i am a teacher. doors slam. feet cross the front door mud grates. voices. discussions of lunch food, hockey teams, and singing make up the din of pre-bell clamor. gloves grabbed from lockers, hasty good mornings to Ms. Bronson, and a handful of flowers end up on my desk while i get a brief five-minute reprieve until the bell beeps. we sing. do verse search. read devotion books. then math. problems and problems. yes you will have to know this. no you may not skip the story problems. bathrooms aren’t for use before school, they’re during math class. numbers flee brains. sympathy and consolation because a cat had kittens and two died and it was their best cat. shoulder squeezes. back to speed drills. pencils get chewed until recess. injuries one and two of the day will maybe happen at first recess. the gravel isn’t good for soccer. the ball gloves don’t always catch accurately. skinned knees are my specialty. i pick out sand and gravel and anoint with salves and creams. we discuss band-aid sizes. then its into class and i listen to reading and teach how to know if it’s “then” or “than”. jiggling knees signal lunch and recess are overdue. at lunch i get to see first hand what some students bring. i am the “warmer-upper” for the forgotten hot tray lunches. a cold corn dog usually comes to me on a thin styrofoam plate. sometimes pizza still in tinfoil. sit by someone you haven’t sat by yet this week, i say. don’t talk with food in your mouth. yes, this is the third day this week Mr. Bronson and i are eating meatloaf for lunch. recess two brings another injury, usually. fists in the air for home-run cheers. gloves thrown to the grass for less wind resistance in runs after missed grounders. blue sky and kids cheering. i promise ice cream if they hit a magpie with a pop fly. dust billows from slides into home. story hour. blessed quietness. some giggles because the goat butted someone in the story. then more language. diagrams and adverbs and transition words. spelling words aloud and then used in sentences. the library is frequented. the pencil sharpener is busy grinding. chairs squeak. sighs as fresh spring air comes in the smudged window. last recess where there probably won’t be an injury. an argument rather. it’s been a long day and tempers rise. we have an office chat. we all want to be friends deep down so we have to give and take. hugs. more soccer. ms. bronson when i am grown up i want to live in the wild so i can hear God better. okay please watch the ball and yes you could probably hear Him more clearly there. then science and insects. head, thorax, abdomen. the pines sway outside my window. no bear is nesting in them, sadly. forgotten news needs to be shared. right now. in science class. their dirt bike is fixed and they got to ride it last night. would i like to watch them ride sometime. yes after you get back to wasp nests and katydids. jobs last. desks are straightened and water bottles drained. boards erased. trash bags emptied. reminders of tests tomorrow and missing books and hot lunch. hugs or handshakes as they leave for the day. i am a teacher.

We have felt very appreciated this Teacher Appreciation Week and I got inspired to write this. We have been spoiled with a grocery gift card, flowers, a mug, coffee and donuts, and lunches from Teresa and Sarah Jane. Its been so fun. We’ve been going through a dry spell:)

As for life, we spent Easter break in Montezuma which is where everyone chooses to go on school holidays right? ha. We picked up Madison in Wichita and drove to Southwest KS where we attended the wedding of Harry&Cheyenne at Homeland, and spent some time with Grandma Jul and Bruce&Sidra’s family. And I just loved spending time with Madi♡ Sunday afternoon we went over to Shelby&Heidi’s new place and got the tour. It is lovely and I want their fireplace. And you guys, we found the best taco place called Taqueria El Fogon while we were hanging out in Wichita waiting to fly out. We hadn’t had tacos like them since we left California last July and they were gooood. The place is nothing for looks and their sign is written in peeling, black electrical tape but please go there. It was quite a short Easter trip but we are very glad we could go!

Now we are in May. Like it is almost the end of school and Morgan and I don’t know where the year has gone. The weather is springy and bears are coming out of hiding. Morgan and I went driving Sunday afternoon after lunch at Boston Pizza. Bighorn sheep were out in abundance and eagles in their nests. It was nice to have some relaxing time away. We had a busy weekend with the Youth Singspiration that was held here in Enderby over the weekend, and we weren’t even that involved. We got to help serve brunch Saturday morning with some other couples which was fun, and we stayed a couple hours longer so Morgan could play ball and I could talk to Mitchell and Chad. I love old friends. It was fun to catch up with people, some I hadn’t seen for a lonnng time. Even a couple girls I taught Bible School with in Warman, Saskatchewan, years ago. This week we are doing CTBS tests at school so I have had some free time. I’ve been working on things for next year because our summer is quite busy. We are starting to work on finding program ideas here at school as well. Our program is June 10 so we are still a month out unlike you States people! Next week we are taking the bus in for her checkup so she’s road ready by June 10. We are planning on leaving straight from our Play Day and heading towards California!

So life is continuing here and wherever you are too. People are living through great things and terrible things and yet God is still with us and we still have time to love people. Thank you for being in my life. xo cheyenne linn