Loving God, Even In a Pandemic

It's been a while! It's true that I'd like to be able to blog twice a week like so many fantastic teachers out there, but I've never been ready for that kind of commitment! But that's okay. That's the kind of freedom you have when you're doing it for free.

Here's a little update since the worldwide pandemic hit! Last March, like much of America, my community went into quarantine. My school went to soft-closure, meaning we were teaching and learning remotely. That lasted for the rest of the school year, with our 2020 graduating class having a modified commencement ceremony with limited guests and rigid social distancing in place. 

In the fall, we were back to school face-to-face until partway through November, when a new quarantine was put in place. That time around, I came down with COVID, along with my whole family. I'm so thankful that none of us had very bad symptoms. The worst side-effect was probably the debilitating tiredness. I'd think, "I should really do the dishes," and then my body would respond, "Yeah, right."

After a second round of quarantine in the first semester of 2020/2021, I was ready for life to return to normal. Okay, that still hasn't happened yet. Currently, my school is teaching and learning face-to-face again, crossing fingers that it can be this way for the rest of the year. With just five weeks to go, the end is in sight! 

I love the tee shirts that say, "I taught during a worldwide pandemic. What's your superpower?" This past year and a half has certainly proven our mettle as educators, spouses, parents, friends, and community members. For some of us, it's taken a major toll. Never have we needed each other more. Never in my lifetime (well, since 9/11) have we collectively cried out to God in greater desperation. I for one know that God was there for me. 

Some of the scariest times have revealed the greatest blessings. When the grocery shelves were bare of flour and toilet paper and tissues, God provided for my family. We never ran out. When I feared my family getting sick, we got sick mildly and recovered uneventfully. Of course, that is not the case for some we care about. It's tempting to question God in these dark times. 

All right, so question Him. He invites us to do so. Will we continue to believe that He loves us? 

Amy 

FREE Conference to check out: 

Idaho Coaching Network's all-online statewide conference 

The theme this year is Passion & Purpose

April: The Downhill Slope, or Uphill All the Way?

April showers bring May flowers

April showers may be falling, but teachers and students can't slow down to go puddle stomping just yet. It's state standardized testing season! The juniors at your district may be taking the SAT, and everyone's talking about prom, academic fair, concerts, and drama plays to wind up the year. Next thing we know, it'll be final exams and graduation! Where did the time go?

From my white board

During this frenetic month of April, I'm constantly reminding myself to pause and pray.

If I don't, I'll lose sight of God's care over me. I'm praying for my students to learn empathy, to do their best on their ISATs, and to learn their lines for drama. For my own kids and myself, I always ask for a good day. No matter how rushed we are in the morning, I stop the car at the stop sign on our road (our "praying spot") and my sons and I pray for God's blessing on our day.

How thankful I am for the bright spots coming our way this stressful month! Students showcase their learning, teachers celebrate improvement, and we all start counting down the weeks till the end of school. April is National Poetry Month, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Autism Acceptance Month, Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month, and, ironically (to me at least), Stress Awareness Month. April 24 is Idaho's Day of Holocaust Remembrance, a great opportunity to learn about a very dark time in history so we can prevent its being repeated. The message couldn't be more timely.

And for the believer, Easter reminds us of God's resurrection power.

Luke 24:5-8 says, "and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, 'Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 'He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest."

May we all seek the Lord this Easter season and know His power to raise the dead and save the lost.

Encourage a Teacher by Sharing Christian Teacher, Public School

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9

There are days when we all need a word of motivation and encouragement to keep us going. In this new year, build someone up by using the social media buttons to share this blog with a teacher in your life.

Let's pray today that God will guide and bless us

• in our personal walk with Him
• in the use of our time
• in our lesson preparations
• in our classroom management
• in our communication with colleagues, students, and parents
• in our skill as teachers
• in our continuing professional education
• in our vision for the future.

Write for Your Health

Last year when my students were studying The Odyssey, I sat down after school one day and wrote a flash fiction story inspired by some of Odysseus's adventures. I sent it in to a contest sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers association. When I found out this fall that my story had come in second, I was delighted. The story, "Beeves on the Barbie," is now live on the organization's Website, so stop by for a few chuckles.

Illustrated Faith Praise Book

This fall and winter have been a productive time for my freelance writing life. God has richly blessed me in allowing me a few quiet moments here and there to write for my own pleasure and with the aim of publication. Just recently, one of my submissions was accepted by a writing blog, The Artist Unleashed. My guest blog post will appear there in early March.

