This year two of my students in the classroom are my own two kids: Seth and Selah. I'm finding myself thinking often, "this would never happen in another teacher's room." I find humor in them but some are just nutty and I'm hoping to extinguish at least one of these behaviors before long.
So, you know that it's your child in the classroom when....
10. you hear, "Mommy" more than you do "Mrs. Thompson".
9. your mug of hot tea slowly empties before your eyes.
8. you're being asked what snacks you packed for the day.
7. you nearly get tackled with a hug at the oddest times of day.
6. you're begged to see the principal (Daddy) so that an especially good grade can be shown off.
5. you're asked if another classmate can come over to play while the school day is still going on.
4. you're told about a bowel movement that took place moments before in the restroom.
3. you get tears when it's the Monday morning Spelling Pre-Test and the child doesn't know how to spell 'city'.
2. you're asked to help someone zip up and button their pants after each bathroom break.
But my favorite, or possibly least favorite, is this one:
1. you look down and your child is chewing his own toenails while you read aloud to the class.
Oh My! I didn't know whether to be embarrassed, mad, disgusted, or envious.
Regardless, I'm loving that they're in my class and that they're learning and growing every day. What a blessing to be a part of their story.
Thanks for reading.
Blessings, kim
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Sunday, October 19, 2014
New Arrivals and Old Friends
Just this week we received a new family here into Shell which excited us to no end. They've come for the year (or more) and are to take on a few roles which may bless us immensely. The head of the family will be doing so much of the maintenance work that is sorely needed around our small community, his wife will teach our school kids art and music, and their daughters will attend the school for at least a little bit of the time. However, this is not what we're most excited about. They've come with a deep sense of love for God and a great desire to bless those around them. They want to connect, to learn, to grow deeper. What a humble family they already appear to be. We had lunch with them today and they were simply so grateful for the food, atmosphere, and camaraderie. We were grateful too.
We truly are blessed because we as a community get to know entire families well. That, I don't think, is very much the norm anymore these days in the US. There, we usually meet one family member--at the gym, in the office, at school, or in any number of other places--but then we never encounter the rest of their household. We never see family dynamics in play or watch couples interact and operate as a duo.
Where we live in Ecuador, we get to know the family as a cohesive entity and we can learn from and enjoy them as a whole. We are privy to the interplay between husband and wife, father and children, mothers and kids. Here we've gotten to know a number of singles, couples, or families on a fairly intimate basis and have come to really learn greatly from those around us. In fact, we've enjoyed a meal with more people over the past two months than we normally would in an entire school year. We have averaged about four or five meals a week with others.
There is one particular couple that stands out from the others. About seven weeks ago we received an invitation from them to go out for pizza. They collected us in their car built for four comfortably and without batting an eye we rode off to a brick oven pizza place six miles down the road in Puyo. After a great deal of food, laughter, and fruity soda, they then dropped Doug and I off at the "big" grocery store while they took our kids out for ice cream. By the time we arrived home, we thought we'd died and gone to heaven: full tummies, happy kids, and a chance to buy groceries all while being schlepped around by our very generous friends. They wouldn't even let us pay for our fair share of ice cream or gas money.
Well, we're pleased to report that that little tradition continues to this day. Faithfully once a week we do dinner out or at one of our houses with these sweet friends (who by the way had raised six kids of their own here in Ecuador). And with our encouragement, they have given us parenting advice, been our biggest cheerleaders, prayed faithfully for us, and have shared any number of stories about their lives and their kids' growing up years that we feel very fortunate to have this surrogate older, wiser brother & sister.
I guess the point that I'm getting to is that though eating alone at home is normally easier, quicker, and allows you to get to bed earlier, it's not always the best option if you want to grow, learn, laugh, or feel like you've connected in a meaningful way. I can say for sure that this time around, the investment that we're making in others and they in us is leading to a much more fulfilling experience and is teaching us more about heart issues and life in general. It's enabling us to make sure that the first-year teacher living next door has a home-cooked meal weekly, the visiting missionaries from the US feel welcomed to Shell, the single mom has a night off from cooking, the family that moved away to another city have a place to stay when they come around for a visit, and, it makes sure that we're being looked after too. We're living this adventure together.
