And now we will learn about the WNS test boycotts :)

     Sometimes, at night, I sit back and wonder, "Did my students really learn any of the stuff I taught them today?" Well, last week, I found out that not only have my students been paying attention, but they are able to apply their newly acquired knowledge to more than just the test itself. Every teacher's dream right?  My students decided that they would boycott their test last week on civil rights. I had to smile and be just a little bit proud of them for grasping what it was that we had been talking about for 2 weeks. While I humored them for a little while, I finally gave them an ultimatum. No test, no recess. They quickly sat down and removed their pencils from their supplies cases. This whole unit was an eye opener to me. I almost cried with joy a few times when I realized that these students are the products of a battle that so many people fought just a few decades ago. When students say things like "What do you mean I couldn't be in school with her because she is white and I am black?" it makes you realize that this generation of students doesn't see color of skin as any different than the color of the persons shirt. It just makes them who they are. Last week we also read a story about a young Korean girl who had to hide her gender because her mom wanted her to be educated. The story was written about a time in Korea when women were treated as less than men. We related the story to what we had been reading about in social studies. The students were fired up about both discrimination based on race and discrimination based on gender. I asked if they could think of anything that still encourages discrimination of gender today and when no one could think of anything, I asked them about colors of toys and clothing. They began to note that toys and clothing for girls are mostly pink, purple, pastels, etc; and clothing and toys for boys are blue and red and green. On student noted "People wearing clothes specific to gender is like racism against clothing." My goal with all of this is to get the kids thinking about how different things are for them and what issues they still face. It is interesting to me to see how they respond to what is going on around them.
     Tuesday this past week was Fasnacht Day, as most of you in Lancaster know :) For those of you who have never heard of Fasnacht Day, you are missing out! It is my favorite holiday based solely on the reason that it is the only holiday in which people celebrate a baked good. Now, I know that the point is not to celebrate the baked good itself, but it still makes me smile! Fasnacht Day is know by most of the rest of the world as "Fat Tuesday." It is the day before the first day of Lent in which all of your sugar and fats are supposed to be used up. Fasnachts are similar to donuts, however, they are traditionally made with potatoes. Luckily for me, all of the ingredients are readily accessible in Kenya, so I decided to make some! I found a recipe that said it made about 20. Now, I don't know about you, but whenever I read a recipe for a baked good and it says that it makes about 20, it really means 10-15 because they want you to make the size about half of what you really will make it. Well, evidently that is not the case for fasnachts. I ended up with almost 50 fasnachts! I just kept cutting them out and there was still more dough left. Needless to say, we had fasnachts for almost a whole week with 5 people in our house. We of course coated them with powdered sugar for extra flavor :)
     Over the weekend, my roommate, Kristin, and I went shopping for some things we needed. I bought a new pair of running sneakers that are so bright that I think that they might glow in the dark. For those of you who know me well, you will know that I am not really a runner. I try to get into it, but with my knee problems, I have just never enjoyed running and then being in pain the next day. However, I have decided to try jogging and walking with Kristin and Jenn every day after school. Even though we only started to jog today, I have to say, I kind of enjoyed it! I think it helps to have a jogging partner, which is something I have never had before.
     Kristin and I also bought a bunch of new and used books for our classrooms during our excursion this weekend. We found a really awesome books store in a mall about 20 minutes away that has hundreds of used books! We were so excited! I got 6 new books for my classroom and Kristin got a few for her's as well. The kids are so eager to get their hands on them! I love seeing kids eager to read :) This weekend I also started, and finished, The Hunger Games  book series. I loved reading them! If you have time to read, I highly recommend them!
     This week is Spiritual Emphasis Week at our school. We are setting aside extra time to have chapel every day and to pray for certain things each day. Yesterday the students prayed for other students at the school who may not be Christians. Today we prayed for families that are struggling, and for family members who aren't Christians. I love hearing my students pray, and I love that they WANT to pray! They are always asking for us to pray for them for all kinds of different things. This Friday we will also be celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday. We will be reading many of his books and having a party with all of the elementary school students! It should be a lot of fun!
     Finally, I just wanted to share that one of my students brought in a chameleon today as a class pet. He found it at his house and put it in a soda bottle with holes in it, added some leaves and brought it in. It was really cool, so I thought I would share. I love being able to see this kind of thing on a daily basis here! PS, it was smaller than my pinky finger!

Prayer Requests:
- Finances for myself and my coworkers as we prepare for traveling this summer.
- For Spiritual Emphasis Week at our school to help students grow in their knowledge of Christ.
- For the safe travel of the parents of the students in my class. Maybe are missionaries as well, and they travel much of the year.

Verse of Encouragement:
    "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." James 1:19-21