Not exactly what I expected...

I tried out a new church today. I haven't been to church since I moved up here (except for the weekend I was home in Saskatoon). The first couple of weeks I was just really busy and then the past couple I've been sick. I finally feel like my flu-turned chest cold-turned throat infection-turned sinus cold (ya, it's been a rough couple of weeks) is on its way out so today was the day. I didn't have to wake up too early, because this particular church doesn't start till 11. So I got up and got ready, drove into North Battleford and went to church.

It was really great. The music was wonderful and the people were lovely. I enjoyed the pastor's sermon and I think once I've met some people, I could really feel at home there.

So, that part of the morning was what I was hoping for and expecting. The conversation I had after the service, however, was not.

An older gentleman was sitting a few seats away from me and he leaned over after the service was over and asked what I thought. I, of course, assumed that he was a regular attendee of the church and, knowing I was a newcomer, was welcoming me to the fold. I told him that I thought it was a great service and I really enjoyed the sermon. He immediately began to criticize not only the sermon, but the pastor himself, and then other churches as well. He began on this like, crusade I guess about how the trinity is never actually preached in the bible (the word is never used, I guess). Then he told me that he had been to many other churches and asked to leave because of all his criticism.

Seriously, who is this man who would spend all his time going from one denomination to the next, trying to change their minds about their doctrines? And mine...who does he think he is, trying to influence my decision where I want to worship?

And seriously...who cares if the word trinity is ever used in the bible or not? That doesn't change my faith.

I just thought the whole thing was ridiculous. The funny thing is, he clearly missed the whole point of the sermon. It was about diversity in the church. The pastor had people stand up who were raised among the different denominations of the Christian church. There was someone from every denomination...all in one church, worshipping together. At the end of his sermon, the pastor said "It is not our doctrines that will show the world we are Christians. It is our love."

It seems to me that this old man was not listening, but rather preparing his argument throughout the entire service. I hate it when people don't listen.

And I don't think it's just because I'm a teacher.

Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?

So, we've been doing an All About Me unit in Social Studies and last week we were learning about our fingerprints. Yesterday, I brought a really great selection of cookies to school and made a big deal about them to the kids and told them that if they were super good all day, we would have a cookie party after last recess. All day I kept on reminding them; I really wanted to build up the excitement about the cookies.

I collected fingerprints from all the staff on a sheet. When the kids went out for last recess, I had the principal "steal" the cookies and put a bunch of his fingerprints on transparencies around the room. Then my EA and I had way too much fun messing up the room to create a crime scene. We moved the desks all over and tipped some of them on their sides...we threw paper all around and scribbled all over the chalkboards. When the kids came in, they were shocked. They discovered that the cookies were missing and then we had to solve the mystery. They compared the fingerprints around the room to the staff sheet and figured out it was the principal. Very enthusiastically, we all went down to his office and retrieved the cookies.

It was a blast.

For most of the kids, anyway. One of my grade 1 students was quite concerned about the whole situation. When everyone started saying they thought it was the principal, she came to me quite concerned and said, "But it just couldn't be him. He would never mess up the room like this...look at the boards!" (It was way cuter in person...she's really tiny and has a speech impediment on her r's).

After the whole thing was over and I had explained that the whole thing wasn't real, my EA was talking to the same little girl to make sure she understood it was a joke. She looked up at Angie (my EA) and said, "Ya, but I was really fooled! My legs were tinglin' and that's how I knew I was really scared!"
(Seriously, say it outloud with w's for r's).

I hope she's not scarred for life!

Anger Management

So, today I was trying to plan my week and I came up with some ideas that I needed some books for. I didn't need anything else in NB but I didn't really want to change my plans so I decided to go into North Battleford to get these books at the public library. There IS a library in town here, but it's only open Tuesday mornings (so that doesn't work for me) and Thursdays till 5 (but I needed the books before Thursday). So, I went online to check the hours but there is NOTHING on the Lakeland Library website except for the catologue. So I called the library. No answer. But the recording said they were open till 5.

Okay, here we go.

I drove the 35 minutes to NB and went straight to the library. Stood in line. Got to the counter and asked to get a library card. The guy at the desk went to find someone else because he didn't know how to do that. A lady walked up and informed me that they don't issue new accounts on Sundays. Really. I explained that I tried to call first but there was no answer. Oh, she said, we don't answer the phones on Sundays.

SERIOUSLY???

So I explained that I came all the way from Glaslyn and I'm a new teacher (trying to play the educational card) and I need these books for my lessons for the week. Oh, she said. Well if you're from Glaslyn you have to sign up for your card there. That's Lakeland Library policy.

I walked out.

All of that information would be helpful to publish somewhere. You know, make information AVAILABLE to the public. Like, on a website maybe. What a concept.

Freudian slip? I hope not!

So, this is the entrance to my classroom. I thought about putting up "How do you like these apples?" but thought it might be a bit too cheeky for elementary school.

Anyway, it's the 2nd week of school, so my kids have walked by it lots of times. Yesterday, one of my boys was coming in after recess and "read" the sign. He didn't read it word for word, but gave what HE thought was the general message. Nice and loud, he declared, "Check out Miss Smith's great apples!"

Luckily, he's in grade 2 so he didn't realize what he had just said.

The only thing to fear...

So one of the other teachers ran into the school first recess almost in tears. There was a garter snake on the playground and one of my students was waving it around. Turns out said teacher is terrified of snakes.

It's amazing how someone else's fear can give you courage. I marched out to the playground to stand guard near the snake and sent a student in to get the caretaker. I knew everyone would want to see it and I didn't want someone else to wave it around and for half the school to end up in tears! So I was brave and stood by the snake, of which I am also terrified.

Of course, the snake was dead, so perhaps my courage stemmed from the fact that I knew it wouldn't jump at me.

Had it been moving, I would probably have pushed past the first teacher and run to the staff room and locked it!