If eating with others is out of your comfort zone, I challenge you to give it a whirl. You may be surprised at what you get out of it.....
Thanks for reading,
Blessings, kim
We truly are blessed because we as a community get to know entire families well. That, I don't think, is very much the norm anymore these days in the US. There, we usually meet one family member--at the gym, in the office, at school, or in any number of other places--but then we never encounter the rest of their household. We never see family dynamics in play or watch couples interact and operate as a duo.
Where we live in Ecuador, we get to know the family as a cohesive entity and we can learn from and enjoy them as a whole. We are privy to the interplay between husband and wife, father and children, mothers and kids. Here we've gotten to know a number of singles, couples, or families on a fairly intimate basis and have come to really learn greatly from those around us. In fact, we've enjoyed a meal with more people over the past two months than we normally would in an entire school year. We have averaged about four or five meals a week with others.
There is one particular couple that stands out from the others. About seven weeks ago we received an invitation from them to go out for pizza. They collected us in their car built for four comfortably and without batting an eye we rode off to a brick oven pizza place six miles down the road in Puyo. After a great deal of food, laughter, and fruity soda, they then dropped Doug and I off at the "big" grocery store while they took our kids out for ice cream. By the time we arrived home, we thought we'd died and gone to heaven: full tummies, happy kids, and a chance to buy groceries all while being schlepped around by our very generous friends. They wouldn't even let us pay for our fair share of ice cream or gas money.
Well, we're pleased to report that that little tradition continues to this day. Faithfully once a week we do dinner out or at one of our houses with these sweet friends (who by the way had raised six kids of their own here in Ecuador). And with our encouragement, they have given us parenting advice, been our biggest cheerleaders, prayed faithfully for us, and have shared any number of stories about their lives and their kids' growing up years that we feel very fortunate to have this surrogate older, wiser brother & sister.
I guess the point that I'm getting to is that though eating alone at home is normally easier, quicker, and allows you to get to bed earlier, it's not always the best option if you want to grow, learn, laugh, or feel like you've connected in a meaningful way. I can say for sure that this time around, the investment that we're making in others and they in us is leading to a much more fulfilling experience and is teaching us more about heart issues and life in general. It's enabling us to make sure that the first-year teacher living next door has a home-cooked meal weekly, the visiting missionaries from the US feel welcomed to Shell, the single mom has a night off from cooking, the family that moved away to another city have a place to stay when they come around for a visit, and, it makes sure that we're being looked after too. We're living this adventure together.
If eating with others is out of your comfort zone, I challenge you to give it a whirl. You may be surprised at what you get out of it.....
Thanks for reading,
Blessings, kim
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Role Models
Recently I've begun to take an interest in how one family in particular has met the unique challenges of Shell head-on. This family arrived here in the summer time having just as many, if not more, disadvantages as the rest of us. They didn't have any language skills to speak of, they were lacking in funding, and they didn't have a large mission organization working in their corner. What they did have was the vision from the Lord to go into the Ecuadorian interior to share their love for people and for their Maker. So, boldly and confidently they came.
When they arrived, they were greeted by a house in need of some repair due to an unexpected leak, boxes of supplies needing reorganization and distribution to others, Spanish language spoken everywhere with no family member able to translate, need for transportation to purchase all the supplies they would require, spotty internet connections, and a much smaller missionary populace in Shell due to the summer travel and eventual movement of some to other Ecuadorian cities. This could have been enough to really stop them in their tracks or at least give them a less than positive disposition. Yet it did not.
