Snow Snow Snow Snow

My winter wonderland backyard in West Des Moines, Iowa.

What is it about snow that is so magical?

...Maybe it's the moment the snow falls and the anticipation of a snow day.

...Maybe it's the morning after a fresh blizzard where the whiteness graces everywhere one looks.

...Or, maybe it's the opportunity to play around with this white wonder.

Well. my students and many of the teachers I work with are fascinated with snow. Most of them have never seen snow in their entire life! Now, for me, a girl of West Des Moines, Iowa, snow is a part of my childhood and youth. Snow is lovely, but snow is also depressing and a pain! My memories of snow are not all magical wonder.

I do have some great snow memories!

So...I want to bring **snow** to my students somehow. Any ideas???

My back porch in West Des Moines, Iowa! So pretty!

Snow Fun Facts!

**Believe it or not, snow is actually clear or transparent. Snow appears white because the crystals act as prisms, breaking up the light of the sun into the entire spectrum of color.

**The largest snowflake recorded was fifteen inches in diameter!

**All snowflakes have six sides.

**No two snowflakes are alike.

**The fluffiest snow falls at temperatures around 15F.

Lyrics I'm Humming:

Let it Snow!

Love Because He is Love

Christians are called to be God's love and light on Earth. We are called to show love, peace, and grace to not only our friends, but our enemies. The Bible tells us that even the wicked show love to their friends! Christians are challenged to go deeper and show Love to our enemies and those difficult people in our daily lives.

Well...that concept hits home for me. Jeremy and I have been doing a Doug Fields Bible study since Christmas, and the past few days have been on being peacemakers, mercy-ful, and love-flowing. I am feeling a strong conviction to apologize to people in my life to whom I was disrespectful and unkind. In particular...a certain woman at my school deserves my sincere apology, and I would love your accountability challenging me to apologize to her.

God is incredible! I mean really...incredible!

Tuesday, February 12th at Lenora Braynon Smith, I had the best day teaching since August! It was a wonderfully refreshing day for me.

We were learning about poetry, colorful writing, metaphors, similes, nature, Maya Angelou, and finding your voice in your own writing. We talked about oppression and change...seeing how words, pictures, and a single voice can spark international change! It was so great!

And, then I realized. Wow. God really loves the children in my classroom. I mean...really loves them. As simple as this sounds, I think I looked at my children in a different light. I took some great pictures of their smiles and eyes yesterday. I wish I could post them on this blog to share with you. I'm going to send an email for you to see some of them!

God's love is dependable.

Deuteronomy 7:7-11

God, your God, is God indeed, a God you can depend on. He keeps his covenant of loyal love with those who love him and observe his commandments.

God's love is impossible to hide from.

Romans 8:35, 38-39

Absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us!

God's love is believable! It's believable because it is real!

1 John 4:16-18a, 19

God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us... There is no room in love for fear.

Love someone today!

Love someone who is hard to love,

because sometimes that is the person who is

most in need of Godly love!

Lyrics I'm Humming:

Unchained Melody by Robson and Jerome

My voice is back

I've come to the realization (with the help of a caring soul) that the reason I haven't posted since November is that I am unsure of what I can say on this blog.

I guess I don't know the purpose of this blog right now, so I kinda avoided it.

Is this blog a place to speak honestly about my experiences in the schools I work in? Oh no... that would not be okay.

Is this blog a place to explain about what I do with my kids in my classrooms? Maybe...

Is this blog a place to share funny stories and daily insights? Yes...most definitely! But...without any proper nouns!

New/Old News! : ) I've been teaching gifted students at 4 different schools in inner-city Miami since October 8, 2007. The day of my liberation! : )

I work at Phillis Wheatley Elementary School in Overtown on Mondays.
I work at Lenora Braynon Smith Elementary School in Allapattah on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I work at Kelsey Pharr Elementary School in Allapattah on Wednesdays.
And, I work at Little River Elementary School in Little Haiti on Fridays.

So, this is hopefully the rebirth of my blog "grace a" Jeremy. ; )

Funny Story: I went to a Christmas tree burning cook-out last night. Christmas trees are really fun to watch burn! Very dangerous, but wow...they sure catch on fire quickly and makes lots of noise.

Daily Insight: The poor and the middle class have incredibly different mentalities.

Lyrics I'm Humming:

Brown Skin by India Arie

Thanksgiving

Picture from Thanksgiving! We had such a great time chillin at the beach, in Key Largo, at the Everglades, on South Beach, at my apartment! My mom even found a little stalker crush on a homeless man who sings/dances on Lincoln! Haha

Winds are Changing

One more week until Thanksgiving! My entire family is coming down to Miami to celebrate and enjoy the lovely weather! : )

However...the weather is turning colder! After the hurricane scare a few weeks ago, the winds have been changing and it's getting down to 80*F! : )

This past weekend, Corey (a TFA 2nd Grade Teacher) and I went up to Universal Studios/Island of Adventure in Orlando. We had free passes through Miami-Dade Public School Disctrict. The park was awesome! It was totally sensory overload and I loved it! I can't even believe all of the rides and entertainment and decorations and planning and engineering that goes into that park....incredibly fun!

DonorsChoose.org update!! My proposal that I submitted last week was completely funded!!! Wow! I can't believe it! I will be getting the materials for the project within the next 2-4 weeks, and I am totally pumped to start the project with my students! God is good. The $339 proposal took 7 days to be funded! Way exciting. Next, I want to submit one for my students to have critical thinking materials! : )

Winds are Definitely Changing: I see the light to Thanksgiving... and then I'm in Waco visiting friends... then Christmas is here! I just need a few more gusts of energy to push me along. : )

Lyrics I'm Humming:

Enya's Sail Away