Cooperative Learning Final Reflection

My Life is in Constant Transition…

A Story of How God Keeps Teaching Me

            This story is a continuing saga, some trials and tribulations, many joys, new experiences, and daily opportunities to learn more about fulfilling the passion God has set on my heart.  It’s been a journey that has taught me many things; some caused heartbreak and sleepless nights, but many more that brought laughter, learning, and love into my life and into the lives of those around me. 

            This story begins on a farm where I was so desperate to do gymnastics, I drug pillows and blankets out on to the lawn and risked broken limbs attempting tricks that I was sure I could master.  When my mom signed me up for lessons out of town, I was ecstatic!  It was short-lived unfortunately.  As a farm family, we could not afford the time it took us to drive an hour one way and I had to stop taking the lessons.  However, I was lucky enough to take dance and acrobatics from an instructor in a rural studio not far from my home and then additional ballet lessons later on.  As a high school cheerleader, my passion remained, I still wanted to learn.  My parents bought a trampoline and I also took tumbling classes from a gal in the next town over from ours.  I so badly wanted to tumble across the gym floor during a basketball game.  While that dream did not come true, God gave me the opportunity to teach others to do the eye-catching tumbling tricks I so longed to do myself. 

            As it turns out, the gal that I took tumbling lessons from decided to move to another state and needed to sell her mats.  She asked if I would want to buy them…um, yes, of course.  After a conversation with my parents, I decided that this was going to be my career.  I would be a gymnastics teacher!  I had a dear friend who cheered with me on my squad who was a great gymnast and we took on our first small business the summer after I graduated.  We opened our tiny gym in a downtown building her dad owned and taught ballet, jazz, and tumbling classes.  I was hooked and couldn’t imagine ever doing anything again in my life.  I read magazines, researched teaching methods, subscribed to publications, anything I could get my hands on to learn, I grabbed.  That fall I got a job in a gymnastics studio in my college town.  I vacuumed, cleaned toilets, and taught recreational gymnastics.  I was in heaven!  I was learning to coach from an amazing teacher; she was always ready to show me strategies, techniques, and ideas to help children learn the art of gymnastics.  I asked if I could travel with them when they took the team girls to competitions (I figured I could be everyone’s ‘gopher’ and I didn’t care, I just wanted to go!)  I learned about competitions, I watched higher levels of gymnasts, I met coaches, and I learned by watching, doing, and asking a lot of questions.

            I had another conversation with my parents who had already entrusted me to make my first purchase of mats, I didn’t want to go back to college, and I wanted to buy a building, teach gymnastics, and get my career going.  They agreed and we found a teeny, tiny building where I would teach tumbling and Jazzercise!  In all the excitement, I also married my high school sweetheart at the mature age of 19! 

            Fast forward 17 years of coaching recreational gymnastics and teaching lots of girls and boys to do those fantastic back handsprings!  I was ready for a new career and had returned to school to get an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood.  I had opened a preschool and had decided I was ready to sell my gym.  My children were older and I was missing out on their activities.  I still wanted to work with children and particularly loved the preschool age so it was a pretty easy transition.  I used many skills and strategies in the gym to teach skills in preschool.  We played, we sang, we tried new things, we moved our bodies, and we told stories, all things I had been doing for 17 years with children.  I found that teaching gymnastics had given me the hands-on experience I needed to teach.  I found that God was leading me to my next career. 

            In 2010 we moved to Grand Island.  My husband had gotten a new job and we packed up our lives and headed down I-80.  I had signed up for some college classes but had to drop out because of our move.  I needed to find a job instead.  I took a position as a lead teacher in a preschool.  Although I loved every one of the 31 children I taught, I knew almost immediately I was in the wrong place.  My director had a completely different philosophy from my philosophy of the “whole-child” development.  I passionately believed in social development over academics.  I believed in relationships with children over ill-advised paper/pencil worksheet “school readiness” activities.  I spent lunches alone and in tears, talking myself through the next week, day, and even hours.  I staunchly defended my belief that children learn while doing, not while sitting and tracing.  I wrote an eight page lesson plan to my boss and the preschool board defending play, social development, physical development, and relationships.  I did not win.  I put my resignation in to finish the year and spent my time laughing and playing with the children I had come to love so much. 

