Very late Thanksgiving challenge

I feel like sometimes I only feel compelled to write things that bother me but these days I've noticed more and more of how God has blessed me.  It's been a whole year since the last Thanksgiving challenge but I didn't want to try to pull something out of my butt just to write about it.

But this year, I'm thankful for:

1) Apples

With my upcoming wedding, every penny counts.  But at the same time, I didn't want to sacrifice the big day so I'm doing most things DIY.  I was planning on making wedding favours - apple jelly!  They're so beautiful and the colours change with each batch depending on the skin of the apples which is perfect with the rustic theme.  However, I was really hoping to keep prices down.  In the beginning of planning, I didn't even want to give favours because they're usually thrown out after the wedding which (even if it's only a dollar per favour, it's still hundreds of dollars wasted).

So with the jelly, the jars are already quite expensive and now I need the ingredients.  Usually my colleague will bring apples from her tree to the school so I was planning on using those but I knew there wasn't going to be enough.  THIS year - the first year that it's happened - another colleague randomly emailed me about her neighbour's tree overflowing with apples and offered to give me 2 boxfuls!  That's an amazing blessing from God and I would be doing Him an injustice if I called this a lucky coincidence.

After I made a status update on Facebook due to feeling extremely blessed, my friend emailed me and said he's got some green apples in his yard that I can have too.  I didn't even know he had a tree! 

And to put a cap on all of this, I got the pectin for half off :D  Oh how glorious...

2) Mason Jar Centerpieces

I needed 3 different sizes of Mason jars for each centerpiece - 250mL ($1.44ea), 500mL ($0.67ea), and 1L ($1.33ea). 
The specialty shape of the 250mL, I probably still need to spend the big bucks on those.  But I managed to get the 500mL at $0.32ea and the 1L at $0.45ea and get this - I asked my friend and fiance to check the Superstores close to them and they were all out EXCEPT for the store 5 minutes from my house.  I couldn't be more blessed :)  That definitely helped me save some money on centerpieces and I can re-use the jars for food afterwards.  Another things not wasted ^_^.

3) Gourmet Catering

Due to the huge number of people in our lives, were are limited in who we can invite to the reception.  So as a thank you to the lovely people who will be attending our ceremony only, I wanted to provide some nice snacks for them while they wait to have their pictures taken.  I was going to add the food prep as part of my DIY but the idea of having to organize all the food (which is perishable) the day before the wedding was already stressing me out - and then getting people to store and transport them...ugh!  It probably would have been a bad idea and I was going to get professional caterers to do it but that'll cost an arm and a leg. 

Amazingly, a student of mine is planning on starting an event planning company with a group of older friends.  They've already planned a very successful party over the summer, serving hors d'oeuvres and desserts.  One of her friends makes macarons as a side business and the other thrifts and creates her own serving platters and tea cups.  All of this fits perfectly into the theme of the wedding.  I asked her if her friends are interested in working the wedding to build their portfolio and experience if I gave them a budget for the food.  They happily accepted and I'm ecstatic.  I really didn't want to ask my guests to miss the ceremony so they can set up the food. 

4) Gorgeous Photography

Having met Jun (Kunioo) years ago when we both just started our thing, I never expected that he would grow to be such an amazing wedding photographer.  Him doing multiple pre-wedding photoshoots at an affordable price makes us (Jason and me) feel like millionaires even though we are at a budget.  These memories will last a lifetime and you just can't put a price on that.  I'm so thankful that Jun came into my life ever so randomly all those years ago.  Who would've thought?


There are many more blessings that I still haven't mentioned but I gotta say often times, I feel so distant from God and I wonder why I don't feel His presence.  However, I've learned over the years with Jason's career and all, that God's planning is WAY more advanced than ours. 
He put me at a particular place at a particular time (kairos - hello! cell group ftw) and inserted people into my life years before which will help me get through many obstacles that I would come across.  It just keeps reminding me that no matter what seems bleak ahead of us, there's really no need to worry because He will always provide.  And that kind of faith in every aspect of my life is what I hope to achieve.

Fragile - Treat with Care

Relationships - no matter how long it has endured, once one party has given up, it's gone.  A relationship never fixes itself. 

But how worth it is it to fix? 

Is it worth it to fix a relationship between you and another if it'll potential damage another relationship?

If relationships are the only things we can take with us, is it still possible that some relationships are not meant to be there at all?  

Are some relationships only meant to endure for a specific purpose in a specific point in time?

Why do simple things seem more and more complicated as I age?  =_= 

Still learning, still immature, still imperfect

The last little while has been such an emotional roller coaster for me.  This whole teacher job action has been extremely frustrating.  I like things simple.  I really don't like politics.  It yanks the meaning out of teaching.

First of all, I just want to point out why most teachers choose this career path:

• Our job is meaningful and fulfilling (usually). 
  Despite the fact that some may appear sarcastic and bitter, they actually do enjoy the company they keep.  There's really nothing more fulfilling than seeing the kids grow from grade 8 to graduation.
  When they thank you, you feel like your job really means something.  I've had to write several recommendation letters this year since my first group of grade 9s are graduating and they need it for entrance into post-secondary schools and for attaining scholarships/awards.  I really didn't have a lot of trouble writing them because they are amazing.  And for the ones who ask for reference even if I don't know them, I just reject it politely because I'm not going to lie.  I'm excited that these brilliant people will be leaders of our future.
  
  
• We enjoy the subject area.
  Foods is a passion of mine.  Actually...eating is.  But nevertheless, I try my best to teach my 'nonacademic' and 'useless' subject with passion because I'm not looking at the blank stares and the snoring students.  I'm looking at the super passionate ones who finds this an adventurous path and a way out from attaining a degree they don't care for, just to obtain a job they hate.  And I'm so proud when I see them living the dream.  This is applicable to all subject areas.
  
  
• We are lifelong learners.
  I honestly never cooked before my practicum.  Everything in university is so theoretical.  I can talk about world nutrition and food science, yet not be near actual ingredients.  So I spent years (and currently) practicing every new dish and technique several times and tweaking the lab plan before I stand in front of the class.  Every worksheet I make up, I check references to ensure that it's up to date and truthful.  As long as I've been teaching, I've been learning and enriching my life with so much more knowledge than I started with. 
  
  If you think you can just 'be' a teacher and read off a textbook, you're kidding yourself.  There are 30 pairs of eyes every hour judging everything you do and questioning you, expecting you to know the correct answers.  If you don't, they are not shy to make you feel pretty bad about yourself.  It's a big responsibility.  
  For those who do not know, Professional Days are non-paid days requested to be added into the school year by teachers so that we can continually learn and improve ourselves.
  
  
• We love the kids
  I find it funny how so many people assume teachers 'hate' them.  I hear that a lot.  'Ms. X hates me.  She always picks on me.'  I can tell from standing on the other side that there's just no time to hate any particular student. 
  If I pick on you, I want to know that you know what's going on.  If I'm hard on you, it's because I think that tough love is what will push you to grow.  If I'm nice to you, it's because I think gentle encouragement is what will help you be courageous to step up.  If I punish you, it's a consequence for you knowing and doing the wrong thing - not because I'm mean and enjoy it.  I don't treat all students the same way because not all students are the same.  Parents should understand where I'm coming from.
  
  Teachers sponsor sporting teams, clubs, and other extracurricular activities that more often than not, cut into lunch and after school hours.  There's so much value in these activities because it gives students different life lessons, different experiences, different perspectives that will also help them grow. 

With all that affirmed, why is it that when teachers go on job action, there are so many negative reactions towards them?  Common insensitive comments:

• You get 3 months off a year!  No other job gets that.
  Technically speaking, our salary is calculated with the 'vacation' as unpaid.  Unlike most jobs that start with two weeks paid vacation and increases as years go on (and yes, some jobs actually give up to two months paid vacation), teachers don't have that luxury.  Especially if you are only part-time or a teacher-on-call, you need to find other means of paying bills/rent/mortgage because there's simply large chunks of the year where you don't have a job.  Not to mention the vacation time is always high season so you need to spend excessively high rates to travel or do anything fun.
  
