Throughout this journey I have cried many tears behind the scenes as I long to be back in the classroom. But in the last month the Lord has given me a sweet gift that is so precious to my little heart. In the last couple of weeks I have heard from ten of my former students (from all different schools) that are going into the classroom in this coming year. Their words and their sweet decision to contact me has been a blessing that brings me to tears. But I was stopped short in humility when all of them asked me for advice on how to be a good teacher. I don't have lots of wisdom on the subject. I think back to how many times I failed as a teacher ... but today I wanted to share ten tips I have for new teachers. May you be blessed in this endeavor sweet friends that you have undertaken! (p.s. These pictures are just a snippet from the wonderful years of teaching... so many precious people have been left out (and ASCS there are no pictures of y'all but I LOVE y'all soo much!))
(1) Pray often.
I don't think that I can emphasize enough the power of prayer and the important role it plays in a teachers life. I encourage spending time praying for yourself, your students, your co-workers, your students parents, your room, and the school year. Cover yourself in prayer each day and take time throughout the day to pray. As a high school teacher (in a Christian school) I would take time at the start of each class to pray. I found that taking time to pause, pray, and ask for the Lord's help in each class was a necessary thing. I have several friends who teach at public schools and legally can not take the time to pray out loud before each class but do take the time still pray as they start their classes. Find ways to stop and pray throughout the day.
(2) Spend time with the Lord every single day.
As teachers it can be easy to think about all of the things that need to get done. Don't let Satan convince you that this is more important than spending time with the Lord. Make it a priority to spend time reading God's word, memorizing it, and meditating on scripture.
(3) Create Boundary Lines immediately.
Set the boundary lines and class rules up immediately and stick to them. As a high school teacher I have seen to many teachers who want to be "liked" and desire this more than creating a respectful atmosphere from the beginning. Look, the reality is that if you are in this profession to be "popular or liked" you are in the wrong profession. Students need teachers who know who they are in Christ and teachers that will show what it is like to be a Christian man or woman at a whatever age you are at. You are not there to be liked or to be a friend. You are there to show the love of the Lord to your students through your subject matter. Don't get caught up in the "hollywood idea" that teachers don't know anything or have nothing to offer. You have everything to offer.
(4) Create healthy relationships.
Find ways to reach out and connect with your students. There are some students who need a listening ear, some that would appreciate seeing you at a sporting event, and some that will appreciate the after-school tutoring session that you will offer. Create healthy relationships with your students and look to find ways to connect with them outside of your classroom. Sometimes this can simply be by taking the time to say "hello" as you pass them in the hallway!
(5) Laugh often.
The reality is that you can find a WHOLE lot of things to be frustrated about every single day... the child who is disrespectful, the noise, the child that forgot their homework (again!), the parent that sends you the nasty email, the co-worker that didn't support you, etc. BUT don't allow those things to rob you of the joy of teaching. Find the humor in each day. Your students will be grateful and you will enjoy your job immensely.
(6) "Get on the boat. Do your job. Get back home again."
This quote was in the movie "Breach" but was actually one of the first things that my first boss, long before the movie came out, said to me. (We lived in a Navy town so the symbolism was there. *smiles*) The point is... go to work. Do your job to the best of your ability. Get back home again. So many teachers grow tired and burned out at their jobs because they make their teaching job their entire life. The reality is that to be a great teacher - it shouldn't be your entire life. Spend time with the Lord, spend time with your family and friends, and spend time developing interests that you love. Over the years of teaching (especially as a single teacher) this was a hard lesson for me to learn but my first boss' words ring true and I have never forgotten them.
(7) Remember time is short.
The school year passes quickly. Don't waste a moment. Treasure the moments because as you look back they will grow increasingly precious to you.
(8) Apologize when you are wrong.
My second year of teaching I was told by a veteran teacher, "don't ever apologize for anything." This was honestly the worst piece of advice that I have ever heard but I know a lot of teachers who live by that rule. That is so silly. A child only had to spend about 10 seconds in my classroom before they realized that I was only human. *smiles* There are going to be times that you just need to apologize. Take the time to do it. (My first senior class... I am still so sorry that you had to sit through that session on Oprah on domestic violence. Worst teaching moment ever. *smiles*)
(9) Realize that each school has its own "culture".
