Day 4 in the schools

I thought love was only true in fairy tales
Meant for someone else but not for me!...
Then I saw [their] face[s]! Now I'm a believer!
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind.
I'm in love, I'm a believer.
I couldn't leave [them] if I tried.

"Miss Becky, do you have to go? I want you to stay forever."
"Do you gotta go? Why, Miss Becky, why?"
"When you graduate you gonna come back and teach here?"
"Miss Becky, you like it here?"

It's hard to think that in one week, I'll say goodbye to their beautiful faces. How can I leave them when so many other people in their lives have left them? It's so sad to think about it. These kids are so loving and trusting, despite the odds. I have such beautiful kids in my class. They're full of questions, always curious, always smiling, always willing to do anything for a smile and a word of appreciation directed at them. They're starving for love and once given it, they give it back freely. This is the urban setting. It comes with challenges, but it comes with love. I fell in love the first day. I fall in love more and more every day. Look at me. Who am I? Why do I deserve the life I was given? Why do I deserve the eternal life I was given? How can I not love much, give much, be moved much.

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere,

Why have I never cared?

Chorus:
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
Yeah
Yeah

Today was pretty good. I taught the kids volume again and I think it went a lot better. They were able to identify the length, width, and height. They just don't work well in groups. I didn't have enough cubic centimeter cubes for them to fill their boxes with, which got to be a problem because none of them could work together to fill one box per table. Other than that, they did pretty well. I also taught language arts. We were doing outlining. They're not very good at pulling out the relevant information and summarizing it and putting it into an outline. I thought we had gotten it but when I gave them their worksheet to do, they were all lost. We ended up doing the worksheet together and by the end, I think at least half of them understood what to do. I feel like they still need a lot more practice though.

I went downstairs to lunch with the girls (they have a girls' lunchroom and a boys' lunchroom). They enjoyed it and we talked a lot about our ethnicities. There were 2 girls at my table who are particularly beautiful. The one girl has such beautiful eyes and teeth and a very lovely dark complexion. Turns out she has Jamaican, African American, and American Indian in her. Another girl is a lot fairer but also has unique features and she has American Indian in her as well. I had a Puerto Rican girl, a Mexican, and another African American girl at my table. They were busy asking questions about me, what am I studying in school, where did I grow up, did I live in a grass hut, etc.

My co-op had a meeting so the kids went outside and played for an hour and 20 minutes. I played jump rope with some of them. We didn't have a professional development session which was fine with me! I like them, but it makes the days really long. We had one small group meeting and then had the rest of the evening free.

Let your heart be broken for a world in need

Feed the mouths that hunger,

soothe the wounds that bleed.

Give the cup of water, and the loaf of bread.

Be the hands of Jesus, serving in his stead.

Here on earth applying principles of love.

Visible expression, God still rules above.

Living illustration of the living word,

to the minds of all who've never seen or heard.

Blest to be a blessing, privileged to care,

challenged be the need, apparent everywhere.

Where mankind is wanting, fill the vacant place.

Be the means through which

The Lord reveals His grace.

Add to your believing deeds that prove it true,

knowing Christ as Savior, Make Him Master too.

Follow in His footsteps, go where he has trod;

In the worlds great trouble risk yourself for God.

Let your heart be tender and your vision clear;

See mankind as God sees, serve Him far and near.

Let your heart be broken by a brothers pain;

Share your rich resources, give and give again.

Oh, last night Jessi and I and some of the guys went to look for Rita's. Patrick took a wrong turn and we ended up on an unlit street and we were approaching a large gang of teenagers. That was interesting. I think it was a handy cultural experience. :) Then some dude tried to run us over in the crosswalk later on. Welcome to Philly!