Greetings internet world...
It's been a while since I've written.  Honestly, sitting at my computer after a day and trying to write something coherent usually seems quite unappealing.  However, perhaps I'll kick it up a notch again.  Perhaps.

And then I sat there and laughed.

Let me take you back to my life about 47 minutes ago.

I was in our Grade 1 classroom, sitting between two little girls who were taking their time finishing up their writing.  Since it is the beginning of the year, these little ones are very much in the early stages of learning to read and write.  However, this little writing activity was still taking far longer than I had expected.

So...I sat there, helping them come up with their ideas for writing.

And then I slightly zoned out...because there was so much random noise going.

Over to my left one little boy was hitting his metal water bottle with his ruler.

One of the girls was singing 'I like to move it, move it', in a strange low voice.

Another girl was humming away at a high frequency.

One little boy was bouncing his pencil loudly on his desk.

If only it were all to the same beat, it might have been musical bliss.

Nonetheless, I sat there for a few moments and gazed around at the chaos.

And then I sat there and laughed.

What Do Human Beings Need To Survive? 

- A Seven-Year Olds' Perspective - 

Perhaps with school ending in a few days (*fist pump*), my posts will revert back to my own personal thoughts rather than comical stories from the classroom.  Or perhaps not.  But until then, here's one more...


We were discussing the differences between 'needs' and 'wants' of human beings.  The students were giving great examples of things they might want, and then we began making a list of the basic needs that all human beings need to survive.  


The answers we were shooting for were: air, water, food, clothing, shelter and space.


At this point once all these were written on the board, I felt like our list was complete and we could move on.  Then another hand shot up.

"Human beings need God."


Alright, I momentarily freeze as I begin processing how to proceed with such an answer, so...yes, according to my perspective and this 7 year old child, I would definitely agree with his statement. However, we are in a public school so this is a bit of a tender issue.




My response... "Well...do we really need God or want God?"


I remember mentally shaking my head as I asked this question...duh - dumb question, of course human beings 'need' God, but technically I was just looking for the 6 things on our list that fit into the curriculum, and God wasn't on there.


His response, "We NEED God."


I stand corrected.  While this particular student would not be one that I would put into the 'Christian' category due to his daily antics, I am thankful for little moments like this when such tidbits of truth sneak their way into life.


To sum up, human beings actually need seven things to survive, and God is number one.

Normally, when the students in my class say funny things, I'm able to stay composed and not laugh out loud at them, but only in my head.  Here are just two recent examples when this was not possible.


We are learning about symbols of Canada...so we discussed the symbols on our Canadian coins.


"Alright, who knows what the maple leaf is on?"  I asked.
"The penny."
"That's right.  And what is the beaver on?"
"A log."




While walking back to the school after a practice drill on the field, the students were suppose to walk back to the school silently.  However, this silence was broken when one of my students hollered from the line, "Miss Jacobson, Andy's pants are backwards."
I froze.  I turned around with raised eyebrows and asked, "Andy...are your pants backwards?"
He stepped out of line, looked down in surprise, and I saw the bum pockets clearly at his front.
I burst out laughing.
Poor kid, this obviously explained why he had been sitting so funny in class all morning.

Mothers are very special people

"Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her."
Psalm 31:25-28

I've been meaning to post for a while...and have another post half written.  However, Mother's Day is indeed in need of a post, because I have an amazing mother.

For those of you who know my mother, you know what a gem she is.  She is a woman of prayer, and woman of love, who is continually giving of herself and blessing others.  She has taught me to trust and believe in the faithfulness of God, solely by the way she lives her life, and I am grateful to her for that.  She is my greatest confidant, and also the woman I fear most, because I never know when she will pop out of a closet or from behind my bedroom door and scare me to death.  

Mom, I love you. :)

Today, as I was sending my students out the door with their Mother's day cards and gifts, I wished some of the mom's 'Happy Mother's Day'.  On their way, one of the mom's also wished me a 'Happy Mother's Day' and then stopped a moment and asked, "Wait, do you have kids?"  I responded with, "Well...kind of...24 of them."  Lord willing, I look forward to being one one day in the future.  However, this time in my life, I'm quite content getting my fill of kids every day at school. 

I also had another conversation with some girls in my class today, who also seem to be in no rush to get married: 

"Happy Mother's Day Miss Jacobson."  
"Haha, well thank you."
"Do you have kids?"
"Nope."
"Are you married?"
"Nope."
Shocked face.
"I know...so, when are you going to get married?"
"I'm going to go my whole life without a husband, and then I'll get one."
"Wow...so you'll live life a bit before you marry."
"Yup."
"Wise girl.  What about you Cathy, how old will you be when you get married?"
"Hmm...probably 30."


