Class Hike!

Great thing about living in AZ: 85 degree weather in February! Our class celebrated today with a hike up South Mountain. I took the younger half of the class (12 kids) up what was suppose to be a 45 minute hike (up & back), but turned into a 3 hour hike :) We stopped to check out petrogliphs (my 1st time to actually see some up close & in person--very cool! I've been wanting to see some since I taught about them 3 years ago in a 4th grade Utah class). It was a little....nervewracking...having the safety of 12 kids in my hands when they're stretched over a mile of rocky trail, BUT after a few talks about working as a group, it actually worked out pretty well. There were a few spills & one blister...but the same two girls who were crying halfway up the trail, were the two running around giggling by the end. It made me not feel so bad for telling them to suck it up and keep going! (Okay, I didn't say it just like that, but that was the idea...and they stopped crying! And kept going! And started enjoying it :) They're great kids and I had a great time! I wish every Friday was another fun hike up the mountain :) Pics:my two little princesses...before the crying :) I promise, they enjoyed the attention, and were fine by the end :)view of Ahwatukee & one very special kid :)

haha, me driving the school bus....I may never wear this hat again after seeing this picture! lol!

How many 1st warders does it take to change a light bulb?

Tonight I had a Rite of Passage--I learned to change a light bulb ;) Heading out of an FHE, I got a call from the car in front of me that my headlight was out. Now to understand the utter horror I felt from such a call, imagine driving home from an Enrichment meeting one un-employed night a week before Christmas, and having 2 cops pull you over only a block from your house, slap you with a $200 ticket & court date for a missing headlight you were oblivious to, then going back to their car & humiliating you by watching you cry for a good 10 minutes on the side of a dark road as you felt helpless, wondering how on earth you would pay it and what on earth a "court date" was. This was the memory coming to mind when the news came that a new headlight was out! Needless to say, there was no way on earth I would be driving by my house again with those headlight-fining leeches lurking about!

My 2nd reaction was to laugh at the irony: This was the 3rd time in 8 months to have a light go out--and the 2nd time for it to go out in this particular apartment complex! Was I suppose to be learning something from this?! The caller didn't know how to change the bulb, the guy I was giving a ride to didn't either, and the FHE hoster wasn't answering their phone....so, I did what any single, independent woman should do: I got out and began to tap on different parts of what I assume was my engine. Honestly, I was completely lost! I'd seen 2 different people change my previous bulbs, so I had a general idea of where to stick my hand...but past that? Yep! Lost!

My savior came in the form of an older couple trying to pass my car. The nice man hopped out, and in broken English, took my bulb out, showed me it would be forever burnt-out, then gave me step by step instructions on how to put the new bulb in. It was like teaching me to actually fish! A quick trip down the road for a replacement, and I found my climatic moment in a Walmart parking lot, 10:30 at night as I followed my guide's instructions by memory and vuala! There was light!! Seriously silly, but it was like the BEST moment ever!! I finally felt the freedom and safety of knowing how to solve what seems to be a frequent prob with my car, and it was a fantastic moment!

Funniest moment of the day--Out of the Mouth of Babes!
There was some drama today when two little best friends got into a fight. One called the other a liar, and the "lying" boy had an absolute cow! We're talking, started throwing things, and yelling across the room that he was always being called a liar and was tired of it! We all walked away to give him space, which only made him yell louder. I gave him some time to cool down, then went on with his spelling like nothing had happened (trick I've learned from my mom, she uses it on everyone in the fam...kinda helps you not feel so stupid for whatever lame moment of life you just had!). When the boy was ready, he brought it back up...and seeing he was finally able to TALK about it--not just yell about it--I started asking him the questions that would lead him to a solution (Montessori practices coming into play here. Still trying to learn them, but I do like the coaching we give the kids in helping them work out problems).

Anyway, so this darling little boy is so distressed in complaining to me that his best friend is always calling him a liar. Knowing this boy pretty well, I asked, "Well...why does he think you might be lying? Do you ever tell lies?"

