i usually ran around with the clearview youth, too shy to accept an invitation to join the other beachy youth group. yet i knew they were having chorus practice in preparation to sing in the alabama prisons and that i wanted to go along. finally i made the proverbial plunge and went to their chorus practice. it was rather dreadful until i learned to know the girls better, but they were all very friendly. the first while i ran back to the familiar dear clearview youth after chorus practices. then finally one time i actually played volleyball with the montezuma youth and we had the BEST games. i wasn't able to attend more than three or four chorus practices, but i'd already known most of the songs, so i was good to go.

then came the day we all donned our new bright blue stripey chorus dresses and boarded the bus. a sixteen-year-old lass attached herself permanently to me both days of traveling, not that i cared. when we got there, i was panic-stricken lest they would not let me in to the prison. i had given them the wrong address, but mr. yoder had called in to rectify the mistake the day before. had they gotten it changed over or would i be stuck on the bus? everyone cheered with me when the officials let me come in. we waited for eons in the cold, some without even a sweater. it was miserable and the prison officials were as slow as africans.

finally we were marched through the gates past double fences and rolls of barbed wire. the program went well and enjoyable to present. the prisoners--all men--were quite attentive. then we were treated to paul kurtz's preaching. he used graphic language, motions, and sound effects, leaving us all spellbound. we almost felt like we were with jonah as he whooshed around in the belly of the whale. we heard the percussions of his snoring, the sound of the whale as he spit jonah out. the prisoners were very responsive, leaving the sermon well-interspersed with amens and praise-the-Lords. at the altar call, i was touched and amazed to see the prisoners respond by the score.

all this time, i was slowly dying of hunger. it was all of 10:45 til we got to eat supper, and i was ill until i rested a bit and the food began to give me strength again. then we partied on the bus on the way home, singing all kinds of songs . . . even singing our way through an old gospel express tape, rather loudly and rambunctiously. we reached home around 2:00. i was so glad i'd gotten a sub for the next day of school . . . it was nice to sleep in til 10:00 and have a day off, especially with a raging headache.

i taught school on friday . . . an exceptionally good day i must say. Then it was the mad rush again of trying to get ready and get some food together (so i wouldn't starve this time)--all in half an hour before it was time for boarding. well, i made it on time, but i was almost the last one on the bus. my sixteen-year-old friend reattached herself to me, and so we once more journeyed those few hours to alabama and the prison. this time i was well-armed with three jackets, one of which i shared with a jacket-less individual.

we had a wonderful service again ... me enjoying paul kurtz as much as last time. the sermons were both very evangelical in nature. Once more prisoners poured forward to kneel at the altar. i wondered what sort of lasting changes would be made in their lives. would they blithely go on in life the same way they'd always lived? how sincere were they? were their commitments for real?

  

and not always angels either! i must say there is scarcely a boring moment at school . . .



before my co-teachers and i went to teacher's institute, my students had fun washing my lil' Focus.




afterwards we had "swate tae" and cookies at my house. what's funny is that i was trying to feed my students these old, stuffy cookies i thought were so gross i'd never get them eaten . . . but then they ranted and raved over them like they were better than their mom's cookies! will wonders never cease.



ronnie



tyler



alex



sit-outside-day



we have a special day at school every other week. the first special day was gum-chewing day. they brought bubble gum and seemed to have a little contest to see who could blow the biggest bubble and make it crack the loudest. giggles erupted from almost every corner.

sit-outside day was rather unhandy for me although the students loved it. it was far too windy to be practical. finally they all agreed to go inside after lunch.


then we teachers took off thursday afternoon to travel to tennesse for CMTI, or conservative mennonite teacher's institute. i must say the social times with co-teachers made the whole trip well-worth it.

co-teacher rosalyn and i giggle at becky



actually, cmti was good for more than just social life. the instruction we received there will greatly benefit us as teachers. granted, there were a few workshops that were on the far side of boring. but others were inspirational, and they encouraged us to make our classes more picturesque and interesting.

i'll say too that it was plenty cold in there! i had icicles growing off the end of my nose and wished for a masai blanket to cuddle up in. i was thinking leggings and winter coat. finally in sheer misery i gave a timely tip to the ushers, who made the auditorium much more comfortable.

from sparta where the teacher's institute was held, we traveled to greenville to visit steve eshes, former missionaries. i especially wanted to see sarah, steve's sister, who was home from kenya for vacation. to make it even more exciting, my family came out that same weekend to visit the same people! we had a wonderful time together . . . it was way too short.

due to weather and my car needing new tires enroute, we arrived so late in greenville that we couldn't return to georgia on saturday as planned. very disappointed to miss communion, we decided to stay in greenville over sunday. but it gave me more time with my family.

we arrived back home again sunday night around 10:00 pm. needless to say, there was no time to recoup from a very brain-boggling and low-sleep weekend.

the following day in school, four students failed their language and only one student made any hundreds. we did have a fun history class. but i came home with deep brain fry, wanting only to crash, but needing to unpack and check books and plan lessons.

so i had this.



life improved after i unpacked and set my house in order. i ran back to school and finished up my grading and lesson planning. and my sleep was sweet.

It took about two weeks to get the walls covered, tests pulled, books passed out, and lessons planned. Ah . . . and it feels good to be done! School starts tomorrow. I am excited, yes, but I am also a bit nervous.

this is my seasonal bulletin board

if they get 100% they get to put something on a banana split. when all bowls are full they all get a real banana split treat!

if they are bad, their hippo mayn't be in the water and they have to stay in at break 5 minutes.

for countdown they get to color in a spot in a giraffe each day

my mess with getting ready (often it looked far worse!)

when they get their work done they may play with the soapstone noah's ark or other fun things i have for them

  on the outside of my door

hmmm. . . wonder how literally they'll take the last rule?

 

finishing off one last bulletin board at home