"Remember, remember, the 5th of November" - V

And you thought I was done there .... HA! Haha! It wasn't even my birthday yet! :)

Meet Thursday morning. November 5th:

5:30-freaking-am. Sitting down with a bowl of every-morning-routinely-grain-cereal and a flinstone vitamin. Emma creeps down the hallway like her usual sneaky silent self. "Goodmorning! Happy birthday!" All the thoughts going through my head in one split second: "O.M.G. What are you doing up?? What day is it?? It's my birthday?? Why are you awake? Why are you so peppy and happy? What is going on? Emma? Is that you? Huuuuuhhhh?????" I was too caught off guard to thank my wonderful roomy enough for getting my day off to a special start. She's too good to me :)

Lynchburg city schools are different from anything I have seen in Minnesota districts. They have periods 1 - 7, but 1st period is optional. So the really devoted and high achieving students take on early morning, 7am, bright and ridiculous, 1st period classes. I was also voted a teacher to wake up with the crazies. So, I pull in to school at about...6:55am. School begins at 7am. By the time I round the corner and come to my door, twenty-seven early morning faces are there to greet me and wait for me to key the door open and let them in.

These are not your regular students. I pull in with a morning voice, unwoken eyes, and a thrown together hairdo. These students are yelling, joking, singing, dancing, wrestling, and laughing. I have never seen such awakeners in my life.

One day a student told me, "I'm really tired today," and proceeded to tackel another's backpack and turtle it (turn it inside out). Tired. Yea. Looks like it.

I love my first period students. It's not dead. It's not silent. We are very alive every morning. And I'd choose no better teens to start my day out with each weekday.

Also, they have this idea that I have ninja appearing skills because it is a long hallway that they never see me walking down and suddenly BAM I'm there at the door with my keys appearing in thin air. They think I have the ability to teleport and defeat the logic of physics. Really, I'm just short; this doesn't occur to them. Everyday: "Ms. BEICH! How do you DO that!? Where did you COME from! Seriously. No, for real. We've been staring at the hallway. We never looked away. That's CRAZY." Teachers are magical; what more is there to prove?

This particular day was a special day. It was a different day. I had forgotten to heed Vendetta's warning. :)

Instead of letting me morph into myself mid-hallway, they met me right in the corridors. I round the corner; "MS. BEICH!!!! (one mili-second pause) HAAAAAAPPY BIIIIRTHDAAAAY TO YOOOOOOU!!!!!!! HAAAAAAPPY BIIIIIRTHHH...." My boys chase me down the WHOLE length of the hallway, screaming my birthday song at the top of their lungs. I was bright red and shaking my head, but I have never felt so important in my life. I'd choose to hear my birthday song from no other. My heart melted.

Upon entering the classroom, they set right to work on decorating the board with a large birthday cake and sign and all in the 5-minutes before the bell rang when I held to "I appreciate you all, but in your seats or tardy!" They did a fantastic job.

I couldn't love my school, my students, my life more.

All throughout the day students "Happy Birthday!"-ed when walking in the door frame to our artsy and bright classroom. Half of the periods were organized enough to all sing the song in unison during journal time. I was sure to return a "Thank-you, name!" to every special student who made my day so incredible.

What a life I have.

Birthday Extravaganzas

I received everything I could ever want for my birthday this year (except for receiving no call from my family...).

I have been so caught up in lesson plans, grading, organizing, parent emailing, instructing, and reflecting that I had not felt birthday-ish at all. We celebrated graduation/birthday before I left for Virginia this July at our last family get together, so I knew to expect nothing for my birthday. Therefore, ignoring it and forgetting about it was an appropriate reaction.

Unlike my family and me, however, others did not forget.

I was late to youth group and in a "go-go-go!" mood all Wednesday (4th), but when I got there and following our initial song and dance time, they said, "Alright, form a circle! Kate! Step on in!" Evidenced by my "B.A." bruised up album on facebook, they call me to be the leader to do all the crazy volunteer stuff anyway, so I said, "What am I doing!?" all excited to jump into the game or challenge or whatever they threw into my face. I trust them. It's usually something sticky ... licking lifesavers and seeing how many you can stick to your face in a minute ... or something scary ... standing on a table and jumping into the arms of the students and leaders to catch me ... or something adventurous ... climbing up waterfalls and sliding back down ... or something downright goofy ... pretending to pick my nose and then flicking it off onto the junior highers ... so nothing surprises me anymore (so I thought).