I have taught in three different schools in three different states so far and each one of them has been different in so many ways. My first school was a beautiful place filled with amazing people and I still treasure my memories from that school. But the culture there was different than my second school where I fell deeply in love with the community and even different again at the third school that was incredibly sweet. I will never forget leaving the 2nd school that I taught at and arriving at the 3rd school I taught at. OH MY WORD. What a learning experience! For example- at my 2nd school there was a HUGE dancing community and parents, teachers, and students alike would have fun dancing after basketball games and even had socials for dances. It was so fun. Imagine my embarrassment when at my 3rd school I was informed (kindly) by the headmaster that it was inappropriate for me to be dancing at a homecoming event. I was mortified. All of that to say... it is always a learning experience. But if you embrace the opportunity you will grow in a million different ways. I always say that I grew up at the first school I taught at, I was embraced into a family at my second school, and arrived at my third school as a brokenhearted young woman only to leave prepared for the biggest fight of my life (my health). Embrace the culture and community and you will look back with gratefulness for each place that you teach at.
(10) Learn from your students.
At the end of the day I really don't think that I had an impact at all but I do know that my students had an impact on me. Be humble and learn from your students, because they will be your greatest teachers!
This past week has been one of those weeks in the Lyme journey. The weeks where everything seems to collide into a messy and huge tornado of everything that could go wrong does. Even the weather didn't seem to want to cooperate this week. *smiles* We traveled to NY so that I could receive some treatment that we believed would help specifically with pain. Unfortunately the day after we arrived from the long two-day trip (that is always difficult on my body) I came down with a gastrointestinal virus and spent the night violently ill which resulted in spending the next day at the hospital due to severe dehydration. If you are not a Lymie and you are reading this you probably are thinking, "Oh that is so sad that she had to deal with that"... but if you are a Lymie and reading this you are shaking your head because you understand that recovering from a "gastrointestinal virus" can throw everything off. And it has. The pain in the last few days has been excruciating and unbearable and because I couldn't keep food or liquids in me I couldn't take anything, not even tylenol. All of the vitamins that I have been thrilled to be able to take throughout the day that has taken me over a year to work up to? Having to start at ground zero all over again. Yes, hopefully this run will be quicker but knowing my sensitive system it will take weeks (hopefully) or months to get everything back in. The medication that I was supposed to start? All three of them are now delayed. Once again things are delayed.
I went on to Social Media this past week and came across seven different stories of people who I know who fought serious health issues within the past two years. Their journey's have been difficult, took all of their energy and determination but all seven of them (Praise the Lord!) are doing well. I also received a couple of emails and facebook messages from some of these amazing people. People who I believe truly care and are just concerned. People who had no idea what my week was looking like in terms of the pain and the sickness. People who had no idea what a fight each day of these last few days have been. How absolutely terrifying it feels to be seriously ill and to develop a "minor" infection. How frustrating it is to realize that once again your plans for getting better and moving forward are "derailed". So when I opened their messages and read their words I knew that they simply don't understand. They don't understand what is going on or what the day has held. They don't understand that some words are just plain discouraging and like a knife through my breaking heart.
"Rebecca, I am just concerned because it has been a couple of years now... I thought for sure you would be better by now... Even people with Cancer usually are better after a couple of years of treatment..." On and on the words are written... expressing concern that that this Lyme journey is not "going faster".
On one hand I smile because I think, "you and me both sister" and on the other hand I cry because this is definitely the deep frustration of each day. The source of many tears and the beginning of so many prayers... "Lord, today please bring healing."
Unfortunately though this Lyme journey has a long and winding road to healing. It is not "straight" by any means and comes with a thousand detours that you never expected.
