TAKS woes

I hate TAKS! No, I don't mean tacks, although you could probably make some valid "points" of comparison. Or taxes, even though I'm not fond of them, either! I mean Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

Back in the day, when I was a blissfully ignorant homeschooler, I didn't know just how much TAKS drives the day-to-day events of public schools. At first it was just a benchmark (practice test) here and there. Now, closer to the dates of the actual TAKS testings, the benchmarks get harder and closer together. This week we will have to start additional tutoring for those who did not have passing grades on their benchmarks so that they will have a better chance of passing the TAKS. I'm even going to do some high school math tutoring. (My Campus Director thinks I should get my teaching certification.)

Those who criticize schools for just teaching to the TAKS tests do not realize the pressure schools are under because of the TAKS. Mind you, I don't like teaching to the TAKS either. However, schools and teachers are evaluated based on the percentages of passing students. If the school does not get an acceptable rating, the state can put a full-time monitor into the school (that the school has to pay for) and possibly close the school if improvements are not made.

Sometimes I wish I were a blissfully ignorant homeschooler again!

As for the rest of life: I'm feeling quite a bit better. Hopefully my throat will hold out tomorrow as I sing at church. No more news on the job front. And I haven't made soap yet. The diet is going o.k., but I am cheating more frequently (just in small ways). The mission application is still in progress. No news from Agape Flights on replacing their plane. Lunch still pretty much dominates my day at the school. And we have not made any progress on our online class.

I guess I'm just taking life one day at a time. Which isn't a bad perspective.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

-- Matthew 6:33-34 NLT

Surrender!

I thought it was going to be "Retreat!" but it ended up being "Surrender!"

The Women's Retreat was this weekend. I was really looking forward to it and had a couple of service opportunities that I was looking forward to. Plus, our new pastor's wife was our speaker. However, Thursday night I started feeling bad. By Friday morning, I knew I wouldn't be able to go. I even took off early from work -- as soon as I got my lunch duties finished! Oh, well. God knows best, and I'm sure there's a good reason why I needed to be home this weekend.

Mark & I worked on "cleaning" the fat today -- boiling in water the tallow we had rendered in order to get rid of more impurities. Someday it will be soap! I've also been checking out recipes and techniques online. As a side benefit of salvaging the scraps from mission meal, we also got several pounds of very fatty ground beef. We're going to mix it with some leaner ground beef we have or cook it and rinse it for use in spaghetti sauce or soup. Overall, our salvage was a blessing!

I got a call from my old project manager earlier this week. It looks like the end of the school year will work out better for his company to bring me on. He's still working on justifying my position. But he says he still wants to hire me. That would be good for me, since I don't know how much I'll work at the school over the summer. And if I'm not working, I'm not getting paid!

I'm getting tired of my weird diet, but I am losing weight. I think that generally I'm feeling better as well. Fortunately, I like the things I am allowed to eat. I have cheated a little, but I really try not to.

I got a very touching letter from my hubby for Valentines Day! I know it was a labor of love, as writing does not come easy for him. For me, it's not the pricey presents that count!

Sometimes I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels and not making much progress getting anywhere in life. But I know God is working in me and my family in subtle ways I can't always see. And when the time is right for a change of direction, He will make it apparent.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. -- Psalm 23:2-3a

Updates

Lunch only takes up 3/4 of my day now! Occasionally I get caught up. Frequently I get interrupted! Oh, the life of a school secretary.

I haven't heard from my previous project manager. Some days I'd take that job in a heartbeat. Others, I'm glad I'm at the school. I love the folks I work with -- at least most of them!

We're slowly making progress on the finances. Hopefully, March will be a little better. I'm also reading through a book a friend loaned me -- "Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey.

Mark is making progress on his Agape Flights application. In his defense, it is lengthy. I also saw online that another organization, Baptist Haiti Mission, needs a computer tech. Hmm...

We did the precooking today for Mission Meal today. The proceeds will go toward the Russia Team, who are providing most of the labor as well. The menu is barbecue brisket, baked beans, cole slaw and chocolate cake. Yummy!

BTW, the Russia Team is going to visit a sister church in Tula, about 100 miles south of Moscow. They will be doing a marriage conference, English classes, VBS for kids, computer classes and visiting in church member homes. My daughter is on the team. My hubby and I were, too, but we had to drop off due to work conflicts.

We brought home a bunch of fat trimmed off the brisket they are cooking for tomorrow's meal. My hubby is cutting off any meat and rendering the fat so we can use it to make soap. I've thought about making soap for a long time but just haven't done it yet. Our next step is to obtain a source for lye! Then we get to try our hand at it!

Let's do lunch! All day!

