Friday Fragments (pets, books, teaching, news)

Friday Fragments is hosted by Half Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post.

Spunky Doodle

Spunky Doodle lived up to her name again this week. She cracked me up when I was getting Abby's dog food ready for the next day. She always jumps up on the kitchen counter where I'm working and tries to get some. Last night I tried putting her off and she jumped right back up over and over again about 12 times! She is one persistent cat and I finally gave up and let her stay. I emptied one bag into the other and she stuck her head all the way in trying to get crumbs. I really should have gotten Gerard to video this. Maybe we can do it again. She also got into some mischief this week but you'll have to wait for our Monday Mischief post for that.

Abby

Abby went to get groomed this week and didn't make a fuss, just walked right in but then couldn't get out of there fast enough! Boy, did the fur fly! She came home smelling real nice with a brand new pink bandana and all soft (softer than usual). Karen and Gerard found a car fence online for dogs to keep them safe in the car. I'm not quite sure if I'd like this contraption or not. Do any of you have this? Do you like it?

Good News

Got a call from my hubby at work yesterday saying that he can have off to help in our church sports camp too! He will be a blue shirt worker which is basically a "go-for" job. The blue shirt people assist the coaches, escort children to/from the restrooms and first-aid, set out the snacks, take care of attendance and giving out the free gifts each day. I'm glad he will be involved too. He also is going to help set up the Wednesday before camp starts.

Good Book

We both just finished reading Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline and liked it. Gerard didn't care for the ending but I liked it even though it wasn't very believable. I like happy endings! It's about a modern-day family of three, who are struggling in their marriage and have a teenage son, Ryan, who is a good student and a good basketball player hoping for a scholarship. When the father and son decide to keep quiet about the hit-and-run accident they were in, things go from bad to worse. Click the link to read our reviews.

New Class

Last Sunday, the new 6th grade girls were added to my class of new 6th grade boys for the summer. We still only had six so that's one reason it makes sense to combine classes. It went well and I think I'm going to like it. It certainly changes the dynamic of the class!

Opinions on the News

I am so sick of hearing about the "Gay Games" coming to Cleveland. I want nothing to do with this.

The President making deals with the Taliban is UNBELIEVABLE! How does he get away with this? Can anyone explain this to me?

In Cleveland, I like the talk about the "sin" tax which goes to help pay for the sports facilities. The talk is to have the teams "compete" for it. It may be based on the team's performance. I like that!

What say you?

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Sunday Sharing: Lie, Lie, Now you Die!

This week I was reading Acts 4 and 5 mostly and although I once again had a difficult time choosing just one highlight, I decided to go with the true account of Ananias and Saphira  because I made this video in one of my Sunday School classes with the boys using puppets to retell the story.  To my great surprise, it is my most popular video on YouTube!

People tend to think that lying is no big deal, yet no one wants to be lied to.  God still hates lying because he hates all sin.  As the early church was getting started in the Acts4:34-35, it says:

(34) Neither was there any among them that lacked:  for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, (35) and laid them down at the apostles' feet:  and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

But Ananias and Saphira sold a possession but brought only part to the apostles, saying it was the whole price.  Peter somehow knew they were lying and said in Acts 5:3-4:

(3) But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?  (4) Whiles it remained, was it not thine own?  and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?  why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?  thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

Three hours later, his wife, Saphira, came and backed up her husband.  Acts 5:8-10 says:

(8) And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much?  And she said, Yea, for so much.  (9) Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?  behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.  (10) Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost:  and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth buried her by her husband.

 Isn't it interesting, that Peter lied about knowing Jesus right before his crucifixion and here he confronts Ananias and Saphira about lying?  Peter was forgiven, Ananias and Saphira were struck down dead.  Peter said they lied to the Holy Spirit and not to men, but unto God.  The fact that Saphira stood by her husband and backed him up did not excuse her.  A good wife should help her husband do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.  Who knows, perhaps it was her idea.  The scripture doesn't really say whether Saphira talked Ananias into do this or not but it is obvious, both knew it wasn't the whole price of the land.

