Ignorant Historian

While sitting in my carrel waiting for my next tax client, I saw a sight that made me smile.

A child ran by.

Nothing unusual in a place that offers numerous services to families.  All children make me smile (except, perhaps, when they’re disobeying me), but I had extra reason to smile when I saw this cute little girl.

Under her blonde pigtails I saw a face touched by Down Syndrome.

I couldn’t tell you how long it’s been since I saw a small child with Down Syndrome.

Perhaps it’s just the children I’ve been around.  I see dozens of children a week between church and work.  But something makes me think that’s not just it.

According to a medical study mentioned in the Washington Post, there should have been a 34% in the number of children born with Down Syndrome from 1989 to 2005.   In actuality, there was a 15% decrease.

While I don’t wish more children to have Down’s Syndrome, I most certainly wish more children with Down Syndrome to have the chance to live.  Actually, I want ALL of them to have a chance to live.  Sadly, 92% of parents who find out they are expecting a child with Down Syndrome kill that child through abortion (according to the same study).

Statistics are just that–numbers.  But each child denied the chance to live (as if life and death should be in our hands) is one less child to bring a smile to our faces, to humble us, to give glory to our Creator.

I don’t necessarily think that pre-screening is a bad idea.  But if we’re going to use that screening to determine which child should live or die, it should be stopped.  What basis do we use to determine if a child should live or die?  Quality of life?  I think having a life is better than not having one.  Potential for early death?  There’s no earlier death than death in the womb.

What a price to pay for the sins of others.

Photo by Charlotte Morrall

Early Morning and Late Night Babysitting!

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m a teacher at heart.  One of the many things I’m passionate about teaching is geography/culture.  I think we Americans fall WAY behind in our knowledge that indeed, there are other people in the world besides us and perhaps their culture isn’t funny/weird but actually contains things of value to us.

Anyway, one way that this passion comes out is that I teach the kindergarteners at church geography when we learn about missions and the like.  They all know where Turkey is, no problem, but the use of our world map has interested them in learning about more places.

This past Sunday, a couple of boys were eagerly looking over the map and finding places that they knew.  One boy astonished me by finding Bulgaria on the map and saying, “Hey, you could go there when you’re in Turkey since it’s so close.”  I believe I’m above-average at geography, but even I only knew that Bulgaria was somewhere in Eastern Europe.

Later, they showed their childlike eagerness again and said, “Look!  We’ve found China!”

Only problem was that they were pointing at Canada, hehe.

So, I gently corrected them, told them that China was in Asia, and pointed out the big area that was Asia.  On their second try, they identified the right country.

I just love that they were excited to find the places they’ve learned about.  Later in the lesson I took some time to show all the children pictures of my past visits to Turkey so they could get an idea of what the country is liked.

Seeing the women with their hair covered, one little boy asked in all seriousness, “Are the women bald?”

Oh, to have the eagerness to learn like a child.

Photo by ToastyKen

I don’t like Halloween.

I stopped Trick or Treating at 10.  I realized I could have more fun handing out candy at the door, and could still get the chocolate I wanted from my brother’s Trick or Treat pumpkin (he couldn’t have it…it wasn’t like I was stealing it).  I also realized that if I didn’t go by people’s houses, they wouldn’t feel compelled to try to scare me.

I think the people-jumping-out-at-you part is one of the major reasons I don’t like this holiday.  I just don’t get how that could be fun.  I actually dislike the whole concept so much, that I refuse to play hide-and-go-seek with any kids I babysit.

Another reason I dislike Halloween is the raunchiness of it.  In college, it seemed like Halloween was just an excuse to dress up extra-raunchy before getting wasted.  Somehow, that’s not appealing to me in the least bit.

Then there’s the whole darkness of Halloween: the witches, the ghosts, the ghouls.  Since I don’t think such things exist, I guess I just miss the point.

So, while others might enjoy the holiday, I must say that I just don’t get it.  That’s why Saturday night the only reason I’m going out is to serve the children at our church’s Halloween alternative.

Here’s an excerpt of my Q&A session with the kindergarten Sunday school class about my upcoming trip to Turkey:

Child: When are you going?

After Party on the Block (our Halloween alternative…helps the kids know that it’s still in the future).

Child: Are you coming back?

Yes, I’ll be coming back.

Child: How long will you be gone?

I’ll be gone for one Sunday (I’ll be gone Friday, November 6th until Saturday, November 15th).

Child: Will you go to jail?

If they put me in jail, they will get in a lot of trouble.

Child: How will you get there?

By three planes…one of which will take from now (it was about 10 AM) until dinnertime.

Child: What time of day will it be when you come back?

In the evening, I think.

That’s what the children wanted to know about my trip, what do you want to know?

