JOKIN IN THE JOHN

        JOKIN IN THE JOHN! When I walked into the bathroom at work recently, I suddenly heard a male voice say, “Well come on in, I’ve saved you the best seat in the house!” Glancing around, I noticed this little Halloween ghost perched on top of the paper towel holder. For the sake of this story, I will just call him “John”. John, who was holding a toilet plunger, continued making wise cracks to me throughout my entire visit to the powder room. John made me very uncomfortable; especially when he said, “It must be Halloween; I just saw a full moon!” Thank goodness John has disappeared!

           

Behavior Intervention

     Several weeks ago, one of my students brought me a bag of chocolate candy.  I am not sure I can adequately describe this bag of candy.  It had obviously been in the bottom of his backpack for a couple weeks, left in the sweltering sun at some point, and I am not ruling out, ran over by a steam roller.  Obviously there was no way I could put this flattened mess in the candy jar.  Well last week, he approached me as he was leaving class and sweetly said, “Ms. Wise, when are you going to put my bag of candy in the candy jar?”  Bless his little pumpkin heart…..now I feel bad that I threw it out.  Looks like I will be buying a bag of chocolate candy this week.  Anyone know where I can rent a steam roller?  Maybe I can just iron it and get the same effect.  I wish I had taken a picture of it; however I did not know I would have to go on a guilt trip over throwing it away!  #ironingcandy

Practical Joke Gone Bad

          A new custodian came into my classroom today!  Suddenly he was motioning towards the front of the classroom and very upset!  I had no idea why he was excited as everything he was saying was in Spanish.  My first thought was, “I wish I had paid a little more attention in my Spanish class!”  All I can remember are simple things like hello, goodbye, and crazy.  Ok, so I have the foreign language skills of a preschooler.  As he is frantically gesturing towards my computer at the front of the classroom, I try to look like I am in control as I approach the computer.  Ah…..there it was…..whiteout spilled on top of my computer.  I tried to explain that it was just a joke…..not real, fake! It looked like I was playing a one-sided game of charades. I even showed him that I also had a bottle of fake red fingernail polish spilled on my desk.   He did not seem at all amused……actually he probably thinks I am a little loco.   As he left, I said, “Gracious!”  Only, I instantly knew that I had not pronounced it correctly…..I said it a little too drawn out…..like a Southerner. 

Praying for Strangers

            Have you ever encountered a look-alike?  I saw my mom at church today.  Oh, I know it wasn't really her as she has been dead for many years now; however, from the side profile, this lady looked so much like my mother, Mary.  She had the same gray hair sprinkled with white strands as my mom.  Even the cut and style, full of body and waves, reminded me of mom’s hair.  Her blouse resembled something my mom would wear with orange, brown, and yellow flowers. 

          I found myself staring at this lady throughout the service.  I kept hoping she would turn so I could see more of her face – knowing she would probably no longer remind me of my mom.  In the end, as she turned to leave, I saw that she did not resemble my mom from the front.  As I think about this lady, I feel lead to pray for her, a stranger, this week; praying for good things in her life.   As I reflect on this experience, it made me think more about praying for strangers; something I should do more often.

            In her book, Praying for Strangers, River Jordan states, “Praying for Strangers is specifically about connecting with one person at a time. To do so, one must first become aware, really aware of the human condition in a personal way. As you move through the days ahead, don't let the need to pray for someone rule your mind. Don't think it. Just open your eyes. Truly, open your eyes. In the course of any given day you will cross paths with many people through your life or by way of social and mass media sources.”

Data Day at School

DATA DAY - Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (and eat some ice cream)! OK...so I added the last part!

Lockdown Procedures

Lock Down - Sparkling little eyes peeking at me from under tables, counters, and desks. This was the scene this week as we once again practiced our lockdown procedures at school. Lockdowns have become a routine part of the school culture; however, I continue to feel emotional as I look at these little faces trying to follow all the lockdown procedures. It breaks my heart that this is America! I’m not sad that our schools run these drills, I’m grateful for it. I’m sad that I’m grateful for it.

Courage

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”  Mark Twain