Rejection Hurts!!!

 

Okay, this is getting old. I just got another rejection for a credit card in the mail today.  Every time I apply for a credit card, I always get the same type of rejection response…because of no credit history. Well, duh, if I can’t get a credit card, how am I supposed to build my credit card history!!??? I realize it is important to build credit, and I have been trying to get one for awhile now. My debit card has been fine so far, but that doesn’t build up my credit.  I talked with my "financial specialist" at the bank, and she advised to apply for credit cards at local stores. She said that usually it is easier to get a credit card through them then through a bank. Well, hahahahahaha! So far I applied for a Wal-Mart credit card and an Amazon.com Visa card (two places I shop quite frequently ) and was REJECTED yet again. So anyway, this blog entry is not just a way for me to vent my frustration, but it is also a plea for help and advice. I am willing to listen to any ideas any of you might have. Right now, I am basically stumped as to why I have been rejected like this . Obviously, some of you have probably gotten credit cards, and I am just curious how you went about it. If you could either leave me a comment or email me at andyfollett15@hotmail.com, it would be GREATLY appreciated!!  Thanks!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

 

Reading group has really been a lot of fun. It has been so neat to see how well the children have begun to read. This past week I started them on a book that shows both cursive and manual words on the pages. Although they won’t be introduced to cursive for a long time, I know it is probably good for them to be familiar with what it looks like.

 

First day: Allen was looking at his book and he asked, "Miss Follett, why are all these words crooked?"

 

Second day: After finishing up in reading group, Emaline asked me – completely serious – "Miss Follett, when are you going to teach us curse words?"

 

 

 

 

Yep, out of the mouth of babes!! I would say one of the hardest things about being a kindergarten teacher is keeping a "serious" face when they come out with stuff like this!  Gotta love kids!

Trusting, not Caring

 

Every morning, I read out of this daily devotional book called God is Enough by Hannah Whitall Smith. She is an excellent author and I highly recommend her other book called The God of All Comfort. You can read an excerpt from that book here. Anyway, yesterday’s reading was really good, and because I work with young children a lot, it was such a blessing to me because it is so true!

 

What are the characteristics of a young child, and how does he live? He lives by faith, and his chief characteristic is freedom from care. His life is one long trust from year’s end to year’s end. He trusts his parents, he trusts his teachers; he sometimes even trusts people who are utterly unworthy of trust. And this trust is abudantly answered. The child provides nothing for himself, yet everything is provided. He takes no thought for the morrow and forms no plans, yet all his life is planned out for him, and he finds his paths made ready, opening out as he comes to them day by day and hour by hour. Who is the best cared for in every household? Isn’t it the children? And doesn’t the least of all, the helpless baby, receive the largest share? The baby doesn’t toil or spin, yet he is fed, clothed, loved, and rejoiced in more tenderly than the hardest worker. The life of faith, then, consists in just this – being a child in the Father’s house. This is enough to transform every weary, burdened life into one of blessedness and rest. Leaving yourselves in His hands, learn to be literally "careful for nothing," and you will find that the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep (as within a garrison) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6-7)

 

 

  

The Follett Restorante

 

Ever since 2000, the Follett Restorante has been in business nearly every Valentine’s Day weekend. It all started back when I got the BRILLIANT idea to turn our house into a restaurant for my parents’ anniversary. They had their own private dinner in the dining room, and we were their waiters and waitresses. Well, that got the creative juices flowing. My parents then decided to have Ron and Stacey Hammett over  and give them a special dinner at the "Follett Restorante." After enjoying that experience, my parents decided to expand our "restaurant" and invite more couples from church. The Hammetts were willing to be our assistants, so the creative juices began flowing even more. So, in 2000 we had our first experience with the Follett Restorante on Valentine’s Day weekend. Over the years, we have changed a few things (such as not having all the children in the basement for me to watch during the dinner ), but it has basically had the same idea. Every single room in our house is used. Tables are set up in our 3 bedrooms upstairs, and 2 tables are set up in my bedroom downstairs. Of course, the dining room is also used. This way, each couple gets their own private romantic dinner for FREE!  Every year we invite different couples, and it is neat to see their excited responses to this idea. Mrs. Hammett and I are normally the waitresses, which is a lot of fun, except for the fact that I have to carry plates of hot food down the steps without falling!  Normally, I ask for assistance!! After the dinner, the couples all gather in the livingroom for games and fellowship. Last night they played a game called "Name that Couple" where they write down 3 things about them as a couple, and the others have to guess who it is. There was definitely a lot of laughter as we discovered interesting things about each couple! Then, doing an acrostic with the word FINDETH from the Bible verse about "whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing" they discussed ways to enrich and strengthen marriage. It was interesting to hear…I got all sorts of tidbits for when, I mean if, I ever get married.  After that "serious" discussion was over, they played Bible Madgab. If you have ever played Madgab, you know how much fun it can be! Especially when you sound like you are reading gibberish until it finally "clicks" what the phrase actually means. It got pretty intense there for a bit between the two teams! We then all enjoyed some yummy desserts that all the ladies brought. After dessert, we had prayer time, and then I got a picture of each couple. Soon after that, the couples started to leave. Phew, what an evening it was!! It was definitely fun and tiring! One thing about having this "Follett Restorante" every year, each room in our house gets a thorough cleaning.  I think I spent most of the day working on my room….which tells you how "clean" I keep my room.  I like organization for everything else, but when it comes to my room, I need some extra encouragement!! However, when the job is complete, it makes me feel good.  So, now the Follett Restorante is officially closed till next year…maybe….don’t ask my mom about next year…she is still trying to recover from last night!! We shall see if our tradition continues on next year!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

