A Time to Be Thankful

Hard to believe that the time for Thanksgiving has arrived, and yet here it is all the same. The Lord has truly given us more than we could ever ask for or imagine (Eph. 3:20). Luther summarizes things well when in the explanation to the First Article, he speaks of God preserving us by providing us, "clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children, land, cattle, and all I own, and all I need to keep my body and life." This week in chapel as we were reciting this passage, I couldn't help but smile to myself as I mentally adjusted, "clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, Julie and kids, lawn, goats, and all I own, and every adventure God sends my way."

Here in Antigua, they do not celebrate Thanksgiving; instead they celebrate Harvest: a time to be thankful for the food we have to eat. Churches conduct food drives for those in need; the sanctuary is decorated with the food stuffs and with sugar cane. In the 8:30 service, the choir sang and my pan group played (with me on the 4 bass... might be a favorite). In the 11:00, grades 3&4, grades 5&6 sang, and one of the Kids' Pan groups played. And appropriately, Pastor Sternhagen's sermon highlight how blessed we really are.


Last weekend, our faculty participated in an event called Celebrate Teachers. Every year our Zone (kind of like a school district) puts on a dinner to recognize the teachers of the school in the zone. Everyone gets dressed up (we borrowed dresses from Mrs. Greaux), gets their hair and make up done, and looks forward to a good meal. Interesting contrast in formal/informal ways of doing things. Awards were given for everything (including to Julie and me for being new to the district) and each reward was accompanied by handshakes from 3 different people. (formal) There were also door prizes and a dance contest. (informal) It was a long evening, but it was enjoyable.

The playground that was donated to SJL, courtesy of LWMS, has finally been completed! Unfortunately, it has been rather soggy, and Miss Rosenbaum made the mistake of letting the kids go out to recess without checking the state of the grounds... so Wednesday was a very muddy day.

I continue to learn more and more about my kids, myself, my profession, and most importantly, my Savior. God is good! All the time!

Just a Short Post

• Had a nice short week of school, only Wednesday to Friday.
• Were short of water at school on Wednesday and Thursday.
• Were short of electricity at church this morning when it cut in the middle of the first hymn. Thankfully we had someone at the steel pan to continue accompanying us until Pastor Sternhagen got the generator turned on.
• Mrs. Sternhagen called me ‘little girl.’ Usually my mom calls me that. I know I’m short and look like I’m 17, but come on!
• Our lawn is NOT short. Our lawn care guy has not been here for over a month and our yard looks horrendous!
• Yesterday took a short walk into town to pay our electric bill. Purchased a painting (at a short price, courtesy of a church member) for our wall.
• Looking forward to a short call to my youngest brother who turned 18 this past Friday.
• Was reminded in church to say a short prayer of thanks for the grace God has given us.

Flexibility: a Teacher's Best Friend

The cousins, enjoying StingRay City

Last weekend I had the tremendous pleasure of hosting my cousins James and Jon Free at my home here in Antigua. We had the time of our lives! Highlights of the trip included a barbeque with the pastors and their families, a tour of the island that featured stops at Betty’s Hope (a restored sugar mill), Stingray City (see the picture), and Devil’s Bridge (again, see picture), church at St. John’s, Spanish service at Pigeon Point beach, a walk through Nelson’s Dockyard, and a visit to Shirleys Heights. Just a fabulous weekend!

               Holding 2 stingrays

Devil's Bridge

The countryside of Antigua is simply beautiful! I just know James and Jon loved their trip down here. Julie's mom was also down here this weekend. Too bad they could only stay for a few days. Perhaps our next visitors will be able to stay on this beautiful island just a little longer...
So about that flexibility...
Today is Independence Day in Antigua, celebrating 30 years of independence. This past week, there were various festivities occurring. Thursday was the annual Youth Rally when schools have off and some of the students march and salute the Governor General and the Prime Minister (or the acting prime minister if the actual Prime Minister happens to be out of the country on business). We had an Independence Programme put on by our children on Friday evening. Here's where the flexibility begins.

