A Teacher Wanna Be:  It was a dark and dingy day.  To make matters worse, I woke up on the “wrong side of the bed” this particular morning and I was a bit irritable.  I tried to focus on whatever I was working on that morning, but it wasn’t working.  So, I decided I would wander over to school and see what kind of mischief I could create.  After saying my “hellos” to Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Benoit, I walked over to Mrs. Kalich’s office.  As I was sitting there, the call we’ve all been waiting for finally came through.  Mrs. Kaiser, who works at the Parish Center, was on her way to the hospital to have her baby.  The Parish Center and School have been on “baby watch” for a few weeks.  The call meant we now had to find a substitute teacher for Mr. Kaiser’s classroom since he would be on his way to meet his wife at the hospital; Mr. Kaiser also works at SJA and is one of our sixth-grade teachers.  So the “baby alarm” calls and text messages started to fly.  Since I wasn’t doing anything at that moment and had some time, I volunteered to go up upstairs and watch the class until a sub could be found for the rest of the day.
 
When I got upstairs, Mr. Kaiser tried to tell me what they were doing as he gathered his things.  I told him to forget about it and just get on his way to the hospital.  Mr. Kaiser’s class was thrilled that the call came through and equally delighted I was going to be their substitute teacher for a bit.  I assured them I’d only be there a short amount of time because Mrs. Kalich and Ms. Brennan were actively looking for a sub that could come in for the balance of the day.  Truth be told, I might have lasted an hour or two but the rest of the day would have been a challenge; I didn’t want to land in the principal’s office for not being able to control my classroom (I’ve been told that teachers have taken bets before about how long I’d REALLY last in a classroom)!  After we finally got Mr. Kaiser out the door, I did my best to calm the kids down so they could get back to work.  It was still some time before lunch and recess, so I knew I had to gain control of the classroom pretty quick.  BUT, being that I was in a mischievous mood to begin with, I wanted to have some fun before I “got called down to the office.”  So I started with my usual classroom visit “ice breaker.”  What I usually do before engaging in whatever conversation which is the real purpose of my visit, I’ll tell the kids they can ask me any three questions they’ve ever wanted to ask me.  Usually, three questions turn into ten; it usually starts with something silly or not important, but I always bring it back to questions about our faith.  Now, of course, I’m me and I wanted to keep them entertained too.  As I was engaging them with my best “teaching technique,” a teacher, let’s say her name was Mrs. Lietaert, wandered into the classroom to see what was causing all the commotion.  It was pretty funny because she took one look at me, said “OH … it’s YOU,” and then left with a smile.  I guess I was caught; I probably should have closed the door to contain the noise!  Oh well, what could they do to me … I’m the pastor!  With my luck, the next visitor would be the assistant principal.  THEN, I would be in trouble.
 
I finally got the kids calmed down, and we started working on their math lesson, which was what they were doing when Mr. Kaiser got the long-awaited call.  The kids were doing well with the work, and I was glad I had the answers in the book!  I would have been in trouble otherwise.  Sixth-grade math suddenly seemed like advanced physics.  Just as I was getting into it and becoming confident I could last a few hours if needed, I had another visitor; this time it was Ms. Brennan.  Uh, oh!  Did they hear about this unruly classroom all the way downstairs?  I was busted.  After doing a brief, yet formal, classroom observation (boy is that nerve-wracking), Ms. Brennan informed me she would be the sub for the rest of the day.  “Really?  I’m just getting into this teaching thing,” I said.  With that, my whole seven minute substitute teaching job for the day came to a crashing end.  Next time, I’ll know to keep the noise down.  Oh well, it was time to go back across the street and be pastor again.  It was fun while it lasted.  I look at it this way: at least I’m making SOME progress with my teaching techniques!  This time it was seven minutes.  Maybe one day they’ll allow me to have a classroom for ten or even twenty minutes … and I mean a real one with kids and not an empty one!  And before you ask: A boy.  Charles J.  20.5 inches. 7 pounds 7 ounces.  I’ve never really figured out why all that info is so important to share, but I knew if I didn’t add it, I’d hear about it!  I do try my best not to get in trouble ALL the time!
 
New Icons in Church:  By now, you probably noticed the two new icons that grace the far corner niches in the sanctuary.  On the left side you will find an icon of the Divine Mercy Image.  On the right side, you will find an icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe. 
 
For years, I’ve wanted to put a Divine Mercy Image in Church.  I couldn’t decide if I wanted an icon, a mosaic, or a painting.  Then, one day last year while I was praying, I got this brilliant idea of putting an icon in the corner niche.  After doing some research on the MonasteryIcons.com website, I came up with the idea of doing both a Divine Mercy and an Our Lady of Guadalupe Icon.  There was only one problem: I had no clue how I was going to suspend the icons in the niches.  I figured we would deal with that little detail later (this is precisely how I get myself in trouble).  When the icons arrived several months later, I was overjoyed at how beautiful they looked.  With the help of someone who likes to assist with my crazy ideas, we called the company that installed the Sr. Carol Center and Emmaus Hall artwork.  Then thanks to a generous donor, we contracted with them to hang the icons.  They are beautiful and perfectly placed.  After listening to my crazy idea of suspending the icons, the company came up with the brilliant idea of carefully mounting both icons on two huge TV mounts.  Ingenious!  All that’s left to do is add some spotlights!  That’s coming next.
 
Next week, I’ll write more about the importance of the Divine Mercy Image and Our Lady of Guadalupe!
 
Enjoy the week.  Know of my prayers.
 
In Christ,
 
gmb
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