FREE DAY!

Not for me... for my students :) I have a sticker chart and each day that a class comes to PE they have a chance to get a sticker that will earn them a free day. Today two of my classes had earned a free day. Some students do the typical: boys play soccer, girls jump rope... but then there's the students that I'd love to peer inside their minds and watch the creativity working! In the second grade class, two of the girls took the agility hurdles, cones, and batons, and created an obstacle course that looked like a colorful Chinese dragon! In my third grade class, there was a group of 5-6 girls also made a race course. They laid out over 25 hula hoops to run through, hurdles to jump over, then a space where they ran and jumped rope using the rope they carried through the first part of the course. At some point they were going to add badminton racquets in it but they ran out of time.

I think that we can all learn something from children. As I was walking my Pre-K class to the field yesterday they all started erupting in laughter! The teacher side of me wanted to quiet them down, tell them that they had to be quiet in lines and respectful of the other classes and offices that we were walking past... the kid side of me won :) I started laughing right along with them. I don't even remember what they were laughing at anymore, I just remember thinking as they laughed the rest of the way down to the field, that we don't laugh enough.

The Lord is teaching me true joy right now. Not fleeting smiles that come because of circumstances, but deep down, soul-stirring joy that comes from experiencing the Lord every day. I see the Lord revealing himself to me through the children that I teach. There will always be times when I'm frustrated with behavior or upset at them being mean to each other, but when it comes down to it, when I sit back and reflect, it's the moments of laughter that stick with me. It's the moments of laughter that I will always remember.

Today, don't just smile... Laugh. Laugh a deep belly-shaking, eyes-watering laugh, and praise God for the joy he gives.

God bless!