Life is about...

This month I have been a little on edge, especially at work. As much as I love my students I definitely have times when they drive me crazy. What teacher doesn't!? But this month I have been less patient with my students than usual. I had an experience today that reminded me they are just kids! Sometimes I expect so much of my students and most of the time they surpass my expectations but when they don't I feel disappointed with them but also myself and it makes me sorrowful (We did shades of meaning today and that word was a class favorite).

A few weeks ago we were working on a little assignment. It wasn't something I was going to grade (Yes, it's true not everything gets graded). But it was a fun Valentine's math worksheet I was having my students work on. I have one student who really struggles despite how hard she tries. Student 16 came up to me after a while of working and told me she was doing it wrong and she needed a new paper. I told her it was fine, don't worry about the mistakes and to just do her best on what she had left. I didn't have any extras and it wasn't a good time to go make a copy. The students worked on it for a little while longer and then I asked everyone to put it away.

As the students were putting it away I noticed student 16 sitting with her head on her desk, crying. Student 16 is one of my happiest students and I was surprised to see her crying. It turns out another student had seen her paper and told student 16 that she was going to get a bad grade. This sweet girl was crying because she was worried about having a bad grade. I reminded student 16 that we had talked and she was fine but she was still really worried. I didn't think any more of it until this afternoon.

Today I had a sweet student bring in a gift along with a note saying how great I am. Sometimes a nice note is all you need... Anyway, the gift was a little decorative plaque that said, "Life is about using the whole box of crayons." It was bright and happy and that is all I thought until later when I walked over to the mailboxes.

As I was passing out a few papers (Not something I usually do) I saw an envelope labeled to me from student 16. I opened it up and the letter inside really shook up my emotions and helped me to realize that I need to be more positive and loving to these sweet kiddo's that I get to work with! Apparently the situation with the Valentine's math page was weighing heavily on her because she wrote me the sweetest apology letter.

"Hi Miss Fiso I am trying say sorry doing that to you I always be mad because I did mistakes on math and am to sorry Miss Fiso"

As I looked at this letter it struck me that, to me the math page wasn't a big deal but it was a big deal to her. She was devastated because of her mistakes and having another student bring attention to it didn't help. As I worried about the situation I thought of how student 16 is amazing! Yes, she struggles at school with academics but she is the most cheerful student with such a wonderful attitude. She is always willing to try and is such a sweet student and hard-worker. I am happy to have her in my class this year!

It is true that everyone has something they can contribute, it's what makes our world so colorful. As stressful as some colors, or people, can be it is important to recognize every single one for what they are. They are Children of God with eternal potential and we need to love them for who they are! When we can do that our lives become so much brighter because we are filled with love for those around us!

I know I've posted it before but this video really is one of my favorites!

The Will to Change

This past month I have finished reading Gone With the Wind and A Christmas Carol. Each book had me thinking of our choices and our ability to change. In Gone With the Wind Scarlett O'Hara develops through the book but I don't feel that her true character changes, her main concern is her needs. Contrastingly, in A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is able to recognize a need for change and he works to change himself. My favorite part of the book is when Scrooge is standing at the grave with the Spirit but hasn't yet seen that it is his grave they are standing at:

"Are these the shadows of the things that will be or are they shadows of the things that may be, only? . . . Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which if persevered in, they must lead," said Scrooge. "But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. . ."

I love this part so much because it shows us the moment Scrooge learns he has the power to change. Scrooge realizes that there is a chance for him to change his future. He is later able to act on what he has learned and improve his life by repairing relationships with those around him.

Similarly we are able to change and grow. This blessing of change and growth comes to us because of the Savior's atonement. Without the atonement we would be stuck. No growth would occur because our mistakes would be permanent. Luckily we have a loving brother in Jesus Christ and he has made it possible for us to look with hope to our future. When we make a mistake we can change it. We have the opportunity to change our course and change our ends.

We are blessed with the ability to use Christ's atonement to change us. As you look forward to this new year look to Christ to help you grow and make the changes you see necessary! Trust in God and trust that you can change!

Sunday Thoughts

I was grading some math homework and getting frustrated with my kids. I know that it is not rational to be so upset by students struggling with their math but when I assigned the homework I told the students to take home their math journal to use when doing their homework... It was clear to me as I graded that they did not heed my advice and left their math journal's unopened as far as homework was concerned. The help they needed to get their homework was right in front of them yet they did not use it. To me as a teacher it was a frustrating thing. I finished my grading and finished getting ready for church.
I was in Sacrament meeting when I made a connection. I was blaming my students for not using the help that was right within their reach but so often I forget to use all the tools and resources provided for me by a loving Heavenly Father. I have the answers. I may have to look for them and study to find them but the answers I need will always be there for me because He cares about me and wants me to be able to do my best. I'm sure when Heavenly Father sees us doing things the wrong way He thinks, "Just look! I have given you the answer!" I am going to work on finding the answers that He has given me. Studying the scriptures and asking for help when I need it because, just as I will always help a struggling student He will always help a struggling child.

Also, I know I've shown this before but I love it so much!

Life? Life is Good!

