Rainbow Mosiacs

I have been wanting to magazine mosaics with my students for a while. I thought rainbows would be the easiest since all you have to do is find colors. It took about 3 or 4 art classes on Fridays for them to do this. I think they got sick of it after the second week but I pushed them to finish them. Out of about 30 students I could only get 10 to finish, so you can see how engaged they were. But they turned out so nicely. Maybe the next mosaics I will just give them smaller paper.

He Has Risen!

Thank you Lord for sending your son to love us.
Thank you Lord that you showed us that you conquered death. There is nothing too big for you. There is no situation that you can not handle.
Thank you that after you rose from the grave you took the time to go to the disciples. You worked with Thomas in his doubt. You allowed him to touch your scares. You worked with Peter in his failure. You affirmed and reinstated him as a leader. You cared about your disciples and spent time with them.
Thank you Lord that you did nothing to deserve the suffering that you endured but you did it anyway so that we might have life and be free.
Thank you Lord that you are always true to your promises. You will never leave us.
Thank you that you died for the poorest and the wealthiest  the most and the least beautiful, the most and the least powerful, the Mother Theresas and the Adam Lanzas, the outcast and the popular, the babies and the elderly, those who love you and those who don't .

Jesus came to love

Suffer, die, rise, cook breakfast

Victory is won!

Now some Easter deviled egg fun. Feels wrong to call them deviled eggs on Easter.

Roller Skating Lesson from the Kids

This spring break I have been working Spring Camp for the after school program that I work for. We took the kids today on a field trip to a roller skating rink. Sounds amazing for our older kids but a disaster for the younger ones. When they first all put on their skates and headed down for the rink, I feared for their lives. Crash, boom, thump!! Piles of children falling all over the rink. "This is not going to end well," I thought. I was helping a few of the younger ones just make it to the wall. I had to take them one by one because they were afraid to hold the wall with even one hand. I didn't even put on any skates myself. I can skate ok, however I can not promise a child that I will not let them fall if I had skates on myself.

  It was interesting to see the different gender dynamics at play here. The boys find any way to get themselves down to the rink, crawling, falling several times without a fear or hesitation. The girls cling to me for dear life, fearing even the slightest fall. I wasn't able to convince all the young one to try it, a few were too scared to venture out. There was one little kindergarten girl who was very brave and took some daring risks to venture off on her own. As I was helping some of the other kids I heard my name called and found the brave little girl crying in her sister's arms. She had fallen and bumped her head. I helped her off the rink and told her to take a break and then she could go out again. She was adamant that that was the end of the skating for her. After a little while I checked on her to see if she wanted to go out again. She seemed like she did, so I helped her out onto the wall. She practiced and became much more confident. At one point exclaimed to me, "I'm doing it!" as she skated by.

As proud as I was of these young girls for getting out there and trying their best, I was even more impressed with some of the boys. There was one first grader who had 2 older siblings on the field trip, so I knew he was pretty tough in keeping up with them. He would fall literally every minute. And when he would fall, he would fall hard. I watched him continually get back up and I could see he was in pain. But he pushed on. At one point he fell and tears started to flow. His body was taking a beating from all the falls. I went over to him and asked him if he wanted to take a break and through his tears he just shook his head no. He got up, skated on and quickly fell again 

I realized today how much I really respect this first grade kid. He was determined no matter what to keep skating, no matter how badly it hurt. I wish that I had more of that mentality in the things God tries to teach me. I wish that in the midst of failure, things being hard and painful, I would have the perseverance like this child to just continue on. I am really a baby when it comes to fasting. I hate it, it's probably one of my least favorite spiritual disciples. The first time I did 2 meals this year, it was horrible. I was absolutely miserable and I never wanted to fast again. But as in learning how to skate, you have to fall many times. You can't expect to go out and just skate around the rink without falling.  Although I still hate it, the times I have done it after that first time have not been as painful. I know there is more joy God has for me if I keep getting up and learn the joy of fasting. I wish I took risks in my faith like these boys at the rink, not a afraid or ashamed of falling. Knowing that the joy of skating is worth the pain and falls.

Its a very common lesson that is taught, "When you fall, get back up and try again." But when you see it tangibly lived out in kids, it sinks into a deeper level.

My Favorite Art Project Revisited

This is my favorite art project that I do with my students. Its basically just creating different lines and weaving them in a 3D structure. I did it last year with my kinders and I was amazed to see what they created. I did it again with all the grades and was still amazed to see how they envisioned the space and how they all turned out so different.

Presenting: The Volcano Rangers, The Nice Liberty, and Never Leave a Princess Alone

This post is a bit overdue but I have found it hard to reflect on my students performances.

I wrote a previous blog post about this, but for the past few months I have been leading my students in writing and performing their own original plays. To read a synopsis of the stories see previous blog post called "My Students Original Plays." This has been really special for me because this is why I am passionate about teaching theatre. I love seeing students empowered to have their own voice, ideas, and stories be heard. I had each group come up with the characters, setting, and problem of the story. As a class we came up with the basic plot line  I let the oldest group write their own lines. For the younger kids, I wrote the actual lines out.

Overall, I found the whole process very rewarding. The kids were a lot more invested in their characters and the play because it was their words, who they wanted to play, and what they thought was funny. They enjoyed rehearsing most of the time and had fun with their parts. I did not have one single student drop out of the play because they didn't want to do it anymore or they didn't enjoy it. Even the students with behavior problems worked hard so that they could be apart of the show.