Lunch is dominating my life at work! Our charter school just opened a cafeteria and is serving a boxed breakfast and hot lunches. Guess who gets to handle all the accompanying paperwork and money flow? That would be me, the entire administrative staff at the school! By the end of the week, I actually got to where I could spend a few minutes on things not lunch-related. But I was glad to have an entire day to get out report cards on Friday! It was a teacher workday, totally devoted to report cards. That, coupled with 10 hours of overtime on Wednesday and Thursday nights, got our report cards out on time!

I had a visit with my former project manager. I was impressed that he started the conversation with an apology for how he treated me at the end of our time together at the former workplace. I was interested in what they were doing at this new company and wouldn't mind being a part of it. It is much more "start-up" than I expected. After a follow-up call, it sounds like he will pitch the idea of hiring me to the higher ups. Even if an offer comes around, I still will give it a lot of prayer and thought. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for me! And if I do leave the school before the year is out, I will make sure their transition will be as painless as possible. I would want them to hire a replacement and let me assist in training that person thoroughly. (Then they can un-train them when I leave!) It may be that I will finish out the school year and make a change, or stay with the school for years to come!

We have not submitted our applications to Agape Flights yet. Mark is still finishing up his. I just noticed information on their website about the loss of their plane. You can read about it here.

If you read my daughter's blog, you know this has been a challenging month for us. Sometimes it takes the challenges for us to be dependent on God for His provision. God revealed his provision through an unexpected gift that taught my daughter the humility of allowing others to bless you in your need. Yes, we have made mistakes and poor choices and will have to face the consequences thereof. But I do not regret that our children have had to learn that at times we must wait for things and make choices between needs and wants. Hopefully, they will be better prepared for life because of this.

A New (Year) Start

Today was my first day back to school as school secretary. It was a zoo! We enrolled 4 new students and had several calls inquiring about openings. If they all come, we'll be maxed out on enrollment!

It was hard getting back in the swing of things. I felt like I couldn't complete a task before getting interrupted. But it was good to see the teachers, the students, and my campus director again.

I had something unexpected happen today. My project manager from my previous employer called me to try to woo me to the new company where he is working. I'm not sure what to think. This is a company that was started by a very respected coworker at my previous place of employment. However, the guy that called is the same guy that, for all practical purposes, fired me a year and a half ago. I was a temp, so I wasn't really fired -- just "no longer needed". But since he bantered around words like "insubordination", it makes me wonder why he's after me now.

As I look back on that time, we were both put under a lot of stress by those above us. And it was a weird situation, as far as chain of command goes. He was my project manager but not my supervisor, and it was unclear who I actually supposed to report to. (If he's not your supervisor, is it insubordination?) He pushed me to cut corners, which I felt compromised the procedure, if not the product as well. I questioned him one too many times. However, before those last few months, we actually worked well together, and he elevated me to positions that stretched me and challenged me.

I'm also reminded of an old adage with a twist: Fire me once, shame on you; fire me twice, shame on me.

From another angle, the money was good, and the family made the best progress in recent years of retiring our debts. Since I lost that job, we have made negative progress in that regard. Money isn't everything, but it has been keeping us back from possibly pursuing missions.

Another important aspect is how this would impact the family. William is in school now. They have after school care for a very reasonable price, but we'd also have to work out getting him there every day at an acceptable time for all. I've also been spending lots of time working with him to get him to do his schoolwork in a timely fashion. Would I have that time at another job? It also has helped for me to be on campus and chatting with his teacher on a regular basis.

This phone call was so out of the blue that I know I need to mull it over a bit before I decide anything. And just because I investigate this new company doesn't mean I'll accept an offer. But this is one time that I wouldn't mind if God dropped down a billboard with directions!

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy your time with family and friends.
Enjoy the food and the gift-giving.
But don't forget the best and most expensive gift of all.

Please pray

I just got an e-mail from missionaries in Haiti. They use Agape Flights to supply their mail and package service. They received this news from Agape Flights:

There is no easy way to share this with you. Today (Friday, 12/21) on its return flight Agape's Caravan experienced an engine failure and ditched into the Caribbean off of Chub Cay near Abacco and not for from the US.

We ask you to share in praise to the Lord for the safety of Agape's crew Rocky and Paolo... I have just spoken to them and all is well...

Pray with us as we regroup... Please be assured we will persevere...

Please share this with other members of the Agape family, thank you...

God Bless,
Charlie (Gardner, Director of Agape Flights)

Please pray for Agape Flights. As far as I can tell, this is their only plane used for delivery service. They had just spent a lot of money to have the engine rebuilt this fall. This loss will impact the missionaries they serve in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Thanks for praying with me.