the little kids, the volunteers, and me too. 

Dear Christmas Reindeer Antlers, 



You were a fun gift I received earlier in the week. And yes, you are most definitely going to be worn as much as possible between now and Christmas Break :)

Dear Silliness, 



You're seen far more often at Christmas time than usual - even with my silly/hyper crew. There's just so much fun going on. We can't contain ourselves :)

Dear Listening to Christmas Music,



You're the best!

Dear Class Christmas Party,



You're happening next Tuesday. My crew is so excited for you to get here. But first they had to get through their midterm exams. 3 down... 2 more to go :)

Dear Christmas Concerts at School,

You've been so nice. 

Dear Christmas Break,

2 of the main reasons I'm excited for Christmas Break :)

My, oh my, am I ready for you to get here. I know I have a lot to do between now and then. But still... I am so very ready :)

Dear Christmas,

Thanks for being one of my most favorite holidays. Thanks for all you mean to me, as a believer of Christ. Thanks for the hope you bring. And yes, thank you for the fun and the memories you possess as well. I'm so ready for your arrival.

10 Years Later

It's been 10 years since I graduated college.

10 years.

That's crazy.

I so vividly remember being a little girl, lining up all of my stuffed animals and baby dolls, pretending they were the students and I was the teacher.

I have always wanted to be a teacher.

That desire never changed. 

I love teaching.

It's something I definitely enjoy.

It's my passion.

It's what God's called me to do.

Over the past 10 years, I've taught well over 100 students.

I've taught Elementary (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th).

I've taught ESL (1st - 12th).

I've taught Special Ed. Inclusion (2nd - 5th).

And I've taught Special Ed. Self-Contained (all grades).

Each year I say that my students that year are my favorites. And let's be honest... I always mean it because they always are my favorites :)

10 years

In the past 10 years, I've learned a few things. 

I've learned...

Getting a Master's degree is hard work.

Working on a second Master's is even harder.

Proverbs 31:8 should be in the back of a teacher's mind at all times.

Teaching is not a simple 7:30 to 3:30 job.

Sometimes what a child needs most is not found on a lesson plan.

Some people will NEVER understand all a teacher does.

Self-Care is a must.

Teachers must continue to learn and grow.

Reading is a requirement of the job.

Technology will almost always fail at the worst possible time.

Students rarely act how you'd like on observation days.

You're rarely truly "off" the clock.

Teaching sticks with you.

Children will come to you hungry. Feed them.

Children will come with empty hands. Give them the pencil/paper.

Children will come with holes in their hearts. Show love.

Children notice what you say and do.

Everyone needs love, whether they show it or not.

The worst behaved child usually has a reason. Learn it.

Disabilities aren't always very noticeable.

Not all teachers care.

Make connections.

Greet your students when they walk through the door.

Take an interest. 

Learn their stories.

Pray over their desks every morning.

There are so many more lessons I could share.

But I'll end with this one...

Stay in the Word. God gave you this calling. ...this job. Honor Him by doing it to the best of your ability. Pray. Worship Him. Share His love with those students. Be a vessel for His light to shine each and every day. 

And to wrap up this post, let's take a look down memory lane.

Here's just a few of the 100+ kids I have called (and will always call) "mine" over the past 10 years. My students..
.

FYI - This doesn't show my kids from my first teaching job in Montevallo OR my teaching job in Selma, as I didn't have permission to take/share those kids' photos. Also, this is only a small fraction of the kids I've taught :)

Currently

Happy Wednesday Y'all

Today I'm joining Anne from In Residence for her monthly Currently link-up, where we share what's currently going on in our lives.

Each month, Anne gives us a list of prompts to use to guide our posts. The prompts for December are all about the holidays.

Want to see my Currentlys for...

* gifting * baking * singing * mailing * decorating *

I'm currently gifting some fun (or, I soon will be) our students. We got the kids some super secret gifts and I wrapped them this past weekend. Yay for finding something we think they'll all enjoy. We also have them another small treat of a gift wrapped up too. Yay for Christmas fun! :)

I'm currently baking cupcakes (or at least, I will be on Saturday) for our Kids Club Christmas party. I've got everything ready. And let's be honest... I'm just as excited as the kids. I may not be the biggest fan of chocolate ever. But this right here... This I LOVE :)

I'm currently singing Christmas carols and playing Christmas music all the time. I love having Christmas music playing in my classroom, at home, all the time... I so love this time of year!

