Sarah and Todd's New Home

Colemans are moving to Aurora, Colorado. Here is a look at their home:

Jessica and Andrew Move to Virginia

Andrew has been accepted at Lynchburg University in the Physical Therapy doctoral program, so Jessica and he are moving across country this summer. After a stop in Iowa to visit Sarah and Todd, they rolled in here on Sunday evening for a visit.

 What's a visit without some games? One end of the table plays Dominion while the other does Dominoes.

 Shopping is a must. We headed out to the mall and got some new clothes for school and work.

Afterward, Jessie and Andrew treated us to custard at Frozen Custard, a Lafayette tradition.

Sadly, I did not get any more pictures of their visit. But we enjoyed being together, and it was tough to wave goodbye Wednesday morning.

Good luck, Jessie and Andrew, in your new venture!

A Friend Retires

Nancy Sattler retired this year. She is one of the very best teachers I have known, and she is going out still on top of her game. We've been next door neighbors at Hershey since 2007, and I am going to miss her terribly.

Her "lunch buddies" and closest Hershey friends, Sarah Ferguson, Tricia Beeler, Linda Faust, and me, threw her a lunch out at Sarah's home near Delphi yesterday.

And we surprised her with a very special gift.

 Nancy burst into tears when she saw it and was speechless.

Who would think a rock could cause tears? Well, it does when it is inscribed with Nancy's favorite quote, and her signature line on emails for years and years.

Nancy even crawled into the car for a picture (it weighs 90 pounds so we could not lift it out.)

This morning Nancy had posted pictures online of her new rock, already placed in her garden. I knew then that she truly loved it.

Her home is in the woods near the Benton County line. The rock is just off their patio overlooking a ravine. Nancy and Dave sit on that patio and enjoy mornings together. She says she wanted the rock where she could see it every day.

Bravo to Nancy Sattler for a long, caring career. She DID touch the future. She taught!

Sisterly Solidarity

(With a mother and a friend thrown in for good measure.)

Jenny, Cindie, and I along with Leslie, our mom, and Leslie's best friend, Gretchen, are wearing solidarity bracelets to show support for Leslie as she undergoes cancer treatment. Since four of us were together Memorial Day, we took a picture of our bracelets.

 They're just silver bangles withe some colored rhinestones in them.

But we love them - just like we love each other.

By Trying to Uplift, I am Uplifted - Part One

I love visiting teaching, the program itself and it's underpinnings in faith and charity, the sisters I visit, those who visit me, and the spirit that is often felt when we care for each other and lift burdens. But, and I shouldn't be surprised, (it's the Lord's work after all!) by working to lift my sisters, I, too, am uplifted. Such a beautiful thing.

I wanted to write about two sisters whom I respect and admire. One, I visit teach; the other, I don't, but I got to know her through Relief Society and its teaching of "charity never faileth." The first is a sister I visit teach.

Laurel
I have been Laurel's visiting teacher for a few years. I hope I am forever. I never, ever fail to come away from a visit with her without feeling the spirit burn in my heart and a greater love for her and the Lord. Laurel makes me a better person.

I am her ride to church once or twice a month, and I look forward to those Sundays. She's about my age and her faith burns brightly. No matter what the topic, she always sees the Lord's hand, sometimes in a way that I had not considered. She smiles, she is cheerful, and she never, ever criticizes anyone or anything.

All the more remarkable when you discover she has a host of challenges. She had a brain injury some years ago and so she is very unsteady on her feet. Due to the injury, her speech is slow and halting at times, and you must speak slowly to her and use short sentences so she can understand you. Her husband left her to fend for herself years ago, and while she has adult children, none live close by to help.

Stimulation from light, sound, and motion causes her great distress and anxiety. She wears dark glasses and headphones to cut down on them. Due to a type of blood cancer, she lost all her hair and spent two years in the hospital, mostly in isolation.

But Laurel never complains. And, she comes to church EVERY SINGLE WEEK. Her home teachers and the bishop have arranged for a quiet, private room for her to sit in during Sacrament meeting. The sound is piped in, the lights are turned off, and a "Please do not disturb" sign is posted on the door. Laurel arrives early and leaves before the closing prayer to avoid the commotion and stimulation when the meeting dismisses.

