Changes

I've really been enjoying my students lately. We still have good days and bad days, but the 5th graders are always so eager to learn, and the 6th graders have started coming to school some days eager to learn. I was teaching my 5th graders about surface tension - how water molecules stick together. I demonstrated it by getting two cups of water, and pouring the water from one cup into the other, little by little, until the water bulged above the brim of the cup. They thought it was the coolest thing ever and were exuberant at the chance to do the experiment in partners. They were so engaged that when the bell rang for recess, no one ran from class. Some of them stayed several minutes, experimenting and excitedly showing me their brimming cups. It was a teacher's dream lesson :o)

I had the chance last weekend to go to one of the 5th-grade girl's birthday parties. I played Twister Moves and Hide-And-Seek with her and her friends from 5th grade. They loved having their teacher there - they're still at that age. Not the 6th graders.

I was sick this week from food poisoning, and several 5th graders were obviously concerned for me and kept asking me how I was feeling. Monday through Wednesday, I felt horrible. Thursday was the first day I felt well. Thank God, because that day I had to teach every class from 7:30-2:15 without any breaks (Monday, Tuesday and Friday I have prep time while the students are at Gym, Music, or Computer class). I also had a meeting with a 5th grader's parents at lunchtime. They were upset at how his English grades had slipped since last year and were placing the blame on me for not letting them know every time he failed to pass in his homework, and they questioned my grading methods. Thankfully, with the help of other staff members, they came to the realization that expectations are higher this year because he is in upper elementary school and because the English department is being revamped.

I had a new student, Daniela, join the 6th grade on Monday. Her English skills are very basic, and she's been accepted to the school on a conditional basis with the help of a tutor every day after school. But she has a good attitude, and every day she thanks me for giving her class and tells me that she only understood a little but will learn in time. She's become good friends with the outcast of the class, which has helped the dynamics a bit. Tomorrow, I have a new student joining the 5th grade. Her name is Yvonne. She is from a children's home on scholarship and was in this school before but got pulled out for a year or so because of an attitude problem. Please pray for these two girls and my ability to integrate them into the classroom.

More changes are coming in the staff, as well. Profe Sonia, my Honduran counterpart, has been taking education courses for four years, and now she has to do her practicum, for which she will be on leave from her job during a month. A week from tomorrow, the day that Profe Edith comes back, will be Profe Sonia's first day of leave. Thank God they won't both be gone at the same time, but it's going to be hard not to have Profe Sonia's support for a month and for my students to have their regular Spanish teacher replaced with a substitute for that amount of time. Please pray for the right substitute to be found and for a smooth transition.

There are three students in 5th grade who seem to have ADHD, besides the one in 6th grade. They are a huge disruption to the class, and the school isn't fully equipped to deal with learning disabilities. We do have a teacher who devotes some of her time to special education, and she has started pulling these 5th graders out during Reading class to work with them. Pray for these students and us, their teachers. We're meeting individually with their parents this week because they have each had three detentions - the next step is an in-school suspension.

Just to let you know a little about what life is like in Siguatepeque... The weather has turned cool and rainy. I haven't heard any news of the political situation lately, and life is carrying on as normal. Things in general are just not as dependable in an underdeveloped country... Since we have well water at the school, we at the teacher's house always have water when we turn on the faucet. But our coworkers who live down the street often take showers over here because they have running water only once every few days. Their water situation is worse than mine was in my first house in Honduras. Also, it's not rare to lose electricity at least once a week. Sometimes it's out for an hour, sometimes for a day. Yesterday and today have been worse than usual. The electricity has been turning off and on all day long for a few minutes or a few hours at a time. I don't know what's wrong, but I hope the problem gets fixed pronto! It's hard to get work done without electricity.

Please pray for my ability to relax and rest and receive God's grace in every aspect of my life, to empower me to do what He has called me to do. Thank you so much.

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. -Ephesians 3:7