16 days!!

    In 16 days, I will be in an airplane flying over the ocean, jetting towards home!  It's hard to believe that my second year of teaching is almost done.  Time has flown by so fast these past 2 years.  I was recently looking back at my pictures on Facebook and found some my dad had posted from the day I left to come here.  It's hard believing that it has been almost 2 years since that picture was taken.  It feels like it happened just a few days ago.  

     I remember coming across a quote a few years ago that mentioned that teachers continue learning all through their career.  The moment you stop learning is the moment when you should retire.  The first part of this rings so true to these past two years.  I have been in a constant state of learning ever since I got here.  Last year was my first year of teaching, and I spent some of that year trying to find my footing and figure out how to best help these Kindergarteners that had been put in my care for 5 days a week.  As the year went on, I was able to look back at what I had done, and found certain areas that I needed to change how I did things.  As this school year began, I vowed to make those changes to help my year go smoother.  In certain areas, it has improved.  However, there are still areas where I need to improve next year.  One of the big areas is in discipline.  2 of the children in my class are very....strong willed, and I struggled all year long with how to best discipline them.  I'm sad to say that I don't think I succeeded much with either of them.  In looking at the class that I will have next year, I have at least 4 students that will prove to be....interesting.  I'm hoping that while I'm home in the states this summer that I can talk to fellow teachers and get ideas on what to do. 

     I have no idea what the future holds for me, how long I'll be here in China, or any of that.  I'm trusting my life to Dad, and I know that He has a plan for what my life will be like.  I do know that even though my upcoming class will probably prove to be stressful, I'm looking forward to a new year, teaching more kids new information, and seeing that light in their eyes when they finally understand a concept that has been eluding them for a long time. 

     During my time in the states this summer, I am really looking forward to eating a lot of food I've missed, spending time with friends and family, visiting places that I love going to, and buying lots of stuff to bring back here.  I'm really looking forward to a trip that my sister and I are going on in July.  We're both hoping that this will be a time for the 2 of us to bond more, and develop a better sisterly relationship.  Can't wait for this special time between the two of us!!

     There are only 9 1/2 more days of school left.  In that time, I have to plan for a Kindergarten graduation, finish report card comments, give the test for the report card grades, print off the report cards and Kindergarten diplomas (and have the principal sign them), hold the graduation, attend the high school graduation, and pack up my classroom for the summer.  I know that a lot of those seem really easy, but the days are going to go by so fast, and I'm hoping to get all of this accomplished without getting too stressed out....Here's to hoping!!