Cottonwood trees crackle and infuse dusty leafiness into the air as you run past.
Prairie grassland pop with purple asters and goldenrod, next to the dancing lake.
Autumn north winds whisk the water into liquid bouncing gray-greenness.
Waves topped with diamonds splashing off the peak and fall down to do it again.
City autumn has the same reds and golds as other places, but has attitude.
The sound of gunfire is not new,
But it is connected with hunting deer,
Not humans shooting at each other in a large city filled with babies in their mother’s arms, toddler’s running ahead of their parents down a street, and youth hanging out on the front steps.
At first I hoped it was just fireworks left over after Independence Day, but it has continued. An occasional pop, pop, pop…
On the building next to mine, R.I.P in black sharpie is written on the wall in remembrance of a guy who died there last fall.
It saddens me, scares me a little, but then I remember Who called me here, and peace returns. I have the best body guard in the universe.
I’m a foreigner here, in the state where I was born, but a city to which I am called to love.
Hope fills my heart for this place; the shooting will end, the love will overflow. I am honored to be part of the process!
God, please end violence in our cities. You are the One who brings peace.
I invite You, the Prince of Peace, into this neighborhood. Thank you for what You are doing here! It is beautiful. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Moving to the big city has been more of an adjustment than I thought from working in the city for 1 1/2 years…but living is different than just working in the city! I’m learning how big my car is, and if it can fit in a parking spot. I tried one spot near my house, but it was a Mini Cooper sized spot, not a Prius spot. I have scratches on my car to prove it. Bummer… and I’m learning that it’s okay to give a neighboring car an accidental “friendly bump.”
Yesterday I went to get my driver’s license updated, but I didn’t have a bill with me, so I had to go back today. Thankfully, several bills arrived in the mail yesterday (and I got to meet my mail man!), so today I could change it. When I was in line to get my registration changed, I looked up and there was a parent of one of my students from last year! She had me come into her office, and then helped me get it changed (and gave me a hug at the end), and told me about lots of the stores near I live because she used to live right where I live. I am feeling welcome in the big city… It just takes some time and loving people…
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Substitute teaching is harder than it looks.
“Miss Campbell, are you married?” The junior higher asked. “No,” I said as they continued. “Are you engaged?” “No,” I responded.
Then a junior high boy made a comment that I didn’t fully hear: “Maybe that’s why…” I looked sternly in his direction and didn’t hear the rest. I had had enough battles for that day of substitute teaching.
My imagination added the rest: “Maybe that’s why she’s cranky and unreasonable sometimes.”
Or “Maybe that’s why she’s quiet and doesn’t laugh much.”
Taking the time to consider myself from my students’ perspective is helpful, sobering, and a little funny (I shouldn’t take myself so seriously!)
Did I really need to let one student get under my skin so that she started shouting when I asked her to leave the room?
How could have I made it more fun to transition instead of just repeating the same instructions several times?
The life of a substitute teacher flows with newness and lots of challenging students. Students go on their worst behavior when a substitute comes; why is that?
It’s human nature, so I guess they just have to test the limits.
I’ve done okay, but I’m not an amazing sub. However, I’ve learned a lot from subbing:
I’m a grouch sometimes. Period. And a little chocolate helps.
Students can’t read my mind, so I need to give them clear directions and then if they choose not to follow then they get a consequence.
I forget to smile and am nit-picky.
My processing speed in new situations is slow at times when I’m stressed out, and I need space to figure out what to do next.
I need to know my high expectations for my students, have fun getting there, and not let them get away with being sloppy.
My teaching voice needs work (maybe voice lessons?).
Assume I’m right and don’t argue with students!
Be confident; I am the teacher, even if I’m grouchy sometimes, and students must have an okay attitude or if there’s a bad attitude, work through it with me.
Apologies help with everyone.
Be confident enough to admit I was wrong and humbly apologize when needed.
Be observant. Students are sneaky!
Students want the sub to be strong and not let other students push him or her around.
Don’t nit-pick; save the correction for important times, but you can be establishing your standards in a fun way. I’ve been unsure of correction, so I’m nice until I need to confront someone, then I come down hard to show who is boss, then students take offense because I didn’t have a connection with them and emotional capital to use. Students are not machines!
I saw a friend over-do correction recently and then it clicked in my head why I had been offending some students. There is a relational balance, and I had been over-doing it. They had just been talking when they should have been studying, but I came on full-force; adjust to the situation.
I’m learning to build rapport and trust with my students.
Teaching is worth the hassle! Do it.
Be yourself and teach well.
To all the substitute teachers out there: My hat is off to you. Continue teaching and serving those students! You have a hard, but rewarding job.
Sometime dreams take time to come to fruition. Three years ago I knew I needed to stop teaching in Costa Rica and come home. I applied to several schools and even visited one when I was home for spring break. I didn’t connect with the principal, so that fell through, and the English position he thought was opening up, didn’t open.