When we came to Shell about six weeks after their arrival, they really should have been in the throws of culture shock--they should have completely moved out of the honeymoon stage and begun to find the hurdles greatly annoying and overwhelming. Oddly, they were no worse for the wear. Instead, they were enjoying their new adventure, getting the most out of their experiences, and finding each challenge to be something to be expected. In fact, they weren't surprised at their troubles nor did they complain about them. They met them head on and sorted them out.
Almost immediately after our arrival this family invited us over to dinner. We couldn't believe it. They had just met us and yet wished to spend time getting to know us already. What generosity! When we joined them for dinner they were so disarming and easy to chat with. No pretense. What you see is what you get. Our kids loved the massive quantities of food, the spice that accompanied it, and the kid-friendly movie they showed for their entertainment. Even though their kids who are older than ours (their son is two years older than our oldest son, and their daughters are four years older than our daughter) could have shrugged off the visit or interests of our four, they welcomed them in warmly and brought out things that our kiddos would enjoy. Super.
Not only that, this family has volunteered their expertise in martial arts for the community of missionaries. They have shared their skills in PE class at school and have held early evening classes for those who either wish more instruction or are not part of the PE class. They are there to serve us and teach us AND they're there to share with the local Ecuadorian people.
The thing though that really stood out to me was the fact that when one of their daughters celebrated her birthday recently, they sent out a community-wide email inviting all missionary kids in the community--boys and girls, little kids and big, parents, anyone. No one would be excluded. Wow.
Now as one who has been subject to many of these same struggles, and who has had to decide how to maneuver through the challenges, I am so sad to report that I have found myself too often in one of two positions: I've either been too concerned about how things here are done and so I've not done anything, or, I've complained about how things are done and have been in a crummy mood over it. Neither of these is exactly Christ-like nor loving toward others.
You know, it's one thing to be frustrated by things and know that you're up against some challenges, it's another to go with the flow and to do things the 'right way' anyway. I could be fairly okay with how I've interpreted and lived this missionary experience until I witnessed someone who truly came in with the love of Christ and kept their eyes focused on the goal and not on their own issues or troubles. Now I'm confronted with the reality of my less-than-Christ-like response to things.
I love this lesson though. It reminds me that my standard is NOT other people or even other missionaries. It is Christ Himself. I have to do what He would do and not worry about what others would do or even how they would respond. He only cared about the goal, the prize, the reason He came. He only cared to do the 'right thing' and rarely did He ever speak out of frustration. He's the standard.
So much to learn....
So little time.....
Thanks for reading.
Blessings, kim
When they arrived, they were greeted by a house in need of some repair due to an unexpected leak, boxes of supplies needing reorganization and distribution to others, Spanish language spoken everywhere with no family member able to translate, need for transportation to purchase all the supplies they would require, spotty internet connections, and a much smaller missionary populace in Shell due to the summer travel and eventual movement of some to other Ecuadorian cities. This could have been enough to really stop them in their tracks or at least give them a less than positive disposition. Yet it did not.
When we came to Shell about six weeks after their arrival, they really should have been in the throws of culture shock--they should have completely moved out of the honeymoon stage and begun to find the hurdles greatly annoying and overwhelming. Oddly, they were no worse for the wear. Instead, they were enjoying their new adventure, getting the most out of their experiences, and finding each challenge to be something to be expected. In fact, they weren't surprised at their troubles nor did they complain about them. They met them head on and sorted them out.
Almost immediately after our arrival this family invited us over to dinner. We couldn't believe it. They had just met us and yet wished to spend time getting to know us already. What generosity! When we joined them for dinner they were so disarming and easy to chat with. No pretense. What you see is what you get. Our kids loved the massive quantities of food, the spice that accompanied it, and the kid-friendly movie they showed for their entertainment. Even though their kids who are older than ours (their son is two years older than our oldest son, and their daughters are four years older than our daughter) could have shrugged off the visit or interests of our four, they welcomed them in warmly and brought out things that our kiddos would enjoy. Super.
