As the 2020-2021 school year has come to a close, I gave my students the opportunity to reflect on where they’ve been, where they’re going, and how they’ve changed. Within these reflections, a handful of themes emerged, such as increasing devotion to God, increasing confidence, the importance of community, dealing with change/aging, loving math, and rest. Check out their responses below to see how we’ve grown this year!
Student Reflections
Themes: Making the best out of distance learning, the importance of communityThemes: God, Math, and RestThemes: God and mathThemes: God and MathThemes: Empathy, Memorization being hard (facts), ChangeThemes: Research, Increasing Confidence, PeaceThemes: Intimacy with God, Increasing ConfidenceThemes: God, PersonalityThemes: Loving adults, Increasing Confidence, Sleepovers as the spice of 3rd grade lifeThemes: GodThemes: Change and growing older, GodThemes: Passion for God, Freedom
Favorite Projects
As we begin cast vision for the shape and texture of next school year, students also had the chance to reflect on their favorite assignments. Being the person that I am, I decided to catalog and analyze this data in graphs.
Third Grade’s Favorite Projects
Fourth Grade’s Favorite Projects
Looking at this data was very satisfying, because I realized just how much students were able to glean from some of my labors of love. I’m excited to use this data to refine or invent new projects in 2021-2022! Check out the links below to catch a glimpse into several of our beloved projects from this year!
It goes without saying that this year has been challenging, but I am grateful that I met my personal goal of using this year to try so many new ideas! Having class online gave us plenty of room to experiment, research, and absorb plenty of new information. In spite of a staggered return to the classroom from October-Thanksgiving and from late January til the end of school in June, students were able to adjust to many changes. I saw my students’ passion for God and their own interests only increase as the majority of students shifted into in person learning. Next year, I’m looking forward to exploringlocal ecumenism (church denominations), the diverse traditions of Global Catholicism, and *hopefully* collaborating with local Jewish and/or Muslim elementary schools to explore religious symbolism.
As the school year comes to a close, I will be writing about some of my favorite projects of the late school year. As Catholics commemorate 2021 as the year of St. Joseph the Worker, I’ve been fascinated to come alongside my students as they meet Jesus in the topic of workers rights. In this Religion and Social Studies unit, students explored the ways that migrant farm workers used Catholic Faith to shape the religious symbolism and protest tactics of the United Farm Workers Movement (1962-1977).
Pre-empting Thinking: Stations of the Cross
In order to encourage my students to reflect on Catholic Social Teaching on the Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers, I selected a version of Stations of the Cross that were developed from the homilies of St. Oscar Romero. This version of the Stations directly encourages a Matthew 24:40, Franciscan approach to meeting Jesus in poor. I intentionally selected stations that relate to Jesus’ interactions with women to highlight the emotional drama of allowing himself to gently die. I also incorporated art from various styles and cultures to help students access and generalize the tension in these scenes.
Station 6
Response
These two stations show Jesus’ willing self-giving (Station 8) as well as his need to make himself dependent on others (Station 6). Students considered the necessity of allowing Christ to live through us, and the sorrow the women felt in allowing their beloved friend, son, and leader to die. Combined, these two stations show a kind of mutual surrender that develops as we continue to pursue Christ.
Station 8
Response
After praying and examining the religious art, students were challenged to make a connection with the characters of one of the stations.
Starting with the Bible: Lectio Divina
After students returned Easter and Spring break, we continued to explore the theme of workers rights through scripture and art. As a Protestant Christian, I am passionate about using the bible as a primary source to inspire reflection and analysis of just about any subject. In order to apply a biblical worldview to the United Farm Workers movement as a chapter in history, it was important to me that students understand biblical teachings on justice and the treatment of the poor.
Students first examined several passages, pulling out key phrases. I intentionally chose short but complex sections of scripture so that we could discuss them in depth. Students were most intrigued by the phrase “to take advantage”. We discussed the importance of economics of mutuality and how we are to economically provide for those who are hungry (including animals).
Students completed a template in order to understand how God might be calling them to respond. This student focused on the need to be careful within her own life not to take advantage of people.
This student focused on how humans are responsible not just to consume the environment by cutting down trees, but ensure that animals have what they need to survive. He also objected to the idea of people working “super hard and getting nothing for pay” (the working poor). He believed ultimately that these issues were caused by greed.