Some of my grade 2 girls, in national dress for the
Independence Programme

• Monday: my class is practicing for singing for church this coming Sunday, 30 October. At 8:30, I get the memo that the school will be having practice for the Programme at 9:00. Could I please send a note down to Miss Boggs so she knows? Sure...
• Tuesday: today we are going to have 2 practices because we should have started practicing last week and we need to make up the time. Unfortunately some classes showed up late and slowed things down for a bit. Then in the afternoon, I am told that I can take my class back while other classes and smaller groups practice. (In the faculty meeting we find out we will not have school on Monday! Fun, but there go some lesson plans...)
• Wednesday: throw a little bit of rain into the mix. Each run through is still taking about an hour. I have cut some classes to fit the most important things into the day, jumbled recess, snacks, and tests.
• Thursday: Youth Rally
• Friday: Chapel and practice for the programme takes a good portion of the morning. Recess, snack, and math bingo finish off the morning and we dismiss at noon. The programme is scheduled to start at 5 (though island time takes it to 5:30). Seating is completely different from anything we rehearsed during the week. We get home just before 8.
• Sunday: My class is singing. I am preparing the CD that will accompany us. The player is refusing to read the disc. Thank God for Mrs. Sternhagen! She quick grabs her husband's computer, hooks it up to the church sound system and has things ready for when my kids sing after the 1st reading. We sang the verses in the wrong order, but we made it with smiles on our faces and praise in our hearts.

And as today is Independence, I will be enjoying my freedom in Christ. God bless!

Thursday Night Post

Or is it the Saturday Night Post? I don't think it really matters...
I'm sure those of you who check this regularly are probably wondering why I would be posting on a Thursday night?! 2 reasons
-I finished my school work before 8:30! Unheard of, really, especially Thursdays, so reason to celebrate!
-Cousins James and Jon are scheduled to arrive in less than an hour to spend the weekend, so I'm not sure I will get a post in this Sunday evening.

Though the people of the fair nation of Antigua speak English (and dialect), there are some words and phrases that just throw you. Here are some examples with their rough translations.
- dress down:     scoot down (as in standing in line or sitting on a bench)
- digging me:      poking me
- diggy pencil:     sharp pencil
- troublin me:     bothering/annoying me
- belly's aching me/belly's digging me:    my stomach hurts
- my bottle trowed water:    I spilled water on the ground
- hand:        any part of your arm
- foot:         any part of your leg
- oh, that's cool:    a response to anything the hearer likes, a kind of affirmation
- Ok, alright:   both a greeting and way of saying goodbye; very neutral and noncommital
- boot in line:    cut in line
- mashed up:   messed up, ruined, wrecked
- Do I carry this home? Do I walk with this?:  Am I supposed to bring this home?
- pack:   put away/clean up

Oh, and here, I am always (and I mean always) called "Teacher." (Pronounced "teecha")
"Excuse me, Teacher?"
"Teacher, Teacher!"
"Teacher like this?"
Even parents say, "Hello, Teacher." "Good morning, Teacher." "Alright, Teacher?"
This teacher is signing out for the night. Ok.

Week 6: We Didn't Start the Fire

Me and my Antiguan boyfriend, James

Highlights from the week

- A member of the congregation is generously donating money so we can have shelves in our closets. To date, Julie and I have had all our folded clothing still in our suitcases. The carpenter (also a member of the congregation) came over and took measurements. The shelves are scheduled to go in sometime this week!

- We had a kitchen fire on Tuesday. The gas tank that fuels the oven caught fire. Thankfully no one was hurt and no extreme damage was done. It certainly made for a crazy day and has thrown the lunch program helter-skelter.

- Gr. 3 and 5 had standardized testing Wed. and Thurs. morning. Julie spent each morning proctoring Gr. 5 (she wasn’t allowed to proctor her class). Things were chaotic as the organization is not what we are accustomed to in the States. This week, the Ministry of Education is requiring all Gr. 3 and 5 teachers from around the country to be present to grade the assessments. Monday and Tuesday, Julie will be with all the Gr. 3 teachers on the island!

-Thursday Julie and I were treated to an afternoon at the pool in Jolly Harbor with the Sternhagens and Johnstons. The girls from each family take lessons, so the rest of the family is permitted to use the pool free of charge. We came along and enjoyed a relaxing dip.

-Saturday was a work day at church. After Julie and I got our laundry, dishes, and sweeping done at home, we spent the morning tinting windows in grades 2, 4, and 1. The results? We now know how to tint windows properly (though not expertly), and those classrooms will be much cooler, shaded from the sun. Those who came to the work day were treated to a magnificent luncheon cooked by Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Brade and former Gr. 2 teacher Mrs. Titus (assisted by many others). It was fabulous!