Not only that, this family has volunteered their expertise in martial arts for the community of missionaries. They have shared their skills in PE class at school and have held early evening classes for those who either wish more instruction or are not part of the PE class. They are there to serve us and teach us AND they're there to share with the local Ecuadorian people.
The thing though that really stood out to me was the fact that when one of their daughters celebrated her birthday recently, they sent out a community-wide email inviting all missionary kids in the community--boys and girls, little kids and big, parents, anyone. No one would be excluded. Wow.
Now as one who has been subject to many of these same struggles, and who has had to decide how to maneuver through the challenges, I am so sad to report that I have found myself too often in one of two positions: I've either been too concerned about how things here are done and so I've not done anything, or, I've complained about how things are done and have been in a crummy mood over it. Neither of these is exactly Christ-like nor loving toward others.
You know, it's one thing to be frustrated by things and know that you're up against some challenges, it's another to go with the flow and to do things the 'right way' anyway. I could be fairly okay with how I've interpreted and lived this missionary experience until I witnessed someone who truly came in with the love of Christ and kept their eyes focused on the goal and not on their own issues or troubles. Now I'm confronted with the reality of my less-than-Christ-like response to things.
I love this lesson though. It reminds me that my standard is NOT other people or even other missionaries. It is Christ Himself. I have to do what He would do and not worry about what others would do or even how they would respond. He only cared about the goal, the prize, the reason He came. He only cared to do the 'right thing' and rarely did He ever speak out of frustration. He's the standard.
So much to learn....
So little time.....
Thanks for reading.
Blessings, kim
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Parenting
This is by far the hardest thing we do. Can I get an 'Amen'?
These little people that we nurture and pour into and sacrifice for and love on....
Who just take and take and take and take....
Who make us laugh and make us cry and make us feel just about every emotion in between....
They are such a handful!
And yet I love them dearly.
We really have had a rough go of it, and after our circling the house in prayer, we had about a week's worth of peace. At the conclusion of that week we visited a counselor friend that lives across the street and she passed on some great wisdom. We had been praying for wisdom, so when she chatted with me and gave me words of advice, I knew we'd gotten our answer to prayer.
She started with, "Welcome of adolescence!", and then quickly recounted the time when she ushered her sixteen year old son into her husband's office and said, "Here's your son. You can do what you want with him. I am finished!"
Then she told us that though our children may say all sorts of things that don't make sense or hurt us or sound rude to us, we shouldn't take it personally or get totally wrapped up in the words. The emotion behind them should not be met with our emotional response. Instead we should let the words slide off of us taking note of the child's heart. The last thing we need is to fight fire with fire.
She told us to save important conversations--ones where we find out the meaning behind the words harshly spoken--for a later time. Take the child for a walk or a meal or on an errand where you can talk without the emotion or the confrontation. Just ask questions and give the child an opportunity to be heard.
In essence, allow the child to stretch his wings, express his thoughts, say his peace. We want to hear our kids--instead of silence them or ignore them--and we wish to respond to the thoughts they have without getting distracted by the emotion.
She also reminded me that giving kids options and not commands is a wise thing. For example, asking them if they'd like to shower before dinner or if they'd like to shower after dinner is a way to insist upon a shower for the evening without being demanding. I like the, "Would you like to dry the dishes or put them away?" option.
One of my friend's main points was that we as parents cannot appear to be making this up as we go along. We must lead with a calm assurance that we know how to parent and are ready to take on such a role. If they shake us up and make us an emotional wreck or seemingly unable to parent, then it becomes more scary for them. They need to know, and feel most secure in our home, when they are certain that we are able to take care of them. They need to know that we know what we're doing. Most importantly we must present a unified front in our home--pitting mom against dad can be a child's greatest weapon--and thankfully on this point Doug and I can claim victory. We do stand together.
Finally, she let me know that we should parent with some levity; we should see parenting and our relationship with our kids as a source of joy. We need to put humor and laughter into our day so laughing with our kids is a must. Games, jokes, and lighthearted conversations should be a part of our regular home life. Life need not be so serious. In other words, love your kids and enjoy them immensely.
