Time Flies

It's hard to believe! Welcome, June.

Ouch.

Silliness

Costco is Amazing

About to head down to Dallas with part of my home group. Playing with and serving lunch to precious kids makes for a great Saturday! :)

*Smile*

Mom's Back!

For a little while, anyway...:)

So Happy

This made my day! Much to her chagrin (although she did it joyfully - and with style), my assistant teacher had to let the kids dress her up for a day. This was the ultimate classroom incentive this year. The kids had to work together for 150 "points" - which they earn for good teamwork, smooth transitions, setting a good example, etc. They dress me up at 50. It's never been done before, but here Sharon is! :) I love working with her.

Gospel in Life

Preparing for small group with Rachel. We're going through Tim Keller's Gospel in Life right now. So good.

Late Night

The reason I stayed at work until 9:54 p.m. Monday night. This night typically comes once a year...in the month of May(hem). :)

Captain Obvious

It is not a good idea to defrost a bag of tortillas with the twistie-tie still on. It will catch on fire and burn a hole in the plastic.

My Weekend

I could go on and on about this weekend, but I'll just say this...after two days of speakers covering topics like the kingdom of God, contentment, and identity in Christ...I left feeling very ministered to. Thankful for the truth spoken at this conference!

Eventually you can podcast here.

P.S. I know I cheated and didn't actually take this picture. Sorry!

Field Day: Plan B

Rained out this year! Half my kids went home, and half came back in to watch Finding Nemo (LOVE that movie). This sweet girl is borrowing my Snuggie. I am not ashamed.

Don't Worry, I Didn't Forget

Hi, friends. Due to internet issues, a busy work schedule, and life in general, I haven't been able to post recently. :) Bear with me as I catch you up on the month of May.

May 19:

"Teacher" for the day. This precious student got to teach the class for the morning, and she did a great job! And yes, we match on purpose.

Here we are looking strict. Not sure why I've got more of a Blue Steel kind of look. I'll work on it.

Splishin' and Splashin'

This is a terrible picture, but it's all I had without students in the shot. Today I got to play on water slides all day long. And I got paid for it! Best. Job. Ever.

Cutest Parade Ever

The 4th graders at my school put on an annual state "float" parade, and it is SO cute. They're each assigned a state to research at the end of the year, and they finish the unit out with a bang. Each child is given a foam lunch tray (yep - like the ones they use in the cafeteria!), and they decorate it with anything they can that pertains to their studied state. The rest of the school lines the hallways, the high school drum line leads the parade (along with our principal, wearing - of course - a funny but patriotic hat), and the 4th graders proudly march through the school, dragging their floats behind them. It's pretty much one of my favorite things to watch at my school. :)

I also had a fun visit from a friend of mine, Natalie. We're in the same small group, and she's a graduate of the school where I work. She came to see my classroom today, and then we enjoyed a lunch at Fuzzy's Tacos. Delish. Here we're being "Star Students", can you tell?

Outdoors

My break from the Mayhem. I love walks on beautiful days. :)

Delish

This has nothing to do with May, but this is my new favorite peanut (almond?) butter. :) Sorry so random.

Cousins

Charlotte's Web Day

Movie day at school. SO not as good as the book. :)

A Gift

The morning of May 12:

A student walks in with the announcement, "Miss Cunningham, I have a gift for you!"

"What is it!?" I respond.

She proudly pulls out:

I love my job, and I love my kids. :) You'd think I'd respond sweetly, but it's May. Which means whatever I'm thinking is what's coming out of my mouth.

So when she hands me the balloon, I - as any good teacher would say - responded with, "A balloon!.....

.......WHY??"

At least she laughed. :)

Carpool Duty

He covers the heavens with clouds;

He prepares rain for the earth;

He makes grass grow on the hills.

Psalm 147:8

Friendship

Today we finished the last two chapters of Charlotte's Web. My eyes get misty every year. When Charlotte dies...oh, my word. And with an ending like this, who wouldn't cry?

Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.

We wrote a journal entry about friendship today. The kids did such a good job! I could tell it's an issue near and dear to their hearts...:)

Endings

May is also a month of endings. Tonight is my last night of Bible Study Fellowship for the year. As I answered the questions for reflection, the first thought that came to mind is that the book of Isaiah paints a very clear picture of God's holiness, specifically in Isaiah 6. This is where Isaiah immediately recognizes his sinfulness and unworthiness in the presence of a holy God. It's a beautiful picture of God's love and forgiveness toward unworthy sinners, and it was one of my favorites to study this year.

I Want Them to Know...

Today I'm writing letters to my students, which I'll give to them on the last day of school. In addition to pointing out their God-given gifts, I want each one to know...

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Oh, Boy!

Addressing invitations for my dear friend Cary's baby shower. Why I chose to address all 30 envelopes in such a fashion, knowing they will thrown into the trash can upon opening...I don't know. Perhaps the people receiving the invitation will take notice of the fun writing.

But probably not. :) Love you, Cary!

Mayhem

May stresses me out, I'll be honest. Consider this the "busy season" for teachers. It's not necessarily a bad stress, but it's a stress nonetheless. What the end of the school year throws at a teacher is similar to trying to drink from a fire hose. That creates a funny picture in my mind. :)

Anyhow, I've decided to give myself a project in the midst of everything else. I miss Project 365, so May will be a mini-version with the same basic idea. Each day I'll take a picture of something contributing to the "mayhem" in the month of May...and I'll blog about it. Not a novel idea, I know, but fun glimpse into everyday life for me. So to begin...

This...is the Roman Forum. The middle schoolers at my school put this shindig on each year, and it is SO much fun. To celebrate the end of a long unit on Roman history, they host an outdoor marketplace for the entire school. My kids bring $5 each, and it goes a looooong way. A bag of popcorn for a penny, a wide-brimmed hat for $0.50, baked goods, Silly Band bracelets, sodas, flowers, and jewelry are just a few items sold at this thing.

We used our only class time to attend this today, and it was a blast. My old students were selling things, so of course I had no self-control and just about spent my full $5. But I now have the coolest purple and black checkered shoelaces.

After we got back to the classroom, I was explaining to the kids that they needed to save candy/soda/treats for after school - they had already indulged enough. We were about to go to Computer class, which was then followed by lunch and recess. My favorite conversation of the day occurred at this point. I had just been very clear about what to do with their new purchases, when a student raised his hand:

Student: Miss Cunningham, I bought some ice cream, so can I come back up to eat that after lunch?

Me: You bought ice cream?

Mrs. Miller (my assistant): Honey, where is your ice cream?

Student: In my backpack.

My thoughts: [You want to leave your ice cream in your backpack for the next hour and a half and eat it after that? This is amazing...]

Mrs. Miller (praise God for her): Honey, we need to go put that in the freezer!

I seriously love my job. A child's thought process and the things that come from the mouths of my students...priceless.

So there it is...my first post about May and the "hem" that comes with it. :) It has only just begun.