Typically when you get sick you take medicine or follow the course of treatment and you start to feel better each day, week, month, or year that you are on your health journey. Sometimes this healing comes quickly through antibiotics and after 24 hours you are up moving around and by weeks end you are having to force yourself to remember to take the antibiotic. But with Lyme it is not like that... you constantly feel poorly and sick and the journey to get well and heal is anything but a straight line.
Typically Lyme patients (like myself) have seen hundreds of doctors and have tried many different things to get well. Some have started on the pure antibiotic route and then after a season have switched to purely alternative care. Others have done the reverse. Either way and no matter the treatment plan there are tons of obstacles that a Lyme patient encounters. For example, for myself, the diagnosis of Cancer had to be dealt with extensively in the first year. After this became stable(Praise the Lord!!!) it became necessary to find a different treatment route for my Lyme fight as the original treatment option was not enough. This has brought me to my third year of fighting this disease. But in finding a qualified doctor I also learned that I was dealing with an environmental illness on top of several other issues. And this is typical for so many Lymies in their journey. Lyme has caused so many problems within each little Lymie's system that it is not as simple as dealing with one thing. There are co-infections, additional illnesses, and additional diseases that often have to be conquered. You can start off dealing with one thing and several weeks later due to something "flaring" you have to change course of treatment and focus on something else. (If you want to understand more about Lyme Disease and how it can affect the body click HERE!)
Y'all this is exhausting. And discouraging. And the source of many many tears. It is so hard to keep fighting day after day especially when you are looking for things to find that you can pinpoint "are getting better". But in the midst of this long and winding road to get better... in the midst of the tears and the pain and the frustration... and in the midst of the awful and painful... there is still hope.
Take one day at a time friends and when that seems like to much take one minute at a time. You can do this. You have got this. You can beat this. One minute at a time. One hour at a time. One day at a time. Every minute, every hour, every day is one step closer to healing.
When I first started my shop, I used to work in the extra room in my apartment which then slowly overtook my whole apartment with various projects. *smiles* When I moved back to my parents home to fight for my health my parents patiently and lovingly helped me convert a room into my studio office.
This space (which is right next store to my bedroom) has allowed me to have a very happy retreat to create.
I use half (okay, a little over half as the joke is in our family *smiles*) of the room while my mom uses the other half of the room for a variety of different things.
In the room we placed two different desks. This desk I use for creating projects, a wrapping station, and for writing handwritten letters to friends and family.
The various storage items in the room came from my former apartment where many things were thrifted or were passed down to me as loving "hand me downs".
Since the space is limited in this room every nook and cranny is used purposefully in a variety of different ways.
It took close to a year and a half to get the room "finalized" and organized in a way that I not only thought was "pretty" but would be practical and functional.
Probably my biggest advice to anyone wanting to create a "crafting retreat" is to make it work for you. There are tons and tons of adorable craft rooms that you can find in magazines and on Pinterest. Making a space work for you is what is key.
Due to my very limited budget I did not have the financial resources to create the room I originally wanted to. I just couldn't afford to purchase expensive boxes that were pretty. *smiles* But I took my time and was very patient and decided to search and search for pieces that I could afford and that would be practical in this space. One of those pieces that the I found was this former "card" rack that was in a old pharmacy that was closing. They had been trying to sell it for months and eventually took it to a thrift store that had it marked for $35. When I went in and asked about the piece I found that it was on sale and they were desperate to get rid of it. $15 later I had the solution that was perfect for all of the flashcards, bingo cards, tiny pieces, etc. that are used in my shop so often.
To be frank I didn't love the "look" completely and may spray paint it one day but when I found these adorable and happy boxes at Target last Spring I love the final look!
The Target boxes were also a surprise gift that have been cute and perfect for the room! I had seen these boxes in the dollar section at Target and thought they were adorable but knew it wasn't practical or feasible for me to spend $1 per box. I bought three but that was it. Well a couple of weeks later we were traveling from New York to the South and stopped at a Target. At this particular Target they had marked these boxes "on sale" for 70% and they were only $.30!! I bought ALL of them that they had and have LOVED them and the "pop" of color that they gave to this organizational piece and the room.