Integrity is such an important trait for believers to have if we want to make an impact on our culture.  Just last week, Pastor Thompson said, "We have no message if we have no integrity."   Perhaps this is why the Lord made it clear his followers should not lie by striking down Ananias and Saphira as the church was just beginning. 

Feel free to share your thoughts about this in the comments or a scripture highlight you heard or read last week.

Other highlights from last week: 

Acts 4:23-31 The apostles threatened to stop preaching but prayed for bravery to speak God's message
Acts 5:17-42 The apostles jailed for preaching Jesus and freed by an angel

(Scripture verses are from King James Version this week.)
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What Was The Last SUPER Event You Attended?

The first question in Wednesday Hodgepodge last week caught my attention because I did recently attend a super event:

In the USA this coming Sunday millions will be watching the Baltimore Ravens take on the San Francisco 49er's in the Superbowl. What was the last event you attended that could be described as super?

It was our annual Children's Workers' Breakfast at church where the volunteers in children and youth ministry get some further training and are shown appreciation. Since I am on the puppet team and volunteer in both our Vacation Bible School and Sports Camp weeks, I get to attend. The best part is just seeing what a big group of dedicated workers we have at our church with a heart for kids. It was awesome to see how many years of service were represented there. Over ten people had more than 40 years of service (I was at 42).

We were served a great breakfast of scrambled eggs, ham, oatmeal, fruit, grits, and sausage. I enjoyed hearing the testimonies of a high schooler and young adult who grew up in our church thanking the adults who were their Pioneer Girl leaders and youth leaders and the ones who taught the silly songs with the hand motions to help them remember the verses set to music. It was also great hearing from a seasoned volunteer about his beginnings as a helper in the 2s and 3s group many years ago.

Workshops

There were 8 workshops available from which we could choose two.  I chose the one on "How Important Good Helpers Are" led by our Children's Minister.  I knew that would be good and I may get a better idea of how to help better during VBS and Sports Camp weeks.  It was an excellent workshop with lots of teens attending which was very encouraging to me.  We basically covered all kinds of little things helpers should do through brainstorming in small groups and short little skits and discussion.

The second workshop I attended was "Strategies For Teaching Special Needs Children" led by our Special Needs coordinator.  I went because I know there is a need for more helpers in there and I thought perhaps if I got some training, I could help out.  WRONG.  Teaching these precious special needs children takes a very special, patient, sensitive, creative person.  There is just too many things that would make me crazy, I am not the type to do this.  Number one, you MUST be flexible and able to "go with the flow" and "think quickly."  I am a planner and much too organized to be able to handle this. 

They can't use food in there because of all the different allergies the children have.  No candy.  Playing at the water table for any lesson involving water is their favorite activity.  In fact, one boy brings a change of clothes for these days!  Each has an individual "reward" system for behaving well.  For example, one boy gets to play with his favorite toy at the end, and another boy gets to feed the fish, etc. 

They can't have playdoh, again because some of the children are allergic to one or more of the ingredients so they use shaving cream instead.  I can just picture the mess which is also something that I have an aversion to.

It seems all of the children have different quirks so the workers have to be very watchful.  One child likes to put stuff in his mouth all the time.  One day, they were doing a craft with cotton balls and discovered this kid ate them!  Whoa!  One child is very sensitive to noise so if he's there, they can't use the music or sound affects that they planned to go with the lesson.  Another kid really responds well to sounds but has some other thing that bothers him.  The biggest challenge for the workers is getting to know how each child learns best and trying to incorporate teaching methods that cover all the different learning styles represented on any given week.

Sometimes they spend the whole first hour just trying to calm down the children so they are ready to learn something the next hour.  Oh, and the age range is from 3 to 12!  What is really most helpful is to have a teaching ratio of 1:1.  Plus, you never know when someone is going to have a seizure or a major meltdown and they need to get the parent.

