I don't have long to write because I have to be at school in just over an hour, but I haven't found time to post lately because of all there is to do at school, at home, etc. This is just a brief hello to say that, for the moment, things are going better.
Derrick, who had Typhoid, started teaching on Monday. He seems to be doing ok, though I have heard that re-occurences within the first month are not uncommon. Please pray for him.
Nancy Fluth (who has Dengue) is at home. She is still not feeling well. Her illness was severe. It will probably be at least a week until she is teaching (maybe longer.) They have told her it will be three months until she is fully recovered.
Christy Elmer and my roommate Rachel have some kind of flu. They have both had blood tests, so as far as we know it is nothing more serious. Christy is on the mend, but Rachel is still not feeling well. They are both 2nd grade teachers, so both second grade classrooms have had subs this week.
Kimberly, the other of my roommates, had salmonella. She flew home yesterday. She decided that (because of health reasons, etc.) this was not where she was supposed to be.
Jessica Swan moved into Kimberly's room this past weekend. She is the highschool mathematics teacher, and she seems like a really nice girl. She has friends here who are on the board of the school. (More about the school board, etc. in a post to follow.)
Also, Misty, the PK-2 teacher arrived last weekend. Because Kimberly left, we now desperately need a kindergarten teacher!
But, the great news is that I really love teaching!!! Its hard. It is difficult to find my feet sometimes. Trying to decide how much of a tyrant to be in the classroom is also difficult. Sometimes I feel I am too mean, and sometimes I feel I am too slack. Yesterday one of my 8th graders asked me why I was mad at them. I wasn't mad, but when I tell a student to do something and they don't respond, it can get very aggrevating. They are not trying to be 'disobedient', they are just acting like normal jr. high kids and pushing boundaries and trying to determine their own free will - which is often not moving quite as quickly toward acquiescence as I would like.
Here are two pictures of my 8th grade class:
That is RoseAngelica on the far left, then Gisele, Ricardo, Dariel, Emmanuel and Edward. They were not supposed to be acting goofy in the first picture, but in the second they were. They really are a fun class, and the only class where we are ahead of lesson plans. (That does not, however, mean they will do well on their tests -- they are great at short term, but I don't know if they will remember anything!)
Please pray for me, and for these kids. We all have alot to learn, and I have the most!
Alright, more later!