This student focused on the power dynamic between the poor and the wealthy. She focused on the meaning of true poverty (being “without God”), and prayed that God would make the weak strong. In each of these work samples, I did very little to guide the discussion in advance. I am always amazed by what the Holy Spirit reveals to my students when we start with the word of God.
Adding Complexity: Generating Questions using Art
Once students had caught hold of the emotional tensions within the biblical text, we examined Jean Francois Millet’s “The Gleaners” painting. Various students noticed fine grain details (including the village behind the horses (misspelled as “houses,” lol). The students asked questions about whether the women in the front of the painting were slaves, why they were picking up the hay with their hands, and why they were working so far apart from the men.
Building Bridges
Students then deduced what was similar from the Lectio Divina verses to the Gleaners painting. I used a modified 321 Bridge routine to encourage them to look closely. Again, many students assumed that the women farm workers were slaves.
I chose this speech specifically because 1) Cesar focuses on the role of religious institutions to help the poor 2) because he ecumenically celebrates the contributions of Protestants in supporting the migrant workers and 3) it discusses his fasting methods.
Students discussed the meaning of solidarity in plain language and talked about why it’s important for Christians of all kinds to unite in support of human rights (in spite of historical divisions between Catholics and Protestants).
Secondly, students also examined details that they noticed within this of the National Farm Workers Association. Several students were quick to point out the use of the Virgen of Guadelupe on the banner as a symbol of Chicano/Mexican culture (check out this article here). Especially for my students who have close ties to Mexico, this conversation took on another level of meaning. Students also noticed the presence of the United States and Mexican flags, and we talked about what the use of these symbols could mean.
Finally, students discussed links they had found between Cesar’s speech and the NFWA image.
Assessment through Writing: Understanding How Faith affects Protest Tactics
Ultimately, students considered the many things that they had learned to explore the specific ways that Cesar Chavez and other migrant farm workers protested. Through marches, prayer vigils, hunger fasts, nonviolence, imagery of the Virgen of Guadelupe, and other methods, students acknowledged that the United Farm Workers Movement’s (UFWM) protest strategies were infused with Mexican culture and Catholicism.
Watercolor Protest Art
To my joy, I found that students were very focused on the protest art of the Delano Grape Strike, and other similar boycotts related to the UFWM. One of my favorite ways of relaxing with students this school year has been a “Pick your own Watercolor Topic” block at the end of the day, where students are challenged to paint the most important idea from their favorite thing we discussed that day. This student chose to paint a version of protest art banning lettuce, grapes, and wine, the 3 most boycotted products of the UFWM.
Explaining the Conflict in Legos
Students also were able to express the most important tensions of the UFWM through Legos! In a similar end of the day option, students were challenged to explain the main conflict of something they had encountered that day. In this video, one of my students explains the conflict between the wealthy landowners in California and the migrant farmers within the UFWM.
Reflection
In this project, I was very proud to start our exploration not just in philosophy, but in theology that is firmly rooted in the biblical text. I felt that this project built on the work we did in developing biblical antiracism to directly discuss how faithful people can ground their protest tactics within Christianity (or more specifically, Catholicism). This project had the effect of giving my students a concrete example of how Jesus calls us to engage with the world to pursue justice that has been formed by an understanding of his character. While there are elements of this project that fail to resonate with me as a Protestant, I’m very happy that in the primarily low-income Latinx community in which I teach, we made room to honor certain students’ Mexican culture, enter into the struggles of the working poor, and celebrate Jesus’.
Check out some of the most exciting things that happened during the month of May!
My Garden Continues to Grow
Before (Early May)
Now (End of May)
Lots of Fire
This month has been full of peace, but also full of extremes!
First, I had a desperate need to write. Then, I had a desperate need to teach. Now, I have a desperate need to read as much as humanly possible. I’m excited to get the chance to explore new things with God this summer!
Tracking the Supernatural
Since mid-April, I’ve used spreadsheets to make declarations and track answered prayer for my school. God has had me focus on specific psalms (including Psalm 119). I’ve made declarations based on scriptures and dreams I’ve had for my school, and have gotten into a routine of merely writing down all the wonderful things God does each day.
Recently, I’ve gone back several months and curated all of the prophetic words and dreams I’ve had or received for myself, or different nations. As I organized all the information, I noticed at least 50% more connections than I had previously, and spent some time just marveling at the glory of God.
Praying into Relocation
For several months now, I’ve been praying into the topic of relocation. I continue to get images when I’m praying and dreams that show the scenery of the United Kingdom, but in various parts. As you can imagine, it’s somewhat crazy-making. But I’m starting to really view this process as collecting pieces of a puzzle, and I know God will make it clear soon enough.
