My First Week as a Teacher

We have now completed the first week of of our ministries. I promised pictures of my classroom, so here they are:

I have a morning procedure for my 3rd and 4th graders as they arrive. The first thing they do is keyboarding on their NEOs. (If you look on their desks, it's those things that look like small black typewriters.) The Renaissance Program we use has a Keyboarding program that I am very impressed with. They were putting their fingers on the right keys from day one. The program teaches them typing at their own pace, and I just walk around to make sure that they are using the right fingers.

To the right is our prayer corner. Every classroom has one. We are supposed to include the color for the Liturgical season as well as the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching. A different principle is highlighted each month. I also have a rosary for each person in my class. We pray a decade each day so that by the end of the week we will have prayed the rosary. Last week, we did the Joyful Mysteries and this week we'll be praying the Luminous Mysteries. The children have done really well with this! They have even started to bring in their own rosaries. 

Below is a picture of my Accelerated Reading and Math motivation board. For Accelerated Reading, the students and their teachers work together to create individualized goals. For my board, as they get closer to their goal for the quarter (percentage-wise), they move from an egg to a caterpillar to a chrysalis to a butterfly. When everyone becomes butterflies we are going to make a butterfly craft.

In addition to teaching the general classroom subjects, each teacher teaches art and p.e. (Sr. Carol Ann is the music teacher.) I decided that we would start out with a basketball unit, so I pumped air into enough basketballs for everyone, and on Friday I taught them how to dribble. They are learning the fundamentals of the sport before they get to play the game. Those who already know how to play are my assistant coaches. Otherwise, they would be bored with going over the basics.

For a "Friday Evening Vacation," Sr. Hannah and I went to Salt Pond Beach. At first I was nervous, but there was a reef separating us from the sharks. We had a great time swimming in the water! I was surprised how deep the water was. In Lake Michigan you have to walk out a great distance just to get up to your waist. In the ocean, we were treading water before we knew it! The waves were pretty calm but we did try out the Boogie boards on them. It was probably good practice for me for staying on the Boogie board.

All in all, I like it here. :)

Greetings from Kekaha!

Aloha! I have been in Kauai for a few days now, along with Sr. Janet and Sr. Carol Ann. We are excited for Sr. Hannah's arrival this Saturday! Although we have been working hard, I have been enjoying the beauty that surrounds us. Even the shrubs are pretty!

The ocean is just stunning....it is a beautiful shade of blue, and I love watching the waves. The song "Ocean" by Ten Skekel Shirt comes to mind every time I look out at it. Here is a video that someone posted on YouTube with the song and pictures that they took of Hawaii:

What is even more beautiful than the natural surroundings is the "aloha spirit" that I have experienced in the people here. They are so warm and welcoming! I am glad I love hugs because they are plentiful here.

I have already met a couple of my students and their parents at church and at school, which was great. I have been setting up my classroom, so I was able to tell them that they already have a desk with their name on it.

I will take pictures of my classroom as soon as I am finished. In-service starts tomorrow (Monday) and the first day of school is a week from Monday.

Until next time, here are a couple pictures I have taken:

St. Theresa's Convent

View from our driveway

Serving Others to Imitate Christ

Summers at the Motherhouse allow for different kinds of activity than during the year. Sr. Pamela Catherine and I, as part of the Temporary Professed Summer Program, have been helping out with the Service Crew. We have been washing windows, cleaning the guesthouses and making the beds, helping in the laundry room, wiping down the cafeteria line, doing dishes and our personal favorite: washing cars. Sr. Elena, who is in the Perpetual Vow Summer Program, helps us with the cars, although the majority of her time is spent in prayer- she is really enjoying this extra time with the Lord! She is going to profess final vows in August, and we are all so excited for her! I am glad she's here!

For our instructions we have been reading Pope John Paul II's encyclical On Human Work (Latin: Laborem exercens). While he does address worker's rights in the encyclical, most of it is about the dignity of human work. My favorite insight from what we have read so far is the comment on the humility of God, who though He was in the form of God, He became Man. He did manual labor as a carpenter, working by the sweat of His brow (see Genesis 3:19).  Then on the night before He died, He washed his disciples' feet, which at the time was an extraordinary lowly job. His disciples thought that it was beneath their rabbi to do such a thing. But He did, and then said that they are to do the same for each other (see John 13:1-17). Jesus made work holy and when we work we are in conformity with Him.

