Sneak a Peek

I've thought about today for weeks. Months, actually.

“Sneak a Peek” Day

Since the day I was offered this job it’s been on my mind.

It’s the first time I’d meet my students and their families.  

I had anticipated a lot of things… waking up to discover my refrigerator/freezer wasn’t working, wasn’t one of them. So I threw the rest of my fruit and spinach in my morning smoothie and said a silent prayer of thanks that I hadn’t done the major grocery shopping I had wanted to this weekend. 

Meeting my students and their families was a blur of handshakes, nervous or excited smiles, and the craziness that is letting fifth graders choose their beginning seats for the year. However in the midst of what felt like organized chaos, I learned something about this group, myself, and how God works. I’d given them a scavenger hunt that helped them discover important or special things about our room, and one task was to find a giant poster as in like taller than them (let’s be honest I’m not that much taller) of character traits that really does cover the full range of traits. I asked each student to list three traits that would describe their ideal teacher. This is a Wordle representation of their responses:

While I would love to say this is always perfectly me, it’s not. But there wasn’t one trait on there responses that I don’t at least aspire to embody or am working on expressing more consistently. It was a moment where in humility I prayed that God would enable me to be this person, receiving the response that everything leading up to that moment had been growing me in each of those areas. I’d been praying for this flock for months, not fully aware of how He has been shaping me into the shepherd they need – one who clings desperately to hers. 

Sing Like Never Before

I've lived life more in the past two months than I have in the past few years. 

I was driving home tonight after a long yet satisfying day at work then dinner with some great new friends, reflecting on the recent changes in my life. I did a whole bunch of adventurous things that normally I'd never consider doing or slow down enough to do or enjoy in the past few days alone. I asked for a few days off and went camping and hiking and drove through streams and up/down windy mountain roads using only my side mirrors. I played pinball for the first time. I took a tour of a local famous brewery. I bought concert tickets to finally see one of my favorite artists live. 

I heard a song recently and a seemingly insignificant line keeps running through my mind ever since. 

Sing like never before...

So often as Christians I think we long for what it was like when we first accepted Christ, be it in childhood or later in life. It's easy to get caught up chasing something that you once felt and completely miss what God has graciously doing in us and where He brought to since then. More clearly than ever I feel like I'm at a place in life that is completely new. And I can and should sing like never before...

Be a Good One

I still vividly remember my first day of college. I can tell you the exact outfit I wore, who walked me to class, and that I was scared to death. Sure I looked all calm and collected in my black high heeled pumps but inside I was terrified to go to my first theology class. Thought for sure it was over before I had even started. The first words of the prof are words that I know I’ll never forget:

Everyone is a theologian; you might as well be a good one.  

What?! No, he must have been mistaken. I went to public school. I’m not a theologian.

I don’t remember his explanation as well I as I do his landmark statement, but it was something to the effect of if you can think, and you think about God (or don’t think about God in some people’s case) that it automatically makes you a theologian. You don’t get to decide if you want to be one or not. His job was to make sure we were good ones.

Took him for philosophy as well. Walk in… “Everyone is a philosopher; you might as well be a good one.” Nope, I’ll stick to theologian but thanks anyway.

Flash forward two years later, I was in my doing the first part of my student teaching working in a first grade classroom and the teacher called her students mathematicians. Over and over. It was unmistakably evident that not only were they used to being called mathematicians but they enjoyed it… and more importantly they believed it. What a stark contrast to most elementary teachers who are mathphobic and pass on their fears often without even realizing it.

So when I saw this on Pinterest, it caught my attention and inspired me. 

Photo not mine, could not find source though. :/

So I’m working on a way to do something similar one of my bulletin boards. Will post the finished product. But until then, I thought I’d incorporate it into our class logo.

On the blog some day in the future...

Proverbs 13:20

Head, heart, hands

Puzzle pieces 

Until then, 

walk wisely and be a good one. 

:]

Change

Cross that one off my bucket list. 

Ok I don't actually have one. But if I did, indoor skydiving would have been on it. 

And now it would have officially been checked off, thanks to some incredible friends.

Honestly can't think of a better way to spend one's unwedding day. 

Some of my best friends from college made the 2,000 mile trip out to see me anyway. And we had such a great time... San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles... I tried my best to give them the whirlwind tour in such a few short days. 

It's good to know that in the midst of a season marked by so many changes, 

that some things remain: like true friendship. 

 Lets talk about change...

Brown hair. Everyone rolls their eyes at me when I call it brown but it feels dark to me after being so light for so long. Like what it does to my eyes though; I think I'll keep it. Change is good, right?

And finally the tell-tale sign of change...  good 'ol U-Haul. 

Next chapter up north starts THIS weekend. 

The posts that follow will be from my new apartment. 

Crazy. 

Sola Gratia, Miss Cornett

There are some moments that are easy to pass over and deem insignificant. I've always been someone who basks in those moments but I'm finding that right now they mean more to me than the would have if my life had kept up at its 500 mph pace.

I just wrote my first classroom newsletter. 

I introduced our theme ("Walking Wisely" from Proverbs 13:20) and wrote out a supply list. Which is actually somewhat difficult to do. I landed on throwing out red pen altogether. I'll correct in green (blog post on that someday) and the students can correct in blue. Red pen directly contradicts everything I want to build. 

Signing it was a significant moment as well. 

Sola Gratia, 

Miss Cornett 

Exactly the reminder I needed. 

A New Direction

My world as I know it waits with great anticipation for my response.

I just called off my wedding.

At first all I could think to do was to delete all social media in order to not be an angry spewing maniac or an embarrassed pitiful coward, because truly I am neither. I'm a lot of things, but no longer a scared girl dragging the dead weight of a poor excuse for a man behind her.

Days before my 22nd birthday, I just signed my first lease and was accepted on my own credit and income. I've been building something and it was the final reminder I needed these past few days that now only will I "be alright" or "get past it" but I'm going to soar. Afterall, I did pretty darn well carrying him and his side girlfriends along in this last chapter of my life.

I graduated from a prestigious university and accepted a job in my field the next Monday. I never anticipated being a twenty-something in a one bedroom apartment, but am ready for my next chapter up north. Someone told me recently that I needed a new hobby. I have no idea what I'll blog about this time or who will even read it, but it's how I'm choosing to communicate in this next year.