Indie Frankenstein and a Great Success

Indie Frank-n-pumpk

Turns out the Lord often answers prayers. Sometimes not exactly as I had hoped, but he still answers.

For instance my groaning about a certain student may have said to the Spirit "Please make him quit or go into a vegetative state." However he did not.

Instead, this week is pre-halloween which means I get to do crafts with almost all my classes woot! No seriously, I love crafts. So today I searched the internet for cut-out crafts, as many of my students really hate drawing, and I found a mummy, skeleton, frankenstein, Dracula (or vampire) and a fish/man and pumpkin head. So seeing as I had two of my most difficult classes today, the majority of the students being boys, I thought the little monsters might actually enjoy making monsters.

I was right.

They loved it. And even when I just made an origami pumpkin (see previous post for picture) with my MOST abhorred class.......it was amazing....they were good! The child I wanted to strangle just last Friday, even almost behaved, and he participated in class! It just made me miss teaching art, where kids who are clearly having trouble in life have a real outlet. I even felt like the Lord was giving me a love for this kid, I mean he even made me laugh once.

I guess my next lesson from the Lord could be on 'how to make English class relaxing and enjoyable' without turning it into art class. hehehe.

And I asked for joy in class and to start to be more joyful, (some might even say a light -Matt. 5:16). And yes, craft week is really good. REALLY GOOD.

Not to mention walking to work this morning was the first blustery crisp fall day and it was sunny and spectacular!

God is listening to my hearts desires that I didn't even know I had!

New Korean Pet Peeve

Why can't I buy one?

On the street, for some reason around my neighborhood you can't buy one apple, you have to buy like 6 or 10. I can't buy one bag of grapes I have to buy a box of 8 bags. I can't buy one orange, I have to buy a bowl. And what really peeved me today was when I was at the grocery store and I couldn't buy two individual yogurts, I literally had to buy 10. So I bought none.

WTK! (what the Korea?!)

I really miss Krogers, where they can do math. For instance when they say '10 gatorades for 10 dollars" and I only want two gatorades, I pay 2 dollars.

I seriously do not understand. For a country who says they are so concerned with waste, why do I have to purchase more than I can demolish before it goes bad?

Anyway. That was my cultural moment of the day. That and boys in my youngest class writing bad words in korean on their papers that were probably the equivalent of 'redneck,' or 'white trash' in korean. (it was a lesson on a rich man and a poor man).

I feel like I am getting meaner here. I am pretty sure the kids who see me getting frustrated and mean with other kids really just pity me and understand. They never seem to dislike me for punishing other kids. It's like they recognize they are being gypped by the kids themselves their distracting the class.

After some rough classes, I made oragami pumpkins with one of my classes. It was amazing, and peaceful. The quietest the class had ever been, everyone just crafting all seriously. What a blessed few moments that was. *sigh* Still I think my pumpkin reflects my inward feelings of the earlier classes.

p.s. notice the little man that makes his hat/stem.

My Mission Field

I have been super negative about work. I complain whenever I get the chance and in comparison to other jobs, my job really isn't so bad. Still I have plenty to complain about, mostly miscommunication with my boss and feeling like I never am doing anything correctly.

So at church this week Pastor Jimmy spoke on 'who controls your thinking' and how we are not responsible for many of our thoughts, because some come from God, other's from media, and others from the deceiver, but we are responsible for what we dwell on and continue to entertain in our heads. So then he continued to ask " Are you grateful for what you have been given?" and I don't quite remember how it worked in, but it made sense.

I am not grateful.

And so....I more easily entertain negative thoughts because that is what I dwell on. It is so easy to just focus on my boss giving me more and more work to do and being behind on commenting on students folders or listening assignments , or not having the appropriate lessons for some of my classes.........see what I'm saying?

BUT, that keeps me from seeing what is good in my life. The blessings I have everyday. Increased patience, a sincere enjoyment for many of my classes, and my students growing to understand me and how things are to work.

I shared with my church in our weekly sharing time (of prayer requests, things that stuck out in the sermon, praises, etc.) how I have been so negative and ungrateful. It has been especially apparent in how much my other friends enjoy their jobs or at least look at it as an opportunity to love their students and be a light in their lives rather than an energy suck. I realized I have been a bad teacher; half hearted, unenthusiastic and easily angered-well not externally, but internally. I am looking at my job in the wrong way.