As y'all can tell I love ribbon. *smiles*
As I mentioned earlier I do have two desks in the room. I sometimes sit at this desk and sketch and paint, but mainly this desk gets used as a space for laying out projects that are "in progress". *smiles* It helps at one of them to have some custom blinds over the window, so I can control how much light is coming in when I am creating.
Thank you so much for stopping by and looking friends! I would love to have y'all come over and spend a day crafting! Anyone is welcome!
Have a wonderful day!!
If we are connected on instagram then you know that I shared that yesterday brought with it an unplanned Emergency Room visit to the hospital. Late Wednesday night/early early Thursday morning I became violently ill and we headed to the ER as I couldn't stop being sick. We spent over six hours there and I received several bags of fluids as I was severely dehydrated and also received lots of nausea medication. The doctors believe that I picked up some sort of gastrointestinal virus (which I was told is going around). Thankfully as of this morning I have been able to keep some liquids down. I would ask for continued prayers as I am still not feeling that well and am still in a lot of pain. Thank you so much friends for covering me with all of your prayers in this journey!
{Disclaimer: The information included on this site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her health care provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Reading the information on this website does not create a physician-patient relationship.}
Happy Thursday friends! It is hard to believe that almost five months ago I started "the Lyme Diaries" series and what a blessing it has been to my little heart to connect with so many of you walking this long journey also. I am so glad that we can encourage each other! I also hope and pray that this helps readers who wonder, "exactly what in the world is Lyme Disease?"! *smiles*
Since sharing my original diagnosis of Lyme Disease in March 2013 and continuing to share updates on my health through my "Notes on the Porch" posts I have received many emails asking a variety of questions on treatment, advice, ideas, and a host of other things. At first I was able to share my limited knowledge with ease because these emails were not so frequent, but since writing the "What is Lyme Disease" post in May these emails, facebook messages, etc. have quadrupled and I struggle to have the time that I want to adequately answer the several hundred emails a week. (Let's be honest... I have not been able to answer even half of them.) So out of that, "the Lyme Diaries" have been born. (If you would like to read all of the posts in "the Lyme Diaries" you can click HERE!)
Since sharing my original diagnosis of Lyme Disease in March 2013 and continuing to share updates on my health through my "Notes on the Porch" posts I have received many emails asking a variety of questions on treatment, advice, ideas, and a host of other things. At first I was able to share my limited knowledge with ease because these emails were not so frequent, but since writing the "What is Lyme Disease" post in May these emails, facebook messages, etc. have quadrupled and I struggle to have the time that I want to adequately answer the several hundred emails a week. (Let's be honest... I have not been able to answer even half of them.) So out of that, "the Lyme Diaries" have been born. (If you would like to read all of the posts in "the Lyme Diaries" you can click HERE!)
So, when I first started "the Lyme Diaries" I shared what a day in the life of having Lyme Disease looked like for me currently. Over the past few months things have changed and so today I wanted to share with y'all an "updated" day in the life as of March. If you follow me on instagram you might remember this post here about laying out my weekly vitamins, herbs, minerals, and oils schedule. I do that every Sunday (to start the new week) and will be sharing a little bit about my planning in the future. While some things change the following is the daily schedule that I have right now:
5:30am- Take ACS Silver
5:50am- Take additional ACS Silver, Drink Aloe Vera Juice, and take supplement
5:50am- Take additional ACS Silver, Drink Aloe Vera Juice, and take supplement
6:00-7:00am- Go back to sleep (or doze). I make it a point to keep my room dark and to lay still even if I can't sleep so that my body is still resting.