I knew this would be a tough class, but didn't realize just how challenging it was until I attended this workshop.  It blew me away!  Now I have resolved to pray especially for this class on Sunday mornings.  I would be so on edge and stressed out working in this classroom and yet, some of the older children do come in to help with the kids.   Thank God for them! 


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Tutoring a Fourth Grader

I volunteered to tutor this year through a partnership with a school at work. I take turns with another co-worker going every other week. I tutor a 4th grade girl named Sashay. It’s a small school and when we got there, there was some confusion as to who should go where. In the hallway right outside the office was a fish tank and some turtles!  I thought that was pretty neat. 

The fourth grade class is in the basement and the class was all at lunch with only the three students who were being tutored in the room with the teacher. I was relieved to see the room was fixed up nicely with bright lighting. It being in the basement, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

the basement

Sashay was having a hot dog, a few fat French fries, and a strawberry fruit cup for lunch. It didn’t look very good to me, except for the fruit cup which she didn’t even finish. We read a short essay about bats, did a vocabulary worksheet with prefixes, and some phonics papers. I was glad to see they are still teaching phonics in schools. This particular school I noticed also teaches cursive handwriting. I know some don’t. Sashay was a delight! She was friendly, cooperative, and seemed interested in her work. I look forward to going back again!

This reminded me of my old elementary school but at least I didn't have my class in the basement!   What a different atmosphere though from Parma Heights Christian Academy, although inside the classroom itself the desks were up-to-date, it was cheerful and a very nice room with computers.  Did you ever tutor?  What was your school like?

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Great Movie About Making A Difference: "Beyond The Blackboard"

We taped this movie that was shown on the Hallmark channel and watched it last weekend. We both loved it! It is based on the true story of Stacey Bess, a new teacher who found a job teaching homeless children, grades 1-6 all in the same room. This movie is so inspiring!   It just shows how one person really can make a difference!

I loved how she really cared about the kids and their parents. I was thinking right along with her as to what I would do in that situation. I would have fixed up that room the second day! I loved how she developed her own support system and included the parents too. The PTA meeting was really funny. I liked how her husband supported her as well and even volunteered to help too.

I am definitely going to read the book this "Beyond The Blackboard" is based which is "Nobody Don't Love Nobody" by Stacey Bess.

Both Gerard, Manny, Abby and I were glued to the TV while watching this one! (Spunky Doodle doesn't care for TV).

Did you see this one?  What did you think of it?  What is a movie you really liked?

Inspired By Marva Collins (Back2Blogging Day 4-Writer's Workshop)

This post is Day 4 of The SITS Back To Blogging challenge as well as Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.--post about a woman who inspires you.

Marva Collins Inspired Me

A long time go I saw "The Marva Collins Way" on TV and was so impressed by her teaching style that I took notes and kept them in my purse! She taught school in Chicago and became frustrated with the school system, so opened her own school which became successful.

Here is the list of notes I took from watching the movie which I try to apply when teaching Sunday School where applicable.

1. Give praise and positive reinforcement.
2. Have high expectations.
3. Always keep things fresh even if you taught the material before.
4. No homework = no grade.
5. Give short homework assignments every day.
6. Give prompt feedback.
7. Give personal attention--say something nice before correcting errors.
8. Use class time effectively.
9. Don't give up--every child will learn in this class.

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Surprises From Some Super Boys That Made My Day!

Sunday was the last week with this particular group of 5th grade boys in my Sunday School class. Every year, promotion is bitter sweet. It thrills my soul to see my classes make some spiritual progress during the year and I always enjoy teaching Sunday School.  I usually get attached to my classes and wish I could keep them another year. This year was no exception.

I began teaching Sunday School when I graduated from high school in 1971 and taught for something like 35 years--with only a few years off along the way.  My first class was a fun group of 3rd grade boys who gave me the teaching bug!  I have taught grades 3-12 in Sunday School over the years and up until now, always liked the Jr. High classes best  However, This last class of 5th grade boys was the best I ever had and that's saying a lot because I have had many good classes. They were a very special group in that most were regular attenders, they all got along great, they were very open and eager to participate, willing to accept challenges, eager to learn; therefore, a pleasure to teach.   Over half completed the Dare To Be A Daniel evangelism course geared to Jr. Highers during the summer.  I am so proud of them!