Amen. I'm happy to report that since we've been reminded of these key points, our life here in the Thompson house is so much better. We've been cooking together, shooting hoops together, having great lunch and dinner discussions, and gone for a few walks to chat about what's going on. Emotions have not run high and everyone feels more heard. We even had our toughest kid walk into our room tonight, lay down on our bed, and have a half hour long conversation with us about things on his mind. He wanted to know what his future options would be for schooling when we returned to the States, wanted to put in his two cents about things, and generally wanted to pass his aspirations by us. We laughed together and were even visited by the little sister in the next room who told us to keep it down because she was trying to sleep. : )
Parenting.
Enough said.
Blessings,
kim
These little people that we nurture and pour into and sacrifice for and love on....
Who just take and take and take and take....
Who make us laugh and make us cry and make us feel just about every emotion in between....
They are such a handful!
And yet I love them dearly.
We really have had a rough go of it, and after our circling the house in prayer, we had about a week's worth of peace. At the conclusion of that week we visited a counselor friend that lives across the street and she passed on some great wisdom. We had been praying for wisdom, so when she chatted with me and gave me words of advice, I knew we'd gotten our answer to prayer.
She started with, "Welcome of adolescence!", and then quickly recounted the time when she ushered her sixteen year old son into her husband's office and said, "Here's your son. You can do what you want with him. I am finished!"
Then she told us that though our children may say all sorts of things that don't make sense or hurt us or sound rude to us, we shouldn't take it personally or get totally wrapped up in the words. The emotion behind them should not be met with our emotional response. Instead we should let the words slide off of us taking note of the child's heart. The last thing we need is to fight fire with fire.
She told us to save important conversations--ones where we find out the meaning behind the words harshly spoken--for a later time. Take the child for a walk or a meal or on an errand where you can talk without the emotion or the confrontation. Just ask questions and give the child an opportunity to be heard.
In essence, allow the child to stretch his wings, express his thoughts, say his peace. We want to hear our kids--instead of silence them or ignore them--and we wish to respond to the thoughts they have without getting distracted by the emotion.
She also reminded me that giving kids options and not commands is a wise thing. For example, asking them if they'd like to shower before dinner or if they'd like to shower after dinner is a way to insist upon a shower for the evening without being demanding. I like the, "Would you like to dry the dishes or put them away?" option.
One of my friend's main points was that we as parents cannot appear to be making this up as we go along. We must lead with a calm assurance that we know how to parent and are ready to take on such a role. If they shake us up and make us an emotional wreck or seemingly unable to parent, then it becomes more scary for them. They need to know, and feel most secure in our home, when they are certain that we are able to take care of them. They need to know that we know what we're doing. Most importantly we must present a unified front in our home--pitting mom against dad can be a child's greatest weapon--and thankfully on this point Doug and I can claim victory. We do stand together.
Finally, she let me know that we should parent with some levity; we should see parenting and our relationship with our kids as a source of joy. We need to put humor and laughter into our day so laughing with our kids is a must. Games, jokes, and lighthearted conversations should be a part of our regular home life. Life need not be so serious. In other words, love your kids and enjoy them immensely.
Amen. I'm happy to report that since we've been reminded of these key points, our life here in the Thompson house is so much better. We've been cooking together, shooting hoops together, having great lunch and dinner discussions, and gone for a few walks to chat about what's going on. Emotions have not run high and everyone feels more heard. We even had our toughest kid walk into our room tonight, lay down on our bed, and have a half hour long conversation with us about things on his mind. He wanted to know what his future options would be for schooling when we returned to the States, wanted to put in his two cents about things, and generally wanted to pass his aspirations by us. We laughed together and were even visited by the little sister in the next room who told us to keep it down because she was trying to sleep. : )
Parenting.
Enough said.
Blessings,
kim
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