7.1.2024 

Welcome back moving masterpiece…

June FLEW BY too quickly. My mom has always said “time flies when you're having fun.” 

In the beginning of the summer, I went on a work trip to The Ron Clark Academy. The Ron Clark Academy is founded by the creative minds, Ron Clark and Kim Bearden. I’m not going to list everything I learned from the experts because it was a special and surreal visit. During my time at The Ron Clark Academy, I was consuming and reflecting on numerous teaching strategies. Among the teaching strategies, I was able to experience passionate educators who do it ALL for their students. They reflect on research and develop strategies to increase practical, academic and emotional learning. My RCA experience inspired me to strive for an outside-of-the-box mindset to bring to the table. With an outside-of-the-box mindset, it was evident that my students will SOAR in this world.

One of the best quotes from Michael Bonner was “sometimes the Light in you will frustrate the Demon in others.” The outside-of-the-box mindset can be nerve-racking because you have to train your mind to think differently and learn inviting strategies. Albert Einstein stated “no problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” I understand why people do not like change because when something changes in my life, it takes time for my mind to process and reflect. However, if teachers and administration do not change their thinking, we are not moving with the current students' mindsets. We have to learn how to relate and engage our students in lessons by moving through change in the world with them.

If you want to learn more about the strategies from The Ron Clark Academy, feel free to reach out and we can talk! If you have the opportunity to visit, GO! Without a doubt, you will learn something new that can be setup in your classroom. I was blessed to have the opportunity with my PPS family to experience The Ron Clark Academy.

On a personal side of life, some of my family visited a cabin in Ohio to celebrate my uncle's life. We took time to laugh and cry together. My mom randomly wanted to go hiking and I was wearing nice target sandals with a hoodie and glasses. By the end of the hike, my sandals, hoodie, and glasses were off. I had the best time watching my mom, dad and sister enjoy the hike although my struggles during it. Also, my dad told us not to go canoeing. We went… and flipped out of the canoe. It will be a lasting memory because my mom couldn't decide whether she wanted to cry or laugh. 🤣 I am loving the time off to sleep, tan, read, etc., for my first official summer off. I will say my dad thinks I love teaching because it has summers off… BUT DAD, IT WENT TOO FAST. 😭

“Move through your Pain into your Purpose.”

~Just a little affirmation for your month of July.

I’m glad you’re here, moving masterpiece.

Sincerely, 

  Lynds

6.1.2024 

Welcome back moving masterpiece…

It has surely been a while…

Why have I not been writing?

I completed my first year of teaching. Teaching takes your body, mind and soul when giving it your best, especially as a first year teacher.

How was my first year of teaching?

There were good and bad days. I taught lessons that I knew went well. Students were engaged in the classwork and transitions were smooth! I taught lessons that were extremely difficult to get through in which I had to keep pausing with distracting behaviors or re-explain material in a different way. There were days my students would be so wrapped in their drama it was hard to get them to see past it. I broke up fights. I was told to “shut the fuck up” more than 100 times. I was there when students received bad news and needed a hug. Office Mullin and I did the heimlich on a student, which saved her life. I was given a teacher's cup from a student who knew I always had a cup in my hand. I was given a hug by a student every day without fail. I was given guidance from building mentors. I learned all about the 8th grade tea happening while talking in a circle with students. I went home smiling or crying, depending on the day. 

I was a teacher, among many other titles this past year. For example, I was told by one of my 8th graders at their promotion to highschool to not have any kids because she was my kid. I laughed. I hugged her mom and said final goodbyes. My first year of teaching was a rollercoaster of ups and downs, but it was all worth it when I would see glimpses of learning and connection among my students. 

Why am I staying in teaching, especially at Sterling?

Sterling has grown on my heart this past year. I have to give credit to Blake, who has worked for Sterling for more than five years, who said “it feels like family here.” I have a supportive team of coworkers. I have an encouraging building administration. Students from younger grades have asked me will I still be there when they move up to 8th grade. When the students are able to see a consistent face, it helps build the foundation of relationships in the building that leads to increased learning. I want to be a consistent face that embraces and guides them through the little time I get in their lives. 

What have I learned from one year of teaching 8th grade?

• You will have hard days. It’s ok to cry. It's ok to talk to someone. Read your written out “why” on these days. 

• You will have great days. Embrace them.

• Remember that your students are kids.

• Be nice to yourself. Take time to rest and recoup. 

• Find your people and reflect with them. Talk to them about your lessons and how you handled a conflict, etc. 

• Learn about your students academically and personally. Connect with families as much as possible. 

• Create boundaries with your students. Hold everyone, even yourself, accountable to high expectations. Be clear with what are positive versus negative behaviors and actions. Be clear when giving any consequence.

