One Thing They Don't Tell You

One thing they don't tell you when you're studying to become a teacher is that one of your students will be arrested and charged with first degree murder, and when you find out, all you can think is, “Him? No. That can’t be right. He was a sweet kid. Always hung out in my class during lunch.” But you look it up, and it’s true.

And a few months later one of your students will be arrested for throwing bricks off an overpass, which is hilarious, but not really, because he was a bright kid, and now he's in jail too, and his life is ruined, and there’s nothing you can do.

And they don't tell you that one of your students will die in a tragic car accident - two years after surviving cancer, three days before receiving his diploma - and you’ll cry on the way to school, but you’ll put on a brave face before walking into the building because being a teacher means pulling it together for the students that need you.

Being a teacher means spending your whole Christmas break worried about a student who always wanted to join the military until he found out that he can't join the military because his parents brought him to this country illegally when he was a baby, and he is so upset that he skipped class and sat in your room during your planning period, saying nothing for ninety minutes because Latino men don't cry.

Being a teacher means holding your student while she weeps after her grandma died, and you cry a little too because she's sad, but also because when she broke down in math class and they asked her what she needed, she said you.

One thing they tell you when you’re studying to be a teacher is not to let your students hug you, no touching, a pat on the back is fine, a side hug if you need to, but not a true hug with both arms, it’s asking for trouble. But being a teacher means letting your students hug you anyway on the last day of school because they love you and you love them.

Various Updates and Miscellany

I have a new co-worker this year who is not a fan of the South. She hasn't ever come right out and said, "I hate living here," but she sure hints at it. I imagine that today, on the first day of our 2016 snowpocalypse, she's sitting at home, shaking her head about the South's extreme over-reaction to snow. I, on the other hand, may not be a true born-and-bred Southerner, but I sure know how to rock a snow day. Got milk, got bread, read a whole book in one day, and only left my bed today to pee and eat.

Michael complained at dinner that he had to work today, and I teased back, "You might make four times as much as me, but I get snow days!"

And now I will take this lazy day opportunity to update ye olde crusty blog on the recent happenings of the Peters Family Band.

Did I mention that we moved?

After six years of living downtown, Michael and I decided that it was time to move for the seventh time in our fourteen years of marriage, so we hired a realtor, made an offer on almost the first house we saw, and moved in over Thanksgiving break.

Besides unpacking boxes, we spent our Christmas break at Miriam's house in Philly with the whole Alley clan. We also stopped in Virginia to see Michael's brother John and his family.

Rylan turned eight right after we moved, which made his baptism kind of awkward. We held the baptism service in our new ward building, but pretty much the only people that attended were from our old ward plus my family, who drove down after Christmas. Still, it was a beautiful service, and I'm so proud of this big eight year old!

My wonderful sister planned and paid for a girl's weekend to Universal Studios. I am normally not a fan of amusement parks, but she was smart and bought us all fast passes. If I had to stand in line for an hour to ride a mediocre minute-long ride, I would have been mighty disappointed, but since the fast passes reduced the waiting time to about 10 minutes, those mediocre minute-long rides were awesome! A couple times, we got off, looked at each other, and said, "Let's do that one again!

Harry Potter World is cool, but way too crowded, even in January. The rest of the park, though, was relatively empty and has these cool simulation rides that I found fascinating. It's crazy how they can trick your brain into thinking you're moving.

And that brings us up to date! Happy snow day!

50 Books Challenge in 2015

I'm continuing to challenge myself to read 50 books a year. Since I started working, it gets harder and harder to find time to read, so I didn't quite make it to 50 this year (only 46). Still, I keep trying!

Usually as part of my challenge, I pick an author to read in-depth, but this year, my reading habits were more sporadic and very YA focused.

I read three Brandon Sanderson books, and finally found one that I really liked:

• The Rithmatist *****
• Firefight ****
• Steelheart ***

Caught up on a ton of mediocre YA supernatural romance trilogies:

• Shiver ***
• Linger ***
• Forever ***

• The Gathering ***
• The Calling ***
• The Rising ** (wish I had not read the whole trilogy)

• Hush, Hush *** (learned my lesson from the last trilogy and didn't continue with the rest)

A couple of re-reads:

• The Westing Game *****
• Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes ****

Books I read for school:

• Of Mice and Men ****
• Out of the Dust ***
• Thirteen Reasons Why ***

Some non-fiction, particularly focused on professional development:

• Teach Like a Champion *****
• Hey Natalie Jean ****
• Grammar Keepers ****
• Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women's Local Impact ***
• Total Participation Techniques ***
• Reading Reasons ***
• Unbroken ** (hated this book!)

And the rest:

• The Golem and the Jinni *****
• The Wednesday Wars *****
• Tiny Sunbirds Far Away *****
• Stargirl ****
• The Story of Beautiful Girl ****
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian ****
• These Is My Words ****
• Code Name Verity ****
• The Language of Flowers ****
• The Shadow of the Wind ****
• The Thief Lord ****
• Big Little Lies ****
• Orphan Train ****
• Me Before You ****
• Ready Player One ***
• The Peach Keeper ***
• Poison ***
• The Boston Girl ***
• Little Mercies ***
• How to Build a Girl ***
• Virals ***
• Gilded ***
• The Search for WondLa ***
• Go Ask Alice **

Overall, it was a pretty good year for reading. Look at all those four or five star books! Here's hoping 2016 is as good!