I have started to accept that it’s likely I will have to give up my most favorite part of being in DC: my apartment. Nearly 18 months ago, I got so stressed out in apartment shopping that I poured myself a glass of wine and just made declarations about the type of apartment the Lord would be sending me. He honored everything I prayed for and more. This apartment has been a place of freedom, healing, and joy. While I’ll be sad to give it up, I will certainly do so in order to follow God and the more he has for me.
When will this happen? Who knows! God will work out the timing.
An Abundance of Joy
From Field Day to every day life in the classroom, this month held incredible joy! There was even a week where I was absolutely miserable from an ear infection, but transparently told God that if he sent any more fire, I would not be able to physically handle it. I asked God to heal it in a way that I didn’t expect, and he sent me so much overwhelming joy and good sleep the following day that it was cleared quickly thereafter.
Acting out the book of Judges
Simple Pleasures
Celebrating the Servant Heart of Jesus
This month, my students read and memorized the Magnificat, Mary’s song of praise to God in Luke 3. Based on the themes of humility and justice in this prayer, we spent the majority of this month understanding the difference between the Christlike Heart of a Servant and the Heart of a Rebel.
We also spoke about the reality of being held accountable by God for our actions, and God’s role (along with the rest of the Trinity) as the Righteous Judge.
Third grade was very convinced that people who have the Holy Spirit would have no good reason to disobey God. I tried to explain that as Christians and/or Catholics, we have choices to obey or disobey God all the time. They still seemed too pure of heart to understand, so I decided to leave it until a better time.
I decided to include the background noises because it tells a more accurate story of our daily, classroom experience. 🙂
.This student chose to record herself explaining the main ideas. Woohoo!
Bringing the School Year to a Close
As I move boxes into my closet, cover up bookshelves with paper, and clear my white boards of any and all detritus, it’s clear: Just one more week until the end of the school year. During this daunting year, there have been so many times where I’ve longed for this moment. And now? I’m very much at peace, but also very interested in spending more time with my kids. Yet, I’m so excited to rest! I have some things I need to establish with the Lord this summer, but I will be excited to see them again at the right time.
With just 1 day until my birthday, there are many exciting developments pouring out of our classroom!
Obsessed with the Bible
As we’ve done more and more Lectio Divina this month, one of my 3rd graders asked me to tell teach them about the Story of Joseph. I wasn’t quite expecting it, but I never turn down an opportunity to teach about the Bible. Using this Comic and this translation side-by-side, God has used this study over the past 2 weeks as an open door for me to teach about the supernatural realm, specifically seeing and partnering with angels and listening to God’s voice through dreams. Through this study, the Holy Spirit has been speaking to my students not just to reveal the text, but to understand signs and how God is speaking through them. All I’ve had to do is point out when what they are saying is prophetic, or how it connects to the larger story. They are starting to recognize when thoughts they have actually come from the Holy Spirit, and I’ve started to actively release students to listen the Holy Spirit’s voice.
Please read the section “Prayer Strategy coming to Life” to see just how explosive this change has been. In addition to the supernatural, the Holy Spirit has had us talking a lot about the grace of God, the effects of sin, how God heals family trauma, and learning to read the Bible allegorically. This week, my Vice Principal also approved my request to purchase 12 more bibles (so we will have a full class set), because she “knows that we will definitely use them.” Oh, we will!
Students enjoyed some of our goofier socio-emotional checkins using Poll Everywhere.
During our afternoon sessions, students also got to chat in Break out rooms to answer Would You Rather questions, such as “Would you rather have the feet of a duck or a horse’s head?
We painted crosses this month to commemorate lives lost to COVID. This meant sitting under shady trees in our parking lot outside, leisurely painting with the help of our Art teacher in the excellent weather.
Questions and Answers
Student: “Are there clues about Jesus in other places in the bible?”
Me, nearly screaming: “IN EVERY BOOK!”
Student, asking with genuine tenderness: “Ms. Nus, why can’t women be priests?”
Me, responding gently: “People are confused about what a few verses in the Bible mean. Instead of listening to God, they are spending more time arguing with each other. Meanwhile, a lot of women are made to feel rejected. BUT God calls both women and men to serve and love him. There are lots of women in other denominations that have a job like a Priest, but you call them “Reverend” or “Pastor”. Ultimately, God uses people most not based off of their title, but based on their hearts. If you love God with all your heart and want to serve him, he will open doors for you to serve him more. What really matters is your heart.”
