Another Week Down!

 I think this is week 4!  And I'm still here....   Hooray!  God continues to bless me. 

And I am grateful for his presents.   I will admit that this last week was a bit of a roller coaster.    There were plenty of ups and downs all along the way.  And I know there will continue to be such moments as the year slips by at a snails pace in the moment.   But looking back,  it seems like a dream now.    How can time act so strangely?   

This coming week is the beginning of Homecoming.  I have been told that I should lower my expectations and try to keep the bar low for most of the classes this week.   I believe every day this week has been set up as an "activity day" for homecoming prep.  That means slightly shorter classes and odd "activity moments"  that will mess up your sense of order.  

Not that I had much to begin with.  I AM still learning things as they run by at lightning speed....

But, once again,  there have been moments where I feel like I am at the right place and time.   And the Staff continues to encourage and help me out as I bumble my way through things.    Hopefully,  without any damage to the school, myself or others...

That being said,  I attended a number of activities this week.    I was able to attend a Cross Country invitational that was just down the road.   The Parkside cross country course is well known and highly active each week.   Last week, it was set up or a number of high schools and Shoreland placed 2nd overall,  ( I think)  Shoreland has one runner who went to State last year, so their cross country team is pretty good at the moment. 

It was similar to watching a 5k at one of the races we used to attend.   Lots of folks cheering on the runners with the finish line and timer ticking away.  I was surprised how many parents I already know!   I chatted with several of them and overall had a fun time.  

Friday was a football game and Shoreland won!    The other team gave them a run for their money though,    I could only stay until the beginning of the 4th quarter as I could barely hold my eyes open.    It was a long Friday for me already, and hanging out past 9 P.M. was pushing me to my limits.  I was not alone as many of the faculty said their goodbyes and wished the team well. 

Saturday was actually quite busy as I tried to cram in as much as I can in the short window of free time I have available.   I did my laundry,  attended a "Walk For Life" event with several students and teachers from the school,  changed my oil in the Silver Bear Subie and cleaned up a few things along the way.   I graded a HUGE stack of papers and just finished setting up my initial lesson plans for the week.   

Oh!  And I found time to do some shopping,  go to evening church, and catch John and Francisco at the Clubhouse!   Looking back I wonder how I managed to fit all of that into a single day. I guess God was helping me with Time Management....

It was the first time I have changed the oil in the Bear.  The 2014 Subaru has figured out a way to make changing the oil a bit easier.   They put the oil filter on the top of the engine!  The hardest part was trying to get the drain plug loose as there were a number of plates  on the underside that help protect the bottom of the car from damage.   This means I have limited access to the plug from a certain direction.   Still,   It went by fairly smoothly.   And I discovered that I am now obligated to use full synthetic oil because the newer engines have finer tolerances.   I'm ok with that.   And I guess I may have to change my oil routines to 6000-10,000 miles instead of the familiar 3000 mile intervals.  The oil is slightly more expensive, but I think I may end up using less and saving money over time.   We shall find out. 

Last weekend,  a number of Teachers invited me to the Petrified Springs Beer Garden for some end of week therapy.   It was cold and the beer garden had  fires in the pits to help keep people warm.   I tried to snuggle up to the fire, but found it to be too hot and away from it to be too cold.  ( Like Goldie Locks!)   It was fun chatting with the teachers in an "informal" setting  with a relaxed atmosphere.  I hope we can get to do it again before they close the Beer Garden for the season.  ( I know that they must have activities during Oktoberfest!)    

Other things:    It was Grandparents Day for the Thursday and Friday of last week.   Many students were excused from classes so they could escort their Grandparents around.   Also,   there were a number of State Politicians who wanted to tour and see what Shoreland High School was all about.   I think we even had one of the Senators sit in on the event.  ( It is an election year, after all...) So lots of activities were happening in the background.  

