Staff Blog

Being a teacher is somewhat like feeding chickens.  When you’re feeding chickens, you have to make sure they eat the food given to them to get the right nutrients.  It’s disappointing if one of your chickens gets sick or dies.  You may get frustrated if the feed spoils or spills out of the container, wasting time, money, and effort.  To avoid this you should have the correct container and supplies for the chickens’ needs.  From time to time you might have to change the type of chicken feed to ensure the chickens will keep on eating.  

Like raising temperamental chickens, teachers also encounter various types of behaviors in students and this needs to be considered before implementing the lesson you are going to teach.  The lesson needs to be prepared properly so the students enjoy and understand the lesson.  Assessments need to be given to make sure the kids really understand the topic you have discussed.  

In my experience while teaching the kids at CCHS, I have undergone different emotions.  Sometimes I feel happy and sometimes I feel mad or even guilty, but I try to not let that be a hindrance.  I pray to the Lord that He will always guide me with the exact words and actions needed for the lesson I am going to share with my students. 

It has been a joy for me to teach science for the older students at the Children of Hope School. Having recently graduated college specializing in science education, it has been an exciting adventure to be able to teach what I love. The students' love for science only makes me love my job even more! Everyday, they ask me, "Teacher Amanda, can we do an experiment?!" Whenever I say "Yes", their eyes widen with an eagerness to learn.

One of our latest experiments was making "oobleck" to explore the properties of matter. Oobleck is made of just corn starch and water, but when the ingredients are mixed together, it carries the properties of both solids and liquids! The students had a chance to get messy, have fun, and engage in scientific inquiry at the same time. With oobleck dripping from their hands, smiles stretched across their faces, and lightbulbs lighting up as their minds participated in active learning, I would say that our experiment was a success! By the end of the lesson, the students asked me a new question, "Teacher Amanda, can we do an experiment again tomorrow?!" What a delight it is to share my love of science with these young, bright, eager minds!

Well, this was the day I had been waiting for, the first all-school activity I was in charge of (along with Teacher Cora) in my new job as a teacher at CCHS.  Teacher Cora and I were the facilitators of the Reading Challenge Kick-off, a contest that runs for six weeks to see how much everyone can read.  The activity started with a prayer followed by a video presentation. Next was a short skit that really made me nervous. It was not easy to talk in front of the students since it was my first time to be in charge. 

As the skit started, the students were wondering where I was going because I was carrying a bag.  I pretended I had come from the library after borrowing books.  Teacher Cora asked questions about the books I had “borrowed.”  Some of the kids were laughing and cheering.  I was still pretty nervous.  Then all the teachers started singing a rehearsed song, “I Love Reading.”  The students joined in dancing and singing the song. 

Following the skit, each reading teacher announced the reading goals for the different classes.  The students were mostly excited and a bit nervous themselves about meeting the goals.  Games of “What’s the Word?” and “What’s Missing?” topped off the activities.  The kids had to think hard and work together.

The event ended with lots of smiles on the kids’ faces.  They showed their willingness to learn, read, discover and broaden their imagination through reading. They were ready to dive into reading good books!  Reading more will help in shaping their futures.

If you read Peter Arneson’s past blog about the Therapy Department, you will remember that we were in the process of taking out the Jacuzzi inside the therapy room.  Uncle Jerry was taking a warm dip in the picture in the blog.

Well, we have removed the Jacuzzi and replaced it with more shelves.  We also have new carpeting!  During the process of remodeling, I contemplated putting in a sensory wall and a climbing wall for the benefit of most of the kids we service.  With the help of Uncle Jerry’s team, we were able to put up a climbing wall and a sensory wall.  The sensory wall consists of four panels: textures, gadgets, magnets and falling objects.

Some of the kids are already enjoying the new digs! Take a look at our new therapy room.

Kind of a weird title for a blog I know, but it is something that I have been thinking about lately. 

We had one of our CSC KIDS return for a visit last week.  He is now 19 years old; he left CSC when he was about 19 months old.  When we told his house parents and his caretakers that he was coming back to visit they all were excited to see him of course…no one is forgotten at CSC.  One of the first things they talked about was his birthmark; he had a birthmark on one of his legs below the knee.  They remembered him of course, but his birthmark was something that was special to him. 

When he arrived we were all excited to see him, we recognized his smile and could see that little baby face that we remembered in the face of the young man with a mustache before us.  We all glanced at his leg and did not see the birthmark we remembered so well…was this really our little guy?  Finally, someone could not hold it in any longer; they asked him where his birthmark was.  I wondered how he would handle that question; but he stood up, put his foot up on the chair, and pointed out a barely discernible scar right where we knew his birth mark should be.  He explained that he had his birthmark removed when he was young because he did not like that people always noticed it.  He thought it was wonderful that we remembered though, it brought a big smile to his face that we remembered something that was specific and individual to him.  It gave him something positive out of something that he thought was negative.  He almost seemed proud to show us the scar, he knew it was part of his identity, and the fact that we remembered proved to him that we DID remember him as an individual.  

This little event made me think  about  the” birthmark”  that many of us  have, one  that should be obvious for one and all to see.  Do we let people see the “birthmark” that we have from our second birth; our birth into God’s family?  This “birthmark” would be visible in our actions, our words, even our thoughts.  I wonder if some of us would like to hide it and remove it.  I wonder if some of us are embarrassed about it.  I am sure that I have thought of doing all those things at different points in my life.  Nevertheless, in the end, we know that this “birthmark” is the best thing we have ever been given.  We can be proud of it and we need to show it to the world.  I love birthmarks.