End of my First Year of Teaching

So, here I am, at the end of my last day of school. I don't know how it happened, but I do know that I continued to thrive throughout the craziness because of our gracious Father in Heaven. I have realized a few times this year how much I love teaching the Latino community. Last year in El Paso, I could see Mexico from my apartment, and it was a huge part of my life down there. Here's my 4th grade class:

This year, I was hired by a bilingual charter school in Minneapolis. For the first half of the year, I kept my abilities in Spanish under wraps from the kids because I wanted to challenge them. I have predominately used my Spanish in communication with the parents of my school. I had a great conversation with one of the staff members here who recently left the police force in Monte Rey, Mexico and came here. It's amazing what lives some of my young ones have led. Here's a picture of this year's 8th grade class, who graduated this past Saturday. (They're just a little bit bigger than last time.):I am so blessed to have known these young people. Come, Lord, and bless their futures in return, those I will and won't see again. Prepare those whom I will be serving next year. Let Your Name be glorified in all things!

P.S. If you haven't heard already, I am leaving for Italy later on this week. I will be living and working in NW Italia for 6 weeks as a live-in nanny for an Italian family. I will probably be using this blog as a way of regularly posting updates for people to read. Come, Holy Spirit!

Way Overdue

I apologize for the severe lack of posts lately... it has been crazy chaotic and then sleep took over. Such is life! If you don't know already, i write this from the homeland of Minnesota. I don't think I ever realized how much I enjoy being able to come back to this beautiful state until I flew from the desert into this land filled with lakes and trees. Yes, El Paso has mountains, but still doesn't win my heart over completely. So, it is good to be back. However, it wasn't an easy last couple of days with my students.

I have really created a strong bond with my students in El Paso, my first real class that I've ever had where I felt that they were mine. This responsibility for them was obviously in the classroom, but it also spread to all parts of their lives (as it should). I wanted to figure out a way to say goodbye to these little people who have been my purpose and my livelihood over the past three months. I decided I would write each one of them a letter. I was able to get most of the twenty hand-written letters finished over Spring Break. However, I saved the ones that would be the hardest to write until the end. I had intended my students to bring them home and read them there, after we had already said goodbye.

I prepared myself for a fun, but assuredly emotional day on Friday and that's what I had. Short version: they ended up reading their letters at the end of the day as I passed them out. Some of them began to cry because of the truly heart-felt and encouraging notes that I had given them. They came up to hug me ("Group Hug!") and I started crying because they were crying. And because I was crying, even more of them started crying! I know, it was indeed a vicious circle of love. :) I would bet that within that last half hour of Friday when we said our goodbyes, that at least 3/4 of my students cried. I guess I know that they love me and I hope that also means that I made a difference within these few months.

During these few months, I really bonded with a few of my boys, often times the bigger trouble-makers out of the group. They need stability and to learn responsibility, so I admit that I gave them a bit more attention. I took the time to individually pull aside the three who I grew closest to at the end of Friday: Ricardo, Alfonso, and Angel. I reiterated some of what I had written to them in their letters, and it is certainly a tall order: "Promise me that you will always take the time to make good decisions. Never take the easy way out, because it's never worth it. Don't ever let anyone push you around and don't ever push anyone else around. Promise that you will always be a gentleman. Never let your anger get the best of you. Don't fight with others. You know that you're better than than, and I know that. Now show them that you're better than that. Choose your friends carefully and help each other make good decisions. Never let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Work hard, and you can do whatever you set your mind to."

So, I hope they stay in touch. These are the ones whose futures I am slightly concerned about, but I think they'll be ok. Well, I pray they'll be ok. God has taken care of them this far into their little lives, He's always got them in His sight. So, after some tears and more hugs than I can count to my kids, I did what I came to Texas to do. I taught them everything I could (not just academic content either), I spent time with them, I loved them, and then I let them go. It was a great three months and I will never forget them, my first real class. Here's some pictures:
Here's some of my kids playing a Spelling game to review for their test. Sparkle, anyone? It was great fun and we're clearly having fun.

This is Angel. You'll notice the tears visibly streaming down his face. And yes, I was crying too. But, the picture taken immediately before this one was too sad to post. He's bawling. It's the saddest picture I've probably ever seen.

This is my class... well, almost all of them. Pretty cute, hunh? That's Alfonso with the attitude standing on his desk upper right. Ricardo is the one lurking in the background. I miss them already and love them tons. Father, watch over them and bless their futures. Give them the strength that they'll need to follow You and make good decisions each day. Amen!

Kick off to Spring Break

So, it's officially spring break here in El Paso (as it is in many other locations around the country). We have the whole week off from teaching, which is honestly a little weird. You see, after Spring Break I only have 1 more week of teaching and I'm flying back to MN (for good) two weeks from today. I know, it's nuts. So, honestly, I would just as soon not have break now and get home a week earlier instead of staying here. (It's not that I don't love being here... but I think you see where I'm coming from.)