On Tuesday and today, the children worked on their Valentine’s Day present for their Mom and Dad. I thought the picture frames turned out quite cute…although I am a bit prejudice.  Today was our first day having kindergarten on a Thursday. Normally, it is our day off. However, because of the weather yesterday, I decided to switch days. It turned out to be a rather good (and busy) day.

Today after school, I took Allen home. I got to chat with his Dad for a little bit while I was there. He has recently gotten home from being in the hospital for 9 days. It just seems like one thing after another thing has happened to that family. They were in India over Christmas and ended up having visa issues. As a result, they had to wait in the country a couple more days. When they finally got home, they all came down with this bacterial infection, which ended up causing Allen’s 2 year old brother to be in the hospital. All seemed to be well until last Monday, when Allen’s dad picked him up at school, I noticed he looked pretty sick and was burning up with fever. The next day, he ended up going in the hospital. He was finally released yesterday. Anyway, I said all that to say this…God had a purpose for this whole thing! During his stay at the hospital, Mr. Paul trusted Christ as his Saviour! It was so neat talking with him today and seeing how much he has changed. Although he is really weak, you can just see the peace and excitement on his face. It was just a great reminder to me that although we may not understand all that God does in our lives, or why He allows what seems like bad things to happen, there is always a purpose! A couple of Sunday mornings ago, Pastor gave us bookmarks about God’s promises to the born again Christian. The one I was lookng at today in my devotions was:

 

Being a Born-Again Christian, I am sure of God’s control! ~Romans 8:28 

My future is as bright as the promises of God!

A Time of Reflection

 

As I sit here enjoying my day off because of the ice and rain outside, I take a moment to reflect on this past week. I didn’t expect to have a day off today, and it kinda throws off my "schedule" but I am learning to be flexible  (it’s taking awhile though ) Now that I have rearranged my curriculum plans for next week, I can finally sit here and relax .

 

As I am now halfway through my first year teaching, I am just amazed at how fast it has just flown by. It seems like only yesterday, in a way, that I had orientation, yet, at the same time, it feels like forever ago. I look back at pictures of activities we did at the beginning of the school year, and it seems like a long time ago. I remember freaking out at the beginning of the school year as I thought about the huge task in front of me – teaching these kids how to read, write, and countless other things. The task doesn’t seem as overwhelming anymore now that I am halfway through. We have gotten through all the alphabet and now we have begun reading group. They are all doing really well with their reading. They basically all can read one vowel words now….the next challenge is introducing long vowel words and the wonders of "silent e"…..can’t wait  Hey, they are smart kids, so I am sure they will catch on quickly! A couple of weeks ago, Mrs. Malitsky gave me a flower pot and some bulbs to plant some flowers. She thought it would be something neat for me to try with the kids. Well, I am not the world’s best "flower expert" so I was worried that after I planted the bulbs, they wouldn’t grow and what kind of example would that be to the children!  Well, I didn’t have to worry! After adding water and letting it sit in the window sill where plenty of sunshine comes through, in a couple of days, we were thrilled (or should I say…I was ecstatic ) that a little green plant was coming through the dirt. Now after about 2 weeks, it is amazing to see how much it has grown! Every day the children are like, "Look, Miss Follett, our plant is growing!!!" It has been an exciting process to watch. It reminds me a lot of what has happened this year. My four students started off as "bulbs". Through the process of time, I have been able to add "water" and "sunshine" to them, and now they are blooming into flowers! There is still lots to learn, but I am looking forward to seeing how much more they will continue to "bloom."  The next big challenge for me will be planning out graduation  Yikes!!! Okay….one day at a time