But they did catch me off my guard. It was my birthday ... who knew!?!

The goal was to scream-sing "Happy Birthday" as nasty and loud and annoying as they all could, while getting as "all up in my face" as possible and doing a mosh pit around me, pushing and shoving me into everyone. It was PERFECT. A mosh pit, my students, and loud-crazy voices. What more could I ask for?

I left content, nothing could beat that for a birthday present. Oh, the love! And my birthday wasn't even until the NEXT day - and they remembered! I didn't even say a THING! Wow. I'm blessed.

Still here! Still alive! Still absolutely, irrevocably in love with each and every one of my students!

(No internet at our place...so it is hard to update. But lots to say! Stay tuned...) :)

Miss him :)

"I'm going to be up all night finishing this senior seminar paper."
"Want to go to Shydes?"

You're on my side, right? I didn't deserve this, right?

Student A

And back in the 1600's they couldn't dance; they didn't have music. Do you think they could date? No. Marriage was a business contract. If I had a daughter and Cameron is my neighbor and he had a son, we'd meet up and say, "Hey - lets marry off our children and then our families would own all this land together." So marriages were arranged, and not for love...





"Aw! So you's-ayin' my woman could be butt ugly!"

a season of want

It's just a phase

Time will tell

It's Friday, but Sunday is coming

And so it goes

It's crazy how this life unfolds

A missed pill

Nothing in life is static

How much time can show




Here's hoping we can be renewed

Someone wise once said, 'If you don't have peace, don't move forward."



...does crazy anticipation count as peace???

Psalm 57

I never believed people before or realized until this year how important it is for you to find yourself as a person before beginning a relationship. This year I became my own individual: I have a job, I am responsible, I clean my own toilet, I make my own means, I have my own bedtime, this is the kind of music I enjoy, this is what I do for fun, these are my ministries, these are the days I run and work out, this is what I believe, these are my friends, this is who I am. I am established. I have my own life and now I have something that I can invite someone into. In college, you have no idea what you want your life to look like or where you'll be. I had no idea if I would be teaching, working in the hotel business, sitting at home depressed :), continuing on for a masters, going to Bible school in England - whatever! If I had a boyfriend before now, he would have shaped me into being his life -- I would be but a shadow, a follower, a leech.

This is me. This is what I do. If you want to fit into a part of that, feel free. Let's do it.

I love the fact that I am here making my own meals, dancing around to my own music in my own house that I paid for with my own money. I love the fact that by the time a boy weasels his own way in, I will have my own pots and pans, fly-swatter, vacuum, stereo, everything. I have something to offer -- something to give.

I know that I have established myself as an individual that gives to the surrounding community. My students know me and like me. My parents trust me with their children. My pastor supports me and is proud of me. My hip-hop team laughs with me (and teaches me how to move!). I have friends, I have interests, I have admiration from my community that I have a place in. And I would expect the same from any man I would choose to date; it is the number one clue into who you are getting involved with if they are known and respected in the community.

I love the fact that I know who I am and that he will too before he commits to cherishing me.





I am confident that the Lord will fulfill his plans for me.

Lover, love me.

Healer, heal me.
Lover, love me.

Cause I'm so tired of living for the kind of love that only lasts for a while.

The pain. The shame.

So I fall on my knees to get back on my feet again. and I cry out for you - would you please speak to me.

Healer, heal me.
Lover, love me.

Cause I'm so tired of living for the kind of love that only comes and goes.

But your love. Your love lasts forever.

I am the one who's been forgiven much.

You ever just get blown away with God's love?

The My Epic concert last night was phenomenal. Passionate screaming out, making sense of this life. When the music would die out and a tiny, packed, sweaty, stinky room full of men and women crowded in together would continue to sing on with the lyrics, I would stop and close my eyes. I wanted to hug every single one of those people...my brothers, my sisters. I get so excited for heaven some days. The music will be incredible. The concerts phenomenal. The crowds packed in. We'll all be together - we won't be missing Andy.

I had Tom on one side and Kavin on the other. Watching those boys worship was a blessing to me. I can't believe we all get to carry on like that forever. It'll never grow old. We'll be beside each other forever.

