Where The Sidewalk Ends: Belated Pictures and Update

possibly the coolest moth I've ever seen:
it was as big as my hand at least,
and the four ovalish circles you see in it
were transparent parts of its wings

I'm afraid we've probably reached a new normal with this blog in which I rarely update: saying I will and feeling guilty when I don't. Sorry, not sorry. Life (aka teaching/grading because that is my entire life now) has gotten very busy!

We've completed three weeks now of school, which seems crazy to me. Every day seems to go by slowly-ish, but the weeks seem to be flying (insert old song about time slipping into the future). Overall, I've been feeling pretty good on teacher side of things. I'm getting into a routine at last and it feels good. I wouldn't say I know what I'm doing yet or feel comfortable doing it but I'm getting there. I love my fifth graders (all 33 of them now, as a new student was added in last Wednesday....side story, Mr. Calderon, the principal, pulled me and a student to act as translator out of my class that morning, told me I was getting a new student. I asked when, and due to translation issues was told she was in the office at that time. Ok, but when is she joining? Today. Ok, but at what time--a que hora? This morning...and sure enough, within a half hour another desk was brought to my room and within an hour I had a new student in my class with no warning whatsoever. That was also the morning I came extremely close to crying in front of my class)...anyway, long story short, I do love my 33 fifth graders and am enjoying getting to know them better and learning how to teach them to the best of my ability. As a reminder, to y'all, I teach them Language (grammar), Spelling/Vocab, Math, and Reading. Every afternoon I also read to them from James and the Giant Peach which we're all enjoying, and it's been super cute because they applaud me when I finish reading to them. Every time. It makes me feel special, which is what I need by the afternoons.

found pictures of these things before I came down and
thought it was terrifying looking, but after seeing one in person,
I thought they were pretty cool. No idea what exactly it is.

Apart from my fifth grade, I'm teaching 7th grade Math, and it is in that class that I'm really struggling. They're a really difficult class to manage (I'm not the only teacher having difficulties, which is comforting in a twisted sort of way). Also, there is a huge range of students--the students who are brilliant at math and bored in my class and then the students who don't speak good English and can't even do simple and quick multiplication or addition in their heads. Every day in that class has been a struggle and I really don't know how to teach them all and how to control them all.

Outside of school and school-related stuff, I haven't been doing too much. Running/working out occasionally, socializing on the weekends with all the teachers or with my apartment mates on weeknights (movie/grading parties interrupted by the occasional sharpie war), trying to get at least 6-7 hours of sleep per night, finding the energy to cook and clean....the normal activities of life that grading so rudely intrudes upon. Seriously though, grading for 33 students in 4 classes and 31 students in another makes for a lot of time spent grading, and I don't give a ton of homework and I'm certainly not grading for anything other than completion and a couple other problems maybe.

On a wonderful note, though, we have our first four day weekend coming up next weekend! A bunch of us will be headed off to Lago de Yajoa to enjoy some much needed relaxation, away from Gracias and school time. On top of that, Friday is Children's Day, so nothing is planned for my fifth graders but fun and games and food, and they leave at noon which means I'll have time to grade and plan and hopefully won't have any work to take along when we leave Saturday morning for the Lake. Praise the Lord for the good timing on the weekend and Children's Day.

picture doesn't do it justice but this is a view along my running route

Thank you to all of you who have checked in via facebook or email and those of you who haven't who are still thinking of and praying for me. In the coming weeks, please pray for all my students, but especially my seventh graders, that we'll be able to connect better, and that I'll be able to establish better classroom control in order for better teaching and learning to take place. Also, there are two seventh graders, M and A who just joined the school this past Monday, and I know they are both feeling really overwhelmed by the transition to a new school as well as the fact that they have 2 weeks worth of work in every one of their 8 or so classes to try to make up. Pray for me that I'll be able to stay consistent in Scripture reading and prayer in order to receive the encouragement and grace I so need from it. Also, give thanks for the upcoming weekend and pray that for all of us it will be a blessed break. Finally, several of my coworkers have to leave for various reasons in these coming weeks, so pray that their trips will be fruitful and that while they are away that their classes will go as smoothly as possible without them there.

And finally, some pictures of my little home sweet honduran home ( :

View from my front door looking to the left--living room and kitchen
special shout out to my Grandma who made the potholders you see hanging up (:

My little kitchen--with its little fridge, little sink, little stovetop, smelly pipes, and dirty floors.
but i'm learning how to make some mean baliboleadas in it.

awkward desk/table and window looking out to apartment complex hallway.
also, some beloved photos. still hoping to put up more pics around the apartment, especially in my room.