Yay for Day Two...

I now have day two under my belt...I'm sure when Nick is back home I won't blog nearly as much, but as it stands, Kitty, Peaches, and Rocko are the only "people" I have to talk to so I've decided to "talk" to my computer...

As far as meetings go, today was pretty light, which is much to my benefit...We were in a brief session first thing this morning, and then released to go look through student files. We reconvened for a PTF provided tailgating lunch which was awesome. Today's weather was so wonderful that we were able to eat outside and it was just great!

Then...after a quick department meeting....I FINALLY GOT TO WORK ON MY ROOM!!!!! (imagine hearing fireworks going off in the background as I say this and a cheering crowd) This leads me to the actual topic of this post..........

Let me start with this interestingly funny anecdote...my whole family is on Facebook and it is totally awesome...this being said...we like to send each other fun messages and the occasional piece of flair...(flair are these little buttons you can send to people that have stuff on them...think Jennifer Anniston's character in the movie Office Space...) Anywho...my dad recently sent me a button that said this "I don't have ADD. I'm perfectly focu...ooooooooooh shiny." This quote represents my entire day today...and I'm totally not kidding....

When I am setting up my classroom, it takes a great deal of thought, patience, organization, and basically staying at a task until it is finished...I am horrible at such tasks...I had eight or nine different things going on at one time...I kept leaving my room to go see what other people were doing...I kept walking around the room in circles...it was terrible...let me let you in on a little "in my head" conversation from early this evening...

"Ok...I need to finish putting this paper up on this bulletin board...Oh wait...where are my scissors...I bet they're in my desk...I'll go get them...(on the way to my desk)...where should I put my calendar this year? Should I put it in the same place? I'm a little bored with where it's been for the past two years....where is my calendar anyway??? Oh yeah...it's in my poster box on top of my cabinet...let me go get the step ladder because I don't want to stand on a chair....oh remember that time last year when you climbed up on top of the cabinet by putting a chair on top of a desk??? That was probably a really bad idea...I'm surprised I didn't get hurt...but then I ended up falling down the stairs about three hours later...that totally sucked...where is that calendar??? Oh here are a few posters that I definitely need to put up...oh look at this monkey...that was cute last year how I decorated everything in monkeys...maybe I'll do that again next year since none of the kids on the third floor would have seen that motif before...Oh look here's my calendar...I'll put it in this stack of six other posters I just pulled out of this box (climb off step ladder)...Now, what was I about to do...(look around the room in confusion)...oh well...I'll go see what's going on across the hall (walk out the door)...I wonder if I can jump up and get the boarder off of the top of the bulletin board in the hallway...let me try it....yes! I did it; I'm awesome...I better get back to work...I'll go work on my shelves a little...(walk in room)...oh I never did finish putting the paper up on my board...look at that alphabet line...that's awfully crooked at the end...that's gonna be a pain to fix...let me go get the step ladder (bring step ladder over to bulletin board...not to alphabet line which was what I had planned on doing...) What did I do with those scissors...there they are...now why did I need them????"

This type of conversation is going on in my head, rapidly, every moment of every day....obviously it's not always about school stuff...another example from today is about Friends...we were working on our files, and I totally zoned out trying to think of the words to one of Phoebe's songs...one of the other teachers I was working with at the time started cracking up laughing and told me she could tell that I was having a really hard time today focusing (and this was in the morning...)

I blame the Diet Pepsi Max....

~Blevins - out!

Back in the Saddle Again

Well...it was time to go to work again for the first time in forever...Even though I stayed up relatively late last night, waking up wasn't all that hard. Today was pretty much really easy...we sat in a meeting all day long....It really showed me a few things...(now for a numbered list...my FAVORITE!!!)

1. Diet Pepsi Max really has a MAJOR effect on me...I noticed the other day that I got toally hyper and couldn't sit still because of it, but I thought it was a one time thing...I cannot possibly explain this caffeine "high"...I can only imagine it might be similar to what it may feel like to be...shall we say...three sheets to the wind....

2. I am waaaaaaaay too ADD to sit in meetings...although I did a pretty nice job of not talking while my principal was talking, I was having a really hard time staying focused....I will say in my defense that I did much better today than I normally do...despite the Diet Pepsi Max...

3. I prefer working with kids rather than adults...although all of the people who were sitting at my table are awesome and really some of my all time favorite people at school...I still think I'd rather be in the classroom with the kiddos...as unprepared as I am right now...I am totally cool with being back with my new batch of students....

4. Not necessarily related to being back at school, but....I absolutely love the new "Chick-fil-a" sauce...it's soooo good....I like to put it on my chicken sandwich (wheat bun, no pickle)...it's also good to dip your fries in as well...

5. Since I prefer multiples of five, I had to put something else on this numbered list...along with the new school year, I got my school laptop back...for some reason it's being massively slow right now...I am hoping that when Nick gets back from his staff retreat he'll be able to figure out why...

This concludes my numbered list about being "back in the saddle again."

~Blevins - out!

Weekend Word Part IV

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Colossians 3:16-17

These words in Colossians are taking on a whole new meaning right now in my life. As I type this, I am thinking about and planning for the 2008-2009 school year. Being a teacher is such a rewarding calling and something that I really do take seriously. When I read about teaching in the Bible, it gives a greater sense of purpose to what I do as a career.