All in all, this is my shout out and thank you to my mom, and all the other women in my life who have treated me as a daughter, and have given me their time, wisdom, and love.  Mom's are special people.  

"Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, 

and I will tell of Your greatness.

They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness 

and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness." 

- Psalm 145:6-7 -

I have just arrived home from a wonderful evening spent with some beautiful women.  Tonight, our conversation began on what the meaning of Easter is.  While no doubt, the classic Sunday School answer "Jesus!" first came to our minds, conversation began rolling and the Lord directed our chatting in a neat way.

Easter can be a difficult holiday.  Take away the chocolate bunnies and colored eggs, we see the holiday where Christians are encouraged to remember that sacrifice that Christ made for us through His death. I struggle with this every year, to truly grasp the miraculous act that He made.  I don't want to just be swept up in the emotions or force myself to feel a certain way I think I should feel.  Rather, I want to believe without a doubt, in the depth of my soul, that I believe in the man who was willing to die for me, and that that act has radically transformed not only my life, but all of life.

There have been moments in my life where the Lord has shown himself to be extremely real.  He has revealed parts of His character in simple, yet beautiful and unique ways that have been so deeply rooted in my heart that I can never deny those qualities in Him.  These parts of Himself are as real to me as the chair I am sitting on, and as real as the conversations I had tonight with my friends.  Yet, when I reflect upon the historical facts of the crucifixion, that Jesus did indeed live over 2000 years ago, and chose to give His life for me and all humanity...I find it extremely hard to wrap my heart and mind around and really understand and appreciate it all.

But, how can one fully comprehend such a thing without experiencing it?  Yes...hope and faith in the things we have not seen is a huge part of this, yet thus far in my life, it has still proven to be a struggle.

While I have no clear answer, and much of these writings is my own mind rambling and processing, I know Easter still has great purpose and meaning.  My heart at least rests in the truth that I have indeed experienced Christ in my life, that He is a God who is faithful and true.  And while I 'know' in my head of His sacrifice, but cannot understand it in full, I can praise Him for His "awesome acts", "greatness" and "abundant goodness" that I have experienced in full in my own life.

Thus, while it may be hard to reflect on an event that happened so very long ago and feels far removed, may we give honor and praise for the things He continues to do today, and each day.  Because our Lord did not die long ago, He is movin' and shakin' up this world, and I want to be along for the ride.

Blessings on your Easter weekend, may you find the time to reflect and be blessed.

Pencil Shavings...

At school today, we celebrated being at school for 100 days.  It was a whirl wind of a day, and I still feel like my head is spinning a bit.  We crammed a lot of fun action into a day, let me tell you.

However, as I sit here...all I can remember of the day is the small interruption of two of my students fighting over pencil shavings.  I'm pretty sure that when I was in school, pencil shavings were not considered gold...they were garbage...unless they were shavings from my crayons, and that's a completely different story.  Nevertheless, today when I had to console a child who came to me crying after he was caught 'red-handed' trying to steal another child's pencil shavings when they fell on the floor, I could only shake my head.  If only pencil shavings were such a commodity in the real world, I'd be rich.

On a lighter note...I believe I am also 100 days smarter than I was 100 days ago, I hope.

Twenty-12

God is good and He has shown this in many ways this year - both in the large, small and minuscule ways.  Full of surprises, heartaches, miracles, blessings, realizations and all sprinkled with the Lord's faithfulness, hope and goodness.

For a blog post, there is far too much to write without overloading the computer.  And I know once my fingers start-a-typin', a book may appear.  Therefore, I shall keep this snappy and short.

Every new year brings me great joy and anticipation, to begin 'a fresh'.  I feel like I get a fresh start every summer, every school year, and it's nice to have another point of freshness in January.  I am eager to see what great things the Lord has in store for my life, and for those around me.

A few reflections of 2011...
...the passing of my dearest Grandpa, who I still greatly miss and occasionally grab my phone to give him a call.
...the finale to my university career as I finally began my teaching career, and was blessed with a job for the fall
...my dream road trip half way across Canada, where I got to drive through the beautiful prairie flat lands and reconnect with dear friends and family
...turned 24 :)
...a delightfully cute niece, Ella-Sophia, who I still have yet to meet in person, but absolutely adore from afar

New Years Resolutions?  No, thank you.  Yes, I do have dreams and goals to aspire to, however, that happens all year long.  The newest?  To learn ukulele.