Teachers Show Up To Work...No Matter What

Apparently it takes two days for a goose egg to fully bruise over. Today I am a raccoon...and I thought the worst was over. This is also accompanied by a new swollen lip from falling over in the porch swing with two other beautiful girls: a hilarious moment that I would not take back. Since breakfast is not going down easily this morning without blood interfering, I get these additional moments to blog my thoughts. ...And to prepare for a whole day of brutal teaching.

It's a Calling

4 outta 5 hyped up days: not too bad 'a ratio.

I learned today the importance of accepting bad days. They come.
Some days my students are not going to listen to me or get stuff done. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I came home stoked. I love my ghettolicious school, my crazy students, and the diversity in my classroom. Thursday I came home wanting to cry: I failed them. I lost my patience, got frustrated, and looked down on them. I failed them. They dished me attitude and I dished them defense. We got nowhere. I wondered how such a change could happen over night. The beginning of the week, I never wanted to leave. Thursday - I was checking 'easy' schools for openings. Where did I go wrong?

I have three sections of advanced students that love school, love English, and love the material enough to listen up when I give them information via lecture, discussion, or another method. I have two sections of students that the world has given up on.

Example 1:

Student - "Don't worry about it."
- "I am worried about you. I want you to pass this class."
Student - "Hellll yea, I like the sound 'a that!"
(peer laughs)
Student - "What?! Most teachers don't care if you pass or not."

I have students telling me they are stupid. They can't get it done on time so what is the point in trying. They don't get it. My class is gay. They hate teachers. They don't want to be there. They don't like me. This is shit. Why can't I give them the answers. They hate english.

Yesterday, I told myself: "These students don't want to work; we'll never get anything done. They'll fail their SOL tests. They won't listen to me. We just spent 45 minutes logging on to computers and not going to a single website. They aren't doing anything. I can't get them to move. This is pointless. Where are the students who want to try." I gave up on them. I looked at a student who gave me attitude and told myself "I can't make her do this. I hate this defiant and lazy class." I judged her and formed a picture of who she was in my head: the pygmalion effect at its best.

Today in the computer lab, doing the same exact instructions that were given yesterday, I got to the heart of it. This student was confused and discouraged. I helped her find a website and gave her a pep talk on how much I believe she could do a decent job on this and score herself some points, and she began...

Some days these students will not be pushed. Some days they have had it. Thursday we went to the lab and nobody touched the mouse unless I was right above them (and I can't be above every single student at every single moment! we need smaller class sizes!). Today was no different in my part, but I connected with every student and they DID IT. They worked, they succeeded. We got our timeline project done in one day - we pushed hard.

Some days are just bad days. Period.

You Are The Lifter Of My Head

I have enjoyed my summer in Virginia so much that the start of a school year tomorrow makes for a bitter-sweet time. Nothing beats 20 hours of work mixed with 90 hours of play, yet I was called to teach and I am excited to begin the crazy, stressful, painful, hilarious, tender, challenging, ridiculous, phenomenal, incredible school year. So many friendships are just beginning to blossom, and I fear regression after so much progress. My life for the next five months is: school, work, sleep, school, work, sleep, school, youth, sleep, school, work, sleep, school, work, sleep, WEEKEND (of papers and resting)!!! school, work, sleep, repeat. The days will begin to fly by. My patience will be tested and my time with the Lord tried. The guitar practices will skimp up. Books will take longer to get through. ...And, lives will be touched.


Tonight the Lord blessed me on my way home from youth. I was fighting my way through a mess of emotions and thoughts and sighed as I rested my head back against the headrest at a stop light. It was not a bad night, but fears and disappointments and failures were catching up with me. When in my peripheral vision, I caught sight of frantic movement. My head was lifted to the sight of two of my wonderful youth group students: one going into 7th grade and another moving up with the high schoolers entering 9th grade. These boys had their entire bodies leaning out the window, grinning ear to ear, and were waving like maniacs in attempts to get my attention. I looked over and couldn't help but beam. Their dad was driving them home from youth and also glanced over to smile approvingly at me. I waved back, silently thanking God for blessing me with this encouragement and wishing these boys knew how deeply and irrevocably that I love them. What better way for a teacher to begin a year?




This is what makes it all worth it. This is why we do what we do. This is what we work for.

You know you're getting old when...

Saturday I am devoting the entire afternoon to going through billions upon billions of pages of facebook-ness and deleting my life to make it "pg" rated for my students/employers. Awh, the secret life of a teacher. ;)