The actual performance was a bit disappointing for me. I am really hard on myself and how it goes and I just want everything to be perfect. The oldest group went first. They had some missed cues and some costume issues. They did a good job but I know they could have done better. The next play was the K/1st graders. I was so busy changing the set and making sure the props were set that I didn't have time to make sure all my actors were in place before the curtain opened. A lot of them entered from the wrong side of the stage which threw the other actors off. They were given personal mics, which kept falling off. They did well considering that a lot of the mistakes were beyond their control. They knew all their lines. The looked cute but I knew it could have ran more smoothly. As I was setting up for the last play I asked the Lord for it to go well. I needed to end on a good note after all the mess ups of the last 2 plays. The last group was my 2nd/3rd graders. The Lord answered by prayers and it went beautifully. This group of kids were the best actors and most serious about the rehearsal process. The audience laughed at all their jokes and they hit every cue. I was very proud of them. They were also the only group that I got to see as they came offstage. As they went back to change out of their costumes they chanted, "We are the champions." I think they had a really good time with it.

The painting above is something that I painted to try and capture what this process meant for me. Its a close up of a shoe running across the stage. There was a part in the K/1 play where they run through the whole auditorium. They loved that part. Most of my girls have shoes that look like this.

Here are some other highlights for me from the whole process:

-When one of my kinders suggested inside a volcano for the setting of the play

-My Vampire that really took to his part and made it hilarious

-Creating the sets/costumes/props. I got to be creative myself!
-Seeing one of my quietest students able to find her voice and speak her lines loudly. I literally jumped for joy.
-Seeing one of my students so excited that we picked her idea for the ending of the play
- The moment when I threatened to cancel rehearsal because of their behavior and they as a group shouted, "Nooooo!!" Who would have thought I would see the day that not doing rehearsal is a punishment.
-When they tell me we have to do the scene over again because they know if can be better.
-Being amazed by this one 1st grader who could memorize his lines and blocking.

Here are my favorite lines from the play. (Yes some of them I wrote, but it was the delivery that made them memorable. ) Out of context they may not make sense but this is more for my memories
- Somebody told me it was a sauna.
- Run for your life!!
-We better pull them out quick or this lava is going to burn their legs off.
-Well I guess they are not Volcano Rangers.
- Go, go Volcano Rangers!
-Well do something, but whatever you do, don't get my hair wet.
-I'm too pretty to die.
- For the love of hamsters!
-How rude, ZOMBIES ATTACK!
- Kids today, what are you going to do?
-I will uncapture you if you marry me.

One of the panels for the NYC set

Outside of the castle

Inside the volcano panels

My mom sewed part of this to make a hamster beanie

Statue of Liberty props

2012 in Review

Here some reflection question from 2012.

1. What is the single best thing that God did for you this past year?
The way that he revealed himself to me in a very tangible real way at the Serra Retreat Center this summer when I went up for a prayer retreat.
2. What was the most challenging part of this year that God helped you to get through?
That would have to be my class of kinders from the last school year at the after school program. Although I loved them dearly, they were surely a challenge. At the end God helped me to see ways that I loved them well and was with me through the struggles I faced.
3. What was an unexpected joy that you experienced this year?
An unexpected joy was just in these past few weeks. I have found a lot of joy in making props, costumes, and set pieces for my students' upcoming plays. I enjoy being creative and the joy that comes from giving them a more legitimate performance experience.
4. What is an unexpected obstacle that you have had to face this year?
An obstacle to finding and trying to maintain my own joy at work has been trying to stay positive amidst the negativity and complaining of my coworkers.
5. What are 3 words you would use to describe 2012?
Better
Enduring
Hopeful
6. What was the best book you read this year?
Chasing the Dragon.
7. What is the biggest personal change you have experienced this year?
I have been able to see more of God's nearness to me throughout my day and not feeling like I am in such despair at work.
8. What ways have you grown emotionally?
I feel as through I made some bad choices this year in terms of my emotional health this year. I have done more to shove my feelings to deal with them at a more convenient time which has made it difficult to engage with how I am doing emotionally.
9. How have you grown spiritually?
I have grown in deeper patience with my students (still have a long way to go), a deeper understanding of God's nearness and love for me, receiving more joy, developing cross cultural friendships,  learning how to vision in the big picture in regards to my leadership.
10. How have you grown physically?
I guess I kind of work out now... Who would have thought? I go to Zumba once a week and try to go hiking as much as I can.
11. What was the most enjoyable area of Christian community?
This year it has probably been the moments of just hanging out with people. Game nights, the church retreat, St. Patrick's Day, Shakespeare in the park, Thanksgiving dinner, seeing Les Miserable, New Years Eve.
12. What has been the most challenging part of Christian community?
Feeling like people don't know me deeply (my fault), feeling like I have to initiate a lot in friendships.
13. What has been the biggest time waster this year?
Facebook, TV
14. What is the best ways I have used my time this year?
Prayer, social time with people, serving people, hiking.
15. What is something God has taught me this year?
I have learned that there is hope in God to endure through the hard things. God will always bring you out and restore joy.
Although this verse has not really come up for me this year I do feel like it is a good summary of my year.
Romans 5: 3-5. "We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

Penguins!!!

 This is probably one of my favorite projects with the students. Look how cute they turned out! I stole from pintrist. The head and body are from an egg carton. The project was kind of epic, it was a good thing I didn't have too many students that day. They had to paint the body and head first and wait for it to dry. Then all the other little piece most needed assistant with. The cotton balls did not want to glue very well. But worth it for how cute the result is.