            I did get back to my college classes the next summer.  In the fall, I taught at 2 preschools and taught dance/acro classes at a dance studio.  My joy returned.  My passion was growing. I began to imagine myself teaching kindergarten…

            Our final reflection for Cooperative Learning was an open-ended project with no parameters as to what or how we found the class useful and how we will use it in our classrooms.  I couldn’t think of anything “cool” that would express my appreciation for the concepts shared in this class.  This class that brilliantly tied my past to my future, this class that legitimized my passion for hands-on experience and social development as being “best practice” for educating children, this class that shared my vision for moving children becoming engaged learners, this class that fueled my passion even more.  I will be teaching kindergarten this fall.  God steered me to Grand Island, to student teach in an environment where I worked with at-risk children and families, to apply for a position in a low income school, and to be the one chosen for the ONLY open elementary in the district.  He leads, we follow, He weaves, and we lie under the blanket of His protection and security.  He loves with grace and mercy; I will allow His love to overflow in my heart to spill over into the lives of children who may not have ever experienced unconditional love.  I will pray that I will ignite the passion God places in the hearts of the children that I will have the honor of teaching. 

Time to Change the Name of My Blog To...I GRADUATED!

THE DAY FINALLY ARRIVED...

Yesterday, at 9:53 AM, I walked from the field house at UNK down the hall, down the stairs, and into the Health and Sports Complex.  According to Ken and Rylee, I was showing my nerves by my fidgeting fingers working my rings around my fingers and the piece of paper with my name on it for the reader to use later in the ceremony.  I knew I was nervous, not to be in the ceremony, but the nervous energy one has when a feeling of overwhelming accomplishment has finally achieved.  I followed the others to our seats and waited for the moment that I would walk across a stage to receive a diploma.  The last time this happened in my life was in 1992, my high school graduation.  

The first thing in the program I looked at was the paragraph that was written to the 2014 Spring Graduates.  Here is the sentence that immediately jumped out at me, "In 1992, the year, on average, when today's graduates were born, the world was a different place."  It kind of stopped me dead in my tracks...the year most of the people I was sitting with WERE BORN!  

Yet, there I sat, a person who graduated high school that very year, ready to receive a diploma with all these other 'kids'.  There were several times throughout the ceremony when I had to hold back my tears.  The first was when I saw my dad, 72 years old, waving his arms at me and pointing to where I could find the rest of my family in the huge crowd.  My dad, who told me this morning on the phone, "We're sure proud of you", my dad, who has been supportive of me even when I made decisions he probably wished I hadn't.  There is something entirely heart warming when your dad says he is proud of you, (even when you're 40).  

The tears began again as my row walked toward the stage and I looked up at my husband and saw him smiling at me.  I saw my daughter and my son and knew that this moment was truly something special.  I saw my mom, the one whose smile looks exactly like mine (I guess mine looks exactly like hers actually), and saw her smiling at me throughout the day.  I didn't care how goofy I might have looked because it was either smile like crazy or cry.  I don't think I even heard the reader say my name after I handed him my card, I just was so overwhelmed that I was on a platform shaking a hand and being given the folder that will hold my diploma.  (Of course it's not in there yet...I'll be anxiously awaiting for the mail for a few days).  I walked across and shook the Chancellor's hand, a man who has never met me, just as most of my professors.  I did almost my entire degree online so I didn't meet professors, the Chancellor, or anyone else on campus.  

The rest of the ceremony went rather quickly.  The final moment of near tears was at the very end when the ROTC graduates were given their commission to the United States Army.  A rather boisterous crowd fell nearly silent as these gentlemen held the respect of the audience.  Pretty cool to see.

My family waited for me at the top of the stairs and congratulated me.  (The pictures shown were taken right after the ceremony.)  We had lunch together and everyone headed home.  It was a great morning!

So...what's the plan now?  I decided that since I'm in the mode of homework, I should not wait to start a Master's program, again, age is only working against me so no time to waste!  I will be starting class in June.  I promise I don't need my head examined, I just have goals and I'm going to get there!  God has given me a desire to learn, to teach, and to not give up, so I'm doing my best to follow His path for my life.  He will strengthen me, there will be days when I'm exhausted, and He will help me through those days.  There will be days that I want to give up, He will use Ken and others to encourage me to keep going.  

My most exciting plan includes some very special children.  I will be teaching Kindergarten!!!  I will have a classroom full of beautiful children that God has specifically placed in my care.  They will bring challenges, joys, and their excitement into my life in 3 short months.  I can't wait!  There will be days that seem frustrating, God has been preparing me to handle those days.  There will be days of pure joy, I will thank Him for those moments.  There will be lessons He has for me to learn from the children, He will keep me humble in order to learn these lessons and make better decisions with more grace and mercy.  He has given me so many friends who I can go to for advice, ideas, and to share my joys with.  Old friends, new friends, and friends I have yet to meet.  He knows my need, He will provide.  

