Happy (Internal) Labor Day!

We spent hours learning about quality assessment, and I thought it was so FUN, which I’m pretty sure is weird. I love being with teachers. When we took breaks and had lunch, do you know what we talked about? Assessment.

Meanwhile, during the teacher in-service retreat, we had opportunities to go back to our rooms and rest, which is when I picked up that book I had been inhaling, Telling Yourself the Truth, by Backus and Chapian.

These days leading up to school are hitting me with anxiety not unlike the concussion caused by the Thunderbirds that flew overhead in the air show yesterday.

But remember how I confessed to you that I was going to practice telling myself the truth in these anxious moments, instead of mentally replaying misbeliefs?

Well, that’s where the assessment part comes in.

The professor who was training us said that we should, whenever possible, try to use performance tasks to assess whether a student has actually absorbed what has been taught. Can the student do an observable task that demonstrates mastery of knowledge?

In Telling Yourself the Truth, the authors give three simple instructions to follow when one feels anxious. (I would tell you what they are, but really you should read the book. It’s a life changer.)

So when the anxiety comes up, I go all teacher on myself and say, Okay, girl. Let’s see if you can do those three tasks you just learned.

Now I wish you could see the giddy look on my face. I’ve been practicing those three steps (which are simple but seriously hard to perform in the moment), and they work, you guys. It’s four days until school starts, and I slept like a baby last night. I have experienced increasing bouts of peace of mind and feeling happy about going back to school, and my husband will say, Hallelujah.

Jesus says:

…everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  (Matthew 7:26 NIV)

He had just finished talking about worry when he said this.

We’re fools if we don’t practice not being anxious.

It’s a performance task that shows whether Jesus’ words have gone in one ear and out the other or if we’ve really heard him.

Wanna hear some truth I’ve been saying to myself when the worry hits?

• I am an experienced teacher -not perfect but definitely experienced.
• God provided me this job, and until the day he moves me from it I will give my best effort and work to improve my skills.
• Students are God’s work of art, and I get to enjoy them.
• I am lacking in many areas when I walk into the classroom, and I know it.
• God is completely resourceful in everything I am lacking.
• If I pray for help, God will give me what I need. He promises.
• I can only teach one day at a time, so for now I will only pray about the first day.
• Where I am weak, God has an opportunity to show off who he is through me.
• God commands that I not be anxious about my job.
• To be anxious is to practice disobedience and faithlessness.
• I’m thankful to have a job I enjoy and where I can share the good news of Christ openly.
• Where I am weak, God is strong.
• Where I am weak, God is strong.
• Where I am weak, God is strong.
• Where I am weak, God is strong.

Check out the cool chalkboard art in my Spanish room (compliments of my talented daughter.) ¿Qué tal? means “How ya doin’?” .

So how are ya doin’? Are you passing or do you have room for improvement in the subject of anxiety-ditching?

It is labor day, ya know.

Let’s enjoy those burgers on the grill, but then it’s time for us to get to work on the spiritual discipline of not worrying.