Freelance writing isn't lucrative for most people, especially when writing can't be their day job. But the writing life brings many intangible rewards, catharsis being an important one. I urge you to write for your own health. Maybe that would be a good New Year's resolution. Start a prayer diary, begin your memoir, write a letter, collect your Facebook notes into something longer. Writing will soothe you, help you think through problems, and preserve your precious memories.

ESV Single Column Journaling Bible, Summer Garden

Some of the gifts I gave this year reflect my love of writing. For myself and my children, I bought a wide-margin Bible from Dayspring (affiliate link). Also from Dayspring, I gave my daughter a box full of Illustrated Faith goodies and a praise book to write in. I wasn't sure if she would like them at first, since spiritual tools aren't first on every child's wish list at Christmas, but she loves them. I hope and pray that the pens, stickers, markers, and other supplies will help her learn about God's rich blessings that are just for her.

Happy New Year, and happy writing in 2017! May you teach and live in the strength of Jesus Christ.

For further reading:
10 Ways to Be a Teacher-Leader
Learning Through Writing: Choose Your Own Adventure
A Paying Opportunity for Writing About Teaching (deadline Dec. 31, 2016)

Begin the New School Year With Boldness

". . .and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians 5:19-20 NASB

The theme of this blog is upholding Christian teachers in public schools, who in some way are like Paul in chains: ambassadors for Christ who live and serve under restrictions placed upon them by worldly authorities. In our workplaces, we seek to live out the servanthood and love of Jesus, even though we are forbidden from verbally testifying of His salvation to those around us.

In the passage above, Paul at least was able to speak, and speak boldly, as the Spirit gave him utterance. That was the request he wrote to the believers at Ephesus, to pray that he would "make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel."

Not "that I will be released from these chains." Why complain about the chains? It was for the Gospel's sake that he wore them. He knew God would work despite them.

At the beginning of this new school year, I pray that God will use all of us to accomplish His purpose. I pray for boldness, not to utter the mystery of the Gospel, but to live the good news in our daily lives in the classroom and the break room and the hallways of our schools.

May our faces reflect the joy of sinners who have been saved by grace. May our hands give freely because we have been given much. May our ears be quick to listen and our feet quick to serve. When we speak, may it be with confidence that we are fulfilling God's call upon our lives to teach.

It's so tempting, while we're at it, to pray for an easy year. "Lord, let us have smooth sailing." But I think it's our responses to the tough times that allow our lights to shine before the unsaved most clearly. If we have smooth sailing all year, how will they know what God can do in a life surrendered to Him?

So please, dear Lord, let us shine as lights for you in a darkening world, even if it means we face difficult days ahead. You promise to walk beside us and uphold us. We submit ourselves to your teaching, that others may see you in us.

Blessings on your new school year, my friend.

Praying for Russian Christians

"Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body." Hebrews 13:3 (NASB)

I've noticed a huge uptick in views from international readers, especially in Russia, over the last few weeks. I hope my readers overseas know that this blog is intended for you as well as for teachers in American public schools. My heart breaks for Christians in Russia right now. I am praying for you.

Here in America, if a student asks me about my faith, I can answer him. If a student asks me to pray for her, I can do so outside of class time. I can take hand-me-down clothes my kids have outgrown to a neighbor's house and speak to my neighbor openly about my faith in God. I can stand in the public square and give my testimony.

The rights of Russian citizens to share their beliefs with those around them have been greatly diminished by new anti-terrorism legislation recently signed into law by Vladimir Putin. Evangelists need permits. House churches are banned. Christians will suffer discrimination reminiscent of the Cold War years. What's a Christian to do?

I know that in times of tribulation, the Church has historically been strengthened and purified by its trials. God does not lose control when earthly governments turn up the heat on His followers. He is still our shepherd, and we are still His sheep, and He knows us by name.

I wish I knew the names of the Christian teachers and evangelists in Russia for whom I am praying. Readers, I hope you'll join me in praying for our friends in other countries hostile to the Gospel. They need encouragement right now. May God send it to them through our prayers.

Avoid Burnout and Get the Most Out of an Education Conference

Tomorrow is conference day for me, so I'm linking back to a post I wrote on 6 Strategies to Avoid Conference Fatigue at Education Conferences. The P20 Educator Conference I'm presenting at is only a two-day event, so I'm sure burnout won't be a factor, but for those of you heading into week-long conferences, these tips will help you pace yourself and get the most out of your experience. Enjoy!