Next month in Discovery Island, the children’s environment at CCC, the kiddos will be learning all about the virtue of knowledge – “learning something new so you can be better at whatever you do" (Courtesy of ReThink Group’s 252 Basics curriculum). I think this verse really speaks to this idea because throughout the month the students will be encouraged to commit God’s Word to memory so it can help them everyday in every situation. How much more important is it for me, as a teacher, to have God’s Word dwelling in me richly so that I can teach with wisdom?! During the times when I am tempted to shut out the fruits of the spirit (I thought that was a delicate way to say flip out at a kid…lol!), I can think about God’s Word to help me show self-control, kindness, and gentleness (this really doesn’t happen all that often, but those are the times that I need these thoughts the most).

Another thing that I like about this verse is that it links scripture to music. Some of the most meaningful verses in my life have been taught to me through songs, whether it be the cheesy kiddy songs that I learned as a kid, or something from one of my favorite artists like Charlie Hall, David Crowder, or Watermark. One of the best ways for me to learn and remember things is through song and thanks to talented artists, thousands and thousands of God-followers can keep His words in their hearts at all times.

Finally, this leads me to the last part of this passage, and boy is it a kick to the face…” And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” How often do I just go about my business, working non-stop, going non-stop and don’t even think about Who I’m doing it for? I think this is really easy when I start the school year. I get so wrapped up in the busyness of life that I rarely get a chance to focus on living and working for God’s glory, not to mention the fact that when I’m moving at the speed of life, it’s hard to take time to be thankful for all that God has done for me.

So this is my challenge…to live this verse daily…to let God’s Word fill my heart as a teach others, to give me wisdom, and to always be thankful for the chance to live for God’s glory and serve him daily…It’s quite a difficult challenge, but one that makes all the difference in the world.

It's the End of August...

So....on July 6 I vowed to do a better job with blogging this summer....welp....this is the first one since and it's the end of August....I'm such a slacker!

Since I said that I'd write about the movies I've seen and books I've read this summer, I'll start with that...

Books:
1. I started out the summer with a bang by reading all of the books in C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. This is an amazing series...I totally recommend reading them without delay. If you don't think you can read all seven, I'd say you can skip The Horse and His Boy because it doesn't necessarily pertain to anything else in the series. Some of the characters are referred to later on, but it's really no big deal and the beginning is a little boring...

2. After reading C.S. Lewis, I thought I’d give his pal J.R.R. Tolkein a shot. I chose to read The Hobbit. It is a nice read, but I had moments that were somewhat torturous because I had trouble focusing from time to time. Overall, it’s a nice fantasy/adventure book that has a great deal of action and really explains the beginnings of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (I didn’t read the books, just saw the movies).

3. I read a few totally random books that had been on my bookshelf at school that I’d never read. Among them were Kingdom Keepers, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Giver, Number the Stars, and The Secret School. These were all really good…I still have two more that I’d like to read, but I’m not sure if time will permit.

4. A Whole New Mind is a book that I was required to read for school. It was totally interesting and thought provoking. If you’re into business or current world-wide trends, you’d really like this book.

5. Some friends recommended the book The Shack. I wasn’t really all that into reading it, but I totally trust the opinions of those who recommended it so I thought I’d give it a shot…Oh my goodness…I laughed, I cried, I got mad, I questioned, I prayed…it was pretty awesome…definitely a thought provoking read that will make you think deeply about life and your relationships…

6. So, I got this random movie from Blockbuster Online called The Jane Austen Book Club…the movie was ok, but it really inspired me to read a little Jane Austen. I had never read any of her books before, so I decided to give Pride and Prejudice a whirl. I really enjoyed it. I think I’m partial to that time period and I really liked that it wasn’t mushy gushy like I thought it would be.

7. I also read and started a few other non-fiction titles besides A Whole New Mind. I read The Five Love Languages, which I thought was pretty good. I don’t really know that I’ve worked at trying to speak Nick’s love language all that much, but at least I know which one it is and he knows mine…I started Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller, The Cure for the Common Life, by Max Lucado and a Rob Bell book, but haven’t finished them yet. I got mad at the Lucado book and quit reading it because it challenged you to find out what you were really good at as a kid and try to do that for a living…I couldn’t think of anything so I got frustrated…I have yet to finish Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge…I worked on it a little at the beginning of the summer, but it quickly got pushed to the end of my list. I have a book about assessment that I need to finish before next week and I’d like to try to at least finish Miller and Bell as soon as I can.

Now for the movies…I’ve been to the movies a few times this summer and am more than willing to give you my opinions…I think I’ll give them grades just like some other reviewers do…I must say upfront, however, that I pretty much like everything I see…

1. Ironman – This movie was the first movie I saw this summer and it was awesome! I give it an A+.

2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – Well, I think it did I nice job of keeping the integrity of the initial trilogy…Shia LeBeouf (sp?) was pretty great in it…I’ll give it an A-/B+.

3. Kung Fu Panda – Jack Black is one of my favorites and I think he hit the nail on the head with this one…I laughed out loud and absolutely loved it…A+.

4. The Incredible Hulk – Surprisingly, this was pretty great…I really enjoyed it and liked the Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. from Ironman) cameo…A.

5. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan – Pretty disappointing…B-.

6. The Dark Knight – One word…AMAZING!!!...A+.

7. The Mummy III – This was another sequel that I think was true to form…I liked it and will give it an A.

8. Tropic Thunder – Really funny…totally random…A.

I feel like there may be a movie or two that I’m missing here, but for some reason I can’t think of them right now…I’ve seen tons of random dvd’s but nothing to write about…As of now, I still haven’t seen StepBrothers which is seriously disappointing, but I’m hoping to remedy that very soon…

Now I feel a little bit better about my lack of posts this summer…I think I’ve done enough for two or three posts just in this one entry…I’ll try to do some more catching up this week by writing about our vacations and maybe I’ll try to get a Weekend Word up since I’m like eight weeks behind…

Peace, love, and chicken wings…
~Blevins - out!

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