Blessings to you all as you start off a brand new year.  May the Lord be your center and solid foundation, your deepest desire and greatest joy.  And may we all have eyes that are open to the world around us so that we may stretch out our hands to love.

JJ

It's Christmas Time!

I can hardly believe that it is Christmas time and that the school year is wrapping up for the break.  It is delightful :)

I have absolutely loved this time of the year with my kids.  We have had a blast writing to Santa, making snowflakes, creating snowmen, and doing 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas' as a Readers Theatre for the parents.  Tomorrow, I get to be in with the kids and we are having a sweet fun-filled day of Christmas fun.  I'm stoked.

The whole believing in Santa deal has been a bit of a conversation topic in the classroom these days.  While I was working with a small group of kids earlier this week, I overhead one of the kids say to another student,
"How dare you say Santa isn't real!  How dare you say Santa isn't real!"

I shook my head and hoped the question would never be directed at me.  However, the next day, it came...
"Miss Jacobson, is Santa Claus real?"

Um...alright, inside my heart even I still want to believe in the Christmas magic of Santa.  Nevertheless, some people consider telling children that Santa exists is a horrific lie.  Thus I responded with, "Well, what do you think?"  He obviously responded with, "Yes", and I said "There you go!"  And he seemed content with that, thankfully.

Later in the week a special delivery of cold letters from Santa, with glitter and snow, arrived at the school for the kids, I think they all were convinced he is very much real, and that makes me happy.

I am collecting an excellent repertoire of comical stories.  The students never cease to make me laugh out loud, shake my head, or make me scream inside.  In short, I successfully dealt with my first vomit situation, learned about following recipe instructions so that Science experiments work properly, and that I need to remind my class more than once then importance of being kind to each other.  Every day is a fresh start to something unexpected, and I love it.

Very Merry Christmas to you if you are reading this.  I plan to provide an update of something other than the teaching portion of my life.  I assure you all is well and I am enjoying life :)  God is good.

Until next time...
 JJ

Breathing a little easier...


Many who live on the island, or those who simply love the island, will know exactly what I mean as they read what I am about to write.  At this moment, I am experiencing that special feeling.  That moment of complete refreshment as I relax into a chair, gaze out of a slightly dirty or scratched window, stare out into the ocean, and feel the gentle motion of the ferry taking off into the open waters.  I feel as if I'm leaving every stress, every 'to do' list, and every worry behind me.  I can breathe easier.  I cannot hide the smile on my face.  In fact, I probably look odd, sitting here alone, smiling.  

I am going home.  

I am going home to my beloved island, home, family, friends, my beloved retreat.  Each time I take this journey, I travel to the place that renews my spirit, and I have often found my joy even causing happy tears to brim on my eyes.  Unfortunately, these cheerful feelings only accompany me one-way on this trip.  I have yet to feel this happiness travelling back to the mainland, and I find that I have to psych myself up each time for that trek back to the city lights, miles of traffic, and busyness.  I do suppose my perspective is completely biased, but I'm okay with that.  At least for now, my heart is overjoyed as I enjoy my cruise in solitude across the pacific at sunset.  I can hardly contain my excitement to first smell that  clean island air, to hug my family, and to stroll along my favorite beach breathing in the salty air.  

Yes, these are the moments I love.   

Happy Halloween!

Due to privacy, their faces are hidden.  
But you can still tell just how cute they are .

A fresh start...

Did you notice?

Yes, I changed my blog background yet again.  I feel it needed a little something...a little help...a little pizazz...something a little more 'grown up' and perhaps classy.

Today, I had my first TOC (teacher-on-call) job of the school year.  Teaching music all day.  Ha.

I was literally mobbed by a group of kindergartners who all wanted a 'high five' from me after I taught them a song that included a 'high five' in the actions.  It took a while to settle them down.

I was asked if the picture on my teacher ID was a picture of me as a baby.  It was taken in May.
Slightly surprised, I asked "Do I look like a baby in this photo?"
The Kindergartner replied, "Well, you're hair is darker."
"What color is my hair now?"
"Blonde."
Yes, thank you summer sunshine.


I was completely dumbfounded when playing a game with Grade Two's.  Three different pairs of students, who were suppose to have their eyes closed (and were also facing a wall), managed to correctly guess who  the student in the circle leading actions was, within 3 seconds each time.  Seriously...I thought I had an eye on them the whole time to make sure they weren't cheating...how did they do that?