Conference Fatigue? 6 Strategies To Avoid Burnout At Education Conferences

I once ditched part of an afternoon's worth of conference sessions I was supposed to attend. The culprit? I could blame a friend and coworker who agreed to ditch with me (was it my idea or hers?). I could blame my undiagnosed adult ADD. The real culprit, though, was conference fatigue. Fortunately, my friend and I had a cover. We were skipping conference sessions to visit the book store. Which translated into a fictitious conference session, "Breaking Down Borders and Building Literacy." Get it? Borders? Actually, that would make a good conference presentation. (Squirrel!) Okay, if you're worried that I lied to my boss, I am pretty sure I 'fessed up later.

But conference fatigue is a real thing. Sometimes you need to pack up your tote bag and head to a quiet place to digest what you've learned, not keep cramming in new information on dozens of topics over a three-day period. We're like cows. We have to ruminate.

How can we optimize our precious time at education conferences so that we glean the most valuable new learning, yet keep sane and engaged enough to retain it? Here are my six best tips:

1. Go with a friend, or better yet, a group of friends. You'll bounce ideas off each other on the car ride there or in the hotel room. You'll swap notes, handouts, and links to double or triple your take-home stash. You'll still network with strangers, but you'll have a safety net of friendly faces if social anxiety kicks in. And when you return to work, you'll have backup when it's time to present to your school staff.

2. Take few notes. It sounds counter-intuitive, but you'll actually take away more of value the fewer notes you take. If, that is, you listen attentively and jot down Web site addresses, key words, and other links to allow you to access the information later. Don't skip note-taking altogether. Just don't worry about encapsulating the whole presentation every hour. Chances are, you'll receive an email with a link to a Dropbox folder containing all the conference sessions. If not, you can often purchase CDs or audio files for a minimal fee. If you'll listen to it later, it's worth it. If not, skip that, too.

3. Interview people. In other words, network. When I go to conferences, I like to visit with other attendees between sessions. I'll ask, "What's your favorite education book?" or "What Web sites do you use every day?" or "What's your favorite science unit that you teach?" It's a great way to get right to the heart of what other teachers are doing well. They'll be thrilled to be the expert for five minutes!

4. Attend for the job you want, not the job you have. Okay, it's supposed to be "Dress for the job you want," but this applies, too. When choosing which sessions to attend, pick one or two that are intended for school administrators, technology leaders, or reading specialists. Branch out. Aim high.

5. Eat out. Don't go back to the hotel room with a doggy bag from the conference. Either eat in the conference dining room with other attendees or go out to a nice restaurant with a few old or new friends. You'll all be ready to talk after taking in lectures (or if you're lucky, interactive sessions) all morning. Share!

6. And yes, do carve out some time to ruminate when the need arises. Maybe you attended a STEM session that has you frantically texting ideas to your teaching partner back home. Or maybe it's day three and you have a migraine starting. Take a break. Put your head down on a table somewhere, sip a latte, or check out your favorite Bible verse app on your phone. Thank God for the growth you're experiencing as a teacher-leader. Breathe.

I hope you attend some fantastic ed conferences this year! I'm looking forward to the P20 Educator Conference in Twin Falls, Idaho in July (I'm presenting on Faith and the Classroom Teacher) and the Idaho Super Conference in Boise in October. What conferences are you looking forward to? What are your best tips for avoiding conference fatigue?

Time to Get Your Head in the Game

For many of us, today is the day to get our heads back in the teaching game. We have a week of Christmas vacation left, but we know that if we're smart, we'll put in some hours catching up on planning so we can hit the ground running when school resumes.

Too bad we have so many more enjoyable things to distract us! There's family time, maybe some pretty snow outside, Christmas goodies to munch on, and holiday decorations to pack away for next year (even chores like that can seem fun compared to grading papers and planning for finals!).

So how can we set our eyes on the necessary school tasks at hand?

For me, one way has been reading Dalene Vickery Parker's book, Christian Teachers in Public Schools: 13 Essentials for the Classroom. One of the "essentials" Dalene discusses is Learning to Care. True, any good teacher cares for his or her students, but Dalene's stories of real students in her life helped me get my sights back on the human faces of my job. Kids may not often open up about their personal thoughts and feelings (I teach high school, remember), but if God has put me in this job, I can rest assured that my labor to help students succeed is not in vain.