Pretty amazing, hm? But there's more to this than most people know. Because of her injury, she really cannot follow the talks. Her brain cannot process the information quickly enough. Nor can she sing the hymns - she can't process the words fast enough to sing along.

This means that Laurel comes to church every Sunday to sit alone in a dark room, listening to words she cannot understand, songs she cannot sing, and without any company for over an hour.

That is faith. That is dedication. That is loving the Lord.

As I sat with the congregation during Sacrament meeting today, I wondered if anyone ever took Laurel the Sacrament. After all, most ward members don't know who she is, and since she arrives and leaves early, her interaction with anyone is zero. Do those passing the Sacrament even know she is there in that room? I decided I would ask her, and if she did not get the Sacrament, I would take steps to ensure she got it every week.

So I asked Laurel in the car as we drove home to her assisted living facility. She smiled and then was quiet for a bit. Then the words came. Slowly, but "brightly", if that makes sense. (Maybe it was the spirit that made those words seem to shine.)

"I have been in this ward since 2003. Only once has someone forgotten."

And she turned and smiled at me.

"Thank you for thinking about me."

I am going to email the Bishop and the Young Men's president and thank them on Laurel's behalf. There was such a deep meaning behind her words. It obviously meant so much to her to receive that Sacrament every week.

A woman who sits alone in a meeting she cannot understand. Every week. For an hour.

That is faith. That is love.

THAT is a great lady.

Finding Mrs. I.

Three days before school ended, my students discovered that I was on Instagram.

For me, Instagram is "information peaceful." My family and just my very closest friends follow me, and that's how I like it. I stay in touch with people I love and vice versa without the overload of information, reposts, forwards, and sharing that I get on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

So, when a student was using my phone to take pictures of a class activity cried, "You're on Instagram! I didn't know that! We can follow you!" I realized I had a problem.

I affirmed that I did have an account, but was able to dodge telling them the identity I used as I did not want a bunch of "Follow" requests. I love my students. Very much. But I want to keep that Instagram account private.

The children were not deterred and the very next morning, KO handed me an index card with a long list of identities. "Here are our identities so you can follow us," she said cheerfully.

Gulp.

I thanked her and was able to again dodge giving out mine as the bell rang and school began.

That happened several times that day - children asking me my identity but something happening so I did not have to give it to them or tell them why I was not going to let any of the follow me.

Yesterday, the last day of school, JM approached me and said, "I think I found you on Instagram! You're isenbarger1, aren't you?"

Oh dear!

Don't laugh, Lynn, don't even smile.

"Um, no, that's not me, sweetie. That's my 86 year old mother-in-law."

The look on JM's face was priceless.

The Last Day of School

Today was the last day of school (for the kids; teachers have to work on Tuesday.)

It was also the end of my seventh year at Hershey, and my fifteenth year of teaching. At this time next year, I will have taught half my career at Yankee Ridge and half my career at Hershey. And, my time teaching (sixteen years) will be equal to the time I spent as a stay-at-home mom (a decision I have never regretted.)

The last day of school is the last time you get to enjoy that year's class, so it is tinged with nostalgia. In many ways it is relaxed; in others, there is some anxiety about completing last minute tasks. I was lucky today in that things came together and we had a very relaxing day together.

It started with a tradition I got from Pam Green when I was her student teacher. She would let the children throw water balloons at her on the last day of school!

 It was cool outside and I did NOT want to sit around in wet clothes for a while, so I put a giant garbage bag over my clothes. See the balloon fly? (Upper left hand corner.)

Each 5th grader gets to throw one at me, and I took some good hits. Then, I turned the tables on them - I invited any who wanted to participate to line up and said that I would throw water balloons at them. (Never done that before; may make it a tradition, too!)

I threw by turning my back on them and throwing sight unseen over my shoulder.

 I soon discovered that JM was catching them all - I was throwing them right to him every time.

So, then I turned around and tossed them high into the air, knowing they would shatter should the kids try to catch them.

 Bingo! Wet kids.

Next up was the unveiling of Isis, the chicken we have been mummifying since fall. She's been packed in salt for months, and sitting in a pan on the shelves in the classroom. (Triple wrapped in plastic to contain the odor. Eeew!)

 The salt was brick hard and I had to bang it against the picnic table to break it up into chunks to free the chicken.

