Bless My Husband's Heart

I worked on a new blog all day. Then I realized my thoughts were not cohesive and I needed more understanding before I published it. So it will not be published. Following is an explanation of my strange writing process and how I decide whether a blog is ok to publish or if it needs work.

I have been told I can be a condescending know-it-all and if I was a man, I would be called a mansplainer. My reason for explaining so much is really simple so let me ‘womansplain’ it to you and maybe someone out there can relate.

Teaching is the way I learn. And I love to learn! Yep. I have been doing this since I was a little tyke sitting in my bedroom explaining lessons to my imaginary friends. By voicing the steps of a new procedure or thought I quickly find the holes in my understanding then go back and search for the missing pieces. Sometimes my theory is hopeless and sometimes I learn something new. Occasionally, it leads me to a new area of interest.

When I read a book that has interesting new ideas that I have never heard before, I have to either voice them to my poor husband, teach them to myself or blog about it to see if I really understand it. By the time I finish, I have internalized the information and understand what I don’t understand. This is what it takes to get stuff through my thick head.

When I was in college I was taught that there were different types of learners. Unfortunately my type was never discussed. I wish I was like those of you who can simply learn by tinkering, reading or listening. And if you think what I’m saying is crazy-talk, you are probably one of those fortunate souls. Please be tolerant of my nonsense. I am learning.

And bless my husband’s heart.

Christian Educators, Pray!

 If the Rapture were to be tonight, I believe tomorrow there would be scarcely a handful of teachers left in public schools. Yet, daily we are labeled as subversive and hear accusations of indoctrination and worse. They say we are teaching our students heinous things when in reality, we protect them, love them and make every effort to teach them to read, write, think and cope in this world. Public educators are being discredited, and slowly, slyly, gradually de-funded. And the worst is probably the looks of distrust we get when we admit our profession.

As a group we are the majority. We are also kind, trusting and compassionate and easily pushed around. This has left us vulnerable to political attacks and use as political pawns. As educators we can’t wrap our heads around why people would knowingly do this. That is because we are not running the same race as them and certainly are not motivated by the same things. If we were, we wouldn’t be educators.

So what can we do? Two things will help, the third is the real answer.

First, we must educate ourselves as to how the enemy works and who the enemy is and what is his motivation. Ignorance of the enemy is not acceptable. Read and enroll in online educator political discussions. This is non-negotiable.

Second, we must vote and vote only for those we know and trust. No straight ticket votes and no assumptions due to a D or an R or any rhetoric or promises. Vote based on actions, not words. And if you don’t know about a candidate, do not guess and vote. Just skip voting for that particular office. The ballot is not a STAAR test. You can leave some blanks.

Third, and this is the most important thing: pray. Pray daily and pray big and pray again. Pray for every child and every parent. Pray for our state leadership. Even if it is only five minutes, make time in the morning to bring it all to the Father. He is why we do what we do. He is all-powerful and you are His child who serves His precious children.

The Greatest "Aha Moment" of All Time

 I love aha moments when I get to discover a new connection or all the pieces of the puzzle fall together. The feeling I get leaves me with joy that wants to bust out like Julie Andrews singing, "The hills are alive", on top of a mountain in Austria. I usually make everyone around me listen to my connection hoping they will get as excited as I am. I am annoying that way.

Yesterday I got that little thrill of making a new connection. I was in the Texas State Capitol building with my husband. He was there to visit with a state representative about school safety. He gave his business card to the representative’s aide. The aide commented that his school had the same mascot as ours and we quickly connected the dots and realized this aide was from my hometown in New Mexico. It put me in a happy place for the entire evening and I wanted to share it with anyone who would listen.

Another example of an aha moment has happened when I finally understood a difficult concept that I had been struggling with for a while. Or another was that wonderful moment when, as a teacher, I saw the lightbulb come on in a student and the student quickly began explaining to other students what they figured out.

Jesus disciples were clearly C+ students. They were witnesses to unspeakable greatness but just couldn’t put it all together. That is, not until the last moments in the presence of Jesus on this earth. After Jesus had risen from death, when he was beside the lake where he cooked, ate and talked with his disciples came the greatest aha moment in history. It can be found in Luke 24:44-48.

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms .” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

I can just hear the disciples’ collective, “Ooooh”! All the pieces finally fit together perfectly in their minds. And they had a front row seat the whole time. We can guess what their reaction was since we know what began there spread and continues more than 2000 years later. Thankfully, gratefully, we know they finally understood and became A+ students.