Funny Facebook 2015

December 6, 2015 ·

All of our stuff is in boxes, we have no wifi, virtually camping out in the basement of our new house while the renovations are finished. Eli says, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish the weekend would be over so I can go back to school and have something to do."




October 29, 2015 ·

Cole: Stay out of it!
Eli: You were talking about me!
Cole: I was using you as evidence to support my point of view!
#sonofanenglishteacher




October 28, 2015 ·

Me: Who should I invite to my birthday party?
Rylan: Ms. Leonard? (His school teacher)
Me: Ms. Leonard isn't my friend.
Rylan: Mom. Anyone can be your friend.




September 21, 2015 ·

Me: "Stop using so much sour cream. It's a condiment, like catsup."
Boys: "What did you call it?"
Me: "Catsup."
Boys: "It's ketchup. Do you also call it mastard? And Myricle Whip? And reliesh?"



June 30, 2015 ·

On Sunday, we had the missionaries over for dinner. Cole kept interrupting their lesson to talk about cookies, so I whispered, "Stop making irrelevant comments." He whispered back, "Cookies are always relevant."




May 14, 2015 ·

Explaining why he's not embarrassed to be in a ballet elective at school, Rylan said, "I'm trying to show that there are no such things as boy things and girl things...except for vaginas."




April 21, 2015 ·

Cole: I am maturer than you.
Eli: Well at least I'm betterer at grammarer.



April 14, 2015 ·

Cole: Why does Uranus have rings?
Eli: My anus doesn't.



March 26, 2015 ·

The doctor suggested to Cole that he give up video games to get over his insomnia. Cole said he'd rather just be tired.




March 23, 2015 ·

Rylan: What's in the soup?
Me: Peppers, tomatoes, corn
Rylan: I don't like any of those things!
Me: I know. I put them in to torture you.
Rylan: Well then I'm going to torture you by not eating them.




February 18, 2015 ·

Cole: Rylan, why do you have to burp all the time? I never burp.
Eli: Yeah, and I haven't farted since 1987.




January 19, 2015 ·

Me: I need to buy you a messkit for camping?
Cole: You need to buy me a musket?

January 9, 2015 ·

Me: Common Sense Media gives the movie a 9+, so I guess we better wait until Rylan is a little older.
Eli: Does it have shooting in it or something?
Me: No, I think kissing.
Eli: Eew. Then it's not appropriate for any of us.

Kitchen Overhaul

BEFORE








AFTER

We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet

A few years ago, I texted my grandma during conference, "I'm singing 'We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet' and thinking of you!"

My grandma texted back, "My favorite song! I'm so thankful for a prophet!"

She's a convert to the Church and has told me that prophets were one of the main reasons she decided to be baptized. It didn't make sense to her that there would be prophets in ancient times but not modern times. Why would God speak to people then but not now?

It seems like a testimony of a prophet has been under attack a lot lately. Maybe it's just that I'm older now and more aware of it, but it seems like every few months I get on Facebook and discover yet another reason the Church is being scrutinized or attacked for something some General Authority, past or present, said or did.

It seems like so many people are finding more and more reasons to say, "They were wrong about that, and they're wrong about this, and they're wrong about this, and now I'm not sure I can believe anything they say. And I have a testimony of some things, but I don't want to follow the prophet. And I want to be a Mormon, but I want to do it my way, not theirs."

I find this such a hard line to walk because for me, it boils down to this: Either there are prophets, or there is nothing. Either God speaks to people now just as he did then, or he doesn't exist at all. Either God has a plan for me, a purpose beyond this life, and has prepared a way for me to receive direction and understanding about that plan, or none of it is true.

I have had too many sacred experiences that confirm for me the existence of God. And so I believe in prophets.

And yet, I don't believe that prophets are perfect men. I don't believe in papal infallibility. I think mistakes have been made in the past. And once you admit that mistakes have been made, it opens up the flood gates of doubt...If they were wrong about that, what else are they wrong about?

This week, I have been mourning with those that mourn. For some reason, today has been especially hard to the point that I have been slightly on the verge of tears all morning. I think it may be because I went to a Relief Society meeting last night where several women opened up about the struggles they've had to endure and continue to endure with their mental health, and I left the meeting wondering, as I've often wondered before, why has my life been so easy?

Why have I had to struggle so little when so many people have lifelong challenges to endure? Why do some of us get off so easy? Shouldn't the challenges and struggles be more evenly distributed? It isn't fair.

I think often about the challenges that my children may have to face in the future. I wonder what burdens they will have to bear in their lives. I worry about this line in the sand that has been drawn: Do you follow the prophet? And I am sad for the sacrifices they may have to make if the answer is yes.

I mourn this line in the sand.

And so I have been mourning with those that mourn, walking around on the verge of tears, reminding myself...God speaks to prophets now just as he did then. And also, we believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

My favorite holiday!*

*As Cole would say, that is verbal irony.

Here are this year's trick-or-treaters:



The Mormon Missionary


The Zombie


The 10th Doctor


While we were out trick-or-treating, the 10th Doctor found his Tardis.



The boys got their first taste of suburban trick-or-treating (which I guess makes us terrible parents since this is likely Cole's last year going trick-or-treating). Some friends invited us down to Holly Springs to trick or treat in their neighborhood. By the time we were done, the boys' pumpkins were overflowing, and they were so tired that we actually passed a bunch of candy-giving houses on the way back to our friends' house.
Several of the houses went all out on the decorating, and some had these cool screens in their windows. I could almost be sold on Halloween decorating if I had one of these screens.