The Grade Four's wanted to call me "Miss J'.  I also thought that was cool.

I managed to still appear more intellectual that a sixth grader.  Thank goodness.

I think I can do this.

I also ran over a frog today.  How does a frog not move out of the way of my giant wheel?  Still...I was surprisingly crushed.  My jaw hung open for a while after I saw its' flattened little body growing smaller and smaller in my review mirror.  Opps.

A Realization

About 30 minutes ago, I was standing in my kitchen making a cup of tea.  As I swirled my spoon around, I began pondering about tomorrow and mentally preparing myself for the first day of school. I have had many 'first days of school' and I was shrugging off tomorrow as almost one in the same of the many I have already experienced.

It then dawned on me.  Tomorrow, I get to start off the first day.  I get to be the teacher, I begin my career.

Yes, I put down my spoon and mug and began to excitingly jump up and down throwing my hands up in the air (yes, I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, saying 'ayo').  Rika laughed at me as I screamed 'I get to teach tomorrow' over and over again.  I finally came to the realization that my dream was coming true.  After 20ish years of dreaming of becoming a teacher, tomorrow - the dream begins.

Creative Imaginations...


One of my favorite stories written by one of my students in our 'Story Structure' unit.  His spelling still needs some work, so there is a translation underneath if you can't figure out his own writing :

"Shrade"  (I'm not quite sure what the title means).

Wants apon atime there wus two ninjas.

1 ternd bad.

Varey bad.

They fitid.  The bad guy ascapt.

Good wan.

He was King aftr all.  He had the pawr to conchol the pawr fo litning.

TRANSLATION:

Once upon a time there was two ninjas.

One turned bad.

Very bad.

They fighted.  The bad guy escaped.

Good won.

He was king after all.  He had the power to conquer the power of lightning.

"The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time."

- Abraham Lincoln

Well...this picture is incorrect because by now, I've completed 6 full weeks of teaching and one more to go!  It has been quite a learning experience, but I have loved the opportunity to be working with a phenomenal teacher and a fun and quite energetic group of Grade One's.


When you spend the day with children who think you are one of the best artists they've ever seen, despite me drawing a monkey that looks like a pig, it does wonders for your self esteem.  Alright, well it hasn't been that dreamy.  But they do bring a smile to my face with their wonder, excitement and random outbursts.  Just on Friday I was told I sing like a brown woman and speak like a lady, who would have ever guessed?  I don't even know what that really means to a six-year old.


As my final year of schooling is promising to soon come to an end, I find myself experiencing that 'What's next?' anxiety that I never thought I would actually experience.  Other than graduating from high school and deciding which school to go to for bible school or university, this will be the first time I must really make a decision that will lead into the unfolding of many possibilities for the future.  A fresh new season...


Making decisions is not my forte, nor my favorite past time activity.  Somewhere along the line, I picked up this habit of wanting to make perfect choices in order to save myself any grief or pain.  While I have managed to escape any extreme repercussions from some of the 'bad' decisions I have made in the past, I realized I have to give credit to the Lord for His magnificent gift of turning difficult or hard situations into the beautiful experiences in which I have learned more about myself, others around me, and that most importantly, I can trust in my faithful Jesus.


I was reading in Hosea this morning and I read about the Lord's anger and wrath on the people of Israel for their unfaithfulness to Him and for their lack of recognition of how He had provided for them.

"I will also put an end to all her gaiety, her feasts of her new moons, her sabbaths and all her festal assemblies...I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she used to offer sacrifices to them and adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry, and follow her lovers so that she forgot Me,' declares the Lord."   

- Hosea 2:11 & 13

As I finished these verses I was so engulfed with reading of His fury that the next few verses (despite having read them before), took me by surprise and immediately brought peace to my heart:

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her...For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, so that they will be mentioned by their names no more...I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, then you will know the LORD." 

 - Hosea 2: 14, 17, 19 & 20

That is our Jesus (for those who believe in Him).  He is Forgiveness and Restoration, He is our Provider, the one who blesses and sustains us, demands and deserves our thanks and grateful hearts, our attention and appreciation.  However, despite the moments in life when we get caught up in comfort, confusion, disobedience, and 'forget' Him, how GOOD is He to still promise to woo us back to Him and speak kindly to us?


Later in chapter 6, Israel responds with this:

"So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD.  His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth."  

