This week--

• It's a bit strange to watch the weather change in Nebraska and Kansas, and for it to still be in the 80's and 90's here. It's still weird that it's hot in (almost) November-- though definitely cooler than it first was! I'm sleeping with a light blanket now, and will usually need it in the mornings. When I leave for school at 6:40, it's about 68-70 degrees. I will say I am not missing the below freezing temperatures in the states! 
• Thursday was 1/2 day with the afternoon being In-service. We are working on curriculum mapping, so teachers are writing what they do in all the subject areas for the year.
• Friday was PT conferences. I had several conferences, but with not having kids, and staying steadily busy, it made for a bit of a slow day.
• Halloween is not celebrated here, and as a teacher, I'm actually kind of glad. It has never really been a favorite of holiday mine-- with all the craziness- but I do love the fall decorations that come along with the season. Next weekend the SCS staff are having a fall party, so we do get to celebrate... Thanksgiving is also not celebrated here (but the school has it off), so the next holiday here is Christmas. I was in the grocery store Nacional last week, and there was Christmas music playing on the radio. 
• Vocabulary

My November Vocabulary Wall

 

I work a lot on Vocabulary, so I decided to start a Vocab Wall with words that they see in class and what we work on. 

Descriptions for the color-coded cards

• One of my students brought the word "Christlike" to talk about it-- he had heard that word, and didn't know what it meant. It's been exciting to talk with him about the characteristics of Christ, and open the door to talk to him about Jesus!

• My finds this week....

Reading Horizons workshop--Processing Disorder strategies

It had some really good strategies for students that struggle with reading (phonics) and processing. I tried them with my students this week, and it seemed to work really well with them... The video is an hour, but it was very useful for me-- teaching 'letter slides' when teaching short vowels, actions for the vowels to prompt when reading...

• Product/Reading-Intervention-Program-for-Big-Kids-Set-One-Levels-H-K-
• This was a great find on Teachers Pay Teachers to assess fluency, comprehension and vocabulary.

• Character traits-- 4th and 5th grade have been working on character traits-- found this  for the students to use...

• There's been another request for the pumpkin penuche cookies we made (they were so good!), so after a visit to Pricesmart (similar to Sam's/Costco) we're making them again this afternoon, along with I think watching the movie Shutter  Island.

• Last week I bought a new fruit-- zapote-- and finally tried it today. 

I tried it as a smoothie-- with banana, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and ice. It was really good!!

• Next weekend we have a 3-day weekend. That Monday is Constitution Day, and we don't have school. Plans still to come...

Faith, Joy, Waiting, and Circumstances

June 4, 2014, my sister-in-law passed away from an almost two year battle with cancer. Nothing like that had ever happened in my family before. It shook me a great deal. For those two years I prayed every night that God would heal Lisa. But he chose to take her home to be with Him. I have to say that going through that was a test on my faith, and not exactly in the best way. I questioned why, when praying continuously, why God had chosen to not heal my sister-in-law, yet there were millions of other people with cancer that were healed. I have close family friends that have prayed for over 7 years for a family reconciliation, and God has not chosen to answer their prayer (yet). I have watched their pain and suffering through the whole ordeal. For as long as I can remember I have wanted/prayed to be married and have a family, watched my friends get married, and have families, yet God has thought differently for me. He wants me here in the Dominican Republic teaching. 

Hebrews 11:1 ~~Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 

1 Peter 1: 8-9 ~~Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

It would be very easy for me-- or anyone else going through difficult times-- to choose to see the circumstances differently. Do we choose to have faith, when what we want does not go the way we want it to? Do we choose to have or see the joy in our circumstances? What is God preparing for us, that we cannot see? Do we trust God that he will get us through the storm? It's our choice. 

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Isaiah 40:31 

but those who hope in the Lord

    will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

    they will run and not grow weary,

    they will walk and not be faint.

Micah 7:7

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
    I wait for God my Savior;
    my God will hear me.

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Wait

Seeking these unanswered questions,

I turn my eyes to you.

Falling on my knees,

So desperate for your care,

I wait Lord for your answer.

I wait Lord for a sign.

I wait Lord for your wonders,

Already planned in your mind.

So impatient I become,

Wanting something in return.

Knowing, that in your time,

All hope will be restored.

But, how Lord, do I stay close to you,

When I no longer feel your touch?

How Lord, do I carry on,

When you feel so far away?

I must wait Lord for your answer,

Wait Lord for a sign,

Wait Lord for your wonders,

Already planned in Your mind.

The waiting for Your answer Lord,

Is not so very easy.

But without you, Lord, I am lost,

My days, so unfulfilled.

But all this waiting I must do,

Will someday be rewarded,

When I see your glorious face

Waiting for me with open arms.

So as for now I wait to hear Your voice,

I wait Lord, for a sign,

I wait Lord for those wonders,

Already planned in Your mind.

~~ LL

3 Months in the DR

It's been over 90 days since I first came to the Dominican Republic.... At times it still feels strange to be here.

Some of the Highlights.... and Randoms...

• I've seen the north end of DR (Gran Ventana-- Puerto Plata) and the south end (Santo Domingo), as well as the mountains-- Jarabacoa. I think my favorite is probably the mountains.
• It can still be excessively hot in October... And always sweating is just... normal. 
  

