"Home Away from Home"coming!

Last weekend, many fellow Grove City College graduates returned to campus for Homecoming Weekend.  For some, it was their first year as an "alum," having just graduated in the spring, while others were celebrating milestones, such as 40th or 50th reunions.

Sometimes living thousands of miles away from my hometown and college campus feels like only a few minutes - when I'm on Face Time with my parents, talking on the phone with Grandma, or texting with friends.  It's like I'm just around the corner.  Other times, the miles seem to multiply and the familiar seems so very far away.

In order to bridge the gap from here to Pennsylvania, I gathered with GCC friends for our own "Home away from home"coming.  Of course, we all wore GCC gear...

We also made our own omelets, just like the ones Sherry made us in MAP Cafe!  (Okay, ours definitely did NOT turn out as nice as Sherry's, but they tasted good!)

Our long-distance homecoming even made it to the real celebration in PA!  We sent a photo for the RA booth, since all four of us were RAs while in college.

Thanks for a great time, Amanda, Rachel, and Hannah!  To our fellow Grovers, come join us at BFA! :)

Month at a Glance: October

Can you believe it's already October!  It's cliche, but these days and weeks just seem to fly by.  Here is a glimpse at what is ahead in the coming month:

October 3:  No school for German Unification Day
October 5-6:  Holzen Art Festival (local village festival)
October 7:  GCC Homecoming Away from Home (celebrating homecoming with the other Grovers here at BFA)
October 9:  Middle School Picture Day
October 11:  Operation Christmas Child Kick-Off
October 17:  My student teacher arrives in Germany!
October 18:  Middle School Fall Party
October 19:  Volleyball, tennis, and cross-country teams "home"
October 25-26:  Middle Level Teachers Conference in Zurich
October 31:  Herbstmesse (fall festival in Basel)

I'm very much looking forward to having a student teacher, Dana Schnitzel, join me in my classes until mid-December!  Dana is originally from eastern Pennsylvania like me - and even goes to college less than an hour from my alma mater.  Small world!  We had the opportunity to meet for coffee this summer, and I'm excited to work alongside Dana.  She will gradually take over each of my classes as she eases into life at BFA.  I was in Dana's place not too long ago...  What a privilege to have this opportunity to invest in a pre-service teacher and share the uniqueness of BFA with her!  I'd appreciate your prayers for wisdom for me as I prepare for Dana's arrival and host her for the next two months.

In addition to the special events listed above, I'm settling into some weekly routines.  Every Monday night is devoted to small group time.  Since my girls are now seniors, we meet on a night different than the other groups and for a longer period of time.  We eat dinner together, often sharing lively conversations filled with laughter.  Our evening time is sometimes more "chill" (as the girls call it), with time to debrief the day and play games, while other weeks are more structured as we study Scripture, pray for specific requests, or get out and serve our community.  There are lots of ideas for what we'll do this year... stories and pictures to come!

The Six Traits

You might not know this about me, but I'm a little bit obsessed with the Six Traits.

Last year, I was introduced to the Six Traits of Writing, a framework for teaching quality writing... and instantly loved the catchy "VOICES" acronym and related writing strategies.  I began to implement these strategies in my classroom right away and yes, of course, I created a related Pinterest board.  Since then, I have read the official Six Traits book and researched how this model could help my middle school students become better writers.  

The Six Traits of Writing are voice (tone or style), organization (structure), ideas (content), conventions (mechanics), excellent word choice (using exciting words), and sentence fluency (rhythm and flow).  These writing focus areas have a prominent place on the bulletin board in my classroom, where I plan to post the strategies one by one throughout the year.

The Six Traits apply to the English classroom most obviously, but there are implications for each of the other subjects as students complete projects, write responsive or formal essays, and think critically about the content.  This Wednesday I presented a Six Traits professional development workshop for the middle school staff.  Most of the other middle school teachers aren't English instructors, so we focused on implementing the Six Traits across the curriculum.  It was a great time of sharing, brainstorming, and working on aligning our evaluations with the Six Traits.  I absolutely loved seeing my colleagues working together in content-area teams to discuss how they could see the Traits come alive in their classrooms.  I'm eager to see how the Six Traits continue to influence our teaching over the course of this school year!

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

After an introductory unit in Geography 7 that included a study of the seasons, we HAD to celebrate the Autumnal Equinox!  Basically, that means that this weekend marks the beginning of fall. :)

And since every good celebration involves food, so did ours!  Here are some snapshots of the students icing their circular sugar cookies - to represent the sun and the earth, the key players in the equinox.

We're off to a yummy start to the school year!

Month at a Glance: September

The September days are flying by - we are already halfway through the month and the days are beginning to feel more and more like fall!

Here's September at a glance:

September 2:  New student orientation
September 3:  Opening ceremony and first day of school!
September 9:  Parent Teacher Fellowship
September 16-20:  Spiritual Emphasis Week
September 17:  "Chrysalis" (middle school) and HS small groups begin
September 18:  First-ever Impact Day (service to our local community)
September 20:  Middle School "Grillin'" (barbecue and games)
September 21-22:  Pottery market in town
September 22:  Basel "Run to the Beat" Race - I'm running a 10K!
September 23:  English 6 class begins reading Number the Stars

More stories and pictures to come.  Thanks for praying!