I'm currently mailing out my Christmas cards/ministry updates (or at least, I will be in the next week or so). If you'd like to hear about what's going on with my ministry, send me an email HERE and I'll add you to my list.



I'm currently decorating my classroom for Christmas. Well, actually, I decorated this past weekend.  But still... I love it!

And one more, just for fun :)

I'm currently feeling so ready for Christmas Break. I love my students. And I do always miss them when I'm away. But y'all... I'm ready to catch up on sleep and read (for fun) and most importantly, on time spent with my family.

Have I mentioned that we only have 9 more school days?

And what about you?

What are YOU currently up to?

What's Up November

Happy Wednesday Y'all

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

 

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

The questions are...

 

What am I eating?

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, a local Japanese restaurant sells tasty goodness at lunch time. I normally don't buy from them, as I typically have my lunch break earlier than the normal time when everyone else eats. But due to one of my students being absent the last two days, I got to eat lunch at the same time as everyone else. So I decided to try out the Japanese sushi roll. And of course, I bought myself a Dr Pepper from our school's Cantina (snack stand) too. And when I got back to my classroom to finish laying out supplies for our afternoon lessons, I took this picture, thinking... Here I am in Africa, enjoying Dr. Pepper and Japanese food. What's up with this? Where am I?! Ha! :) 
 

What am I reminiscing about?

Christmases in the past - The picture below is from our last Christmas with my dad. He had so much fun that day with us and his brother and sisters and all of their families. It was such a special day. One I'll always remember...

 

What am I loving?

I wrote a post about Giving Tuesday yesterday, giving people a way to support my ministry here in Senegal, West Africa. I'm loving the encouragement I've already received from people who have read that post. 


P.S. Did you miss it? If so, click HERE to check it out :)

What have I been up to?

With a few minutes left before leaving the other day, this guy asked if I'd listen to him read. All he wanted was my undivided attention while he read for maybe 2 minutes, max. So what have I been up to? I've been doing my job. I've been teaching the standards and loving on kids.

What am I dreading? 

Honestly... I can't think of anything that I'm dreading.

What am I working on?


My students are working on their latest Science project at the moment. All of them are in the middle of their units on the human body. I love when their curriculum matches up like this. It doesn't always happen. But when it does, it makes my life so much easier, planning wise. Anywho - They're all creating life size diagrams of the human body. Now, obviously, they're going to be including different things depending on their grade/ability levels. Some will have the bare minimum (major body parts). And some will have all the major "processes" included (bones, muscles, blood vessels, organs, etc.). They started the project yesterday. And so far, they're all enjoying themselves. And I'm enjoying seeing them having fun while learning :)

What am I excited about?


I'm excited about our next unit of study in Bible class. We're doing the Christmas story. My kids are excited. I'm excited. It's going to be great! :)

What am I watching?

Every afternoon/evening after my students leave, I sit in my classroom and either do prep work for the following day or if that's finished, my own classwork (as a student). And right now, I am enjoying watching the Christmas lights twinkle on our class Christmas tree and on the walls. I'm like a kid when it comes to Christmas lights. I love them. I always have. They're just so much fun.

 

What am I reading?

I bought this cuteness for a fun writing project I have in mind for my students. We've been working on writing good paragraphs/essays (depending on the grade). And any time we can incorporate some fun into the writing, they always seem to do so much better. So as their final writing project, they'll be describing how they'll make an Elf Trap. After all, we can't have silly elves running around our room, creating chaos while we're all at home. Can we?

What am I listening to?

Christmas Carols, of course :)

What am I wearing? 

The other night some co-workers and I got to hang out at a fancy party, celebrating the home country of one of my students. It's always nice to dress up a bit. And the significance of attending events like this is huge!

What am I doing this weekend?

Our Elementary Schoolers' Christmas Program is on Friday. So I'll go to that. Then as of now, the plan is to watch a couple softball games on Saturday. Then on Sunday evening, we have our Staff Christmas Dinner. And then past that, I will spend the rest of the weekend, prepping for the last couple weeks of school, since I'll likely be too busy the following weekend to do so.