We had some fun socials but Sunday, I was blown away when I received gifts and thank you notes from several of the boys. This was a first for me!

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7 Tips For Developing The Habit of A Quiet Time With God Each Day

We say, God is important. Yes, I believe in God! Yes, I'm a Christian! Yes, I love the Lord! Yet, do our actions back that up? I say all those things; however, when I compare the amount of time I spend talking to God or letting Him speak to me through His Word versus the amount of time I spend talking to people or doing other things, it seems God gets very little time. Let's not let busyness of life crowd Him out of our daily lives.

Daily devotions has been on my heart lately because this summer I’ve been trying to get my Sunday School class of 5th grade boys to begin taking some responsibility for their spiritual growth by spending some one-on-one time with God through the week by reading the Bible and praying. It has kick started my quiet times as a result and so I thought I’d share some things I’ve learned that helped me get back into that habit instead of just reading a verse here or there through the day.

1. Pick a quiet place with few distractions. Gerard uses the basement, his “man cave.” I like the upstairs den, away from the computer. My cats join me, but I can pet them and pray or read my Bible at the same time, so I do not consider them a distraction.

2. Choose a specific time each day and look on it as your appointment time with God. Yes, I know we can pray anytime, but this is our special one-on-one standard appointment time. Ideally, it should be the same time every day (even on weekends) or at least following the same routine. For example, I have found that since I clean the litter boxes upstairs every day (even on weekends), I will spend some quiet one-on-one time with God in the den when I’m on the litter box run.

I recommend meeting with God to start your day. Choose a time right before or after a task you already do such as getting dressed, eating breakfast, exercising, or feeding the pets. It sets the tone for the rest of the day. If for some reason, I’m running late in the morning, I still have the evening run left to catch up. Look on it as a regular appointment—you wouldn’t skip other appointments with people that you have on your calendar.

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Teaching Sunday School Is Such A Blessing!

I love teaching Sunday School, especially when I have such cooperative kids! For the summer our fifth graders are using “Dare To Be A Daniel” curriculum that focuses on purposing to obey God, preparing to be used by God, picking Godly friends for support, and pointing others to Jesus. In this series there are a lot of “challenges” to do through the week and supplemental videos and games to view online at www.daretobeadaniel.com.

This is the third year I am using this and the first two years I it was like pulling teeth to get the boys to do the at-home stuff. As a teacher, I try to improve on lessons I’ve previously taught and learn from previous experiences. One of the things I tried this year is to compile all the handouts into a manual they can take home and am thrilled that they are bringing it back each week. This way if they miss, they can still stay caught up.

Last week the challenge was to spend time alone with God each day in prayer and scripture reading. I look forward to them beginning to share with each other the “daily specials” they found in God’s Word during the week. The challenge was to write down when your prayed or read the Bible during the week, trying to do it every day. Several are really making an effort to do the challenges and go online this year. I always do things along with my class and on this particular challenge, I was surprised to see how often through the day I do actually have one-on-one time with God. We also have nine verses to memorize and again, this class is really doing a good job as a whole keeping up with this. Of course, I already know them all, but it is a good review.

Sometimes classes go as planned and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes I am passionate about the lesson and sometimes I am not. Last week was a “perfect class.” Everything went as planned, the time flew by for all of us and the boys had things to share, and we had fun. We started in the jungle room on the floor sharing what we did through the week and played a fun Hollywood Square version of Tic-Tac-Toe to make the point that things become easier if we prepare ahead, memorize things and practice them.

With it being a beautiful day outside and having only seven boys there, we spent the Bible Study time outside in our church courtyard around a table. I love when we get to go outside during class and so do the boys! (I remember having devotions outside when I attended Beulah Beach camp as a kid and it was my favorite thing about camp! Sports was second.) We went back inside to watch a short DVD clip about training ahead and compared it to taking time to train spiritually by getting into God’s Word each day. I look forward to see how the boys did this week.