Our pastor teaches us that we each have a ministry.  I hope that any success I have had or will have will be seen by others as my ministry.  He has gifted me to work with children, it doesn't seem like work, it's joy, it's fun, and it's different every day.  It's been amazing to watch His plan fall into place.  

So, here's where I will end this current blog, I'm done with school!  Guess that means I need to come up with a new blog.  Anyone have any great ideas for a new blog title???

What a Weekend!

As I sat on the couch tonight with 5 boys on my couch, eating enough food for a small army, my husband looked at me and said, "Aren't you going to love the next 5 years of your life?  Surrounded by boys all the time?"  I smiled and rolled my eyes like I always do but yes, I am going to love the next 5 years, and plan to love the next 50+ years after that!  I want to be that house where 'all the kids hang out' even though it has resulted in torn furniture, smelly rooms, an ever shrinking amount of food in the freezer and pantry, and a substantial hole in our living room wall downstairs thanks to Foxy's backside being thrown during a tackle game that seems to be the popular sport at the Terry home.

This weekend was a 3 day reminder that life moves pretty fast and in ways you might not expect.  I'd like to share some of the highlights!  Remember that when you have a day that seems frustrating, there will come a day when the blessings seem to overflow and hopefully, you are willing and able to share the abundance with those around you.

Friday morning we dropped Carter off at school a little before 7:00 AM.  He and his show choir group were loading a bus to go to Omaha for a Show Choir Competition.  Yes, Carter...and his show choir group.  Now, those of you from our home town know that the Terry guys are not generally known for their musical/dance abilities, but instead for their love of athletics, sports, and competition.  However, with our move to our new town, Carter was able to see that there is so much more to try and the day that he announced he wanted to try out for show choir was a day I'll not soon forget!  I actually thought he was kidding but he insisted that he was most definitely planning on trying out.  Try-outs came, several days of singing, dancing, and auditioning in front of a panel of judges.  He made it and has been practicing 3 mornings a week for most of the school year.  He and the other 30+ members performed at an Omaha high school and came away with the 1st place trophy!  It was a lot of fun, all of the parents sat together and cheered as if we had just won a huge game!  (All the 'sporty dad's' had on pretty big smiles too!)

As if that wasn't enough for a person to feel pretty good about their family, Rylee also had a big weekend.  She is the activities chair for her sorority and she was in charge of a major fundraiser on Friday.  She had been working for several months to get everything ready and was pretty nervous about all the details.  She had a lot of motivation for a successful night as she had visited the St. Jude Children's Hospital (the recipient of the monies raised) in Memphis in January.  The trip made a huge impact on her and she was excited to be a part of something so important that helps so many children every day.  We stopped to see her before the event and helped out with a few last minute things but since Carter's competition was the same night, we weren't able to participate in the actual event.  As I checked Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, I could tell things were running smoothly for the event and again, had that feeling that made my heart happy for my children.

We returned home after Carter's event and got a short night's sleep before his final basketball tournament Saturday and Sunday.  While his team didn't do as well as they would have liked to, it was still a great experience.  We talked about how sports are important, to be a member of a team, to compete, to do all those things we all know sports can do for kids, but we also talked about the things that are more important in the lives of the athletes:  friendship, commitment, experience, and leadership.  Long after the games are over, those valuable lessons live on.  I firmly believe that there should always be "season's" for sports, there should be baseball season, basketball season, football season.  My child is 13, I want him to experience life, not just courts, fields, and traveling.  A successful day is when he laughs, works, concentrates, and learns that yes, he will lose, be disappointed, discouraged, and frustrated.  I will not shield him from those things, I need him to know that someday, someone will be depending on him to make a difference, and he will need to see the needs of others above his own.  I guess that is why Rylee's event was so important to me.  It was that moment when I knew that she was doing things that would not make her wealthy or important, but instead doing something that would impact a child she will never meet.

God does work in mysterious ways...if you would have told me 5 years ago Ken and I would sit at my son's show choir competition, watch my daughter put together a huge event, and sit with 5 smelly 7th graders in my living room after basketball games all in one weekend, I would not have believed you.  But, His plans are greater, His ways are better, His power is magnificent.