Guess what? I get to go for a job interview on December 20, at 9:00, near Washington D.C. where I'll be visiting family for Christmas! It is for a 4th grade maternity leave starting in January, at a private school for students with learning disabilities. I'm pretty excited to have an interview. And I found there are more job openings here in New Mexico than I had thought, so I'm going to hurry and get my application in before I leave.

So last week one of my students was asking me about where his normal teacher was. "What is she doing this week?" he asked.
"Preparing for next week -- and doing some extra projects."
"Why is she preparing for next week? What is she doing then?"
"Well, then she'll be your teacher again. So she has to be ready."
"Oh. Well, what will YOU do then?" he asked, with a look of increasing puzzlement on his face.
"I will be visiting some of the other classes here. But I will come back here a lot because I like this classroom the best."
He gave an incredulous look. "Why do you like this classroom the best?"
I smiled but didn't say anything as he continued to ponder the answer. Suddenly his face lit up.
"I know!" he said excitedly. "You like this classroom the best because we have Kleenex here! -- And we have all the pictures up on the walls, too!"
I had to laugh. "Well, those are really cool things that I hadn't even thought of. But you know -- the reason I like it the best here is because of the kids."

They are wonderful -- so full of life and fun and brilliance. It is a bit boring just observing this week. Today I made flashcards of all the Zuni words I know (which are very, very few) while I watched Jan teach. It has been neat to watch other teachers though. On Monday I think I learned more than I had during the ten days I watched before I had taken over the class. It is quite enlightening to watch someone else handle a problem that you dealt with a different way. And it has been neat to observe other teachers and children at other ages. So far I have been to the 7th/8th grade classroom for a science class and to 3rd/4th for math and individual work. Tomorrow I plan to observe in kindergarten, and the day following I get to watch a 5th/6th grade class. It's neat to see the way different teachers handle things, and the amount that children grow up in a few short years.

This weekend, on a lazy, late night, I learned how important prayer is. I decided that I didn't have time for my regular devotions. After tossing and turning and waking up often, finally at 4:30 I asked God if He wanted me to pray. Why didn't I ask sooner? Anyways, He did, I think... and after that I slept much better till the morning. It is so important to share God's priorities! Maybe one day I will give over my heart to the point that His will truly will be mine too. Also from this weekend, I have a book to suggest. "Crying Wind," the autobiography of Crying Wind :-) is a very moving story of a Native American woman whom Christ drew to Himself. It was published in the 70s, and currently out of print, but is well worth reading.

I've been fighting a nasty cold since Saturday, too, that has sapped a lot of my energy. That's my last prayer request. :-) Thanks for reading!

Under His wings... (that comes from Ruth chapter 2. We've been having a sermon series on that book and it is fantastic! I'm finally beginning to understand at least some of the reasons why God put that story in the Bible. That is not meant irreverently; I just really didn't understand. Anyways, our pastor is taking the angle that God stripped Naomi of everything she thought would give her a wonderful life, only to surprise her with the joy of a real, dependent relationship with Him. Cool huh?)