Student, asking with fear for her own family: “Why do grown ups get divorced?”
Me, remembering that same fear: “Sometimes grown ups are like babies learning to walk. They don’t always know how to love each other well, and they use words or do things that aren’t kind. They fall down a lot of times, and it can be painful. When that happens, God keeps teaching them, no matter how many times they fall.”
Me: “Do you think God would say, “You’ve failed, I’m done teaching you, you should stop trying and just stay sitting down for the rest of your life.”
Students: “NO!”
Me: “In the same way, sometimes it takes longer for people to learn. People divorce sometimes when they have hurt each other really badly and need to take a break. But God is always whispering in their ear, trying to show them the right way to go, if they let him, just like with everything else. He wants to change their hearts and help them love others well.”
Me: Tells story of how God kept working on my parents hearts long after they divorced, and how God’s been working on my family
Me, asking a follow up question: “When you hear your parents fighting, what can you do?”
Students: “Sometimes I hide. Or I go to a different room. Or I watch TV.”
Students: *Telling me stories about dysfunctional family dynamics*
Me: “I notice that many of you seem to be scared for your parents. Maybe you notice that they use angry words with each other, or think mean things, or do things to each other that are hurtful. When they do that, can you put your hands over their mouths? Can you tell them to stop yelling?”
Students, laughing: “No, they would just get more mad.”
Me: “Here is what I would suggest you do, when you hear your family members fighting. I would go into another room, maybe with your brother or sister if you have siblings, and just pray. Ask God to show them how to speak to each other with love, and to change their hearts and minds. God will hear you, and he knows how to help them. THEN, I would actively entrust them to God. You have to let him be the one who is whispering in their ear, and let him be the one to change their hearts. Then once you’ve let them go to him, you get to go do something different, maybe something outside or away from the fighting. You still get to be kid, so you should do things that you like. God knows how to take care of your family way better than you, and you can trust him.”
Student: “How long will that take?”
Me: “It can take a long time. *Tells details about family, and some reasons that family members were scared to let God heal them* Even if it takes a long time. It’s up to them to listen, but God will do things to cause them to listen if they don’t want to for a long time.” *Tells story about my Dad losing his job*. God knows that are hearts are hurting, and sometimes he allows things to happen so that we will let him heal us (relating it to story of Joseph).
Prayer Strategy coming to Life
In late March, there was an incident at my school that required me to stand my ground to worship Jesus alone. Shortly after, the Lord began to show me things that he wanted me to start strategically praying to bind and loose in my school’s culture. This month, the Lord took me on a journey of developing a prayer strategy to intercede more effectively for my school.
This is a timeline what has come from that process so far:
Easter Sunday (April 4th):
-Waking up from a very specific dream that showed me 1) which friendships to prioritize with other staff in this season and 2) timing for God giving me a school of my own.
-Transcribing a list of objects I saw in a dream in August and their spiritual significance to my school at this time.
April 4-11th:
-Resting over Spring Break.
-Emotionally and spiritually gearing up for explosive changes.
– Receiving more strategic insight on how to build bridges with key staff, what changes will look like, and how to partner with God in advance.
April 12th-18th:
-Daily praying that God would bind and loose the spiritual significance of all the objects I saw in the dream.
-Listening carefully to what God is saying about people’s identities (as school community). Making daily declarations in alignment with what the Holy Spirit shared each morning.
-Documenting evidence in words and pictures of the ways God answered prayers related to each daily declaration. Spoiler alert: I had to keep adding columns nearly every day because God kept doing so many things.
April 19th-25th:
-Continued Daily Prayer, Daily Declarations, and Documenting Evidence
-Praying Psalm 119 Hebrew Acrostic (Hebrew ABCS) over school
-Studying the story of Joseph with 3rd and 4th grade over snack period (at a students’ request).
