Hello friends,
Well, as some of you know, I had a blogpost typed up and ready to go about a month ago, and then my computer crashed and the draft was deleted. Bummer. So it's taken me a little while to find time to sit down and write an update again. Which means that now this post will highlight everything that has happened since Christmas. Since life is pretty full around here, that's a tall order, but I'll try to stick to the main events. And don't worry--we'll feature lots of pictures. :)
1. New classes!
Okay, "new" is the wrong word, since BFA's second semester has been in full swing since mid-January, but with the change of semester, I got a new batch of students in each of my classes. It was strange at first, having to rewind my brain (and my lesson plans) all the way back to the beginning of the year, and having to start over building rapport with my students, but it's been going pretty well. They say that teaching goes a lot smoother the second time around, and I'd say they're right. I'm learning from things that went well...and topics I needed to explain and cover a little differently. Am I a great teacher yet? Probably not. I still continuously forget to submit attendance and I don't get the speeches graded as quickly as I want to. But I'm learning, and I think I'm becoming a better teacher as the year progresses. So that's encouraging.
2. A successful run of Beauty and the Beast, JR!
The show this semester was a Musical with the BFA Middle School students. The kids have been working hard since November, memorizing lines, learning dances, practicing their solos. Ryan (the musical director) and I (and a SLEW of volunteers) have been working hard coordinating set construction, prop acquisition, lighting and stage design, and costume design.
This was the first musical I've ever directed, and also the first middle school production. It was a huge learning curve, figuring out how to direct 5th graders and how to manage a roomful of 28 middle schoolers. You will NOT be surprised to hear that rehearsals were a little more chaotic and slightly less productive than my high school rehearsals...:) It was also tricky determining how to schedule rehearsals for a musical production, rather than just a stage play. So it was chaotic, it was stressful, it was hilarious, and it was a bit of a bumpy ride, but on the last weekend of February, the lights went up and the kids knocked it out of the park! The actors and crew did SUCH phenomenal job, and I couldn't be more proud of what they put together. (And my mom was there to see it, which was wonderful, too!)
3. Birthday Celebration!
My birthday was in February, and Katie and a wonderful group of friends worked really hard putting together a murder mystery dinner party in my honor! It was Disney Princess themed, and it was side-splittingly hilarious. People dressed up in some pretty creative costumes, we ate delicious food, and we laughed a lot, as we solved the mystery of Briar Rose's untimely demise. (Spoiler alert: it was Gretel!) It was a welcome break in the midst of a chaotic week before the Middle School show, and a wonderful reminder of the great community God has provided for me here at BFA.
4. International Christian Educators' Conference
Every few years, the Association of Christian Schools International hosts a conference for teachers and staff members from international schools all across the globe. This year, BFA hosted the conference, and for the first few days of Spring Break, our school was filled with hundreds of delegates from dozens of countries. As hard as it was to put my brain back into "note-taking student" mode, as I sat in various workshops and keynote sessions, it was really cool to talk to, hear from, and worship with all the other teachers. Sometimes it's easy for me to get tunnel vision, only focusing on BFA and my classes and my schedule in this little corner of the world. But God is doing things in so many different countries and schools, and it was encouraging to be reminded of how big his mission really is.
5. Spring Break trip to Tanzania!
One of the highlights of this semester (and of LIFE!) was the chance to fly to Tanzania to visit one of Katie's college friends. I'd never been to Africa before, and when we discovered that tickets were cheaper than I've ever seen them (thanks, low oil prices!) Katie and I decided to make it happen this spring break. We flew out last Wednesday, and spent 4 days in Tanzania--just long enough to swim in a desert oasis, eat wildebeest, get caught in hilarious amounts of chaotic African traffic, AND see elephants and lions and giraffes! It was such a fun adventure, and it was great to make some last spring break memories with Katie.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support this school year!
Here are a few specific prayer requests:
1. Housing and support details for next year
Since Katie is leaving in June, I'll be moving out of my current apartment and into a different flat next year. There are a couple options available, depending on whether I want to/am able to find a new roommate. Obviously, I'm trying to make a wise decision financially and logistically. Please pray for me as I find housing for next year, and all the details that go along with that.