7:00-8:00am-Spend time in prayer, and spend specific time praying through the healing verses in the Bible
8:00-8:15am- Stretching, apply oils, and drink 1 bottle of Smartwater
8:30- 9:00am- Eat breakfast, drink Smartwater, take supplements, herbs, and medications
8:30- 9:00am- Eat breakfast, drink Smartwater, take supplements, herbs, and medications
9:00- 9:45am- Fix Detox Bath, Dry Brush, Walking, Drink Aloe Vera Juice, Take Detox Bath
9:45-10:30am- Either work on items for Shop on writing (book, freelance projects, articles, or blog) or have hyperbaric oxygen appointments, doctors appointments, acupuncture or reflexology appointments
10:30am- supplements and apply oils, drink Smartwater (with apple cider vinegar)
10:30am- 11:30am- Nap (or doctors appointments)
11:30am- Eat snack, take supplements, medications, and apply oils and detox procedures
11:50am-12:15pm- Stretching and follow "exercise regime" (my exercise regime is now working on doing certain yoga poses and some small walking steps) - Everyday I work to strengthen my body somehow!
12:15-1:30pm- Writing, Answering Emails, Blog Writing, or working on Shop orders
1:30-2:00pm- Eat Lunch, take supplements, medications, apply oils, and drink Smartwater
2:00-2:30pm- Answer shop emails, work on organizing shop orders, or writing projects and take pictures for the shop or IG
2:30pm- supplements and apply oils
2:30-4:30pm- Nap (or doctors appointments)
4:30pm- Snack and take supplements, medications, and apply oils, drink Smartwater (with apple cider vinegar)
4:30-5:30pm- Work on Shop orders, Package up shop orders, and Create (either in the scrapbook room or from my bed depending on how I am feeling)
5:30pm- supplements and apply oils
5:30-6:15pm- Fix Detox Bath, Dry Brush, Light Stretching, Drink Aloe Vera Juice, Take Detox Bath
6:15-6:30pm- rest after second detox bath
6:30-7:00pm- Eat dinner, take supplements, medications, and apply oils, drink Smartwater
7:00 to (usually 8:00pm sometimes 9:00pm)- Watch TV (if my sensory nerves can handle it otherwise I read in bed, pray, spend time with the Lord memorizing scripture), answer emails, work on shop orders, create things for shop, or work on writing projects
8:00-9:00pm-Take nighttime supplements, medications, apply oils and head to bed
This is pretty much my life everyday. *smiles* And yes, it is that incredibly regimented in order to get in every single supplement, oil, and medication that I need to take in. While there are a few exceptions (once or twice a week I make a point to chat with friends, etc.) this is pretty much how life looks right now. There are some days where I am in bed by 6:30pm (literally) and other days where I am up till 10:00pm simply due to different medications. BUT I hope this is helpful in understanding how regimented the life of a person who has Lyme Disease is. I always kind of smile wryly when I receive the question, "so what do you all day?" or "what does your day look like?". I think that sometimes people think I am just laying in bed eating bon-bon's all day long. *smiles* BUT in all seriousness everything that I do is focused on getting my health back. Fighting for your health is a FULL TIME JOB and its a job that you do not want to lose. While this is a very rigorous schedule (and a very isolating one!) it has also provided me so much opportunities to spend hours and hours in prayer and with the Lord and that has been a blessing in this journey!
Well friends, as I said at the beginning I hope that this series is of help in understanding more about Lyme Disease and helps answer your questions! If there is anything specific that you would like to have answered let me know and I will do my best to write a post about it!!
Happy Thursday y'all!
1. Buy Their Book. This might be silly to even suggest but the reality is that many of the independent author's closest contacts won't think to purchase the book. This might be because they have heard about every word of the book before it has even gone to print (*smiles*) but the reality is that for whatever reason many close family members and friends won't actually purchase a copy. Take the time to complete this simple step and this will be a huge support to your friend! (Interested in buying one or all of my books? Click HERE!)
2. Think Outside the Box and Share Connections Chances are, you know someone who could use the book that your friend has published even if it doesn't directly relate to you. Maybe you are happily married (so my book for singles wouldn't apply directly to you) but maybe you know someone it could encourage. Purchase and send them a copy! Maybe you could gift a copy of a book to your church library? Maybe you could gift a copy of a book to your doctor's office (if the book relates to medical information like my Lyme Disease books) or to the local hospital library. Perhaps you have a connection at a coffeehouse and you could bring in your friends' book and see if it could be displayed for sale or if your friend could try and sell some copies there at the store? Think outside the box and think of the people in your life that you know that you could connect your author friend with.