Reading this encyclical has also brought to light a significant value of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity: no job is too lowly for anyone; no person is too important for any job. Our Community Director (what other Communities call their Mother General or Mother Superior) joins the others in shoveling the snow/ice during the winter, picking strawberries in the summer, as well as anything thing else she can find time to do. Our former Community Director is often found cutting vegetables, washing dishes, and doing similar tasks around the house. Administrators, health care workers, teachers, and others all chip in where  and when they can. 

We'll be finishing the encyclical (and the Temporary Professed Summer Program) this week. It seems that it has gone by so fast.... Sr. Pamela Catherine will renew her vows this Sunday at Mass, which we are looking forward to. Then she is going on her homevisit, and I will be here to attend an Environmental Education workshop.

I pray that you are enjoying your summer, and staying cool in all the heat!

Sip Slowly at Stone Creek Coffee

What's better than great tasting coffee? Great tasting fair trade coffee! On Saturday, six of us piled into a van and drove down to Milwaukee to learn more about fair trade and how we can support such an amazing movement. In Stone Creek Coffee Roaster's annual report, they wrote: "We look for two things when deciding to purchase a coffee: the quality of the coffee and the quality of life of the people producing it."

At the factory/soon-to-be-hangout, we met Steve and Kendra Hawthorne, who graciously came in on the weekend to give us a tour and some coffee. While we were there, Steve told us of his trips to South America and Africa, where he meets farmers and conducts his evaluations before agreeing to purchase coffee from them. We were touched by the stories he shared. One of my favorites was when he told us about a farmer in a third world country who works so hard to provide a good livelihood for his workers that he provides schooling for the children during the day and adult education programs for the workers at night, among other wonderful gifts.

We returned home feeling inspired by these incredible people who are truly passionate about making a difference in the lives of others. We can't wait to go back!

Stone Creek Coffee is located right across the street from Downtown Milwaukee's Amkrak/Greyhound Station! The coffee house and bakery will be open for business in September 2012.

Coffee-sack race, anyone?

Steve showed us what coffee beans (cherry pits!) look like prior to roasting.

The Four Steps of Stone Creek Coffee:

1. Grow responsibly
2. Roast to perfection
3. Brew expertly
4. Sip Slowly (we did this one)

Left to Right: Sr. Carolee, Sr. Monica (me), Sr. Leslie, Sr. Regina Rose, Sr. Natalie, and Sr. Kathleen

Kendra made delicious and beautiful lattes for us.

Busy but Joyful

Camp Franciscan is back at the Motherhouse! I always look forward to it. It is a busy time, but it is also a fun time, as junior high girls run from activity to activity with their fearless high school leaders. Most, if not all of the campers have arrived, and the novices and I led them in some ice breakers in the gym. We definitely got our exercise in! The campers were laughing and seemed to be having a great time. Pictures will be posted throughout the week, so make sure to check it out by clicking here: http://www.fscc-calledtobe.org/living/index.php/2012/06/10/camp-franciscan-2012-campers-breathe-in-the-spirit-of-st-clare/.

I have a break right now, so I decided to take the opportunity to fill you all in on what has been happening the past few weeks. As I wrote in my last entry, I participated in a 5 day silent retreat. It was a wonderful week, and I am so grateful for the wisdom of the Church to have novices do a retreat right before they make First Vows. I grew closer to the Lord, and it was so peaceful. 

Then that Saturday, June 2nd, we had a special Midday Prayer in the Novitiate Chapel during which Sr. Louise (our community director) gave me my first mission assignment. I have been assigned to teach 3rd/4th grade at St. Theresa School in Kekaha, Kauai, Hawaii! I am excited for this new adventure. It will be my first year of teaching in my own classroom. Before this, I did student teaching and substitute teaching. I also have done volunteer work (teaching religious education classes and teaching at a summer program). I will leave for Hawaii on July 25th.

The next day, June 3rd, I had my first profession. Bishop David Ricken was the celebrant. Fr. Charlie Smiech, Fr.  Tom Speier, and Fr. Sam Jadin were his co-celebrants. My godmother, my parents, and my brothers were there for the occasion. Sr. Leslie and Sr. Regina Rose were my unofficial "bridesmaids," as I called them. They made excellent "bridesmaids!" Many of our Sisters were also present for the Mass, which was nice. It was such a special ceremony....I don't even know how to describe it...Afterwards, we had a reception in the cafeteria, and my whole family was amazed to watch Bishop Ricken out-pun my dad! My dad is always saying "punny" things, and he met his match! 

