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. 

Want to see my Currentlys for...

* anticipating * going * making * watching * wearing *

I'm currently anticipating a good amount of productivity on Saturday. I'm making plans to not work in my classroom the following weekend, since our school is participating in a big softball tournament and I plan on supporting our students/staff by attending games. So that means I need to work extra hard this Saturday. And my goal is to spend the whole day in my classroom, prepping for the next two weeks AND working ahead on my own assignments (as a student) as well.  So if you need to find me on Saturday, you'll most likely be able to find me at my home away from home :)

I'm currently going through a new Bible study method with my students, as we work through our unit on the Major/Minor Prophets. I've thoroughly enjoyed this unit, in general. But when I found this simple printout to use with kids, studying certain Bible verses/passages, I thought my crew would enjoy it as well. And I was right. They did :)

I'm currently making plans to make shepherd's pie at some point this weekend. I've never made it before. I'm going to use this recipe, but tweak it a bit, based on the ingredients I have on hand and/or available here in Dakar. I'm thinking about blogging the recipe (if it turns out tasty). Wish me luck :)

I'm currently watching nothing. But earlier in the week, I saw this Ted Talk video, "Every Kid Needs A Champion," by Rita Pierson making its rounds on Facebook. I've seen it before, but watched it again. Y'all... If you're a teacher or if you know a teacher or if you're just a good-hearted person who loves working with kids, watch this video. It's a good one.

I'm currently wearing a lovely shade of red on my skin, thanks to my inability to remember to apply sunscreen last Saturday, while watching softball. 

And since it's my blog, and I can...

I'm adding a few more Currentlys.

I'm currently thinking that my answers to this month's Currently prompts were a bit lame. But my brain is so tired at the moment that I don't think I could've come up with much better :)

I'm currently ignoring my mountain of a To Do List because the daunting length of it is... Well, daunting. Anyone else like me? 

I'm currently feeling grateful for my job and all I get to do. I get to do what God's called me to do. I get to daily see my WHY being answered. 

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?

My Why

Happy Monday, Y'all

Today I'm sharing something God's been teaching me lately.



In case you're new to my blog, I should probably give you a bit of background. I actually wrote a post about this last week (that you can read here). 

But the gist of that post it...

I'm a Missionary Teacher, serving in Senegal, West Africa, where I teach Special Education at an international Christian school. 

I love what I do.

My ministry is is my work.

My work is my ministry.

And I am truly passionate about what I do.

But lately... 

The passion is definitely still there.

The love for my ministry is still there. 

The love for my students and my school is still there.

But lately...

Lately, something's been different.

I've been struggling with WHYs. 

You know how a toddler just loves the word, WHY... No matter what you tell them, they'll ask WHY. They're genuinely curious (or annoying, depending on the day). So they ask WHY over and over.

That's been me and God.

I've been asking Why.

As in...

Why is it so hard?

Why can't it be easier? 

Why is this certain situation making my head spin?

Why is one individual's very hurtful comments attaching themselves to my heart and my mind, clinging on for dear life - making me doubt myself?

Why am I not happy all the time?

Why 

Why?

So the other night, I was asking God these very WHYs.

And then God gave me the following response.

Tell me... Why do you do it?



Why do I continue to do it, when sometimes it's so hard?

The simple answer is God told me to do it.

I do it because I love/want to honor Him by doing what He's called me to do.


 
And while that answer is obviously enough...

There's more to it than that...

I do it for the kids.

 

On the harder days...

I think of the 100+ students I've had over the years. 

I think of the students who attend Kids Club on Wednesdays.

I think of the students He's placed in my room right now.

I think of the students who will join the others in the coming years.

And, with the utmost gratitude to my Creator and the One who gave me these incredible gifts and this incredible calling...

I will always remember my WHY.



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Today I'm joining Julie for her monthly Growing in Gratitude link-up, helping us to focus more on having an attitude of gratitude.

This Week's Top 5

Happy Friday, Y'all

My Top 5 Favorites from this week in my classroom are

~ one ~

One of my guys lost his notebook earlier in the week. We searched everywhere for it. We searched all through the classroom, all around campus, and he searched at home. We couldn't find it anywhere. I sent out a plea to the staff at school, asking if anyone has seen it and had all sorts of emails coming back to me, saying they were praying. This morning, we moved a cabinet away from the wall and guess what we found... Yep, we found the notebook. So we took it as a "teachable moment" and prayed, thanking Jesus for helping us.