But I was mostly focused on my own little class in my own little part of the world.   The Land Nav test was fairly successful and I recently set up a mineral lab for the kids to ID various minerals.   There will be a few tests and/or quizzes this week and I hope the kids enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the labs over the boring lectures that accompany them.  There are always those students who take advantage of any change in the system,   but I hope that most of them will at least appreciate the efforts and do their best. 

And that is pretty much all for now.  I'm taking a bit of a break from the lesson planning to recover and write this blog post.    Dave has been gone  for most of the week and is scheduled to come back sometime today.   So I am currently alone with nothing to do but blog and do school stuff.  I may take a nap after I finish this.   I am thankful that God gives me these pleasant moments of peace so I can breathe and think about how I will tackle the next day.    Or set up a lesson that will be more engaging for both myself and the kids.   With a little more help,  I might actually become almost decent...

A long post after a long week.   The challenges continue!   But with God's help, I shall persevere!  If there was ever a moment before this where I felt I needed God everyday,  I can't remember it.    Not only do I pray for strength every morning and every evening.    But I find myself praying for guidance sometimes every HOUR!  And I know God is there with me to help me.   And that is reassuring on a level where words can not begin to describe.  I pray that I can do my best.   And that my best will eventually meet the standards God has set for me. Because my time on this planet is limited... and Every second counts.  

Glory, praise and Honor to Him who gives us all things... Including a Savior.

Week Two Of High School.

 I managed to survive another week!   Is this really what I can expect for the next 9 months?  Because, honestly,  there were moments....  Lots and lots of moments....  Where I was questioning my sanity for accepting this job.   I had this feeling once before when I entered into the Army.   A world so foreign that I had no way to process everything as it came at me with lightning speed.   

But I survived that.   

And I will survive this....   With the Help of God.  

And God has been with me.    Oh!   All of the boneheaded mistakes I have made over the last several days have been completely my own, I assure you.   You would think that since I survived Student teaching, I would have at least some idea on how things work at a Lutheran School ( Or ANY school... )   But thirty years has forced me to "relearn" the lessons that I had once earned the hard way.    That is right... Mistakes!   Those are the best teachers.  ( Assuming you do not want to replicate them in the future)  And any life lessons you have not learned from in the past,  are worth relearning once again.   

I have heard that I have been drinking from a fire hose these last few days.   With all of the information that has been poured out for me,   I simply seem to be unable to process it all at the correct flow-rate.  But I am surrounded by people who are going above and beyond to help me navigate these troubled waters.    I am blessed with a vast reservoir of knowledge and guidance. God is watching out for me. 

And so I will say that I did survive.    And I actually ended the week on a pretty good note.   It is the small victories that I will treasure always.   And hopefully, I will be gaining my sea legs soon enough to almost be "not bad" at my job.   Like running my first marathon:  At some point I realized that my goal of 4:30 was not attainable, and survival and finishing were going to be a struggle.   

But I did survive.   

And I did finish.  Once again,  with the help of God and his Angels.   

So this Labor Day weekend was spent surfing the beach with Cheryl.   Finding rocks and beach glass and listening to the crashing waves as the summer sun settles in on the last days of the season.  
There were moments of Zen and peace.    And that is all I could ask for.  

Tomorrow begins anew!   With several of my sets doing their final test for the Land Nav site I set up.    Several groups are going to be fine, but I fear a handful of them might need a bit more help.   Either way,   it will be an experience for us all.  

One day at a time.    And remember to breathe!   (Very important to breathe!)   I will continue to pray for guidance and God's blessing.   I truly believe he will not test me beyond my limits.   And if he does,  he will provide the right support to help me out.  Which he has already done.  Kathy continues to be an invaluable resource for me.   As well as all of the teachers I share the office with.   Encouragement and an understanding ear are priceless when the pain of "failure" strikes.    But Matt Grow says that if you don't go home defeated at least once in a while your first year,   you are probably doing something wrong.  We learn by doing!    And I have much to learn and so little time to do it all.   Because every second counts.  

Praise be to God!  And I have been blessed  by him.