Isis was shriveled and yellow, and pretty dessicated. The process worked well. But, she STANK and so I wrapped her in plastic when we were done and threw her into the garbage.

After lunch, my 4th graders went with the other 4th grade classrooms and had Field Day while the 5th graders and I went to 5th grade graduation.

 Teachers get to read the names of their students and hand out diplomas.

 Along with hugs.

 And perhaps a last bit of last minute encouragement about middle school.

Then we run the gauntlet - I LOVE this Hershey tradition! The entire school, students and staff, lines the hallways, and the 5th graders and their teachers run down the halls, high-fiving and saying goodbye. Because of the location of my classroom, we go first, and the excitement is electric. The office plays music over the PA system as we run, and everyone cheers, hugs, and smiles.

We finish by exiting through the front doors and head out to the waiting buses. This year most of my students were sobbing (I have never seen so many kids crying; a few, yes, but all but one of mine were in tears, girls and boys both.) We ended up having three or four group hugs, with kids clinging to each other and to me, not wanting to say goodbye.

(I'm in there, but I'm pretty buried!)

But, say goodbye we had to do. It was hard, but those buses were waiting to whisk the kiddos off to summer vacation and their futures.

 Lining up along the sidewalks (another Hershey tradition), the faculty gathered for a last wave goodbye to this year's students. The buses started their engines and slowly pulled away from the curb, one after another, students madly waving from the windows as they passed us.

 Anther school year over. 

I feel lonely.

Isaac Graduates!

Isaac graduated from high school this weekend!

Heather, Isaac, Hannah, and Harvey James.

So proud of this young man, and grateful for his wonderful family.

Insight from a Student

SA wrote me a goodbye letter today, one that contained a very insightful analogy. It also referenced classic books (a hallmark of our room) and mentioned three characters from my all-time favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle.

Dear Mrs. I.,

If people were book series, elementary school would be the first book. As for the story we would write, it would be a classic. The first book is where you meet the characters, learn the plot, and learn the style of the book. The sequels (middle school and high school) are based off the first book. The author worked extra hard on the first book to set it straight. Having someone like you really helps us set our books (lives) straight.

You should know that, unlike Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which, we are real. If you ever need us, just look into your heart and you should find us. If you want to know what became of us, you could read our sequels, but just in case, we will be right next door at our sequels. You know where to find us.

With love,
SA

I love how she writes, "If you should ever need us..." Makes me cry.

Shaving Creme!

Want your students to move fast and get their desks cleaned out? Entice them with shaving creme! As in, "As soon as your desk is cleaned out, you may have some shaving creme to clean the top of your desk."

Honestly, I am not sure just how clean it gets those desk tops, but it sure speeds up the end-of-the-year desk clean-out!

 And my kiddos don't just fingerpaint in it - they write their names and other words in Greek. Or, they put six desks together and draw Frankenstein's monster. (It was pretty cool; unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of it.)

And there's always the ever popular, "Let's fake the teacher out and pretend we are going to eat the shaving creme" routine. Haha, not falling for it, guys!

On a more mundane note, I can hardly believe school is almost over. Where has the year gone?  ::sigh::

Class BBQ

When you have nice students, generally you have nice parents, too. (Apple/Tree Syndrome.) Well, I have a super group of both kiddos and parents this year. Saying goodbye the last day of school is going to hurt.

Last Friday night the parents organized a class BBQ. I honestly thought it was just a get together to eat and celebrate winding down a school year together. Well, it was that and more - it was also a time for them to give me a very special gift.

We gathered after dinner for a class picture. (Only two students were unable to come - NC and AS.)

But after the photo session, the kids announced that they had been "sneaking around behind your back"  and put together a gift for me, one that they had all contributed to.

I love being surrounded by happy kids. Yeah, I'm buried, but I feel lucky to be with children who want to be with me! They all wanted to watch me open the gift. A scrapbook! And each child had made two pages for it.

Look at them all gathered around and trying to read it at once. Makes me smile. It's a lovely memento, and one I will always cherish. In fact, I fell asleep later that evening, reading it in bed!

A couple of former students dropped by, too. Believe it or not, I was these nearly-grown young men's second grade teacher! They were in the original Hershey 2/3 class, and then moved on with me to the 4/5 class. They're heading to high school this August.