~ two ~

A lack of internet one day (well, actually for a week - and it's still out - ugh!) prevented us from filling out the Google Docs Study Guide I'd created for one of my groups to help them study for their upcoming Science test. So I busted out the index cards and sharpies and I taught my crew how to make their own study cards. They weren't necessarily thrilled with it. But it did the job, so... ;)

~ three ~ 

I mentioned this in my What's Up Wednesday post earlier in the week. But it's worth a repeat, considering it was a definite favorite or Top 5 item for my students. A friend/ co-worker has quite the bug collection. So when he offered to show some to my class while in town this week, leading our elementary school's SEW services, I quickly said yes. And y'all... My boys absolutely loved it! You can see it on their faces in the picture below. I loved seeing their enthusiasm!

~ four ~ 

Every now and then we use games as educational tools, reinforcing whatever topic we've been studying. And sometimes we just need a brain break and a game is often an excellent choice for that. My crew absolutely LOVES games! They know that unless it's a part of a lesson, it must be earned. So they will often work much harder knowing the chance of a game is on the horizon. And a favorite of mine is seeing how well my crew plays/works together. I love it!

~ five ~ 

Normally, hand sanitizer wouldn't make my Top 5 and Favorites lists. But considering, my classroom has been overrun with germs thanks to lingering colds and stomach bugs and sneezing and sniffling and who knows what else, I was desperate for some hand sanitizer. But my absent-minded self couldn't seem to remember to actually buy some when I was at the store. So, a co-worker came to the rescue :)

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Today, I'm joining Erika, Andrea, and Narci and for their weekly Friday Favorites linkup. Click one of their names to and join in on the fun.

And I'm also joining April, Natasha, and Christina for their 5 on Friday linkup. 

What's Up January

Happy Wednesday Y'all

Is anyone else as surprised as me that January's almost over? 

Anywho...

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?

I cooked pancakes and bacon for some friends over the weekend. Is there anything better than hot pancakes with melted butter and syrup? Maybe the super crispy bacon... ;)

What am I reminiscing about?

2018 and all the fun it involved. A couple weeks ago, I wrote a recap of my year on here. If you missed it, you can check it out HERE. 2018 was full of highs and lows, for sure. But overall, I'd say it was, indeed, a good year. 

 

 

 

  

What am I loving?

I'm loving the Bible Study I'm part of. A few co-workers and I get together one night a week and study the Word. By the time we finish, we'll have gone through the entire New Testament. I love it!

What have I been up to?

This week is Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW) at my school. So every afternoon this week, I've been in the secondary chapel times for that. And it has been great so far. And I've heard really great reports of the elementary chapel times, as well. In fact, I love how my students keep sharing all sorts of fun reports about their favorite parts of these chapel times.

What am I dreading? 

Lately, I've been changing this prompt since there's nothing I'm really dreading. So instead, I'm going to answer...

What am I praying for?

I've got lots of stuff swirling around in my head at the moment. So I'm trying to do better about praying for these things, turning them over to God, and not holding tightly to them. Can you tell I have a control issue in this sense? Ha! ;)

What am I working on?


I'm starting to get more serious with Summer Plans. There are plane tickets to buy, services to set up, emails to write, etc. etc. etc. P.S. - Shameless plug... If you'd like me to come and share my heart for Dakar Academy and Senegal with your church, your Sunday School Class, your Children's Church or Youth Group, your Small Group, or even just you and your family over coffee/dinner one day, let me know. I'll be back for the majority of June and July. So Send me an email at enichols85@gmail.com and we'll set something up.

What am I excited about?

Well, my students got super excited earlier today, listening to a guest sharing about his bug collection. I have never seen them so totally enthralled in what someone was saying. I need to learn his secret. Ha! :)

What am I watching?

Nothing most nights... In fact, when I saw the meme below, I totally laughed because it's so me. Ha :)

What am I reading?

Over the weekend, I read Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. Oh my word, y'all... This book was so intensely emotional. As in... I was crying literal tears, while reading it, and even after I stopped. Then I tossed and turned for quite a while that night, taking forever to fall asleep, thinking about this book. This particular book is a fictional story. However, it is based on the true story of Georgia Tann and the horror she was responsible for, while running the Tennessee Children's Home, stealing (yes, stealing!) 5000+ infants and children and selling them to wealthy families, under the guise of adoption. And while the majority of those families didn't know the truth behind the arrival of these kids, so many politicians and other prominent figures did. So between the corruptness and Tann's manipulation of the system, there's no telling how many families were truly affected. The number of 5000+ is just a rough estimate. The number of children who died (some who were killed) in Tann's care was never recorded. ** Do you see why this story affected me so much? Oh my word...

