Second week is over. I'm proud to say I'm ahead in my copying this semester. I've been proofing and copying a unit at a time which at this point has me set with copies in two periods until the end of week 6! Yea! I love being ahead and not feeling that horrid drowning feeling I felt a lot last year. In fact, after another week I can again sit here and bask in the glorious feeling that the 2nd year of teaching really is SOOOo MUCH BETTER than the 1st!
Tonight I got to ride with Randy and Katelyn to take LaRae to Women of Faith. After we dropped her off, I went to Northpark Mall (for the first time) and got to eat at Moe's (SOOO GOOD!) and get some neat new puzzles/brain teasers for my classroom. Katelyn really is so sweet and such a joy to be around. She brightens my days. I've been having a lot of discipline issues with my last class of the day, so it sort of ends my day on a sour note. I can't fully explain how great it is to come over here or meet L & R at dinner and have Katelyn run up to me with a huge smile and say, "Hi Jo" which now sounds like Toe for some reason, and give me a huge hug! The love of a child is so precious. I hope her face always lights up like that when she sees me.
I got a great new comic book on Wednesday. It was a trade paperback (a collection of 4-5 comic books in one) that explained what happened to the Avengers. One of their members lost touch with reality and got members of the team killed. Anyways, it leads into some other stuff I've been reading, and I've been curious about this storyline, so it was a real treat to get to finally read it all. I'm still reading the Little House on the Prairie series. I'm now on These Happy Golden Years. Laura first taught school around age 16...holy haystacks!
In Paul's class on Wednesday, we were talking about Post-Modernism. He called me more of a Modernist, and for some reason that really bothered me. I feel like since I got to HU and beyond I've been trying (at least in my mind) to fight tradition for tradition's sake. I don't want to do things bc that's how they've always been done or bc that's how I was brought up. I want to know what the Bible says, and I want church to be relevant to me. I guess I'm really searching right now to firm up what I believe and why I believe it. I mean I've got the core down, it's the little things (like traditions) that hold me up and make me question it all. So if I'm searching, can I truly be labeled? In fact, aren't labels what tear us apart? When did being conservative or liberal have to be a bad thing to either side?! I talk about being brought up in a conservative church like it was a bad thing, and while some things were frustrating and still are, those people loved me, and more importantly, they love the Lord. The follow His Word and praise Him whole-heartedly. So they think men should wear ties on Sundays, no one should wear shorts to church after a certain age, and clapping should not be allowed in services. So what?! In the end, does it matter? Does it matter that I'm ok with shorts (ok, that one does still turn my head a bit!) or men not wearing ties and clapping in service and that my parents disagree? I know where it matters is when we condemn our brother for those issues, but condemning our brothers for holding themselves and others to a higher standard when in the "place of worship" ( I know it's the people not the building...), isn't that just as bad? Why don't we dress our best for God? I don't know, I'm not looking to open a can of worms...I'm just letting my mind wander. Why do I care what I'm labeled? In short I can see myself in a lot of labels, and there's still more to my Spirituallity for me to discover and for you to see.
I better run. I'm sleeping in tomorrow and getting my nails done. They need to be shorter...I'm having trouble typing tonight.
4 comments:
I'm sorry that my comments upset you, Joanna. I personally don't think the label of "moderninst" is a bad thing. I agree with you on the idea of not accepting tradition for tradition sake, but I would also argue that it is no more helpful to reject tradition simply because it is tradition. The difference, as you have well stated, is whether or not we choose to be dogmatic about our tradition. The fact of the matter is that we all have traditions, even those who claim to reject tradition. The key is to not make decisions about people's faith based off our ideas about "proper worship".
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your heart and your willingness to look seriously at spiritual things. You are a special person.
The second year is SO much better than the first year. The 3rd is even better than that (so far, anyway). Good luck!
Hey Joanna, I found your old xanga site and it gave me a link to this site. It sounds like you're doing well. I'm glad those high schoolers aren't giving you too hard of a time. I haven't talked to you in a long time so I thought I would catch up a bit. This year has gone so fast for me. I've been working at an animal clinic here in searcy for almost a full year now. It definitely keeps me busy and tired. Its not a bad job but it definitely isn't a career path if you know what I mean. Jordan just started student teaching last week. He is doing 5th and 6th grade science for the first part of the semester and then he switches to 5th and 6th grade math. He is enjoying it thus far. He has to teach his first lesson next week I think. I'm sorry it has taken me this long to get a hold of you. I got into a routine and just forgot everything else. I have this afternoon off and I should be cleaning and working out etc. but you know how good I am at that. :-) I have a new email address jwcochran1632@sbcglobal.net. My other address got to where it was nothing but junk mail, (like 20 a day). Anyways, email me and catch me up on how things are going with you. I'd love to hear from you. Oh, something you may be interested in, Adrienne's first pregnancy (at my wedding) aborted a month or two later, but she's pregnant again and due the end of September. I never thought I would see her with such a big belly. Its going to be a little girl. Yay! Well I'd better go get to work now, I definitely have to exercise today. ( I have gained entirely too much weight for me to be comfortable with) I have this new workout video though called core rhythms. Its an exercise video based on latin dances. Its fun but it took me a while to get the hang of it. I think its working pretty well thus far. I just have this tendency to not do it for a week or so. Well I hope to hear from you soon.
P.S. do you know if Angela's email address? I have an old one of hers but I'm not sure that she uses it anymore.
Hey there Jo, I just wanted to tell you I got the pictures of your new child and they are so cute! I'm so glad you have someone else to keep you company now. i know you will be such a good mommy!! yea!!!
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