ES, me, and BA.

The BBQ went well past dark, and I had the chance to chat with every parent who was there. It was a lovely evening, and I'm glad I had the chance to say thanks and goodbye to so many people who are near and dear to my heart.

Emily's Graduation

Emily received her Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville Sunday (our fourth family graduation this spring!), and Craig, Lisa, and I went down to celebrate with her.

Cole grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for us (also visiting were Emily's mom, Judy, and sister, Cathy.)

Cathy had made brownies for dessert. 

And the serving table was decorated on UT's color of orange.

We gave Emily an ancient oil lamp replica - she is so good at "letting her light so shine" not only in a gospel sense but now she will be doing so in a compassionate way through her social work.

Cole, quick thinking as always, began rubbing the lamp to see if a genie would pop out.

 No such luck.

Graduation was in downtown Nashville at the War Memorial Auditorium.

Emily (left of flag) waits her turn to cross the stage.

 Ta-da!! She did it!

 Both make the family "I love you" sign. (I love you, too!)

 And, just like his father, Cole has to mug for the camera.

 Craig, Lisa, Emily, Cole, and me.

The interior plaza outside the auditorium was perfect for picture taking.

Craig and I drove home right after the ceremony as we both had to work the next morning. We needed a rental car as mine had died at Cole's house. Lisa was nice enough to stay behind, get it to Cole's mechanic, and then drive it home for us.

A whirlwind weekend, for sure, but it was so good to be with Emily and Cole to celebrate. Congratulations, Emily! 

School Bus Wreck

Teachers have several nightmares when it comes to their students, and one of them happened Thursday - a school bus wreck.

And this was a bad one.

A bus carrying special needs kids from Mintonye Elementary was cut off by a semi on I-65, went into the median, and rolled. Twelve people were hurt, and two of them are still in the hospital. Fortunately there were seat belts on that bus (it's not state law and so not every bus has them) and everyone was buckled in. Otherwise, the injuries would have been worse.

I have been told that school buses are designed to protect kids, with the "box" section (where they sit) reinforced in order to hold together in case of an accident.

It looks to me that that was the case in these pictures. The front end is quite damaged, but the box is in good shape, all things considered.

We seem to have several bus accidents a year (fortunately, most are minor.) This is the second bus accident involving TSC kiddos this year that I know of; the other was a Hershey bus a month ago that was T-boned at a rural intersection. (None of our kids were injured.)

Last year a Hershey bus driver fell asleep at the wheel, ran off the road and through a culvert, hitting a concrete fence post. I had a couple of kids on that bus, including one who had to go to the hospital. In another incident, a few years ago as I was driving behind a bus on my way to Hershey, a car pulled out in front of it, causing another car to swerve and crash into the bus, right in front of me!

TSC is geographically the largest school corporation in the state and puts 1.5 million miles a year on its fleet of buses. I guess I should not be surprised at how many bus accidents happen. Still, school bus safety concerns me.

Three Hours of Greek and Latin

Liz Mercier, professor of Greek and Latin at Purdue, came to my classroom yesterday to share some of her knowledge about Greek and Latin. She asked me how long she should prepare for, and I told her I would clear the morning and that we could go until lunch if she was available and the kids were interested.

She was, they were, and we did.

We played with Greek and Latin for three whole hours!

And my kiddos wanted her to teach more after lunch! (We didn't do that.)

I do a lot with Greek and Latin roots, stems, prefixes, and suffixes, and by the time the students leave for East Tipp, they have learned almost 100 of them. Since 60% of the English language is based on those two languages, and 90% of scientific words are, needless to say, it is time and study well spent.

Still, I was surprised that the students lasted three hours! I thought for sure a couple of them would become restless. But that was not the case, and when it was time to leave, Liz told my students, "I wish my Purdue students loved learning like you do. Always keep that joy, and never quit raising your hand to participate."

Bonus of the day was that Lisa ("Miss I") spent the morning with us! (I am kicking myself that I did not get any pictures of her working with students.)

 We transliterated our names into Greek letters.

And wrote sentences after practicing the Greek alphabet.

 JG asked if she could look up a Latin word on the computer and did a little word research.

 EP and AS practice letters of the alphabet.

All of us with some of our practice words and sentences. (That's Liz on the right.)