• Structure and routine is important for teachers and students. 

• Walk around your classroom so your presence is felt by the students. 

• Be clear with directions. Give different modes of presentation for reminders. Calm music and countdowns are life savers. 

• Be prepared. Plan for the whole period. Down time leads to unwanted behaviors.

• Learn and use language that encourages and embraces your students. 

• If students don’t listen to you in your classroom, they will not listen outside the classroom. 

Teachers are more than teachers. We are confidantes, janitors, mediators, safe havens, role models, learners, listeners, and of course, moving masterpieces.  

“Every day 

is a new day 

filled with new opportunities” 

~Just a little affirmation for your month of June.

I’m glad you’re here, moving masterpiece.

Sincerely, 

  Lynds

8.1.2023

Welcome back moving masterpiece…

Happy August! It is back-to-school month, which means life is starting to get hectic for me. I will be waking up on the second of August with coffee in my hand and ready to connect with my 8th graders. I am teaching two subject areas, science and English language arts, that make you explore the world and your thinking. I am thankful for all the supplies I received through my Amazon wish-list. Also, thank you to all of you who helped set up my materials in the room. They do not teach you in college how much work it is in being a first-year teacher. I have sweated buckets and cried oceans already. It is HARD work, but all worth it for my students. I am starting my teaching career at Sterling Middle School with a proud and joyful attitude.  

I will not lie and say the past couple of weeks have been easy for me. I have been filled with high anxiety and the weight of pressure. I feel pressure with being a first-year teacher with tons of items on my to-do list. I have been struggling with adjusting back to life in the United States. I was living in a place where I saw people have freedoms taken away. Since I have been home, I can freely jump in my car and take a ride anywhere with some fast-food. Residents in the camp do not have those basic freedoms and advantages. They can not go out to buy a car when they will need to find the funds for it. They do not have the advantage of jumping in a car to get somewhere fast and easy. They have to walk in hot and rainy weather. It has been difficult to adjust to my freedoms knowing the people I met do not have the same opportunities. On a positive note, I did receive some GREAT news from a friend.

I am glad to share with you some news about a friend from the Mavrovouni Camp. Her name is Rahima and she received her POSITIVE decision for asylum (refer to my previous post for definitions). Also, her sister received a positive decision, so they will be on their way to a new, safer home. When I would talk with Rahima, we would have lovely conversations about our families. We both have big families who we love very much! She has family members who are still making their way to Europe to seek asylum. She is not the only one who told me about other family members' travels. There are family members that are in other camps, countries, or died while traveling to Lesvos. My heart grows heavy when I think about the families that have been through trauma in order to seek out and experience a better life. It is encouraging to see Rahima’s journey to freedom though.

“I am Protected

Watched Over 

Cherished 

And Loved” 

~Just a little affirmation for your month of August. 

I’m glad you’re here, moving masterpiece. 

Sincerely, 

  Lynds

6.1.2023

Welcome back moving masterpiece…

It is June already! Not just the past couple of weeks, but this year has been flying by for me. I guess that happens when you’re having fun. 

I have been serving in Panagiouda, Greece with my Cru team for almost two weeks now. I have been writing in a journal about my experiences almost every day so let’s start there. I am going to give you a little snippet of a journal entry when I reflected on a long conversation with a resident of the Mavrovouni camp. Instead of “refugees,” we call them “residents” since most people are waiting for their refugee status. Hold on tight for your first story:

“By the time game time came, we were in the conversation with a resident about his journey here. He is from the country of Sierra Leone in Africa. He traveled to Turkey and was jailed there for three months, then made it to the camp. He is a single man so he desires to stay in Greece for now. He said something about the journey like, ‘people are called on the journey but not everyone is chosen,’ describing the deaths of people through the travels to the camp."

Every person in the camp has a story of why they fled and how they arrived in Greece. Specifically, I was working in the New Arrivals Area when I was talking to him. He freshly arrived from the traumatic events that occurred on his journey. When I am serving in the camp, I need to be very aware of the trauma that has occurred to these people. As volunteers, we never raise our voices and respect their cultures. There are over 30+ nations that are represented in the camp and in Chris’s words, “30+ ways for a volunteer to mess up.” 😂 

Although there is a lot of hurt happening in the camp, there is so much joy. I can not describe the hospitality that takes place in and out of the camp. Residents greet you when you walk by them. They try to give you food or water, which in reality they really need. They help you grab heavy objects and transport them to new areas. Some residents volunteer with the organization we work with, EuroRelief, to do translating. There are moments of laughter, fun, and joy with both the adults and children. 