Here’s a challenge for you—try keeping an appointment with just God and you each day, spending time talking to him, pouring your heart out in prayer and reading the Bible so He can speak to you. Write down the times you spend with God through the day and the verses you read along with what you learned. By doing this, you will get to know God better! Feel free to share a “daily special” you found in the comments here. Let’s encourage each other!

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What Does Your Name Mean?

Once a year when we have a Sunday School lesson that includes names of people or places and what they mean I like to look up the names of everyone in my class to see what their names mean and share that with them. They seem to like that and it’s fun to do. Last Sunday I had a lesson like this. It was about Jacob (“heal grabber”) having his named changed to Israel (“wrestles with God”) and his special place, Bethel (“House of God”) that he went back to with his family to build an altar and worship God.

Here is the list of the boys names I have in my class:

two Jacobs (heal grabber/trickster; Jewish origin)

Ian (God is gracious; Jewish origin)

Nicholas (Victorious People; Greek origin)

Kyle (narrow piece of land; Scottish origin) He wasn’t too pleased with his but he said it also means generous.

Timmy (To honor God; Greek origin)

Jesse (God’s gift; Jewish origin)

Steven (crown; Greek origin)

two Matthews (gift of God; Jewish origin)

Ryan (Little King; Irish origin)

Unfortunately, I forgot to look up Ryan’s name and felt bad that we didn’t know his. I looked it up as soon as I got home on www.parents.com/baby-names/search. I sent his dad a message on Facebook asking him to let Ryan know what his name meant.

At this site you can put in a name and get the meaning and origin or you can even put in a meaning and it gives you names. If you had the opportunity to choose a name for someone, what meaning would you like them to have? This is harder to do. I tried animal lover, kind to animals, competitor, athletic and no names popped up for any of these.

My name, "Karen", means pure and is from Greek origin. I looked up "Gerard" and his means brave spearman and is from English origin. I think that is a more interesting meaning than mine. Being the animal lover that I am, I also checked our pets names: “Manny” means God with us and is a variation on Emmanuel, “Abby” means a father’s joy, which she certainly is (both are Jewish origin) and “Spunky” wasn’t listed but it means spirited and courageous according to the dictionary which indeed she is! I knew what that name meant when I gave it to her because of her personality. If I had been a boy, I would have been named Keith which means wood.

You may want to check into what a name means before giving it to a child in case they get a teacher like me one day that does this.

This was one of the prompts from Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop (that I did a little late) but that's okay.

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What Grade Should You Teach?

Since I teach 5th grade boys in Sunday School, this quiz got my interest so I took it just to see what it would say. It said I should teach 5th grade. I enjoy this age group because they are energetic and still willing to learn things. I think it's a fun age.

You Should Teach Fifth Grade

You are laid back. You have a great sense of humor and figure "kids will be kids." You have a lot of energy and endurance. It is hard for kids to wear you down. You're able to roll with a rowdy classroom if you need to, but you also know how to keep students in line. You are flexible and spontaneous. You can throw the whole plan out the window, if you need to.

What Grade Should You Teach?

Why not take the quiz just for fun to see what grade you should teach. Share your result in the comments.

Key To Teaching: Get The Kids Involved In The Lesson

Sunday School can be very boring. I remember my early years hearing the same stories over and over, often with the same flannelgraph year after year. When I started teaching Sunday School, I determined not to ever have it become boring. If I get bored, I know the kids are bored. One method I found to liven things up now and then is to let the kids use puppets to review the lesson.

The video below is one my 5th grade boys Sunday School class made this morning using finger puppets to review the lesson. They liked doing it and I think they did a good job on it considering it was only their first time and we only had about 10 minutes to do it. I added the titles in later. The lesson was on Acts 4:32-5:11. Too bad we only had four there today, but that way everyone got to do a puppet. I wish more came because I think they would have enjoyed it. What do you think?