My job is my Mission.

Jesus placed me here to be with these kids for the majority of my time here. 5 days a week, 8 hours a day. THAT IS A LOT. So why am I acting like the only time I have to 'minister' is outside of that time?

Monday, I started my day off late. I did not wake till 11 and I got up, went to the store, grabbed veggies and cooked them for my meals for the day (I feel God wants me to do a Daniel fast, not sure the answer as to why yet....) and I didn't get a quiet time in. However on the way to work I was flipping through some verses and came across this....

Matthew 5:16

"In the same way let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. "

That's what I want, to be a light. To be joyful and an encouragement to others. Not a Debby downer, but someone that makes you realize the blessings in life and be grateful to God for them.

Monday was great. Every class the Lord brought to my attention that I am blessed to be in these kids lives and have the opportunity to love them. Later in the day my friend Jessi texted me saying she hoped my day felt extra blessed by God and that she had been praying for me that it would. It was a really good day. God is yet again teaching me how to be a servant more effectively, sincerely and joyfully.

Anyway, those are just a few of my thoughts, I know I have been bad at writing lately, it has something to do with being busy and blessed.

Longest Week Yet

It seems as though I will be getting overtime this month. I have 28 classes a week and on a 31 day month with no holidays that means 8 hours overtime. They do it by the month, 110 classes a month. OYE.

Still today was interesting. I have been trying to present my mind to the Lord so he can give me a positive attitude. It is taking some work on his part to calm me down from finding out I have 4 more classes this week than I did last week. It is a good thing I am starting to enjoy most of my students.

Monday Moments of the day that were super:

My first class of the day only has two students and they were both gone on a field trip.

A student bounced his eraser across the table and he totally shot it down another boy's shirt. EPIC.

A student threw another student's wallet, it went past him and out the window. "GASP!" and then when we went to look out the window, there it was just on the ledge. Brilliant.

Still I can't believe I have 28 classes. UHG! I don't get off work until 9 every night. I was told that would be possible but the previous teacher never had more than 26 classes. Probably to avoid the overtime pay. seriously I would much rather less classes than to have overtime. And then my boss asks if I want to teach her family in my free time? HA!

The funny thing is the teacher who had my position before me, Jason, wants to tutor the boss and her kids.

I went to take my i-pod out this morning and my versepack fell into my hand, I think the Lord was saying I need to dive back in. Needless to say I almost got hit by a car crossing the street reading my verse pack.

Matthew 4:20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Answered Prayer

So this morning I sat in my room with my diary thinking of the day ahead of me and how I had my two least favorite classes in a row and then 4 more classes after. OYE. So running through my head was only ideas of how I could control two particular students. I only have ungodly descriptions of these boys so we will name them J and A. J is particulary bad, always distracting and getting angry and throwing things. Yelling at me in Korean or just in general being obnoxious. A is very similar although at one point he did participate in my class but was turned evil by J and now only wants to be a pain in my behind.

Well, this morning as I thought of ways to beat them, a fly swatter, a ruler, the book, my hand......I realized, maybe there is another way. So I prayed I would stop at least thinking of ways to punish them and trust that the Lord would make the class bearable, somehow. I had no idea how he would do this and I thought maybe they would not hate me today. WELL, I got to class to hear from Grace (the boss/classroom teacher) that I would soon be getting new students in this class. I laughed and said "This class? It's the worst to add to, I can't even teach it now. They (J and A) are too distracting." She asked who I was talking about and said "Oh, Justin has quit." I was exstatic and learned it was not just me, but he also hated Grace.

Totally stoked.

The class was still only half-way enjoyable with A still being a bit of a pain ripping up his book and notebook and balling up the paper and tossing it around, but I had fun with the girls. I decided not to get upset with his destruction, he can ruin his possessions that is of no consequence to me.

Still how awesome is it so see such an immediate answer to prayer? I didn't ask him to make J quit, although I had wished for it on other occasions.

God is good...

(and as my new church says...)

All the time.