3. Write a Review. Just purchasing the book and reading it is a wonderful gift to your friend but what would help them even more is if you would take the time to write a review of the book (especially if it is available on Amazon)! Because your friend has independently published their book they do not have a huge marketing campaign for their books. Due to this they are doing all of the marketing themselves. Your words and testimony about their book will speak volumes to many people who aren't familiar with your friends' work! One of the largest pieces of help for me in selling my book, "Praying through Lyme Disease" has been the generous and gracious reviews that I have gotten. I have received several emails from people saying that the whole reason they purchased the book was because of the reviews! So take the time to write a review! I can guarantee that your friend has a goal of at least 20 reviews per book so pass the word to your friends and ask them to write reviews for your friend also! It will only take you a few minutes but will be of lasting help to your friend!
4. Share Their Business Card. Most authors, including myself, have a variety of business cards that are specific to the projects that they have completed. For example, in addition to my general business card, I have a specific business card for each of my books. This gives the opportunity to "get the word out" a little bit more. If you don't feel comfortable passing on the book to a variety of places perhaps you would feel comfortable with passing out your friends business card? Contact them and ask them for a bunch of business cards that you can have on hand to help spread the word about their projects! Live in a different city, state, or country then your friend? EVEN BETTER!! You will be helping them with marketing even more!! (Side note- if you are interested in helping market any of my books I would love to chat with you and send you some business cards! You can email me HERE! Thanks!!)
5. Talk About Their Book on Social Media. Share, share, and share some more about your friends projects on various social media forums. It will be such a blessing to them!! Tag your friends social media to all of your correspondence (example: if you post a picture on instagram tag them in it so they connect directly with people!). Volunteer to "social media love" your friends work! They will be so grateful!
6. Word of Mouth Recommendation. Talk about your friends book to people you know. Many people purchase books solely based on a friends recommendation.
7. Invite Your Friend To Share About Their Book (or their story). Work at a school? Ask your friend to come in and share about their book. Maybe the book doesn't fit into the topic that you teach or the school age kiddos but your friend could share about the writing process or about publishing a book or maybe their personal story or a variety of other things. Work at an office? Maybe your office is looking for a once a month lunch speaker. Suggest your friend! Invite your friend to your Bible study to have them share their story or to your church for a ladies luncheon. Work at a bookstore? Have them in for a book signing! Again, the topic might not exactly fit but your friend would love the opportunity to get their name out there and to share a little bit about writing or their heart!
8. Share Your Connections for Where They Are Traveling. Perhaps your friend is traveling for business, pleasure, or personal reasons. Do you have connections in the area that they are traveling? Share their information and the resources with them! I know that I am always looking to connect with people in upstate NY/Vermont and the south (both places where I spend 1/2 of the year) and in San Francisco (where my medical team is at). I am always looking for contacts in any of these areas to connect with. Talk with your friends and share your connections.
9. Host a Book Party. Similar to the various parties that exist (i.e. makeup, jewelry, etc.) consider hosting a "book signing party" and have your friend as the key star. This will encourage people to purchase your friends book, interact with them, and get to know more people!
10. Give the Gift of a New ISBN Number. Want to gather a few friends and take up a collection to bless the socks off of your friend? Gather the money to cover the ISBN number of their book that they have published (or for their upcoming book)! ISBN numbers are an investment and cost $125 which is a lot of money for independent publishers. This gift would be such a blessing to them!
What are some ways that you would suggest supporting a friend who has independently published a book? I would love to hear your thoughts!
Along with this topic is a request that I have from my heart. I am desperately trying to get the word out, market my books, and make connections. As I am dealing with health issues it is not always the easiest for me to make these connections and I would appreciate any and all help. If you know anyone who might be helped by my books or if you have any connections that you would feel comfortable sharing I would be most grateful. I would also be grateful for any social media love regarding my books and any workshops that you might suggest that are looking for additional speakers. If you would like to check out my personal website for writing and speaking you can find it HERE. Thank you so much for your help with this journey! I appreciate your help!!
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