Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas holiday. I've gotten to see lots of wonderful friends and family members while I've been home. I'm currently at my roommate's family's house in Northport, AL. We are going to head to Atlanta in a little bit for some more Christmas fun. :) I'll be back in C-town on Sunday and then headed back to Texas on Wednesday. Enjoy what's left of your break!

Rollercoaster Week

This week has had so many ups and downs that I'm starting to feel a little bit sick. LOL. First my students were great. Then they all went crazy. Thankfully, most of them have returned to the good side. In fact, I'm really looking forward to my 8th period class today, and I normally despise them. :) J. made her one-month milestone of no cutting on Wednesday but celebrated by going to the movies with L. She even called me that night because it had been a great day for her. Unfortunately, Thursday morning (J.'s 18th birthday, no less) L. started a huge fight that ended with an IM from J. (to L.) saying she wanted to kill herself. It said something to the effect of, "I can't live without you. I WON'T live without you." It literally made me want to throw up. It breaks my heart to see one hold so much power over the other, especially when I don't understand it at all. Please pray. At this point L. may need more prayer than J. I think she may be more messed up than I ever imagined.

Back to the good. My student Jonathan (that I mentioned in the last post) came and found me today during my conference period to give me my Christmas card. What was on the front? A nativity scene. What did the inside say? "May God bless you this season." I couldn't help but smile. Bless his heart. He's so curious.

Well, my team is about to have our little Christmas lunch. See you back here soon!

Last Week of School for 2008

Yay! Only 4 more days of school before Christmas break! :) It should be a pretty easy week; my regular English III classes are finishing The Crucible; my pre-AP class is reading Frederick Douglass's autobiography; and my PSAT class is working online. Later in the week, my regular students will begin an essay, so that will end the week on a quiet note for me! ;)

I got an email from Sandy (the girl whose mother pulled her out of our school) this morning. It was very sweet and reminded me of all the reasons why I'm a teacher. I also got another chance to share my faith with a student after school. He is a junior, recently "came out" to his family, and is very confused about God/church/the Bible. He flat out said that he does not know anything about how it all works, and that he feels like he is already going to hell because he's gay, so what's the point of church? Please pray for me as I hopefully get to continue this conversation. He is very inquisitive, so I'm pretty sure he'll be back. This isn't the first time we've talked about God. His name is Jonathan, so please remember him in your prayers.

Let's Play Catch-Up!

Since it has been a looooooooooooooooooong time since my last post, I thought I'd let all of my readers (the 2 or 3 of you out there...LOL) know what I've been up to.

1. Classroom Missionary - Unless you are a teacher who really strives to get to know your students, you really can't fathom what goes on with them outside of class. Please pray for me and anyone else you know in the classroom. Our kids face issues that we could never even dream of. J is back at school after about 2 months. She says she is finished with cutting; she has, however, resumed contact with L. While J was in the hospital program, I had another student whose mother withdrew her from school to punish her. She is now living with her grandmother in east Texas. Sad, sad situation.

2. Finishing My 1st Semester of Graduate School - Yes, I survived. My last class was the week before Thanksgiving. Praise the Lord - I got an A in both classes!

3. Travelling - I was able to time my trip to B'ham just right. Jack Wesley Farmer was born there as I was boarding my plane in Dallas. :) It was so exciting to be there just a few hours after he made his entrance. I am also thrilled to say that I got to watch Grace in action at a soccer game the next morning. She is fierce! So impressive. Additionally, I got to see their mom, Kerry (one of my longest-running friendships - we go back to 3rd grade!), and their dad, Wes (love him!). Kerry's parents and sister were there, too; they are like family. I love 'em all!

*I was also able to attend MSU's Homecoming football game. Fun weekend!

*I travelled back to MS a few weeks later for Thanksgiving. I had more fun with the Ellis-Farmer family, spent time with my actual family (LOL), and just enjoyed seeing people. I will be back in 11 days. :)

4. Painting - Deanna and Vicki have finally convinced me to try to sell some of my art work. My school is having a craft fair this weekend. Here is what I have painted to sell so far: