Personal Reflections

So I've been here in Britain for just over a month now. In some ways it seems longer than that, though it has also seemed to go by quickly too. There has been so much to learn and adjust to...just on Friday, I learned that the Brits teach a different style of handwriting, which I would describe as being more of a cross between printing and handwriting in the Canadian context. This explained why I have had questions from children in different schools about my handwriting.

Through the experience God has been good, in providing me with good housemates, new friends at Barking Baptist (I'm going over to Jonathan and Sam's house this afternoon to practice some "Mennonite" hymns that they learned in Canada for performance at church next Sunday when Jonathan is preaching), and a central place to live that is very close to central Barking, and easily accessible to central London via the Tube/c2c train.

I continue to find classroom management a challenge, and want to look up some neumonics systems for helping me to memorize students names quickly--a key strategy in good management--as well as continue to refine my rules/expectations as I run into new situations for which I do not have a good strategy developed.

I also need to remind myself to step back from my immediate situation often to gain some better perspective. A self-admitted perfectionist, it is easy to be very critical of what went wrong, and to gloss over small victories, but I know I need to celebrate small steps forward. I also need to let go and trust God for my needs. This is one that God and I have been working on for the last decade, and looking back I can see where I've grown. At the same time, each new situation I face reminds me how much room I have for more growth.

I believe this year will provide me with plenty of opportunities to practice the "gelassenheit" that the early Anabaptists strove after, a state of yieldedness to God's will. I hope to learn to live more joyfully in the moment, rather than worrying about tomorrow or next week or next month. Whatever this year brings, I know God has good plans for me, and for each of you reading this.