Last night the ladies that I’m going to Turkey with got together to talk to a woman who’s lived there.  There are 5 of us ladies (all single, interestingly enough) and 4 men who are going.  I’m friends with 2 of the ladies, but didn’t know the other 2 particularly well, so it was fun to hang out last night and bond.  I think this is going to be an excellent trip.  With all the other excitement that has been going on lately, I haven’t had much time to focus on this trip.  I’m going to make a conscious effort over the next month (we leave November 6th) to change that.  If I want to use my time wisely when I’m there, I need to putting it before God in prayer now.

One of the cool things about teaching young kids is getting to share my trip with them.  We’ve been talking every week about it so that that the kids can pray for the trip.  I want them to realize that they are a part of sending me.  I’m fairly confident that you can ask pretty much any of the 5-year-olds in my class where Turkey was on our classroom map, and they would be able to show you.

Because we’ve been talking about it a lot, I have been hearing back from the parents asking questions about the trip.  One mentioned to me that her daughter told her I was going to Turkey after Halloween (that’s the marker I use to let them remember that it’s still in the future) but didn’t think that I was coming back.  I forget how children are…I definitely need to let them know that I’ll only be gone for one Sunday!

This past Sunday, I was teaching the kindergarteners from 1 Samuel 4-7.  A part of that lesson was that when the Philistines returned the Ark of the Covenant to Israel, they included items made of out gold as an offering to God (they made tumors of mice, I’m not exactly sure what they were thinking).

So, as a fun opening activity, I asked the kids to make something for God out of Play-doh.  They made everything from snakes and fish to cookies and airplanes.  But one girl’s offering I found particularly cute.

With her playdoh, she made herself.

While there was no intended right or wrong answer to this activity, I think that she got it right.  The offering that God would be most pleased to receive from me is myself.  God doesn’t want part of me or part of what I own, he wants ALL of me.

When I give him only cursory attention, He’s not pleased.  When I think, “Glad I’m done with that,” as soon as I close my Bible or finish a prayer, He’s not pleased.  When I go hours without a thought of Him, He’s not pleased.

I thank Him that He provides me with these gentle reminders from the littlest around me.

Photo by Robert S. Donovan…wish I had the foresight to take a picture of what she had made!

This weekend I played mom to 5 active kids ages 2 1/2 to 8.  It was exhausting, but a lot of fun.  I’ll call them Tweedle Dee 1-5.

Though I’ve only had the oldest 3 in my Sunday school class, Tweedle Dee 4 (4yo girl) has always been particularly attached to me.  She continued that this weekend by crawling up into my lap any chance she got.

Friday night we watched Star Wars VI, and I awed the kids with my Star Wars knowledge as they bombarded me with questions, especially about the earlier movies that they haven’t seen.  I promise I’m not a geek…I just enjoy the movies and have seen them each a few times.  I got to explain what a clone was to them…that was fun.  I even used Star Wars (again) to explain different life truths…I promise I use the Bible occasionally, too!

All Tweedle Dees went to bed without a problem, and I didn’t hear a peep out of any of them all night (though that may have been because I kept them up later than they’re used to).  The hope was that they’d sleep a little later in the morning, but I was still awoken at 6 to Tweedle Dee 5.  I was thankful that it was still dark because she was easily convinced when I told her it was still nighttime and she needed to go back to bed.  I wasn’t so lucky when Tweedle Dee 4 woke up at 6:30, but she was fine with playing in the living room by herself after I threatened her not to make noise to wake up her siblings.

After that, I was able to “sleep in” until 7, which is still slightly before my usual wake-up time.  Luckily, the youngest two were easily appeased with getting to lay in bed with me, so that gave me a little bit more rest.  Tweedle Dee 3 (6yo, and the only boy) shocked me by continuing to sleep after all the girls were awake and being typically loud children only feet from where he was sleeping.   My attempt to get some more  ZZZs while they were occupied with a movie didn’t work, because they proceeded to wake me up anytime they saw me close my eyes.

I brought them each an activity or coloring book with me, but I kept that a secret until mid-morning, only letting them know I had a surprise for each of them if they behaved.  Of course, it was strategic for me as well to give them something they can do quietly!

Everything went well until I dared to take them to the playground late Saturday morning.  Tweedle Dee 1 got blisters from the monkey bars and absolutely fell apart, causing the dominoes to continue to fall as each other child had a breakdown of their own.  Fortunately, I thought on my feet and after filling them up with food, I instituted 30-minutes of absolute silence, which allowed me and one child at a time to clean up the apartment.

Cute moments:  Around the lunch table, Tweedle Dee 1, 2, and 3 were coming up with all the phrases they knew in other languages.  Then, Tweedle Dee 3 said, “Wichita.”  I was surprised he said it, but he said that in their AWANA Sparks book, apparently a character buys a ticket to the place of my birth (I don’t actually think that’s why they go, but you never know).  That led into a discussion of Kansas, since Tweedle Dee 1 is studying The Wizard of Oz at school.  I always love sharing with eager kids about, well, anything.

So basically, it was a lot of fun, but definitely gives me a more realistic picture of what my days will be like as a mother!