So last night was a great way to kick off spring break, we had a lot of fun. Alicia Mendez is a Morris alum living and working here in El Paso. She's the one I went to Mexico with. She wanted to hang out with us, so we met her for dinner at "Taco Cabana" which was really good for being a fast food place. (I had a delicious shrimp quesadilla.) Then we went to Marble Slab for ice cream and hung out for a while. We wrapped up the evening by going to the cheap theater and seeing "Stomp the Yard". I was mind-blowing! I love any form of dancing and this was radically different from what I'm used to. I have a lot of respect for those people. It also made me really glad that we don't have any Greek Society at Morris. I have enough sisterhood (and brotherhood) without it. The best thing about the night though? All of this came to a grand total of $5.00. Heck yes!

So, the Spring Break week begins. Mary and Kirsten are both heading to MN for the week and the significant others of Cara and Mal are down here. And then there's me! Hopefully there won't be many awkward situations. I want to do some hiking while I'm here and get to White Sands National Monument (1.5 hours) and maybe Carlsbad Caverns National Park (3 hours). I would like to go with some people, but if there's no interest, I'll probably go solo. Yeah for hiking and national parks! I may hang out with Alicia some later on this week too. She's down here with a program called the Master's Commission which she described kind of like a Christian Peace Corps. This upcoming week is their big spring festival and there's a lot of speakers coming in. It would be great to have some more Christian Fellowship down here, so we'll see how it pans out. Keep me in your prayers this week and God bless!

Six Flags Over Texas

As I previously mentioned, this week I have been teaching (and learning) about the Texas Revolution. Next week is the Alamo! So, we were having a discussion about it today and its relation to the Texas state flag. Anyways, my teacher brought up the information about where Six Flags (yes, the amusement park) got its name from. There are many Six Flags, but the first was in Arlington Texas and its full name is "Six Flags Over Texas". It derives its name from the SIX national flags that have flown over the state of Texas. Six! The lovely line-up of this national identity crisis in the making goes: France, Spain, Mexico, Republic of Texas, United States of America, and the Confederate States of America (and then back to the USA). Gotta' love that Texas pride! (Yes, it's a different world over here.)

After our field trip on Wednesday, we went to a park near the school for lunch and to play. I ended up reffing my first football game ever. It was pretty hot out (it's been in the mid to upper 70s all week). So, I borrowed my Ninah's baseball cap... Texas Longhorns! So, I'm running around with my kids, yelling, laughing, having a great time, in jeans, a T-shirt, hair in a pony tail, Texas Longhorns baseball cap on my head. "Do I look like I belong in Texas now?" "Yeah, Miss Coleman, you look cool!" "You look different!" :) It was quite fun. We got back to school and I was still wearing the cap. I ran into one of my roommates in the hallway and she said she didn't even recognize me! Well, I guess I don't wear that many baseball hats, especially not with my professional teaching wardrobe. Almost the weekend!

Team El Paso

Here's a picture of my and my Texas roommates (known to our professors as "Team El Paso"). Cara and I only have 2 weeks of teaching left (plus a week for our Spring Break). Mal, Mary, and Kirsten are staying another month to teach Spanish in the high school near our apartment. (They're double majors with Spanish Secondary Ed.) Good times!

From Left to Right: Malorie, me (Karen), Mary, Cara, and Kirsten.

And here's Scotsdale Elementary School where I teach 4th grade!

Dinner in New Mexico

This past weekend was great. My roommates and I celebrated my upcoming birthday. Since we've been in Texas we haven't gone out to a steak house or for BBQ yet, and as a lover of good BBQ, I decided that's what I wanted to do. I found this place online called "The State Line Smokehouse & Grill" that sounded great. About 15 - 20 min from our apartment, with their own smokehouse on the grounds. Good reviews, so it was decided. They also said online that it was near the state line between TX and New Mexico (about 5 minutes or so). So, it sounded fun.

We got there and the food was great! Talk about huge portions. I decided to go all out with a combo plate of brisket, beef rib, pork ribs, peppered chicken, and their house recipe sausage. All that plus potato salad, beans, and coleslaw. I could eat about half of it. (Do you see the size of that beef rib?! It's bigger than my head... and boy, was it delicious!) Add onto that a big scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream that they gave me to celebrate the big 22 and I was beyond satisfied.


As we were leaving the restaurant, we walked through their beautiful patio and out to the parking lot. We noticed something interesting on the patio archway, though. "Now leaving New Mexico" What?! I knew we were near the state line, but this restaurant actually straddles it! So, we parked in Texas and ate in New Mexico. It was great. I stood there with one foot on either side of the arch: "Woohoo, 2 places at once!" (Not quite as cool as being in four places at once at Four Corners: New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah... but still.) :) We came home, goofed around for a while, and then decided to play a game. So, amidst laugh attacks involving tears and side aches, we played a raucous game of Phase 10. I won! (It's only my second time ever playing.) It was a great night!