GO!!!!

Pretty crazy, right?? Second post this week?? What has gotten into me?!?! Well, first of all, I have figured out how to be a teacher that has a life outside of school! And with that life outside of school, I have had more time to think and reflect on some recent things so I just thought I'd share!

One of the things that I LOVE about Fondren Church is their commitment to serving.  And when I say serving, I do not just mean bringing money or food or clothing to give to another organization.  While there is nothing wrong with any of that and Fondren Church definitely does some of that, Christ calls us to SO much more! The Great Commission says to "GO and make disciples of all nations".  In order to GO you have to be active.  Since the short time I have been attending Fondren Church, I have had the opportunity to help a missions organization in Jackson clean up their facilities so the people they serve feel welcomed, pray with and talk to people on the streets of downtown Jackson, bring and serve a meal to homeless people, cheer on children at their basketball game who would otherwise have no fans to make them feel special, and participate in an event to raise money for a tutoring program just around the corner from the church.  In addition, our pastor has interviewed and spotlighted various mission organizations and opportunities ranging from adoptions in the Ukraine to human trafficking in Cambodia.  I have been so encouraged by the faithfulness of the people at Fondren Church in their desire to GO and DO whatever the Lord calls them to do.  I have seen true ACTS of faith and love.  As  Acts 20:22 says about Paul, we ought to be "compelled by the Spirit...not knowing what will happen to [us] there".

Happy Tuesday everyone!!

Adventures and Convictions

It's been a while so I wanted to update all of you on various adventures.  Since January, I have been to New Orleans twice (once on a spur of the moment trip at 8pm one Saturday night after prosat with two other crazy teachers!) and this week I made a surprise trip to Rome for Rebecca's birthday!! Basically caught everyone off guard and enjoyed a little get away myself from Hazlehurst and almost felt like I was back in college for a day.  I have stayed very busy with grad school work and as much time as it consumes, I know I will not regret it come December when I graduate with my masters!  We are only two weeks away from Spring break and my desire to be back at Berry grows even stronger as the weather warms up.  I am currently writing this sitting in our $10 rocking chair we saw for sale on someone's lawn while wearing a tshirt and my chaco's!!  Went on a nature walk in Clinton today with Angie and Jenna.  I am so blessed to have such awesome friends here that love Jesus, make the hard days of teaching much more enjoyable, and go adventuring!!  Angie and I have also been attending a new church and as much as we hated the idea back in August (and even in December) we drive twice a week to Jackson for church and small group at Fondren church.  After our first visit at the beginning of January, we decided it was well worth the gas and time to worship with more people our age, be challenged by the word that Robert brings each Sunday, and be encouraged by our small group as we talk about our lives and how we should be living to point everyone we meet to Christ.  Not only is Fondren an incredible place to worship and grow, they also have so many opportunities to serve the community both in Jackson and across the globe.  Yesterday, I got to meet and work with a handful of missionaries at We Will Go that live and serve in inner-city Jackson.  Their hearts have been broken for the brokenness of the people of Jackson and the are committed to working in whatever way the Lord leads them to help restore different communities within Jackson.  After being so encouraged and challenged by the missionaries at We Will Go, I checked out their website and the first thing I saw was a mission trip they are taking this summer to the Matamoros Children's Home in Matamoros, Mexico.  Please pray with me as I seek the Lord's guidance about participating in this trip or some other global missions opportunity this summer.  Through conversations at Fondren and one-on-one time with the Lord, I have been really convicted about my attitude towards my students and some staff members at my school.  I have found myself freaking out and being really hard on one particular student for something so small and it throws everything off in my classroom.   It is evident that the Holy Spirit is not working through me at times like this and I am really trying to work on biting my tongue and letting the love, compassion, and patience of Christ spill out instead of words that could hurt my students.  Lyrics to the song "Give Me Faith", which we sang this morning, could not be more fitting...

I may be weak, butYour Spirit's strong in me.My flesh may fail, butMy God You never will
I'll post some pictures from my adventures.  Also, huge thanks to those of you who helped sponsor my classroom!! My DonorsChoose project has been fully funded and some of the materials already shipped!!

Trip Number 1 to NOLA with Becky and Taylor over MLK Jr. Weekend!

Trip number 2 to NOLA with Jenna and Molly (a week later).

Sunday adventures in Clinton with Angie and Jenna!

Housemate craziness...so glad it held us!!

Love these two girls so much!

Jenna and I...before the ants attacked us!

I couldn't post an update without mentioning our newest addition, Jackson!!

