Singing Ayden

Anytime I need a lift I pull up this video:

Ayden singing "Aunt Net's Song"


This 3 year old would rather listen to the Gaithers than watch cartoons! He begs for us to listen to "Aunt Net's Song" or "Ern's Song" EVERYtime we're in the car and most of the time when he sees me. No matter how sick I am of this song I can't resist his pleas! His performance is not trained or rehearsed- it comes straight from his little heart! I can't wait to see if he becomes a preacher when he grows up!


Say a prayer for him this Wednesday- he is undergoing reconstructive surgery on his clubbed foot.

Christmas in Room 1 (Ms Dancy's room)

Christmas is most definitely my favorite time of year (even at school)! I love nothing more than listening in the halls to children's chatter of Christmas cheer. The magic of Christmas through a child's eyes always warms my heart! 5th grade is special- you never know which ones do and don't believe in Santa Clause. Here are a few faithful traditions in room 1....

The House Without A Christmas tree is a classic... its one I remember reading when I was in school. I use it as a read aloud and we watch the movie the day before Christmas vacation.

I know Christmas around the World is done a lot in the lower grades, but this year my teammates and I decided that we would try it. We are each doing 2 countries and rotating the classes. I picked Italy and China because I have been to these countries.

Kenny G... such a talented saxaphonist... his Christmas melodies are perfect background for quite worktime.

Even though we are a public school I've always gotten permission from my principals to do this service project with my students.

I love reading different versions of The Night Before Christmas with my students and then creating our on class version.

Christopher Pop-in-Kins is a version of Elf on the Shelf. What fun he is to hide through out the classroom.

What are you Thankful for????

I'm thankful for...

My religous freedom! The day before Thanksgiving break I had my students go around and share one thing they were thankful for, I started... "I'm thankful for my religous freedom" and I meant that with sincerity. In 5th grade Social Studies we talk about the founding of our country- I make sure to emphasize that one of the reasons why the pilgrims came to the new world was for freedom of religion. I also tell them about my trip to China and that the Chinese communist government has very strict policies against religious practices. I guess my trip to China opened my eyes to the precious freedom of religion we have here in the United States. I told a fellow China traveler yesterday- there hasn't been a Sunday since we returned that in a worship service of church and don't think of the worship experiences we shared with our Chinese brothers and sisters in Christ and the risks they take for something we in America take for granted. With the rapid pace of change we are experiencing in our government- I sometimes wonder how much longer until our religious freedoms are jeopardized.

My heritage- I'm thankful for the Godly moral upbringing I have. My parents, grandparents and great grandparents set the standard high.

Lee University- the greatest four years o f my life. I made many life long friends (Meredith, Dana, Amy Beth, Omega, Starlite girls to name a few) and memories with those friends that I'll cherish forever.

The Hardy family- I'm glad that our pa ths reconnected via facebook a little over a year ago. They made an impression on me as a young girl that has stayed with me long after they moved away. They are a model family and bring lots of laughter anytime we are together.

The Edwards family- another family that made an impression on me as a young girl. I'm glad our paths reconnected when I moved home from college. They have literally become my second family. Their boys really think I'm their sister. There is never a dull moment when we we are together.

My job- there are days I hate it but the good days always seem to outweigh the bad. I love the reward- though sometimes unseen for long periods of time, positively impacting a child's life... there's nothing better. Maybe one of my favorite things about my job is my teammate- Amy Shoe. God knew what he was doing when he place us together. Not only is she a great teacher- she's also an amazing Christian role model.

Material Things- with the economy like it is I realize how fortunate I am to have a roof over my head, a car to drive, a cell phone to communicate with... I could go on and on. I'm seeing first hand how blessed I really am.

My church family- how blessed I am to be a part of such a great body of believers. They are my encouragers and support through the good and the bad. I feel closer to some of my church family (the Karrikers, the Holders, the Edwards) than I do my biological family.

I could go on and on with things I am thankful for, these are just some of the ones that popped to mind first.