Saturday, October 20, 2012

Shining Our Pumpkin Lights

This past week seemed to go by sooooooo slowllllllllllyyyyyyyyyy....and I was even out of the classroom for 2 days for Engineering training and  for writing Science curriculum. I think having a sub for 2 days in a row erased some of the things we had been working so hard to learn. Does that happen to your class when you have had a sub????!!!????

At one of the meetings we talked about how the time period from mid-October to the middle of December is so hard for teachers but especially for our kiddos. It is a time for meetings, programs, crafts, fun activities, holiday celebrations, Red Ribbon week, bright intense colors like red and orange, and then the stress that our kiddos might be feeling at home as their parents prepare for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. For many of our kiddos and their families, the holidays that we LOVE are stressful for them as they try and find the means to buy Thanksgiving dinner stuff and Christmas gifts. Meanwhile, any routine in our classrooms is starting to be disrupted by all of the fun activities and programs of this time of year.

This helps to explain why our kiddos start going a little nutty and by Christmas Break we are ready to be the Nutcrackers and find ourselves telling the kiddos we are in contact with Santa and have been telling him all of the things going on in our classrooms.

Thursday some of my kiddos we definitely a little squirrelly and I had to stop myself from going a little nutty too!

What popped into my head was the poem about God picking pumpkins.


It seems to be that "yucky stuff" that we let get in the way of so many things we do. I let it get in the way of remembering to be patient and even at times from stopping and looking at all of the blessings in my life. It is easy to get caught up in the negative "yucky stuff". 

I think I need to try and remember to scoop out all of that "yucky stuff" before I even get out of the car each morning. Part of our job is to keep the light inside of each pumpkin God puts in our classroom burning. I think of each year when we put "Jack" our jack-o-lantern in a jar. For the rest of the year, we watch him decompose. It is nasty. Last year to my horror Jack almost was knocked off of where he was sitting...I would have died if all of his nasty, smelly smithereens were splattered on our already nasty carpet.

I think we sometimes feel if some of our little pumpkins might already be rotting. We might not take the time to even see why their light might not be burning very brightly.

When I went to find the pumpkin poem, I also came across this one.


I am a Jack O’ Lantern
My lights will shine so bright
For I’m a Christian pumpkin
My symbols tell what’s right

My nose is like the cross
On which our Savior died
To set us free from sin
We need no longer hide

My mouth is like a fish
The whole wide world to show
That Christians live in this house
And love their Savior so!
The story starts at Christmas
My eyes are like the star
That shone on Baby Jesus
And wise men saw from far

My color, it is orange
Just like the big bright sun
That rose on Easter Day
Along with God’s own Son

I just love this! What a great way to let your love for the Lord shine out to others this month.

Since pumpkins have been on my mind, here is a little *freebie* that I hope you enjoy. The kiddos roll a dice and add 10. The first player to cover 5 in a row wins. This is to help with place value and those tricky teens. =)


graphics by Scrappin' Doodles

As you get ready for a new week, remember to look for the light in each one of your little pumpkins. Be sure and keep the light going with your love and patience...and you'll see it shining through their little jack-o-lantern smiles. =)

From My Heart to Yours,

28 heart notes:

Jill said...

Thank you for these reminders. I missed two weeks of school do to health issues and it has been hard to get the class going in the right direction. I am going to keep these poems in my desk to remind me. Thank you
Jill

Heather said...

Wonderful post and even more wonderful reminders! I have a rough group this year and am frequently re-reading your poems as reminders to have patience, love, and that there is a reason these littles have been placed in my care. Thank you again!

Heather (heathernnance@yahoo.com)

vicky1970 said...

Heather
What a great reminder...as a fellow Christian this really touched my heart.
Vicky

Mrs. Goodwin said...

Love the jack o' lantern and the poem. A great reminder of some important Christian values. Also love the 10 more freebie. Looking for some little review games to do with a short 2 day school week. This will be perfect. Thanks for sharing.

ilive2learnilove2grow 

Shannon L. Bryant said...

Heather, this is beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing!!!! And thanks too for the freebie!!!
Shannon :-)

bryantsbraintrain.blogspot.com

Anita said...

Do you read 'The Pumpkin Patch Parable' by Liz Curtis Higgs? It's the book with the exact theme/story. I posted about it last October...check it out, there is a great student booklet freebie that has their 'light' shining through!
Anita
Mrs. Bremer’s Kindergarten

karen @ Smarticle Particles said...

I know what you mean about missing a few days and feeling like everything has come undone. I have been out for 4 weeks (unexpectedly) and I return tomorrow. For some reason, I am really nervous about it, and I don't know why. I've been doing this forever, but I just feel very apprehensive. Oh well, as my mom says "it'll all come out in the wash!". Keep up the good work !

-karen
http://littlesecondgradesomebodies.blogspot.com/

sspeller said...

I love that pumpkin poem. It goes along with the book The Legend of the Pumpkin Patch (I think that is what it is called). We read it as a family each year before we go to the REAL pumpkin patch at our church... thanks for the reminder! We do need to remember to try NOT to let all the yucky stuff get us down and focus on all the GOOD in our lives! Have a great week!

CC said...

So cute! I adore your blog too! Did you do all this work yourself or get help? Love it!

Nicole Allison said...

I am so happy to be your newest follower! I love your blog. Thanks so much for the inspiration! I will be coming back again and again for more!

Owl Things First said...

Dear Heather,
Our teacher is teaching us about blogging. We love your blog!! We are going to carve our pumpkin just like yours!
From: First Grade Owls!

Anonymous said...

Hi Heather!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Your blog helper is a super cute kitty. Is it a russian blue? I really like your poem. It actually is timely for me and a great reminder to be a light to our students. I work at a public state school but have a bunch of colleagues that get together to pray before school every week. We were convicted that our jobs are not to only make students academically smart, but also to build their character so they become good people. Although we can't proclaim Christ in our classroom, we can through our actions and character.

kindergartenkidsatplay.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Thanks for stopping by...I'm glad you liked what you saw! This is great post, and an even better reminder :) Keep YOUR light shining!
Let's Talk Speech Therapy
Rachel

Jammie Fewell said...

I always inspired by your posts! I just BOO-ed you! Head on over to my blog to link up!

Jammie

www.firstgradestompinground.blogspot.com

Nancy VandenBerge said...

You are the Jack o' lantern in my Halloween!! Love ya!
Nancy
firstgradewow.blogspot.com

Sarah Hankinson said...

Thanks for your post - I love the "Being a Christian ...". I am reminded daily to pray that the Lord will use me in such a way that my students and those I work with seeing Jesus through me.

Sarah
Learning is for Superstars

Unknown said...

I love that pumpkin poem! Beautiful!

I am excited to be your newest follower! Thank you for following me! I'm excited to follow in the footsteps of many great bloggers such as yourself! We can learn so much from each other!

<3 The Talkative Teacherista

Anonymous said...

Heather,

Thank you for being my first follower! I LOVE your site! So many great ideas! :)

Lisa said...

I give the children's message during church each Sunday, and last week I used your post for my message. My brother carved a pumpkin for me, using the fake ones from Michaels, and the kids made a wind sock version in Children's church. Thank you so much for the idea!

Mrs. Arentz said...

Hi Heather,

This is the cutest.blog.ever! You are an inspiration to so many followers! I loved the Jack O' Lantern poem and the passage about God picking pumpkins! I'll be stopping back often so I don't miss a single post. :)

Thanks for showing my little blog some love. You made my night! :)

Wendy

Read with Me ABC