-Sunday morning: choir sang for the 8:30 service, I took a quiz on Baptism in Bible class (yes, I studied and passed), Gr. 3-4, 5-6, and the Kids’ Pan group all participated in the 11:00. Pastor Sternhagen announced that he is returning his Call to Risen Savior just outside of Milwaukee (prayers go out to the flock there). Mopping and more laundry at home to prepare for cousins Jon and James’ arrival this Thursday! Friend Zelifa cooked today and brought lunch for Julie and myself. Delicious! Then an afternoon of schoolwork so I have a little to do as possible when the boys are here.

Week 5: Down and Up Again

Monday started roughly as I had forgotten some things to bring home Sunday night.

Tuesday 2 students found mean words about their teacher (me) written in their composition books. Not a good way to start the day. Follow that with bad words throughout the day and a staff meeting that went longer than I was expecting, and Tuesday was a tough day too.

Wednesday included students slapping others, taking neighbor's stuff, and talking about inappropriate topics. Two girls got sick so I got to clean up my first official "mess." A good portion of my students struggled on the phonics test. Yay Wednesday. Things started to get better though... Julie and I got food at the deli and then went to choir.

Thursday was better... a little less discipline problems. A little more work got done a little more quietly. Had a meeting with a parent that went well. Got a good amount of work done before coming home which is always a plus. Had another short power outage (we had had one last Thursday that lasted for 2 1/2 hours) but this one only lasted 1/2 hour. Nice, was able to get papers sorted to send home on Friday.

Friday just soared! Everyone did a super job of doing working independently without talking loudly (a rare occurrence in grade 2). Most of the day went very smoothly. We got to listen to music during Social Studies while we were drawing pictures and coloring.

Hung out with the Johnstons Friday night and Saturday. Went to the beach at Blue Waters Resort - completely amazing. Nice way to relax on the weekend. Called home for 2 hours =) One of my favorite parts of the week!

Got a good recharge in church today - a good reminder to give God my very best to thank Him for giving His.

Julie and Aida at Blue Waters Resort

Looks like it belongs brochure, doesn't it?

Time for a little sand-writing

Just beautiful!

Week 4: Lots to Learn

This week our school visitor, Eric Landwehr, was here from St. Lucia. He spent half a day in each classroom, observing and looking for ways we could all improve the instruction in our classrooms. He is certainly a wealth of information!

So this week Miss Rosenbaum learned...
-Be prepared, because things run more smoothly and management is so much easier when you know the plan. (Ok, so I already knew that, but a spelling lesson underscored the fact.)
-Go with the flow, because you can't be prepared for everything. Don't stress, everything will work out eventually.
-Don't let students get by with, "I don't know" as their answer. You can give them cues, use a classmate to supply the answer for the student to repeat, or you can give them the answer to repeat back to you.
-Pick your battles. You can't win every time, and some issues are more important than others. Again, don't stress.
-Make sure you know what you are getting into when your 2nd grader's older sister says she wants to send food for a birthday party. You just might end up with 2 trays of sandwiches, a cake, a tub of ice cream, 2 kinds of chips, 2 kinds of juice, bubblegum, 2 kinds of cups, 2 kinds of plates, 2 kinds of napkins, and plastic spoons. And you will be so busy at lunch time trying to serve everything that you will be forced to sneak cheese sandwiches from one of the trays for sustenance.
-Taking snack away as a consequence for not following directions (work without talking for the next 5 minutes or we will not have snack today) really makes an impact... I only had 12 students crying for half an hour. May not have been the best idea I had, but it let the kids know that I mean what I say and will not hesitate to carry out the consequences I put forth.
-When I am weak, He is strong! I have been reading Isaiah (following the daily readings from Meditations) and God seems to speak even louder and clearer when I am feeling bombarded by everything around me. What a great God we have!
-I could keep going, but you get the idea. Many of my professors have told me that a teacher is always a student and never done learning. The hard part is finding the balance between work and play, time for the classroom and work and time for yourself. You never find the perfect balance, but we do have a Lord who was perfect for us. It's only my first year of teaching... some days the balance comes easily; some days the balance is painfully out of whack. But God is good! All the time!