2. Pray for strength for the rest of the school year
Spring break came earlier this year than it usually does, which was wonderful and much-needed...but that also means that we have a long stretch after break until the end of the school year. So I've found myself praying and clinging to Christ's promises for "strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow." Please pray for my energy and strength to teach and invest well in these students and staff members that I'm interacting with every day. I want to be a good teacher, but more so, I want to be the love of Christ to those around me. And as we've established, that's just not something I can do on my own.
3. Pray for my seniors as they finish out their time at BFA
Even though I'm not in the dorm any more and therefore the term "my seniors" is less specific and clear than it once was, I still love and care for these students, and I want them to finish well. Please pray with me, that they would be able to invest wisely, transition well, and be listening for the Spirit as they make choices for the future. These really are AMAZING students, with so much integrity, potential, talent, and just all around awesomeness, and my prayer for them is that they spend their lives seeking Christ. So I would love it if you would join me in that prayer.
4. Pray for opportunities to invest
As I finish out this school year, I want to make wise choices with my time as well. So pray for me, that God will provide times for me to invest in the lives of the students that I care so much about: whether that comes in the form of one-on-one conversations, notes, coffee dates, or whatever. Just as I don't want my seniors to miss out on opportunities to love others, so I would hate to miss those chances as well. Pray that I will be able to see outside my daily routine and schedule, that I will be interruptable, and that I will find opportunities to be Christ to these students.
Thank you all so much! I hope your spring is blooming, and that you are finding hope and joy in the promise of Christ's Resurrection!
Happy Easter to you all,
Amanda Joy
Well, as some of you know, I had a blogpost typed up and ready to go about a month ago, and then my computer crashed and the draft was deleted. Bummer. So it's taken me a little while to find time to sit down and write an update again. Which means that now this post will highlight everything that has happened since Christmas. Since life is pretty full around here, that's a tall order, but I'll try to stick to the main events. And don't worry--we'll feature lots of pictures. :)
1. New classes!
Okay, "new" is the wrong word, since BFA's second semester has been in full swing since mid-January, but with the change of semester, I got a new batch of students in each of my classes. It was strange at first, having to rewind my brain (and my lesson plans) all the way back to the beginning of the year, and having to start over building rapport with my students, but it's been going pretty well. They say that teaching goes a lot smoother the second time around, and I'd say they're right. I'm learning from things that went well...and topics I needed to explain and cover a little differently. Am I a great teacher yet? Probably not. I still continuously forget to submit attendance and I don't get the speeches graded as quickly as I want to. But I'm learning, and I think I'm becoming a better teacher as the year progresses. So that's encouraging.2. A successful run of Beauty and the Beast, JR!
The show this semester was a Musical with the BFA Middle School students. The kids have been working hard since November, memorizing lines, learning dances, practicing their solos. Ryan (the musical director) and I (and a SLEW of volunteers) have been working hard coordinating set construction, prop acquisition, lighting and stage design, and costume design.
This was the first musical I've ever directed, and also the first middle school production. It was a huge learning curve, figuring out how to direct 5th graders and how to manage a roomful of 28 middle schoolers. You will NOT be surprised to hear that rehearsals were a little more chaotic and slightly less productive than my high school rehearsals...:) It was also tricky determining how to schedule rehearsals for a musical production, rather than just a stage play. So it was chaotic, it was stressful, it was hilarious, and it was a bit of a bumpy ride, but on the last weekend of February, the lights went up and the kids knocked it out of the park! The actors and crew did SUCH phenomenal job, and I couldn't be more proud of what they put together. (And my mom was there to see it, which was wonderful, too!)
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| My coffee-stained and well-loved Director's Guide |
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| The Silly Girls pining for Gaston |
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| Lumiere and Cogsworth arguing |
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| Belle finds Maurice in the dungeon. |
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| As a specimen, Gaston is intimidating... |
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| The Beast and Belle in her new library |
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| Be Our Guest! |
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| So proud of these kids! |
3. Birthday Celebration!
My birthday was in February, and Katie and a wonderful group of friends worked really hard putting together a murder mystery dinner party in my honor! It was Disney Princess themed, and it was side-splittingly hilarious. People dressed up in some pretty creative costumes, we ate delicious food, and we laughed a lot, as we solved the mystery of Briar Rose's untimely demise. (Spoiler alert: it was Gretel!) It was a welcome break in the midst of a chaotic week before the Middle School show, and a wonderful reminder of the great community God has provided for me here at BFA.