If you are interested in the inner-city Jackson ministry, check out We Will Go's website.  They do incredible work and are so obedient to whatever God tells them to do!

Love you all! Micah 6:8

New Year Update

Happy New Year! It is hard to believe it is already January and that I survived my first semester as a teacher (and at one of the most difficult schools too!).  I absolutely loved being at home for Christmas and it was a very relaxing break filled with lots of fun family time and catching up with friends as well. Two weeks was just enough time to get some work done (not too much) and feel like I could start fresh with my kids after the break.  And that is just what we did.  It is absolutely amazing what a few new systems (like my awesome new pencil management I am very proud of implementing-thank you free TeachersPayTeachers downloads...and a new book checkout system-thank you Pinterest!) can do to help and change a classroom.  Going back last week kind of felt like we were starting over again in August except that I already knew my students and there are only 5 months instead of 10!!  We also had several school wide changes in scheduling that have really helped my students stay focused.  I am really excited about having an assistant teacher for our 2 hour reading block each afternoon (shout out to the 2nd grade teachers for letting 3rd grade borrow your AT's!!) to do some intervention and fluency practice with my students.  It has really helped having smaller center groups to manage now that there is another teacher in the room during that time.  I am really looking forward to the rest of this year and hoping that I can help get these kids where they need to be.

In addition to the first week back at school, I also started my second semester of grad school.  Last semester was quite interesting as I had professors with very different styles.  It is all online and it definitely took me a while to get used to the online learning system Delta State uses.  (Suggestion to any first year teachers: WAIT to start grad school until your second semester!!!) My classes this semester seem to be pretty work heavy but at least I already know how to maneuver the system and have a better handle on my classroom than I did in August.  Because I received 9 course credits for my summer TFA institute at Delta State last summer, I should finish with my Master's of Elementary Education in December of this year!!

In other exciting new, Angie and I successfully hosted our second party at our house this past weekend for our TFA friends in Hazlehurst.  Since most of us were in our respected states for New Year's, we decided to throw our own New Year's Eve party a few weeks late.  We had a blast "shining bright like a diamond" and counting down to midnight (we actually only counted down to 11 because teachers don't last til midnight on a Friday night)!  We also visited a new church in Fondren (a section of Jackson) and really loved the more contemporary worship and challenging message the pastor brought. We love FBC Hazlehurst but there just isn't anyone really our age.  I'll keep you posted!!

If you haven't already, please check out my DonorsChoose website (http://www.donorschoose.org/alyssa.nobles) and consider making a donation.  I am trying to get some new books and a listening center for my classroom.  If you want to know more about DonorsChoose, you can check it out here!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Monday and has not had any intruder lockdowns or bomb threats like our school did!!  As they say..."Welcome to Hazlehurst!"

Help my students!

This school year, I want to make sure my students have the books they need to succeed. So I've created a classroom project request on a 501(c)3 charity website called DonorsChoose.org.
  
I'm writing to ask for any donations possible for my students - no matter the size, it will help my kids. This week only, any donation you make to my project will be doubled! If you know anyone who is passionate about education, please pass this along. Your tax-deductible donation will have a direct impact on at least 30 students (and many more in the future), and you'll hear back from our class about your impact on our learning!

To learn more or donate:

1.     Visit my Teacher Page, www.donorschoose.org/alyssa.nobles
2.     Choose one of my projects, enter the amount of your donation, and click "Give"
3.     During check-out, enter the word INSPIRE where it says "Match or gift code", and your donation will be matched dollar for dollar.

The INSPIRE match code will double your donation for the next 7 days.

Please feel free to send me any questions you may have, and know that my students and I greatly appreciate your support.

Peace

This morning at church, our pastor spoke about the peace that Jesus provides.  The peace of knowing Him as our Lord and Savior and then a second peace that he gives us in all situations through knowing Him.  I am so grateful for peace and it is one thing I constantly feel.  Even on the days when I feel like I don't have the strength to get up and go another day.  And those days when my patience runs out and love is not obvious in my actions or words.  There are other days when preparing lesson plans feels hopeless because it never goes the way I want it or they just don't get it.  But amidst all these other feelings, I have peace.  And not just a peace that everything is going to be okay but that everything is already okay because it is all HIS hands.  He gives me peace about my decision to move to Mississippi.  He gives me peace about my finances.  He gives me peace about what the next year and a half will hold.  He gives me peace about all those other bad feelings I get because He has it all under control.  I never really have been much of a worrier and I know it is because of that peace that can only come from the Lord Almighty.  With the tragedy that happened in Connecticut, we have to trust in His will while clinging to His promises and His peace.  