In total frustration, and in all seriousness came his classic response: "Well, yeah...but I only tell TWO lies a day!!"

It was one of those moments in life when all I could think was "Don't you dare laugh, Beth, don't you dare!!" haha! Kids are so innocent, seriously, he saw no problem with it...thus prompting a great discussion on the importance of developing trust with our friends thru honesty! I could tell half-way through this discussion that the kid just didn't get it. That's when inspiration popped in (as it always tends to do when I've exhausted all my own ideas--I consider divine intervention to be the ideas that acutally work :) I asked him if a stranger came up and offered him a ride if he'd take it....nooo...why not? You don't know him, you don't trust him. What if his grandma came up and offered a ride?....yeeessss...how come? Cause he trusts here, he's built that up over time. This explination seemed to work for him, he calmed down, and agreed to start being more honest with his friends. At least it's a start!

I do this thing where the kids have to look each other in the eye, and shake hands once they've worked through a prob and apologized (thanks Jon & Kate plus 8! They make their kids kiss after fights). It usually takes a few tries, but by the end of it, neither can stop giggling and run off together, best of friends again! It's the moment when both a sigh of relief, and a smile come out of me :) It's so cool how quick kids are to forgive and move on!

In conclusion: Learn to change your headlight--it's liberating! And be careful of those 2 little lies a day...ha! ;)

Flower Power & Scooby Dooby Doo!

As you may have noticed, my blog is sportin a new look (just in time for spring!), and some different music...both of which may take you back a few 5 decades ago. Never really a fan of the 60's/70's era, I have grown a new appreciation for the songs below. The kids I work with have been practicing these songs daily for over a month as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration

30 minutes a day x 4 weeks x 7 hippie songs = A lot of Flower Power stuck in my head

Tonight, I celebrated my 5th week in a row of Institute (Institute is religious education classes put on by the LDS church). After a 2 year absence from taking institute seriously, I was bound and determined this year to make a go of it. I've gotta say, Thursday nights aren't the easiest to spend the evening away from resting at home, and the after party at institute...well, let's just say it's not my favorite part of the week, BUT the class? WOW, I get SO much out of it!

1st Favorite part of the class: The Subject. I always tried to get into a Book of Revelations class at BYU, but they were always full, hard to come by, or practically required doctorate work to pass. The very first class, it was made clear the emphasis of the whole book is the great love the Savior of the world has for us. Taking it from this perspective, and picking apart the meaning both scholarly and spiritual exploration) has been a huge highlight of my week

2nd Favorite part of the class: Sister Hardison. After years of studying and practicing methods in teaching, I can honestly say she is the epitome of the type of teacher I would like to be. I am a firm believer in the audience being participants in the learning process, and she is a pro of not only encouraging comments, but also in guiding them all towards the point of her lesson. She has an amazing amount of knowledge and research to back up the things she teaches, and somehow cheerfully and smoothly transitions between topics. I'm such a fan!!

Great message of tonight comes actually from Romans 8:28--"All things work together for good to them that love God." (quite the promise :). And I'll leave the blogging world tonight with a quote that I found pretty profound:

"Often doors have closed before us hat seemed to lead to the opportunities we thought we had to have. We may have assumed that thte closed door was a reflection of some inadequacy in ourselves; but perhaps the closed door had nothing to do with whether we were goodor bad or capable or incompetent. Rather, even now a loving Father shapes our path according to a prearranged, premortal covenant; the opening of the closing of these various doors is dependent on the Lord's perfect perception of our developmental needs. All the elements that we really need for our individual experience here, he puts on to our path. The most important things that will happen to us in this life will come to us often by no initiation of our own, but rather because He is piloting the plan...There is only one Keeper of the Gate." --Catherine Thomas

Something I have definitely learned in the past 3 years is that the above is 100% true. I am grateful for a loving God of the universe that is a loving parent so personally involved in the details of my life :)