Current Events

Sometimes, I want to talk to a person, but I don't call or e-mail because it will take too long to catch up on everything. This has also affected my blogging recently. I have had thoughts on the experience of coming home as an adult, the danger of finding my identify in my work, and the period of rest and reflection as I have left the work at Cono. However, there has also been so much in my life that has been in flux or unknown that I have been overwhelmed at trying to get it down. So, this post is low on depth of thought and high in natter relating to my life as it is now lived.

On Monday morning, I will have my first day at West Frederick Middle School. I am teaching part-time in a reading intervention program for sixth and seventh graders who are not reading at their tested grade level. Seeing as this is hardly an area of expertise for me, I am thankful to be in a co-teaching situation. My part is to come in every other day to work the development of the students' writing and thinking in response to what they have read. My co-teacher will be there every day. She has taught this class for five years and has twenty years of teaching experience. I have already learned quite a bit from her, and I anticipate learning much more. One practical item is that we hung about a zillion posters using a glue gun! I've always hated how nothing sticks to painted cinder block walls, and now I am privy to this brilliant solution. Things stay up, paint stays on the walls, and it's certainly cheaper than anything 3M has ever manufactured. I'm sure there will be more impressive, theoretical gems as well.

This will be quite unlike anything else I've done before. I'll lose most of what I loved about teaching at Cono: a community of believers working alongside one another, a small and familiar student body population, a Reformed understanding of educating for life, an upper-level high school course load, a "casita bonita," a short commute, a delicious salad bar at lunch, etc. However, there are benefits in this new work that I've never had before. I will learn first-hand about the public school system and No Child Left Behind, so my thoughts and opinions will be substantiated with experience, even if they don't change. Having taught for five years, I will be on the low end, sort of "the baby" again, able to learn from others with considerable educational experience. The school is in downtown Frederick and there are coffee shops, cafes, theaters, and cultural opportunities all around. The combination of having a master's degree and part-time hours means that I will have the time and money to pursue more education again, which I plan to do once I am settled in. I am also joining a growth group in our church and starting a book club. Four other women and I are going to be reading C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces, and I have been asked to facilitate discussion.

Working at a public school has given me new perspective on how blatant my connnection to the Christian community is. People ask "get-to-know-you" questions, and I essentially answer, "I love Jesus!" For example: "Where did you go to college?" Answer- Covenant College, or "Where were you teaching before?" Answer- Cono Christian School, or "Where did you go to school?" Answer- New Life Christian School, or "How did you come to the Frederick area?" Answer- my parents planted a church. . . You get the picture. Obviously, it's not bad, just kind of funny. In my Christian communities, I have often felt a bit like Paul boasting of his Jewish heritage. Here, it just doesn't make a difference. Who cares if all four of my grandparents were in Christian ministry and my dad is a pastor? The question is, do I do my job well? We'll see.