What am I looking forward to next month?

Christmas fun in the classroom

Christmas Break

Christmas vacation with my family

Christmas

Oh, and did I mention Christmas? :)

What else is new?

I did a bit of fake Black Friday shopping the other day with some friends. This was definitely a new way of shopping, checking out the outdoor artisan market, chatting with vendors, bargaining/haggling for a good price on our finds, and hanging out with those cute, smiley kids in the back (along with their parents not pictured) as well. And I got Christmas gifts for almost all of my family, within the price range I planned, too. So yay for that! 

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

Giving Tuesday

Who am I?

I'm a Missionary Teacher.

Sometimes I say that and it doesn't feel real.

How is it possible?

It seems like just yesterday that I was 18 years old, living at home with my parents and hearing God clearly telling me to follow Him to the mission field.

It seems like just yesterday that I was 19 years old, sitting at dinner somewhere in South Africa, while on a short-term mission trip and hearing God clearly telling me that I would be back in Africa again one day.

It seems like just yesterday that I was 23, fresh out of college, working in my first teaching position, and hearing God clearly telling me to apply to teach at a school for missionary kids in Senegal.

It seems like just yesterday that at 1 week shy of my 24th birthday, I landed for the first time in Dakar, Senegal, and immediately felt as if I were "home."

And here I am today, still teaching at that same school in Senegal.

 I love what I do.

I teach an incredible group of kids.

My mission field is my classroom. 

This year, I have 5 full-time students (and others who come in part-time), from 5 different countries, from both Christian and non-Christian families.

And while I teach the usual Math and Science and Reading...

I also teach more.

I teach the Bible.

I teach the TRUTH and PROMISES of our Savior.

I teach the love of Jesus.

I teach the power of our Heavenly Father.

I teach some who have never heard the Good News before coming to our school.

I teach some whose parents are freed up while their kids are in school to take the gospel to our Senegalese brothers and sisters who have yet to hear the Good News.

I pray.

I teach.

I love.

I do what God called me to do.

I am a Missionary Teacher.

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P.S. Did you know today is Giving Tuesday? 



The only way I continue what I'm doing is through incredible generosity of men and women from around the world, who sacrificially give to support my ministry. 

Would you prayerfully consider giving to support my ministry in Senegal?

If you feel led to give, there are a few different options for doing so...

* Click HERE to give online.

*Send me an email at enichols85@gmail.com to find out how to give via check.

* If you would like to send a care package with supplies or a gift card to buy supplies for my students send me an email for a Wish List and address in the States for where to send the package that I can pick up while visiting next month. 

* If you would like to join my prayer team and to receive updates about my ministry, send me an email and I'll add you to my mailing list.

Currently

Happy Friday Y'all

Today I'm joining Anne from In Residence for her monthly Currently link-up, where we share what's currently going on in our lives. And while I'm a couple days late, I still wanted to join the Currently fun :)

Each month, Anne gives us a list of prompts to use to guide our posts. The prompts for November are:

* appreciating * researching * posting * getting * cooking *

I'm currently appreciating the lady that works with me, teaching our kiddos in the mornings. Every single day, I think, Wow! My job would be so much harder without her. She's definitely a blessing!

I'm currently researching (or at least, I was researching...) fun ways to teach writing. One of my co-workers let me shamelessly "steal" her bulletin board/decor idea to go along with it. So then I asked one of my more artistic students to draw this hamburger for me to go along with it. Hamburger Paragraph Writing, here we come :)

I'm currently posting countdowns 'til I see my family again. And in case you're wondering... I see them exactly 6 weeks from this past Wednesday :)

I'm currently getting to hang out with this fun bunch every week day. And I must say. No matter how difficult my job is and no matter how tired I am every single night... It is so 100% worth it. I love that I get to teach this incredible group of kids (and others)!

I'm currently cooking nothing. Or, at least, I won't be cooking anything this weekend. I'm heading out for a mini getaway with some friends and co-workers and plan to enjoy someone else cooking for me :)

And because it's my blog and I can...

Here are a few more currently's. 

I'm currently enjoying our Thankful Tree. Didn't it turn out nice? :)

I'm especially enjoying this addition to our tree. Ah, my heart... :)

And that's about it for me.

What are you currently up to?