4. International Christian Educators' Conference
Every few years, the Association of Christian Schools International hosts a conference for teachers and staff members from international schools all across the globe. This year, BFA hosted the conference, and for the first few days of Spring Break, our school was filled with hundreds of delegates from dozens of countries. As hard as it was to put my brain back into "note-taking student" mode, as I sat in various workshops and keynote sessions, it was really cool to talk to, hear from, and worship with all the other teachers. Sometimes it's easy for me to get tunnel vision, only focusing on BFA and my classes and my schedule in this little corner of the world. But God is doing things in so many different countries and schools, and it was encouraging to be reminded of how big his mission really is.
 |
| Worship with the ICEC delegates |
5. Spring Break trip to Tanzania!
One of the highlights of this semester (and of LIFE!) was the chance to fly to Tanzania to visit one of Katie's college friends. I'd never been to Africa before, and when we discovered that tickets were cheaper than I've ever seen them (thanks, low oil prices!) Katie and I decided to make it happen this spring break. We flew out last Wednesday, and spent 4 days in Tanzania--just long enough to swim in a desert oasis, eat wildebeest, get caught in hilarious amounts of chaotic African traffic, AND see elephants and lions and giraffes! It was such a fun adventure, and it was great to make some last spring break memories with Katie.
 |
| Tanzanian Oasis |
 |
| A family of elephants on parade! |
 |
| Watching a male lion taking a nap |
 |
| In Tanzania, lionesses can climb trees! |
Thank you so much for your prayers and support this school year!
Here are a few specific prayer requests:
1. Housing and support details for next year
Since Katie is leaving in June, I'll be moving out of my current apartment and into a different flat next year. There are a couple options available, depending on whether I want to/am able to find a new roommate. Obviously, I'm trying to make a wise decision financially and logistically. Please pray for me as I find housing for next year, and all the details that go along with that.
2. Pray for strength for the rest of the school year
Spring break came earlier this year than it usually does, which was wonderful and much-needed...but that also means that we have a long stretch after break until the end of the school year. So I've found myself praying and clinging to Christ's promises for "strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow." Please pray for my energy and strength to teach and invest well in these students and staff members that I'm interacting with every day. I want to be a good teacher, but more so, I want to be the love of Christ to those around me. And as we've established, that's just not something I can do on my own.
3. Pray for my seniors as they finish out their time at BFA
Even though I'm not in the dorm any more and therefore the term "my seniors" is less specific and clear than it once was, I still love and care for these students, and I want them to finish well. Please pray with me, that they would be able to invest wisely, transition well, and be listening for the Spirit as they make choices for the future. These really are AMAZING students, with so much integrity, potential, talent, and just all around awesomeness, and my prayer for them is that they spend their lives seeking Christ. So I would love it if you would join me in that prayer.
4. Pray for opportunities to invest
As I finish out this school year, I want to make wise choices with my time as well. So pray for me, that God will provide times for me to invest in the lives of the students that I care so much about: whether that comes in the form of one-on-one conversations, notes, coffee dates, or whatever. Just as I don't want my seniors to miss out on opportunities to love others, so I would hate to miss those chances as well. Pray that I will be able to see outside my daily routine and schedule, that I will be interruptable, and that I will find opportunities to be Christ to these students.
Thank you all so much! I hope your spring is blooming, and that you are finding hope and joy in the promise of Christ's Resurrection!
Happy Easter to you all,
Amanda Joy
Loved reading your details, seeing the pictures, and hearing that the conference, spring break adventure, and community are all encouraging to you. We'll be praying for the logistics, for stamina, for interruptible attitudes and opportunities to reflect Christ's light. Enjoy Him this Holy Week! We love you! -Mom and Dad
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