Break Dancing.

I can't believe that in 1 week it is going to be NOVEMBER. Time is flying by! Fall is definitely here. Arkansas has confirmed any thought I have ever had that Fall is my favorite season. It's gorgeous here. The only part I forgot about was how dark it is in the mornings. Leaving my apartment at 7AM without the sun up is a little disheartening, but watching the fog rise across the field makes it worth it. Breathtaking.

I am still doing really well. I feel like the first year chaos is settling for now. I am feeling organized and that this lifestyle I have chosen is great. I'm falling into a nice routine when it comes to my planning. I love my kids, I love my kids' parents. There is such a strong partnership between school-teacher-parents. It's really nice to see.

Since I last blogged I have learned:

4th graders STILL say the funniest things. Today we were writing notes and drawing pictures for the Operation Christmas boxes that we put together last week. One of my boys who really needs a lot of clarification when given an assignment asked me if he could draw a picture of Moby Dick for his box. Well of course. :) Such a funny thing to want to draw, but he's passionate about animals...so why not?!?

4th graders are also full of germs. Who isn't, really? 4th graders just seem to be more skilled in the art of passing them around. For example: 4th graders put everything in their mouth: shoe laces, hoodie strings, bracelets, paperclips found on the floor...the list could go on and on. 4th graders cough a lot. They rarely cough in their sleeve. Usually it's in my face. Which is fine. My immune system is either going to become rock solid or crumble before us all. I will keep you updated.

I love 4th graders. Even when they are break dancing during my spelling tests.

Outside of school (sort of...it's in the same building) I have plugged into a really great group at church. There is a lot of love and a lot of striving to live like Jesus. To fulfill his commandment to us to GO. It's really refreshing. Today I was reading in James. God inspired James to write some words that really kick me in the hiney. That's what it takes sometimes. I am thankful for being surrounded by those seeking the Lord and sharing what they are learning with me, humbly.

Humility cures worldliness. Alright. A redeemed heart is more than knowing God and resisting the devil. A redeemed heart seeks out constant communion with God.

mmhmm.

Here's to germ-ex and cough drops.

Sweet Prayers.

"Pray without ceasing." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:17
"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." ~ Romans 12:12

This is what my kids have taught me. While I've always known that the Lord ALWAYS hears our prayers, and is ALWAYS listening, my 4th graders have taken this to a new level for me.

Before we start our day we share prayer requests and pray for one another. My absolute favorite part of the day. They have such sweet prayer request and the sweetest prayers. It's funny to hear how they pray because I know they have heard their parents say the prayers that they inherit and pray in my classroom each morning.

So, I feel blessed.

Don't worry. I still love it here. I get asked on a regular basis if I am still loving it, and truthfully I am. I love everything about it. Sometimes I am exhausted and sometimes my days are long, but the Lord remains the same. The Lord has brought me near to Him, I feel like I have come alive, and that I am doing exactly what I was created to do. I am building relationships with 9 year olds. I am guiding them through their 4th grade year. I am showing them that God IS the center of all that we do and He should be glorified in our every breath. My prayer is that I am successful. That they see the Lord in my every move, and notice how important it really is. They are little, but they are wise. We celebrate our freedom in Christ every day. It is good. 4th grade is fun.

If my classroom isn't a model of Matthew 19:13-15 then I am doing all of this for the wrong reason. May the little children in my classroom see Christ alive in my life, and may they not see me at all, but may Christ be glorified in it all.



So, we're still doing well. We're still loving 4th grade and having a great time. On Friday we are celebrating good behavior. Yeah! We made it :) I will post pictures. It is involving sleeping bags and a fun time of reading! Yeah!!

Last Thursday night I played flag football. It was faculty vs. students. Our team was so eloquently named "Staff Infection." Gross, but we won. :) We might be older but we are stealthy. It was a great evening. Good to see students outside of school. I love my job. :)

Here's to another week. May we draw near to Christ. He's already drawn near to us.

.OVER.WHELMED.

I love the Psalms. Honestly, they make me feel better about my own life at times. That sounds somewhat negative, so let me retract for a brief moment. I LOVE my life. I LOVE Arkansas, and finding my purpose here. I know part of that purpose is to teach 4th grade, but I'm not satisfied saying that is all. Those 15 kids bring me SO much joy- but I need interaction with someone who wears velcro-less shoes.

So now, back to why I really love the Psalms right now. When I read the Psalms, I am OVERWHELMED in such a beautiful way, of heart-saturated, deeply personal expressions of the inner life of the psalmist, whom is most often David. David has taken the time to recognize his own broken soul, and THEN he musters up the courage to share it with the Lord, and ask for the healing that only the Lord can give, so that David can share his life and love people. He takes part in the spiritual discipline of Lament. I am encouraged by his obedience.

Lament is an act of love. It is saying, to me, that in order to love, we have to understand that we are broken, and if we are interested in TRULY loving one another and loving GOD like he loves us we have to be honest. David's words are sometimes angry, sometimes sad, accusing, confusing, but ALWAYS relate-able for me.

Lament is a way of honoring God, of taking Him seriously. AND it teaches me how important it is to love, share life, and encourage one another, in Christ.

Life is sweet. Enjoy it!

I'm much older than I look...

Today while walking to my classroom after school I hear a Kindergartner run up to his mom as I passed and point and ask "How did that little girl get to be a teacher?"

One day I will find this flattering...

Sometimes you just need a crafty day...

After a wonderful week with my 4th graders. Haley and I needed a mental break. We had a hankering for something crafty and decided headbands would be our theme. After perusing the ribbon aisle at Hobby Lobby this afternoon (50% off..hello!) we went to work.

These headbands are SO easy to make. AND so much fun. We decided after both being mistaken for high schoolers and younger since school has started we will embrace our age. I think as elementary teachers we can.

Anyway...here is what came of this glorious day.



Success!

where you invest your love...you invest your life.

I haven't blogged since I started school! BUT it has been SO wonderful! Seriously. I can't even think of adequate words to tell you how much I love being here. My class is full of 15 fantastic kids. I truly love each of them for their uniqueness, quick wit, and shining personalities. They all make my laugh at least 4 times a day- the Lord fills my heart full of JOY through them! Let me introduce you to my sweet class...:)






Here we are...I couldn't ask for a better class, a better start to the year, better co workers, or a more positive working environment. Seriously. so good. I also got the sweetest note from one of my little ones Friday. It read:

Dear Miss Madden,
Here is a pack of silly bandz for the treasure box. You are a fantastic teacher. Please never forget we're all in this together.

How precious is that? It made me smile..:)

In other news, NW Arkansas is gorgeous. I have found myself perusing the Bentonville Farmer's Market (and wal-mart ohhh toooo many times), relaxing at the "beach" and spending countless hours (quite seriously) at the Boyd's lovely home. I am so thankful for them. Seriously. They are a God-send to me. Simply wonderful.

The Lord has been making his presence known to me so evidently. Sometimes I become apathetic (due to sheer exhaustion I do believe) and find myself hoping that the Lord will make His presence known to me. Yet I really should be expectant that through His divine power He will show himself to me, stretch me (and has been stretching me...) to go and be His light everywhere I go. I just have to remind myself to seek the Lord with wide eyes every day!

Grace and Peace.