Anywho - Next pay day, I'm ordering The Baby Thief by Barbara Bisantz Raymond, which is actually the true story of Georgia Tann. This story... There's just something about it. Maybe it's knowing that my life-long dream has always been to have/run a children's home/orphanage... Maybe it's my love for children, especially those who need it the most... Maybe it's just my common decency as a human being and more importantly, as a child of God... But y'all... This story has gripped and broken my heart more than any story I've ever read.

 

What am I listening to?

Lately, the song, Even Then by Micah Tyler, has been on repeat a lot. It's such a great song! It has such a great message - that even when things might be happening, causing us to face struggles/difficulties in life, even then He never lets go. Even then, He is always with us... If you haven't heard it before, check it out. Seriously, y'all... This song is so good!

What am I wearing? 

Thanks to it being so cool here in Dakar lately, I can wear my hair down most mornings without having a heat stroke. Although, it's usually up by lunch. I, who always preferred my hair to be short, have finally decided that I love it more when it's long. There are more options. I can wear it down. Or I can throw it up, when it's too hot to last any longer down. My dad would be so happy I finally decided to stop cutting my hair (other than a trim here or there). Ha! 

What am I doing this weekend?

We have an AG meeting on Friday. And then I'm planning to work in my classroom all day on Saturday. And then on Sunday, I'll go to church, prep meals for the week, and read and write, and enjoy a bit of relaxation time.

What am I looking forward to next month?

February is a super busy month at school. We have all sorts of fun events going on. My kids are super excited. Me too :)

What else is new?

I bought this Rock, Paper, Scissors card game while in the States over Christmas Break. It was cheap, so I thought I'd give it a try. Who know my students would like it so much? It's a simple game to play. And we even made up new rules for it, so more friends could play at once. But y'all, they love it!

And then each month, there's a special question. January's question is...

What's your favorite Valentine tradition?

I don't have any traditions, myself. In fact, I usually try to ignore the day. While I'd most definitely love to be married, sometimes it does get me. And Valentine's Day is one of those times. So yeah... I usually try to ignore the day.



But, as a teacher, I do enjoy finding ways to make it fun for my students. We'll have a party. We'll do a fun project of some sort. We'll always focus our Bible lessons for the week on the love of our Creator and our Savior. And so on...



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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

This Week's Top 5

Happy Thursday, Everybody

Here's my Top 5 Favorites from this week.

~ one ~

One of my groups started a Science experiment yesterday, entitled, Gummy Bears and Genetics. They'll finish it today. And y'all, they loved it! And I loved that they were having so much fun and learning at the same time.

 

~ two ~


We started a new unit in Kids Club this week. For the next 5 or 6 weeks, we're going to be discussing Superheroes and the Bible. This week, Spiderman was our superhero and we discussed how just as he was chosen for a specific purpose, so have we been chosen by Christ for a specific purpose (to do His will). It seems like such a simple lesson to learn, but even we, adults, seem to sometimes forget it too. We are chosen by Christ! What a gift, that is! Anywho - For our "game," we built a fake spider web and were reminded of how just as it connects in all different ways, so can we when we connect the message of Jesus Christ with others.



~ three ~ 

Want to know one of the teacher job responsibilities that I do not enjoy? I absolutely hate cutting out laminated stuff. I love having it laminated. I love that we have that option because it's definitely nice. But y'all... I hate cutting it out. Anywho - I have a high school student that comes in every afternoon. Sometimes she'll help the kids with an activity. Sometimes she'll help me by making copies or doing other prep work. And sometimes... She cuts out all the laminated stuff for me :)

~ four ~

Yesterday, I told one of my guys to put quotes around a certain word in his sentence. He asked for clarification, so I explained and then I made "air quotes." When I looked over his sentence a few seconds later, I saw that he drew a person making air quotes. And I was reminded, yet again, of what a fun job I have. I love the literal nature of some of these kids. They make like so much more enjoyable :)



~ five ~

Earlier in the week, I got to eat lunch with one of my students. It doesn't happen often due to the weird schedule I have, since I have full-time students in elementary, middle, and high school - and they don't all eat at the same time. Anywho - It's always a treat to sit with a student, in an informal setting, and chat about their day. I loved having this time with this guy. ...and our photobomber, too, who was finishing up his math lesson for the day :)

And in the spirit of oversharing ;)

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Today, I'm joining Erika, Andrea, and Narci and for their weekly Friday Favorites linkup. Only... I'm posting on Thursday (and adding my links tomorrow) since my goal is to "unplug" this weekend. Yay for 3 day weekends!

And I'm also joining April, Natasha, and Christina for their 5 on Friday linkup.