Then when I got called to be a pre-school aide, that met my needs. I was able to slow down and process the pain, joy, the revelation of character defects that needed to be worked on, and just be loved and heal from my time outside of the USA.
I had had my own classroom with its joys and challenges, so I wasn’t aching to have my own classroom again any time soon, and I served happily in other peoples’ classrooms as an aide, a substitute teacher, and an assistant. I also served the youth of my church for the three years, which kept me in touch with youth culture
After I finished my Master’s project, my “teacher strength” started returning, and the desire to have my own classroom started building again. I had been working with elementary students, and I was not sure if I would want to teach them long term. It got clear to me this year that I got certified to teach secondary students for a reason: I like going more in depth with older students into the subject.
Following a lead teacher and learning how to work as a team has been a good, growing experience for me. It’s humbled me. I’ve had to go to Jesus at times and He has reminded me that He was a servant as well and that by serving the students and teachers I work with, I am serving Him.
Then a job lead came in a humbling way: my younger sister suggested it months before. It took me months to lay down being sort of bugged and just realize she sees my potential and wanted me to get a full teaching job.
My Grandma, who lead the way in being a teacher and writer, passed away in April, and it felt like she passed the baton to me– go out and teach!
So the day after my her funeral, Â I pushed myself to get the application done, and then I emailed it all in. The next day, while waiting for a train in Oglevie train station, I received an email asking for an interview! I set the interview for the one day during my Spring Break that worked.
Having lots of first dates over the last year put me at ease for the interview! The founder of the school, who interviewed me, also introduced me to many people, showed me classes, the building, and we had a three-hour conversation with her doing most of the talking.
On my way home I started getting shivers, so the next few days I had a touch of the flu and was knocked out.
On Thursday I didn’t check my email, then when I checked it Friday morning, I received a job offer!
It took a little while to sink in :), then I negotiated a bit, then accepted it. The process just flowed.
This fall I get to teach Senior Bible and College Writing! Recently when I met with two of my bosses, we enjoyed talking about teaching the Bible and writing and just glowed at each other. I feel accepted, embraced, and confident at this new school.
For a few weeks I thought I could keep my life in a suburb and continue commuting to the city, but then it got clear:
Now it’s time to move to the city and fully embrace this new season of life. Â I move in July!
Mental shifts are happening. I’m changing some stances on life I grew up with: Test it out to see if it will work before you fully commit.
Now I’m changing to feel that if you feel called to a place:
Don’t hold back! Jump in 100%. Choose to connect, and by living near by I will be able to connect deeply. Put down roots and grow!
Now it’s time for this new adventure.
Oh yeah, AND I get to teach my Seniors C. S. Lewis’ book Screwtape Letters! Amazing!!
The man was saying to the gal, “You are so young and fresh, you shouldn’t be out here!” A ruffled, African American man was standing over a homeless young lady sitting on the street corner next to the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ literature racks. She just smiled, so he kept talking, almost shouting. “You shouldn’t be out here, or you should become a whore like all of the other girls. Why don’t you just become a whore?”
The girl just kept smiling up at him, and I couldn’t hear her response as I walked past.
Yes, I’m not proud that I walked past. I wanted to jump in and tell that man off why no woman wants to become a whore! He seemed sort of riled up, so I didn’t try to talk to him or the gal, but that scenario made me sad and caused me to pray. If I had been walking with a guy, then maybe the two of us could have stepped in. I wanted to tell that lady, “Don’t give in!!”
Then last weekend at the Original women’s conference in Rockford, IL (see http://originalconference.com), we were challenged to help stop human trafficking around the world. We can do that by donating at http://www.initforgood.com to help with three different ministries that are helping women in Cambodia, Thailand, and right here in the United States come out of destructive lifestyles.
At first I thought, “I can’t give right now…” but what helped me respond and give was thinking of that girl on the street corner of Chicago; I hope she doesn’t give into what that man was trying to get her to do. Desperate girls are being pushed to do what they don’t want to do in order to survive.
So what can I do about human trafficking?
I can pray. God’s heart aches for all of his beloved children stuck in this destructive system, but he gave humans free choice. We can choose to help.
I can give money and time. The Original conference had partnered with Zoe International, Mercy Ministries, and SHE Rescue Homes.
And to help support these ministries go to http://www.initforgood.com. I’m committed to giving to these ministries!
I can teach the young ladies I work with at school and church to respect themselves, so that getting pulled into a destructive lifestyle isn’t an option in their minds.
Next time, if I see a guy talking to a girl like that, I have more ideas of what to do…but for now, prayer can reach that gal wherever she is: God, please give her strength and provide for her a loving, safe home. Please bless her with resources, loving people to support her, and your peace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Trees of Transition 