I was happy to share the day and the Mass with Sr. Thi and Sr. Tuyen. They were renewing their vows, and it was their first time saying their vow formula in English (rather than Vietnamese). I thought they did an excellent job! 

I then spent the following week with my family. I was with my dad and stepmom for the first half, and my mom for the second half. I thought that worked well. It was nice to visit with my family.

This is me with my Grandma Beechnau!

One of my stops was to see my maternal grandma. It is always nice to see her! We watched a little bit of Disney's The Parent Trap together. I remember watching it with her when I was younger. She loves watching Hayley Mills. 

Now I am back at the Motherhouse. Sr. Pamela Catherine and I are in the temporary professed summer program together, and it has been nice to have her around here again. We plan on going rollerblading together again soon!

It's time to for me to join the others at camp! Please keep us in your prayers!

Living Out Our Spiritual Motherhood

Project Linus was a success! We returned home with four quilts that will be given to children at UW Health: American Family Children's Hospital in Madison. We quilted blankets for boys. Jean and Dottie, who  patiently and warmly taught us everything we needed to know about sewing and quilting, said that many blankets are donated for girls, but there is a shortage of boys' blankets, so that is what they focus on. They are so cute! Sr. Natalie did a dinosaur one, Sr. Regina Rose did a shark one, Sr. Leslie did a Winnie the Pooh one, and I did one with various animals, such as giraffes, tigers, monkeys, and hippos. We just know the boys who get them will be so happy!

Not only was I able to sew without jamming the machine once, but I enjoyed the whole process. It was fun to sew and quilt everything together, and it felt great to do something nurturing and motherly for these children. Helping children who need to go to the hospital is something that I have been passionate about for a long time, so it was an honor to do this for them. Jean also shared with us some touching stories about her experiences handing out the quilts.

In addition, we each took a turn preparing a meal under the guidance of Sr. Jerianne. She gave us plenty of tips and help. Every meal was excellent. Nothing flopped. It was fun to work with Sr. Jerianne, because she was patient and had a great sense of humor.

On the way home, we put our heads together and wrote an article for Franciscanized World that Sr. Leslie typed up and sent to Sr. Julie Ann. To read it as well as see pictures from the week, click here: Quilting Quandaries and Culinary Capers.

I am excited to begin retreat tonight! It is a silent retreat and the theme is The Francis You Don't Know - His Greatness Was In His Weaknesses. Our retreat master is Fr. Thomas Speier, OFM. I am also planning on reading Hinds' Feet on High Places. Those of us in formation started to read it to each other, but we only got through the first part. I enjoyed the story, and I think it will go well with the theme of the retreat.

The retreat will end Saturday morning....my family will arrive Saturday afternoon....and my first profession is the next day on June 3rd! I am so excited, and it seems our Sisters are as excited as I am, because so many of them have come up to me and said, "Just think, only one more week!" It is so cool to go through this together. Also Sr. Thi and Sr. Tuyen will be renewing their vows, and I couldn't be happier to share the day with them!

Preparing for Project Linus

Life has been pretty busy around here. We just finished a young women's discernment retreat....6 lovely young women came to the Motherhouse. We novices were able to join them for a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help and then to a picnic. They seemed to have a good time, and we certainly enjoyed them. For pictures and to see what Sr. Julie Ann had to say about it, click on this link: http://www.fscc-calledtobe.org/living/index.php/2012/05/20/what-was-uplifting-at-ascension-vocation-discernment-retreat/.

Now we are finishing up packing for a week at a lakeside home that is owned by the family of one of our Sisters, where we will sew blankets for Project Linus. "As Charles Schulz’s Linus character from the PEANUTS® comic strip was comforted by his blanket, Project Linus strives to do the same and more for children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need" (http://www.projectlinus.org/).  Project Linus accepts handmade blankets.

I don't consider myself all that skilled at sewing things, so it will certainly be a labor of love. We will have expert seamstresses to guide us along. I am hoping they can teach me how to sew a straight line without jamming the machine. That's my first goal. Thinking of the children who will be comforted by these blankets will help me along as well.

I'm looking forward to the cooking part of the week. We each took a day to prepare dinner. Sr. Jerianne, the head of the Motherhouse kitchen, has been helping us with menu planning, and she will be working with us one-on-one to prepare the meals. She encouraged us to be adventurous and to cook/bake things we haven't made before.

I think it will be a nice week!

We'll be back at the Motherhouse late Friday afternoon. Be sure to check out Franciscanized World soon after that for our reflections from the week!