If you missed Dalene's guest blog post, be sure to read "Balance and Boundaries." Post a comment for a chance to win a copy of her book.

Another way God has been helping me to get my head back in the game (and silence the pesky quitter in me) has been through reading the gospels. Throughout his three-year ministry, how many times did Jesus face criticism? How many times did His hearers not understand His message? How many times did He feel out of place? How many times did He have to repeat Himself, oversimplify a concept, spell out something that should have been obvious?

Jesus, in His humanity, must have been frustrated every day by His interactions with even His most devoted followers. Yet in His deity, He cared, He loved, He helped, He healed, He gave. Have I done the same for even three years at my current job? Am I willing to call on the Lord's help to be His ambassador for one more semester, one more year, one career's worth of teaching in the public schools?

My prayer is that God will help me to do the job He has called me to do, having a heart to care for the people who frustrate me most, and not fainting when the going gets tough and the days are evil. I pray this for you as well this sunny December morning.

Snow Day

Continuing the theme of asking in faith, I was challenged on Sunday to ask in faith, believing. What was my request? That day, it was for school to be called off because of snow.

It wasn't such a far-fetched idea. After all, the snow was falling fast, and several inches had fallen the night before. On Sunday afternoon, I asked my children to pray with me. We asked for safety in the weather and for God to give us a snow day.

That evening, I was already planning how I would spend my day off school. I'm on an organizing kick, so I started clearing off the dryer, imagining my newly-tidied laundry area and how much laundry I would get done today with school cancelled.

When the phone rang a few hours later, my husband put the call on speaker. It was a recording from the principal, announcing that due to inclement weather, school had been cancelled. I called my son to my side for a high five.

That's the way I want my children to see prayer. Not that every little thing we imagine will be ours, but that God sees the desires of our hearts, and that He is powerful enough to do anything. His authority over the wind and the waves and the weather has not diminished since Jesus calmed the Sea of Galilee.

So today as I do laundry and my kids play in the knee-deep snow, I thank God for his love. I hope my children will remember this answered prayer for a long time.

Ask

He says, "Ask, and you shall receive."

In my teaching career, I have far too often been guilty of not asking. Maybe it's forgetfulness, or maybe it's bravado, but my carnal nature more naturally does not ask for help. I have my devotions in the morning; perhaps I even think throughout the day about the passages I have read. And I pray for the needs of friends and members of my church and my family.

But do I ask for God's help with my daily needs in the classroom?

My needs are many. I need wisdom, patience, comfort, courage, endurance, encouragement, and love. My students need prayer. My coworkers need prayer. The families of students need prayer. Am I asking?

Recently, in two different situations, I have been challenged to pray for God's intervention in my classroom. The first was a miscommunication on my part, and I needed God's help to be humble and make it right. I enlisted the help of three or four prayer warrior friends and headed into the fray. I cannot explain why the other party responded so well. The conversation, I can truly say, went better than humanly possible.

The second was a teaching situation. Sometimes you as the teacher are not the only one presenting information, and other presenters can introduce a perspective that is counterproductive. Without being more specific, this was the type of situation that troubled me. Over the weekend, I prayed over the problem, asking God to take care of it without my having to "fight." Once again, He answered in a way that could only be God at work. The situation was neutralized.

I believe God is stronger than man, and that if I turn to him in faith-filled prayer, He will create good in my life. It's exciting to see how He answers each specific request. And when He does, let's remember to thank and praise Him for His goodness.

Praying for You -- Cast Your Cares -- 3 Premium Cards

A Prayer for Students and Teachers in Danger

Dear Lord,

The headlines remind us that spiritual warfare is real, though public figures scratch their heads and wonder why peace eludes the grasp of the desperate world. Christ's followers worldwide are under attack for their beliefs. Some of them are students. Some are teachers. Watch over your sheep with your protective care. Remind us that we do not wrestle with flesh and blood. Remind us that "greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." Give us courage to face each school day. Help us to show forth your love for people so that this desperate world will have light. Grant wisdom and grace as the birth pangs of the age grow closer together. We long for your appearing, Lord.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Moment for Prayer

Take a moment to pray for your school. Today, focus on the elementary end. Mention teachers and students by name if you are able.

Kindergarten: That God will guide our littlest ones' hearts to Himself, through parents and grandparents and other caring adults in their lives. That the teachers will have stamina to match that of the kids.

First Grade: That the teachers will have wisdom and the students would apply themselves as they learn to read, to add and subtract, and to write.