• And I never thought I would be thankful for 89 degree weather! I love being able to wear a hoodie, and having the sweatshirt weather-- I am missing that right now. But the cooler weather is on the horizon... 
• 

• This week it's actually been relatively comfortable (though kind of humid), and it's rained several days this week. 
• I had my first experience with a Dominican doctor/hospital-- I woke up with pain in my ear last week, that turned out to be inflammation in my jaw, from clenching my jaw in my sleep. I actually had this happen 6 or 7 years ago, but I guess I had forgotten what the pain was like! I had someone that spoke Spanish go with me, and the Dr (who spoke English) prescribed me some muscle relaxants with anti-inflammatory, and it helped greatly, but made me very woozy.
• It appears that I need to still have my "bubble" to protect me-- for those who know me very well, I'm a bit of a klutz, and it appears to have followed me here as well. My foot caught the hole in the sidewalk at school, and I fell forward, landing on my arm and shoulder. I have a nice scab on my arm that I get to explain about what happened a lot!
•   
• Yuca has become one of my favorite foods--it's similar to a potato, but has a different taste to it. It's really good mashed, as well as fried. Also Yogenfruz-- it's frozen yogurt that mixes in fruit you can choose, with the yogurt. They even deliver. :-)
• Wednesdays is one of my favorite days (besides Saturdays of course!), b/c that's the day our maid Murielle comes-- our apartment is so nice after she's been here! She also makes us chinola juice, which is similar to passion fruit.
• I need to get better about cooking-- I know how to cook, (my mom taught me well)-- I just do not like to cook (sorry Mom!). My roommate Sarah does not cook either, but my other roommate Kyla will do some cooking. We always get our noon meal provided at school-- it's always some sort of a rice dish, a meat, and a green salad with cucumber and tomatoes. So I do get one meal for the day! 
• It almost feels a bit strange that I don't have to do quarterly progress reports, IEP meetings, or writing IEP's. In some ways I do miss the structure of having an IEP, b/c I know what goals and objectives I'm working towards with my students. We have our PT conferences next week, and I think I'll still write up something about my students' progress.
• I think I'm not surprised by anything too much anymore-- from having my doorknob to my school being broken and trapped inside my room, to having the legs of my table in my classroom randomly coming off while I'm teaching--- my 2nd grade boy student-- "Here, I'll hold the table for you." This last week my phone in my classroom didn't work, my computer wouldn't print, and for awhile I couldn't access my files on my drive.  All this means to plan accordingly and in advance! (Or just go to Plan B!) Thankfully, it's all fixed now!
• I still have been drinking my Hill of Beans coffee from Omaha, but I have realized that from drinking the coffee in the teacher's lounge, I drink my coffee at home a bit stronger. 
• I've picked up some Spanish, but not a lot. It's going to be a long process... but I've gotten good at ordering the water in Spanish! I'm not afraid to try....
• The Teachers Pay Teachers website and anything "e-book" related have become my teaching friends, since it takes longer for Amazon to get here (and it costs more for shipping). I still haven't gotten very good at not spending money on school stuff...  My latest find that is so helpful with assessment: Reading Intervention Assessment for 2nd Grade
• Having a VPN has made it useful to be able to watch online television-- otherwise you're not able to use the websites out of the U.S.
• There are times that I miss Kansas and Nebraska-- especially my nephew Dylan, and missing events that he has in his life-- as well as Zach and Caleigh. 
• We don't have Daylight Savings Time, so in November I will be 2 hours ahead of Central Time Zone.
• Next week we have a half day in-service Thursday afternoon, and then we have PT conferences on Friday.

Please pray for the teacher's of our school. We have been having a lot of teachers that have been having health issues,and getting sick. My roommate Sarah has been having a constant migraines for many weeks now, and she is having tests done to see if they can figure out what is causing them. 

Historical Santo Domingo Day Trip

Last week I was noticing that the weather was definitely cooler, especially in the evenings. In the evenings, our apartment was actually comfortable, and there were several nights that I actually had to turn my fan down before I went to bed-- because it was so cool. Saturday, however, the heat has returned!! In looking at the 10 day forecast, it's going to be in the upper 90's all this week. I noticed the heat a lot yesterday in our apartment, and it wasn't actually cool until the morning. (I'm seriously thinking of an AC unit for my room--just have to save some more...) Today it's been extremely humid and a bit hazy. Fall has always been my favorite time of year, and I do really miss the "hoodie" weather, as well as the leaves changing and the pumpkins. It feels very surreal for it to be feeling like 105 (yesterday) the first of October! But I guess that's what happens when you move to the Caribbean! LOL

Starting last week, and for another two weeks, we will have MAP Testing (a fall standardized test for all students), so that will allow me to have a few more breaks in my schedule sometimes. The counselor's and media teacher are the ones that coordinate that, so I don't have to do any testing for my student's. I've had a few teacher's ask me about students with auditory/language processing or visual perception difficulties, so I've been researching some strategies. We do not have access to an occupational therapist (who deals with fine motor) or a speech therapist, so it's Google! We also don't have a school psychologist here, who would give a test called the WISC, that assesses difficulties like that. (There is a school psychologist in Santo Domingo, over 2 hours away...)  In the process  of researching, I found a strategy for student's with reading difficulties, and have been trying it out...
https://youtu.be/V9Mru-0rbk8

Saturday, our neighbor Darlene took my roommates and I to the capital-- Santo Domingo. We left at 7:30, and got home a little after 5. It was so much fun, but a long day!! (It was also very hot.) We went to Christopher Columbus' light house-- a memorial for the 500th anniversary in 1992-- the pope even came to dedicate it. Next was Tres Ojos-- where 3 bodies of water meet (well, actually four, but they had already named it when they found the 4th one!). The caves were extremely humid, and you would sweat profusely from being down there! After that we went to Christopher Columbus' son's house- --with the original furnishings-- it's so awesome to think that I'm seeing historical items that are over 500 years old!! Lastly, we walked down the colonial area-- the architecture was so pretty-- and there is also a whole bunch of tourist shops. You also pass by the oldest Catholic Church in DR, a moseleum  (not sure of spelling?) where distinguished DR's are buried, and statues of famous DR's in history.