-Devoting more time to building relationships with key staff
April 26th-Today
-Precision and Reframing from the Holy Spirit to focus on what is mine to control and to release all the rest
-Allowing someone at the school who has become a mentor speak correctively and officially act as my main point of contact with administrative staff
-Continuing daily declarations, BUT simply selecting an object from the original list to receive first for myself, and then pray over the school (more in sync with my own needs)
-Kids becoming OBSESSED with the Bible! It had been growing up until this week but got to a point where we spent midmorning, snack, and all of lunch studying the book of Joseph because they were pleading with me to read the story. Training the kids vicariously to read the bible allegorically (as they said, “Looking for clues of Jesus”). As one student said yesterday (Thursday), “I feel like my brain just opened up! This is more important than math!!!” Don’t worry, we still do plenty of math, but the Holy Spirit has worked it out so we’re covering the same amount of instructional ground in less time. The kids ask me to tell teach them about the Bible at recess, during specials, when we’re at dismissal, when we’re walking down the hall. I usually don’t know most of what I’m going to teach them until it comes out of my mouth.
This week, God used this study to reach one student who has been skeptical about faith, but has fallen in love with the imperfect characters of the Bible and has begun to believe that God wants to know her too, warts and all. God also used this study to break a stronghold of perfectionism off another student, who for the first time this week, truly understood what it feels like to receive grace instead of striving. Wow!
By now, no one should be surprised that my weapon of choice is a spreadsheet
Looking forward with Transgressive Hope
Lately, leadership has felt like the courage to hope and cast vision. As a person who likes a challenge, I’m giving myself permission to be radically hopeful about next school year. I’m energized by the thought of using instructional technology and strong social connection to recompense for students’ learning loss, and I’m expecting us to have fun doing it! I’m expecting God to show up in explosive and uncontainable ways.
Simple Pleasures
This picture summarizes the wave of fatigue that many people (myself included) felt in early April (A sign reading “Patience” had been torn down). God broke through that wall of fatigue about halfway through April in impressive ways.Using this poster set to display A.W. Tozer’s attributes of God. The Lord is my banner! lolololA student’s drawing of an angel after one our our class discussions! She added the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5 because she’s excited to start learning to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in new ways, and wants to know what to listen for.This month, we integrated Lectio Divina, Art analysis, an in depth study of Protest Methods in the United Farm Workers Movement, and Cause and Effect paragraph writing. Check it out here!Daffodils got a second bloomI wove several epic flower crowns this month.First four leaf clover of 2021, many more to come. Definitely accidentally stepped on it.
Here’s to 27
To be honest, 27 is a somewhat awkward number. From what I’ve discussed with the Lord, there are many reasons to be excited about this birthday, and this coming year. I’m expecting a handful of answers to prayer. Allowing myself to rest and let God be the one to bring it all together is both the blessing and struggle of this season. Twenty-six was such a year of refinement, and I’m 27 will be at least twice as epic.
In March, 12 of my 4th graders completed their an inquiry project on a variety of topics! Notably this month, students also experimented with different final project presentations, using Youtube and Kahoot (survey games) to share their learning with one another.
Animals Today and in the Past
This group studied Ancient sea monsters, Dinosaurs, Chihuahuas, and Cave dwelling animals. Two of the four students in this group used Kahoot to help present their work!
Chihuahuas
Troglodytes (Cave Dwelling Animals)
Ancient Sea Monsters
Check out how this student tackled the question of, “Who is Leviathan in the Bible?” in detail!
There were just two students in this group, but they were very passionate about their topics!
Desert Plants
One student shared a poster on desert plants, focusing on the uses and foods made available through them.
StarFruit
The same mastermind student who brought us a 31 page powerpoint on Ramen Noodles created a Youtube video all about Starfruit, complete with special effects and all! It’s been a pleasure to see him develop a passion for horticulture.
Like a professional, he outlined his video before he shot it:
This student then spent the remainder of this group’s discussion teaching them the tricks he had used to design his Youtube video. I am amazed! This is what learning should be!!
Video Games
This group of students studied both video game design AND the history of popular video games like Dragon Ball Z, PacMan, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Two of the five students in this group used Kahoot in their presentations!
Check out how this student connected his faith IN DETAIL to the plot of his video game (Dragon Ball Z)!
Children’s Rights
The student who created this presentation is a natural leader who feels a great sense of solidarity with other children. One day, the Lord is going to use her to speak truth in gentleness and realign systems.
I am so proud of how my students’ stretched their thinking this month! At the end of this month and into May, we will begin doing a whole class Inquiry Project, differentiated with graphic organizers and all for students who need extra support. Many of the students’ who have done Inquiry Projects these past months see themselves as experts in the process, and have offered freely to come alongside their peers (especially those who struggle with motivation or organization) to lead groups or support them as partners. I did not even need to ask, but they were excited to join me in leadership. I can’t WAIT to share how it goes!
Age of the Unexpected 