Within the last two weeks, I have seen God begin to transform my thinking of organizations. I am on the ground seeing the work that it takes to make a daily difference. God is moving through daily smiles and high-fives, to volleyball games and food lines, to burrito bundles (new arrivals get a “burrito bundle” of clothes) and home visits, to so much more. 

God is moving daily here.

Residents are moving masterpieces. 

I am loving His masterpieces with no conditions. 

I’m glad you’re here, moving masterpiece. 

Sincerely, 

  Lynds

5.1.2023

Welcome back moving masterpiece…

As I am writing for this month, I am…

11 days away from graduating with my Bachelors in Middle Level Education

21 days away from leaving for Greece for the refugee camp

91 days away from being in my own classroom back in Peoria 

I have SO many events happening for and around me within the upcoming time. 

Graduation is close and I am ready to walk the stage. I will be partying with all the cheerleaders in my life ALL WEEKEND. I am making this a big celebration for the amount of work and time that was put into this degree. I have my outfit ready, but not so much of how my hair is going to look yet. That might not be an important detail to you, but I will remember graduation day forever. I want to be fully myself, in every aspect, when I walk across that stage. I am excited to be graduating alongside the people in my major as they have been through the highs and lows too. It is going to be a great weekend of celebration. 

As for Greece, I had news that my team is meeting up in Montreal, Canada and my first reaction was “WTF…..” Disclaimer: Yes, I am an imperfect Christian who sins daily.

I reacted that way because it is a new country, more expenses, extra planning, etc., etc. Thank God, I received an email later saying that the travel agent set up my tickets to get to Montreal. It did add $200 to my $4,550 total for my trip, so it is now $4,750 (1,000+ left to raise). Even though my total cost went up, I am relieved I did not have to search and make the plans myself to get there. Now, I have my whole travel itinerary and everything is becoming real. 

Sometimes I question what I am getting myself into with all the unknown. I am going to a different part of the world with people I barely know personally. I have a big fear of fitting into the “Christian model.” Sometimes I feel like I am not equipped for this trip or more specifically, advocating for Jesus when I am a sinner myself. 

What I know to be true though is, I am a human with imperfections, but He still chose me to do this. I should not question His judgment. Every day getting closer and closer to Greece, I have to choose faith over fear, LITERALLY. I have to believe God has a purpose in choosing me for this journey. I have to develop a strong faith that He knows best before I even do. 

I think this is where the beauty is in all of this. I am able to be wholly myself and He still chooses me. He knows that I am a mess, but those imperfections are a masterpiece for His plan. 

I’m glad you’re here, moving masterpiece. 

Sincerely, 

  Lynds

4.1.2023

You made it! I am so glad you are here. Let's get into all the juicy details right away. I do not hold back and I overshare all the time. I am so happy to share with YOU. 

For the longest time, I have wanted to do this. By “this” I mean starting a platform where I can share my life and writing with others. I never had a reason “why” or a drive behind the idea. I only had the dream about telling others about my life experiences in order to create a safe dialogue about real life. 

Now I found my reason for “why”... You are a moving masterpiece. I am a moving masterpiece. Everyone is a moving masterpiece. 

What do I mean by moving masterpiece and why? 

I have gone through hell and back with life. Through a failed engagement, mental illness diagnosis, and college completion, I have been hit down many times by life. One thing I have learned to do is move, even through the times when I fell on the floor and someone had to pick me up. God worked through those people by reminding me the importance of moving. 

I want everyone to know they are moving masterpieces because there is a miracle in their daily movement. 

When you move, you are not sitting in depression. 

When you move, you are creating an active mindset. 

When you move, you are creating healthy habits. 

When you move, you believe in the masterpiece you are in life. 

I am a firm believer in Jesus and it is relayed to us that we were created as masterpieces from God. We were created as a masterpiece to move through the difficult times. 

So how did I hear about the Greece Refugee Care summer mission? 

As I told most of you in the video, I was pondering the idea of a mission trip because I have the summer off before starting my teaching job. I have been on a mission trip to Brazil with the goal of building a church, but I wanted something different. During winter break, I had all the time to talk with God and let Him lead me on this search. One day, I came across Cru’s website with their international mission options. I applied for the refugee trip that day not fully knowing what I was getting myself into with this process. 

I announced I was accepted on a humanitarian aid trip in February with the use of videos on social media. After that, I began to send out letters to family and friends with the encouragement of my financial advisor, Alex, on my team. Alex guided me in the process of writing the letter and sending them to numerous people. She prays over my journey each time we talk with the reminder God will reveal my ministry partners. I am over half-way with my raising for the mission! I have until May 2nd to raise the full amount.

God is working out His purpose for my life in many incredible ways. All I have to do is listen, move, and love others. 

I’m glad you’re here, moving masterpiece. 

Sincerely, 

              Lynds