- Hosea 6:3

Amidst the nerves and unknown of the future months ahead and searching for a job and seeing 'what's next', deciding what steps to take in other situations in my life, hearing and praying for my friends and family struggling and experiencing various situations in their own lives, and amidst the destruction and sadness that is occurring in the world around me (such as in Japan), I am called to be on my knees in prayer and find that my only hope is found in a man named Jesus, who despite everything, promises to be faithful and refreshing in all circumstances. 


And I desire to hear His voice and to walk with Him.  And I desire to lose any fear and worry in 'making a wrong decision' and to just be willing to take steps forward and embrace His life and see where He leads.  How can we go too far wrong with such a God at our side?

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 

"This is the way; walk in it."  

Isaiah 30:21

"Life is hard. God is sovereign. God is good."

- John Piper

3 - 4

My very first cup of tea from Roll-up-the-Rim season was a bust,

but that was not the case tonight.

Tonight I went to Timmy's and bought three drinks.
One large steeped tea, two milk, one sugar.

One large green tea, with honey.

One medium French vanilla.

3 winners.

One coffee.

One donut.

One coffee.

Three happy friends.

Greetings...

I was sitting in Tim Horton's today making a list of all the student's in my class for an assessment. As I was remembering each student and writing down their name a thought popped into my mind and I was stunned.

I was making a list of my students...real children.

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a teacher. Which meant throughout my life, mainly my childhood, I forced my friends to be my 'students' and who knows what I even taught them. I also stood alone in my room, pacing my floor back and forth, talking to an invisible class. I remember sitting, as a young girl, and thinking really hard to to come up with enough unique names to create my own 'class list' and here I am, almost twenty years later with a real and legit class list of students.

Today, it made me excited to write each student's name down and actually have a face and a personality to go along with that name. Gone are the days when I simply threw a random first and last name together in order to have a class list to do attendance with my imaginary invisible class. Teaching...here I come.

The One-derful One-ders of Grade One

A taste of today's lesson:

What is peace?

"Is it a slice of cake?"

"Peace is sleep."

"Peace is disco-dancing."

"Peace is helping a friend."

I've become accustomed to leaving huge gaps of time between each blog post, often after a school day, my brain is feeling fairly fried and there is not much going in my brain to write about.

However, right now I find myself enjoying a phenomenally gorgeous fall Saturday, and I am sitting in my favorite coffee shop in Langley with a dear friend, getting ready to dive into an afternoon of lesson planning and organizing my work.

I am enjoying being referred to as 'Miss Jacobson' in my Grade One class...this year will be quite a year of learning. My class (as every class does) has a huge range of learning levels in every subject, and figuring out how to make learning interesting and engaging for students of all levels will be a challenge. Let alone mastering classroom management skills...ha...

I have been blessed immensely with two teachers (doing a job-share) as my School Associates, and they are wonderful teachers, full of a lot of information and knowledge, and are great in the classroom. I feel confident that I will come out of this year prepared to teach...wherever that may be.

I'm going to dive back into work but I plan on seeing you again soon on my blog...with beautiful weather like there is outside, lots of teaching stories and Halloween fun and Christmas on the horizon...there will be lots to blog about :)

____________________________________________________

Here will be a new blog addition where I will have little stories from school:

The One-derful One-ders of Grade One

Each day, the students have Guided Reading. While my teacher works with one group at a time, the rest of the students rotate through different centers. As they work, they are not allowed to talk to or ask the teacher questions because normally the teacher is busy with a group and should not be interrupted. Thus, to get in the habit, they are not suppose to ask me questions either because eventually I'll be leading the small group and will not be available to talk to either.

So on one particular day, I sat and was writing and observing the different classroom tasks. I watched through the corner of my eye as students would watch me and then decide to approach to ask a question.

"Miss Jacobson..."
I would respond with, "I'm invisible."
This group smiled and remembered they couldn't talk to me, so they wandered away.

A few moments later, another few students approached me.

"Uh, Miss Jacobson, how do we..."
I again responded with, "I'm invisible."

One little boy looked at me with a raised eyebrow and honestly spoke, "No you're not, I can see you."

I chuckled and smiled, "No, I'm invisible", and gave him a wink, thinking he would understand.

He reached out his little hand and stroked my arm, "But, I can feel you, so you must be here."

I could not argue with his logic, and after reminding him in simple language that he could not ask me questions, he nodded his head with understanding and moved on.

I have learned I have to be pretty simple in my speech and instructions with Grade One's. :)