  As for the full-time teachers, if you calculate a person working 7.5 hours, 5 days per week, for 50 weeks (two weeks paid vacation) compared to a full-time teacher working 36 weeks of the year (with unpaid vacation), it works out to each teacher having to work 10hrs25min per day.  I gotta tell you, there are so many days where I work more than these hours (planning, testing recipes, shopping for ingredients, marking, helping students complete missed work, etc) that I definitely work as much as a regular full-timer if not more with no overtime pay.  People think teacher hours = student hours.  It's just simply not the case.  I haven't even factored in extracurricular activities yet.
  
  Do we deserve the break?  Yes because if not, we'd all be burnt out, in a psychiatric hospital, or dead. 
• Teachers are lazy and greedy. 
  Once again, tons of unseen work as per written above that gets little recognition because I'm locked in a classroom by myself working into the wee hours of the night with no witnesses.  Lazy?
  
  As for greedy - everyone can download a copy of the teacher's salary online and those numbers are not even CLOSE to what we actually get.  Do you know how many fees we need to pay to be part of the public system and to keep our teaching license?  Do you realize how much money a teacher pulls from their own pockets to keep their classrooms stocked?  Do you realize how much gas money I've spent shopping for groceries, which I can't write off?  Do you know how much it costs to live in Vancouver???  The cost of living is just too high to keep teachers on a wage-freeze.  It was frozen through the 90s and then there was a small raise in 2005 but we are still far behind other provinces and other countries (compared to cost of living) who actually value teachers.
  
  When people hear about the 15% raise, they flip out and heads are spinning!  But that's over several years meaning that it's only 2-3% increase per year which is just barely keeping up with inflation.  Is that unreasonable?  Private sectors get this even if the company is not doing well and when they do well, they get bonuses and chances to move up and make bigger bucks.  Do people working in public sectors get the same opportunity?  There's always a cap to the maximum you can receive regardless of how much work you put into it and how well you do.  It's a wonder that teachers don't just do the bare minimum that they're paid to do.
• Stop complaining and do your job!
  And please tell us - what's our job?  When a student succeeds, what a good student!  When a student fails, what a bad teacher!  During phase 1, when we stepped back from doing administrative work (not in our job description), there were talk about cutting our pay.  Um...excuse me?
• The government tells us that teachers are the reasons public education is failing
  Hey, have you ever been seen a CEO of a company publicly ranting about how terrible their employees are?  When you go to Walmart and a manager tells you their workers suck, do you feel like shopping there?  Instead of polite interaction, Ms Clark chooses to fight.  It's become Liberals vs. Teachers.  Why? WHY?  What good could come of this?
  Even if teachers are legislated back to work, would they continue to feel value and fulfillment in their job?  Would parents and students and the general public still respect teachers and public education if all this bad press surrounds us?  It’s tearing down a system that allows all people equal opportunity to become educated and build a future for themselves.  Why do this to such a good thing?
  
  

It makes me so angry that I literally spend hours with my head stuck in a gloomy cloud.  So why?  Why do people respond this way? 
I’ve come to the conclusion that we are all very ignorant people.  I’m so thankful for those who understand why we are taking a stand and supporting us through this ordeal.  However, I’ve also learned that I cannot be angry with those who make these rude comments because I’ve also been guilty of assuming something about others as well.  And instead of mature love (“loved because I love”), sometimes I still feel like I’m quite immature (“I love because I’m loved”).  Learning from Christ is the most difficult lesson of all – dying for those who condemn you with only love in His heart.  Sounds so simple but it’s crazy difficult. 

Big lesson for me:  Be tolerant and look pass the ugliness into the person whom God loves.  Look at everyone through His eyes.  Forgive them for they do not know better, as I hope to be forgiven when I make the same mistakes.