I know, I know, two posts today!  I’m thinking if I post again today, you’ll let me off the hook for Monday, right?  It IS a holiday, even if it’s one that I have no idea what it means!  Really, though, this is a current issue, and not one that everyone cares about.  If you don’t, skip it, and enjoy some football down below!

If you follow politics (or listen to any of a number of talk show hosts), you probably have heard the controversy of Obama’s speech tomorrow to school children.  To be honest, I’m quite surprised at the outrage over this matter.

This is what the White House is saying about it:

“The President has spoken often about the responsibility parents have for their children and their education, but in this message he’ll urge students to take personal responsibility for their own education, to set goals, and to not only stay in school but make the most of it.”

While a speech admonishing parents that it is their responsibility to educate their children is probably more in order, I think this is something that children and teens in particular need to hear.  From what we know thus far, I don’t see/hear anything political about it (though a transcript will be released Monday, and I might join the detractors then based on what I read).

My surprise really comes from the response’s quickness to jump on this as a problem.  I see nothing inherently wrong with the president addressing an encouraging, challenging message to students.  He’s not doing it behind parents’ backs…he’s releasing a transcript prior to so that parents can choose to talk to their children about it or have them exempted from the speech.  He appears not to be foisting his partisan agenda on the students, unless challenging oneself and taking advantage of educational opportunities is considered a political viewpoint.

On this issue, Vicki and I had a bit of a Twitter discussion, as followed.  I’m sorry if at times it’s not quite sequential as most conversations of this sort often aren’t.  In the interest of full disclosure, Vicki and I share many of the same political view points.

Ronnica: Yeah, Rep. want more dropouts. (?) RT @La_Shawn Hadn’t realized Obama’s gov’t school speech was so controversial…http://tinyurl.com/mn436y

Vicki: Concerned parents don’t want more drop outs. We don’t want the invasiveness of Socialism either, that’s why he scares us.

Ronnica: I agree with concerns about prez, but not this address yet. Once we see the transcript Monday, then we can judge.

Ronnica: Basically, I don’t think Obama is the enemy. *shock*

Vicki: Why would that be a shock?

Ronnica: It just seems that so much of what comes out of other conservatives mouths is vilification of those who they don’t agree with.

Vicki: You’re right but why is that not acceptible if what we have found out seems villainous to us? When can we speak our minds without reproof? We’re no louder or more obnoxious than those on the left vilifying what they don’t agree with.

Ronnica: I have no problem w/ppl saying, well, anything. I just think that the enemy is Satan and sin (and Dems aren’t the only sinners).

Vicki: To me his ideals go against my ideas of Christianity, of life, of liberty and of pursuit of happiness. I will speak against that.

Ronnica: I just find it surprising that some conservatives don’t even want their children to hear Obama, period.

Ronnica: Totally, I will/do, too. But I don’t disagree with everything he says, and he’s still the president, regardless.

Ronnica: And I guess I get more frustrated with ppl on “my” side acting like this than those I disagree with.

Vicki: I will let my daughter here him when I am there to guide and “interpret”. Kids @ school don’t have that. And it’s more than that. It’s a political/social message saying we understand where you’re coming from and we’re not going to sit idly by. (sorry for spelling errors, I’m dealing w/ many things…kids…at once) :)

Ronnica: That’s def. a big plus w/homeschooling (parents need to be more involved in their child’s ed when it’s not the prez speaking).

Ronnica: LOL kids: isn’t that what this is about? I’ll have more to say when transcript is released. Might blog this conv, if that’s ok.

Vicki: Yes, he’s the president and we are to respect that office, but I’m fine with being angry and honest. And protective.

Vicki: I know this is God’s will. My hope is that it’s bringing us closer to His Kingdom.

So, what do you think?  If you’re a parent, will you let your children watch this broadcast?  Are you going to read the transcript and then decide?  Will you discuss this with your children/youth?

One of the biggest compliments I’ve received (and I get this one frequently) is actually a question:   “Do you teach?”  I also get the similar statement, “Oh, I thought you taught school.”

I get this primarily from parents of children I have or have had in the past in my Sunday school class.  They’ve seen my passion for the children and may know about what I do behind the scenes as well, and have reasonably assumed that I do this professionally as well.  I don’t–I don’t have an education degree–but I love getting this question, because that means that my passion is visible to others.

I love the opportunities I get to teach now, both at church and occassionally through my job.  It’s an area that I’m constantly growing in…I still have so much to learn.

I do hope to teach more full-time some day.  My first preference would be to teach my own children, but if God doesn’t have that for me, then I’d like to teach in a public classroom likely teaching math.  I’d already be working towards this goal if it weren’t for the fact that I’m not ready to give up my current job (teaching isn’t the only thing I’m passionate about!).

So for now, I’m thankful for the passions that God’s given me and the opportunities I have to exercise them.  Will I be a full-time teacher one day?  I don’t know, but I sure hope so.

Photo by S Baker