a big, big list

here

Let's be honest - this blog is mainly devoted to trivial things.  The daily ins-and-outs of life that I love to keep on record.  If you read and/or write blogs, you know this is just a small snapshot of the writer.  But there is more going on too...

I am not comfortable using such a public space to discuss family problems, marital issues, job decisions, and the like.  As a fairly shy person, I don't usually even talk about that stuff with people face-to-face unless I trust them or they ask.  But for my own record, I'm going to list the big topics I'm wrestling with this year....some of these are new and some I've been working through for several years.  I'm not listing my specific views on these just yet, because most of them are a work in progress.  If you're really curious, feel free to ask me or email me.

• organ donation**
• God's design for sexuality
• reading through the Bible (not really an idea, but rather a goal)
• infertility and assisted reproduction**
• abortion**
• parenthood - unconditional love vs. transforming love
• building/creating a home
• personhood and dignity**
• contraception**
• pornography
• marriage for a lifetime
• heaven and God's kingdom

Wow - that's a big list - even just writing them all makes me realize why my head hurts at the end of the day.  Do any of you get that feeling of relief after you just write down everything that's buzzing through your head?
Love that.


** These topics are all ones I'm researching this year for a Christian Bioethics class I'm co-teaching at work.  The class is stretching me in ways I couldn't have imagined, and I'm growing in major ways because of it.  (Plus the students are amazing - and I love them too.)

back in high school

Found here

Hi friends -

Life has been crazy around here lately.  We finished off our last summer weekend with a great trip home (filled with bike rides and boat rides in the rain).  This week we've been working like mad and trying to take care of some family things.  Plus we've joined a new house church and we're settling into a weekly routine.  It is fun to see the new freshman tread through the high school halls with trepidation.  They are just starting to open up.  I'm teaching a new class which has me feeling like I'm back in college, researching constantly.  Tomorrow we are going on a class retreat to a local park, and I'm stoked to spend the day outside.  It's almost the weekend!
xo.

finds: botanical posters

{flax}

{fern}

{anemone}

It is probably the scientist in me, but I am digging these anatomical botany posters. They come with a key to each of the figures drawn.  I think they would be so fun in a kid's room or hallway.  Find them here.

striped icebergs

Icebergs in Lake Michigan sometimes have stripes, formed by layers of snow that react to different conditions.

Blue stripes are often created when a crevice in the ice sheet fills up with melt water and freezes so quickly that no bubbles form.

When an iceberg falls into the lake, a layer of water can freeze to the underside. If this is rich in algae, it can form a green stripe.

Brown, black and yellow lines are caused by sediment, picked up when the ice sheet grinds downhill towards the lake.

I am a teacher, therefore...

 ...I love chalkboards.  Particularly this one:

{Found here, $22}

And bulletin boards covered in school uniform plaid, like this one:

{Found here, $52}

And this graphic anatomy poster:

{Found here, $18}

And this geode would make a gorgeous paperweight:

{Found here, $34}

why?

This week one of my sweet, kind students died. 

I can't understand.

My happy-go-lucky students are now somber and serious.

It is hard to smile.

Distractions are welcome, but thinking is inevitable.

He sat in the desk in front of my desk.

I can picture his mom talking to me at parent teacher conferences.

I will miss him, and my heart hurts watching his friends grieve.

Praying for God's healing and hope and peace.

the way it is

I do not have tough skin.
I avoid confrontation.
I hate talking on the phone.
I take things personally.

The end.

lessons from teaching

Here are some of my reflections on the little things I have learned during 2 years of teaching high schoolers:

1. Learn students' names as quickly as possible.
2. Have high expectations of students and myself.
3. Keep the rules simple: be respectful, be obedient, be prepared.
4. Laugh often.
5. It is good to take personal days and be reminded that there is life outside the classroom.
6. Things won't be perfect.
7. Teaching the same class 7 times a day is a bad idea.
8. I don't like to work out after a day of teaching, but if I do I feel about 1000 times better.
9. Giving students bacteria, permanent stains, and scalpels makes me stressed, but I still love hands-on learning.
10. Just when I feel completely exhausted/stressed/overwhelmed, the students remind me why I picked this job.

Long's Bakery

When in Indy, you must pick up some donuts from Long's Bakery. If you go on a Sunday morning, most likely you'll see 4 or 5 pastors stopping by to pick up donuts for their congregations. Since I was little, I've loved cake donuts, but I have equal affection for Long's cake and yeast donuts. You can't go wrong!

Here is a picture of my Sunday afternoon treat:

On a completely unrelated note, here are a few shots of my classes this week doing their Gram stain lab:

grace in small things: 24 of 365

Gram positive bacillus - this species causes gangrene

Today I felt drained. I am writing my final exams, teaching my kids how to do the Gram stain (without harming themselves or each other), and working on a million other small things throughout the day. I can't believe it is only Wednesday, and I still have 2 weeks worth of papers to grade. I miss my best friends and my family, and I wish I could have just called someone to go out to coffee and talk after a long school day.

Instead, I called Zach and he came home and made me dinner. We had salads and my favorite breadsticks. He hugged me and told me it would all be fine. Somehow those little things make even a rough day seem brighter.

grace in small things: 23 of 365

1. "Faculty Fiesta" Qdoba lunch sponsored by the PTF at my school. They take such good care of us!
2. A pink dahlia plant for my desk from Elissa, one of my students (in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week).
3. Warm vanilla sugar candles and shower gel
4. I am halfway done with the research papers I'm grading.
5. We booked our hotel in LA and have lots of fun things planned, along with plenty of time to relax.

grace in small things: 20 of 365

Before I get to the small things I'm grateful for today, here is my story of the week:

Freshman Brings Gun to School

That's right. One of my students had a BB gun still in his bookbag from a youth group video he was making the night before. WHAT? First of all, what youth group is ok with having a student bring a gun to make a video??? To make matters worse, instead of going to the office immediately and explaining why he had a BB gun in his bookbag, he shows it to several other freshmen who FREAK OUT. Once the gun was confiscated by the principal and he was taken out of class, I'm pretty sure the police officers scared him pretty thoroughly.

1. bacteria - I could study and work with these all day long!
2. Rachel's sweet post yesterday
3. 3 new plants from the greenhouse at the IMA
4. white bedding
5. when my hubby makes me coffee in the morning

grace in small things: 18 of 365

1. turning on the air conditioning last night

2. finishing a really good book
3. ordering bacteria and mice for labs

4. 1/2 days at school

5. looking forward to having all of these papers graded by May 22

happy earth day

from my 1st period class :)

Here are some little changes we've made this year:

• cleaning out the pantry and removing items with high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil
• requesting recycling bins at our apartment building - now there are 8!
• switching to maple syrup and whole grain pancake mix
• choosing whole grain breads and pasta only
• growing herbs at home (can't wait to grow more fruits and veggies when we get a yard someday)
• turning off A/C or heat during the day
• going to farmer's markets during the summer

remember when...

...you were in high school? Maybe this will give you a flashback:

Today in class, my kids were giving presentations about ecology. During another student's presentation, a boy farted SO loud! It was hilarious, and I couldn't help but laughing.

If you were the adult in the room, would you laugh?