Back into the Swing of Things!

Three weeks ago, I arrived back in Germany to my new apartment (empty), my classroom (packed with my apartment stuff), and a lot of work ahead!  It has been a busy three weeks of moving and setting up the apartment... on top of spending time with new and old friends, lesson planning, and beginning the school year.  I'm so blessed by the willingness of others to help with our move and offer encouragement in the beginning of this new school year.

Thanks, friends, for your patience in hearing from me again!  In the midst of all of this transition, our phone and internet service was accidentally cancelled - twice.  Hopefully, that will be working again in the next few days, so then I will be able to update you more often.

I so appreciate your prayers for the beginning of this year as I continue to figure out my weekly routine, establish connection with new students and co-workers, and seek new opportunities God provides for me this year.

As our Academic Dean said during All-Staff Conference: "We can expect great things from God, but we can't expect Him to do exactly the same great things."  I'm filled with anticipation thinking about what He might do this year - and trusting that He will work in His way and His timing!

BFA Opening Ceremony (You can find my friend's blog about it here)

Delivering poppyseed muffins to our new German neighbors!

New apartment from the outside! 

Thanks a "latte" for your prayers!

This summer, I had the opportunity to share with many of you some highlights of the past year.  I am so blessed by your encouraging words, uplifting emails, and genuine interest in what God is doing at BFA.

As promised, here are some prayer requests for my students and me.  I'd so appreciate your prayers in the coming weeks as we begin the new school year on September 3!

Students ask you to pray that...
- They have safe travels back to Germany in two weeks
- Their transition from middle school to high school goes smoothly
- New students feel welcome
- Dorm students would communicate well with parents
- Departing students transition well into new schools/colleges
- They would have wisdom in the college application process
- Seniors lead well and set a good example for underclassmen
- They would all continue walking closely with Jesus

And I'd appreciate your prayers for...
- Safe travels back to Germany tonight
- A smooth move into my new apartment this week and making it "home"
- Unity for our new middle school staff team
- Creativity and energy as I prepare for the coming school year

It's hard to believe that I'll be in Germany only 24 hours from now!  I give thanks to God for a wonderful summer in the States.

Thinking about giving?

Now's the time!  I head back to Germany in just over a week, and I'm still looking for people to partner with me financially.

Would you consider joining the team by making a monthly pledge or a special donation in the next few days?

Every bit counts!  You can give using this form.  Your contribution means so much to me and will greatly impact the lives of the missionary kids I serve.

Question & Answer Time

When are you going back?
Two weeks from today!  I leave late in the evening on Saturday, August 17, on an overnight flight.

Are you ready?
Yes and no... It's been a great summer of spending time with family and friends, and I'm very excited to see what the Lord does this year at BFA!  However, I'm still looking for people to join me as financial partners.  I'm short about $900 in monthly pledges.  I'd love it if YOU would prayerfully consider joining my support team.  You can fill out this form if you'd like to make a monthly pledge or a special gift.

What are you most looking forward to ?
This is a fun question to answer... so much!  Here are ten things in no particular order. :)

1.  Moving and settling into my new apartment with my roommate, Brittany
2.  Reconnecting with my middle schoolers and meeting new students
3.  Welcoming new BFA staff and connecting with the middle school team
4.  Growing professionally, as I teach many of the same classes this year
5.  Continuing with the same high school small group during their senior year
6.  Having a student teacher in my classroom from October-December
7.  Seeing German friends and visiting my favorite German cafe
8.  Reconnecting with my mentor and her wonderful family
9.  Opening my home to others more easily now that I live in town
10. Hearing many, many stories of God's faithfulness and provision!

Thanks for being a part of my story of how God provides!  He uses people like you to make it possible for me to continue serving overseas.  If you'd like to know more about what I'm doing in Germany, let's get together in the next two weeks!

An Amazing Race

After a lot of traveling earlier in the summer, I am ready to make my parents' house in PA my home base for the rest of the summer.  I shared this with my home church, Grace Point, this past week...

One thing that makes BFA Middle School unique is our Experiential Learning Week (ELW): one week without regular classes dedicated especially to hands-on, outside-the-classroom-walls learning.  The theme for sixth grade ELW was "The Amazing Race," based on the popular TV show in which contestants follow clues to destinations around the world where they compete in a variety of challenges.  The winning pair receives a $1 million prize!

No, we didn't offer the six graders a cash prize.  But, they did learn a lot at ELW, from international cooking to outdoor skills!

I also like to think of my time at BFA as an "amazing race," since there are always new adventures around the corner!  As God calls me into unknown territory with Him, I want to continually embrace these new opportunities to learn and grow.

You know, this "amazing race" is one that we all can run from wherever we are in the world.  I'm encouraged by many who run this race alongside me at BFA, as well as my wonderful "home team" of friends and family who run with perseverance in their own jobs, classes, ministries, etc.  It's all for His glory.

And the best part is this: Our prize is eternal!

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own... I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 3:12, 14

"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  Hebrews 12:1


To my friends and family stateside, keep running the race He's called YOU to with perseverance and faithfulness!  You are an inspiration and a blessing.

To my friends raising support and preparing for another year at BFA, know that I'm honored to be running this race alongside you!