Second Grade: That the teachers will have stamina and passion for their task; that students would be free of distractions and able to strive toward their full potential.

Third Grade: That the teachers will articulate the importance of each task as students learn to multiply and divide, to read fluently and with comprehension, and to express themselves clearly in writing.

All classes: That the teachers will be humble and seek each other's support and advice. That students would cooperate with each other for greater learning, and that they would approach the learning tasks of the week with exceptional enthusiasm.

Dear Lord, you have called us to teach. Please help us to view ourselves as servants, specially placed to do your work in the public schools. Help us to care more, to give more, to pray more for the needs of our students.

Amen

I Thess. 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."

Devotional Aids for Every Christian Teacher

When I worked at my previous teaching job, I had to get up at 5:40 at the latest in order to get ready in time for my morning commute. That included time for a shower, a bowl of cereal, twenty minutes or so reading my Bible, a quick routine with clothes, hair, and makeup, and a half-hour drive to work. On the drive, I would usually turn on the local Christian radio station of my preference (sermons, not songs) to put me in the right frame of mind for my day ahead. It was a hectic day no matter how early I got up, but setting the alarm any earlier would have cut into my mandatory sleep time.

Now, with my current teaching job, I live just four blocks from work. Needless to say, my alarm goes off later these days. Still, I try to spend time in the Word every morning. I'm not sure I ever thought technology would play such a big role in my devotional life! Right now I'm reading the book of Matthew on my phone. The way Jesus interacts with people--his disciples, his critics, his needy followers of all kinds--speaks volumes about how I should interact with people at my school.

I've also just begun reading Susan O'Carroll Drake's Morning Meetings With Jesus: 180 Devotions for Teachers, which focuses on the teaching approaches of Jesus and how they apply to our lives as Christian educators. There are many devotional books written with teachers in mind, but this one stood out from the crowd.

Over the years there have been many devotional aids that have helped me devote my days to God in the morning or evening. Here are a few that aren't specifically geared toward teachers:

1. Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon (sign up here for free emails from BibleGateway.com or to read online). It's old-fashioned and eloquent for those quiet moments with God.

2. My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers (visit utmost.org, which states, "Oswald Chambers sometimes startled audiences with his vigorous thinking and his vivid expression").

3. Blueletterbible.org and Biblegateway.com; both offer the text of the Bible online in several versions with numerous study helps and devotionals. I'm currently using Blueletterbible on my phone with the NASB in one column and the KJV in the other. I love being able to compare the two versions as I read. I also use it to check commentaries on the verses I'm struggling to understand.

4. Deserts of the Heart: Finding God During the Dry Times by Pamela Reeve; full of beautiful desert photography paired with devotional text geared toward surrender, contentment, and growth during life's wilderness experiences. My pastor recommended it to me, and now I recommend it to you.

5. Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot; a staple for me as I have mused about God's calling for me now and in the future. Jim Elliot knew God wanted him to preach to those who had never heard the good news of Jesus and His death on the cross. As a young man, he was often impatient for God's timing to take him to the mission field. Reading his wife Elisabeth's book, which consists mainly of Jim's diary entries and letters, I am comforted in the knowledge that God will be faithful to complete His work in my life.

Whatever devotional aids you choose to try, I hope you will make it your primary focus to read the Word of God every day and to meet with God in prayer. Even Jesus got up "a great while before day" and prayed. Let's strive toward the same pattern in our lives, even as busy teachers.

Intercessory Prayer

Once again I am thankful for the informal network of caring Christian coworkers at my school who uphold me in prayer whenever I ask. James 5:16 says,

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." (NASB)

We need to be courageous, but also to know our limitations. It is God's help that will see us through those sticky conferences, those tough evaluations. He gives us the responsibility to pray for one another, and He promises that our prayers will avail much.

In order to share our prayer needs with other believers, we have to be humble. We have to realize that we need help. The flip side is true, too. If we want to be the kind of person other people trust with their prayer requests, we have to be humble. We need to realize that we could just as easily be the one in need. If we are righteous (to use James's word), we will be liberal with our intercession for brothers and sisters in Christ.

We are in good company when we pray for each other: Romans says our Savior also prays for us.

"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." 8:34 (KJV)

The risen Christ is occupied with intercession. In what other world religion does the deity intercede for a fallen people?

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." I John 3:1 (KJV)

So many reasons to pray; so many reasons for gratitude.