BUT I got to go with the Junior Highers to camp last week, and it was also an awesome experience with them. I was given the opportunity to develop relationships with my kids that go beyond the classroom. Sometimes it can get frustrating to be in the classroom environment when I want to get to know my kids on a deeper level. ALSO the yellow team (my team) won the team competitions. Here are some photos of the week taken by our official photographer, Haeun.
Boys playing the "don't touch the trashcan, but make everyone else touch it" game (don't remember the name)
Having to do math at camp exhausts me: counting up different colored balls we made in order to count up our points :)
Middle School worship is always an interesting and fun experience. I was able to lead with other High Schoolers and an awesome friend, Ally Lee.
The winning team: The Cheesus Freaks. We were a team of superheroes that all had to do with Cheese. I was Cheese Momma. Tayo (center) was The Big Cheese. Others were Cheesecake, Cheesy Boy, String Cheese, Cheese it, and Cheezito....it was a lot of fun.
watergun Dodgeball. The Big Cheese beating down the blue team! :)
The awesome High school Leaders that did such an excellent job! :)
As I look at my time here and consider what (specifically in teaching) my biggest struggles are it is drawing that teacher-student relationship line in the sand. Finding the boundaries and learning how to uphold those boundaries. There is such a fine line that, because of my lack of experience as a teacher, is so fine that I cannot fully see it. This week was a hard one in Middle School because of that new development in my relationships with my students. Some of my students understand the environmental changes and how they need to respect me; while others cannot seem to grasp that concept.
I had to discipline many students this week because I almost had to reestablish that student-teacher relationship. I had to make it clear that I am no longer their camp-counselor that is super competitive and will stay up until all hours painting nails, eating junk food and chatting about anything and everything. Then I realized, I don't want both. I want either of those dynamics when ministering to youth. I don't like having to balance both, having to remind myself which role I'm fulfilling at which time. I'd much rather stay in camp-mode OR teacher mode.
I think God is showing me a lot about how to not only establish boundaries, but also to stick to those boundaries both in my personal and professional lives. The hard thing that comes is that a lot of my students show up in both of those parts of my life. Those students that are part of the missionary life as well as the teaching life. The ones that are allowed to call me Rachel outside of school and are forced to call me Miss Gentry at school. The ones that I mentor, but also have to discipline in my classroom. I get confused sometimes, so I can't even imagine how they must feel.
All that to say: I'd like to stick to one type of role, and I'm seeing that I like camp-mode so much better than teacher-mode. Maybe that's telling me something about my eventual future. Hopefully God will show me what the next step after this adventure is that will lead me to serve where and how He has designed me to serve.
Continually Seeking His Will & Waiting Patiently for Direction..
--
Rachel
{prayer requests}
- Praise that CAMP was a success!
- Seussical the Musical:
- I have been asked to be in charge of the soloist and ensemble in the musical at the SCCLC this Spring. I'm fighting a whole bunch of feelings of inadequacy, and I could use prayer for God to show up in me and through me as I lead the kids in the musical.
- Pray for Emily Barlow as she is directing the whole show and is going to need a lot of guidance from God through the entire quarter.
- MSCrew
- Pray for the kids in MSCrew: Grace, Shekinah, Benji, Luke, Lucas, and Heyli. I'm really impressed and excited that they are committing to be leaders at the SCCLC.
- Pray for myself as I lead them through this semester and learn how to disciple others. Pray that I will be discipling them well.
- Pray as this year is on the down-swing, that the students (and I) will adjust to change as I prepare to leave.
- Discipleship
- PRAISE God that I have started to be mentored by co-missionary and dear friend, Johanna. This is a HUGE answer to prayer, and I am anxious to see how God uses myself in her life, and how we build eachother up in the Lord.
- Pray for her as she listens, and guides me in my struggles, but also for me that I am honoring God through our conversations--and that I am able to be transparent: something that is a struggle and challenge for me.