"And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:7

This week will be filled with holiday fun as we take 9 weeks tests and prepare for the 3rd/4th grade holiday concert on Thursday.  I am especially looking forward to doing some "Holidays around the World" activities throughout the week.  I cannot wait to be home next weekend though!

Best of friends!  We went to several holiday parties this weekend to help us get in the holiday spirit before heading to our  families next week.  Me to Georgia, Jenna to Ohio, Angie to Texas, and Amber to Tennessee!

10 things I am thankful for...

1. my Heavenly Father because without Him, who would I be and what purpose would I have?  Everything comes from Him and to Him alone belongs the glory and praise!

2. family!  I realize now how much I took advantage of living at home during college.  I have never been more homesick but am SO thankful for the encouragement and support of my family.

3. Christian home...after experiencing life outside of Rome and the Berry bubble, I am even more grateful for parents who raised me in the strength and love of Christ and holding me to biblical expectations.

4. friends...church friends, Berry friends, high school friends, TFA friends...I have been SO blessed by an abundance of friends no matter what stage of life.  And what is even better is that we have been able to keep in touch and stay close even with those that I do not see on a regular basis any more.  I still spend time with my church and high school friends when I'm at home and catch up on the phone or skype with my Berry friends!

5. church...I currently attend First Baptist Hazlehurst and am constantly amazed by their love and hospitality.  I am also overwhelmed by the continual support of CBC.

6. my job...although teaching 3rd graders in rural Mississippi is the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life, I am so grateful for a job with a salary that I can live off of.  I have met so many incredible people through it as well.

7. my third graders...all 23 of them!  I have to remind myself and my students often that the reason I teach in Hazlehurst, MS is for each and every one of them and the tiny bit of difference I hope to make in their lives.

8. opportunities...to travel, to spread the love of Christ, to enjoy other's company, to meet new people, to see beautiful wonders, to make new memories, to learn new things, to remember old times...we are all constantly blessed by a myriad of opportunities but often times miss them because we are too caught up with other less important things.

9. Berry College...not only did I meet some of my best friends and make some of my favorite memories there, I also learned A TON about teaching, friendships, leadership, and other random things that have made me into who I am today.  Experiencing it firsthand is not just a saying!

10.  the holidays...it was so wonderful to be at home this week for Thanksgiving and it was very hard to say goodbye this morning when I pulled out of the driveway.  But, with it being the holiday season, less than a month and I will be back in Rome!  Four weeks of teaching and difference making here I come! :)

A lesson about selfishness

It has been almost a month since my last post and I have been putting it off and putting it off because I have so much to do school wise.  But today, something happened that I could not let pass without sharing with you all.

As I said, I have been so busy and incredibly overwhelmed with the amount of work that teaching at Hazlehurst requires.  I am constantly being bombarded by something else to do and honestly I see no gain in most of the things people keep piling up for me to do.  I hear myself saying to myself and other teachers, why don't they just let us teach! Or wouldn't they at least give us a heads up about things instead of just giving it to us and telling us it has to be done by tomorrow.  Well, today was one of those days.  I checked my email to find an email from our team leader about our lesson plans and basically how we needed to be teaching this instead of what our plans said.  I was furious.  Because not only does that throw off EVERYTHING that I was planning to do this week but there was no guidance or resources provided to do what she wanted us to do.  I was going to make some copies but got so frustrated because I didn't even know what to copy for the week that I just left.  And I was so tempted to get in my car and drive to Georgia.  I was hit again with the doubt that me being in Hazlehurst, MS was actually accomplishing any good.

I then actually did come home to get away from school, make some dinner and try to sort through things before going back to school.  I was starting to calm down a little bit by the time I got home and then I get a text message from one of my student's parents saying that her child would not be at school tomorrow because their house had burned down last night and they had lost everything.  I immediately called her and she explained that she would go buy a uniform for her so she could come to school on Tuesday.  I talked to her for a little while and then hung up the phone and absolutely lost it.  I was sitting in my kitchen just weeping.  I was weeping for this girl's family but more so I was weeping over my own selfishness.

How ridiculous that I was so concerned with myself and the things that I was having to do when a little girl in my class no longer has a house or any of her belongings?!?!  I sought forgiveness, restoration, peace, and purpose that I had lost.  I am not here for myself.  I have been put here for the sole reason of bringing glory to the name of the ONE who can restore our broken and empty souls.  Yes, it is hard.  He never said it wouldn't be hard but it is NOT about me and He promises to be there the whole way.  Thank you Lord for opening my eyes to my own selfishness.  Please pray for my student and her family.

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others,that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.