Things have been so busy recently.... I have been enjoying times with my new roommates and living so close to my school was a brilliant idea! School pictures came, I have to say, mine are much better than last year (and I have enough pictures of myself to last a thousand graduations, hahaha)!

Living so close to school I have found a lot of time to go visit the Temple and last week when I went to visit the Temple I had a great experience and was reminded of the purpose of this life! I woke uup early on Saturday morning and headed to the Draper Temple. When I got there there was a group of people, about my age ready to enter for baptisms. I had the thought of, "I should hurry and get there before them so I don't need to wait for them" but I decided to just enter the Temple after them (there was no reason for me to rush) I was so glad I waited. I watched as they checked in and realized that for one of the girls it was her first time. Everyone who had come with her had already been through the Temple and worked to find family names specifically so they could join her on her first trip to the Temple. As they turned the corner there was a rush of excitement and the girl who was the center of the trip turned to one of the Temple workers and said, "Those are my parents". She had surprised her parents by coming to the Temple during their shift but that wasn't the best part. It turns out that the people with her were her siblings. It was such a cool reminder of the power the Temples have and the importance of family in our lives. It was so sweet to see this family band together and see their happiness of all being in the Temple together for the first time!

As Stephanie likes to say... Life? Life is good! Although it will be better in a couple of weeks when I get to listen to the Prophet's voice during General Conference!

Sunday Thoughts

Today in Relief Society we had an amazing lesson taught by my lovely roommate. The topic for this lesson came from conference it was a talk by Elder Hales Stand Strong in Holy Places. He talks about the challenges that we face in these latter days and the importance of standing in holy places and wearing the armor of God. There was one part of the talk that I found thought provoking.

"In January of 1982, I spoke in a devotional on the BYU campus in Provo, Utah. I invited the students to imagine that the Church was on one side of the podium, and the world was just a foot or two away on the other side. This represented the 'very short distance between the world was and where the Church standards were' when I was in college. Then, standing before the students 30 years later, I help up my hands in the same manner and explained, 'The world has gone far afield; [it has traveled; it is nowhere to be seen;] it has proceeded way, way out, all the way out of this [building and around the world]. ... what we and our children and our grandchildren have to remember is that the church will remain constant, yet the world will keep moving- that gap is [becoming] wider and wider... Therefore, be very careful. If you judge your actions and the standards of the Church on the basis of where the world is and where it's going, you will find that you are not where your should be."

In my mind I see a house (the church) and a tent (the world). The house is constantly changing but foundation is the same, it is unmovable like the morals taught in church are the same though revelation (thereby change)  is always present. On the other hand the tent is constantly moving from place to place like the world's ideas of morals are always changing they are not steady and can come down at any time the same way a tent might when it comes under pressure. We are blessed to have a church that has a strong foundation. It is able to withstand the opposition that presents itself.

For a Friend

 My great friend Miss Megan Mitton is on her mission in Georgia. Megan and I met about a year ago at work (We had been at the same job for a year and hadn't met) and we clicked! She is one of my favorite people and I miss her, but she sends regular emails! Yesterday was her birthday and she sent me an email telling me that I should dance to Taylor Swift's 22 for her because she couldn't. I decided to upgrade the idea and include our mutual friend. Conviniently we were all at the retirement reception for one of our bosses and we cranked up the music to dance for Megan's Birthday! I love my friends oh so much that they would do something so quirky with me! :)

Here are some pictures of our dance party (I couldn't very well send her a video...)

Missy and I started it off....

Soon to be joined by everyone else (well, everyone there)

And because I feel like it, here are some pictures!

We were really bad at taking a sad picture, I ended up getting
pushed to the floor,,,

At Halloween

We once went to the Brigham City Temple Open House

Also, Megan has challenged people to post a Mormon Message each week and I have been slacking... But here goes!

        

Dad's are the best!

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful dad (and all the dad's out there). I hope that you feel appreciated and know how much you are loved! Continue to be so amazing, I am glad for the example in my life.

'On Being Worthy'

I read an amazing conference talk by Elder Ashton the other day called 'On Being Worthy'. He starts of by talking about the meaning of the word worthy and the way we determine our worthiness. Often we are under the impression that we decide whether we are worthy or not. While that is true we are not the only ones who judge our worthiness. Elder Ashton states "We do not have to be hindered by self-Judgement. All of us have the benefit and added wisdom of a bishop and a stake president to help us determine our worthiness..." We are not alone, we have the wisdom of others to help us find our way.

Elder Ashton defines worthiness as "a process, and perfection is an eternal trek. We can be worthy to enjoy certain privileges without being perfect". Today in Relief Society we were talking about Temples and being worthy to enter the Temple. We came to the conclusion that as long as we are making an effort to be perfect we are worthy of the Temple and the blessings that come from visiting the Temple.

Sometimes I struggle with where I am in the gospel. I often feel that I am missing something because I judge my worthiness through comparison to others. I know that this is not wise and that it is a result of pride. Elder Ashton addresses this struggle in his talk.

"Perhaps we all live under some misconceptions when we look at each other on Sundays as we attend our meetings. Everyone is neatly dressed and greets each other with a smile. It is natural to assume that everyone else has his life under control and doesn't have to deal with dark little weaknesses and imperfections.

There is a natural, probably a mortal, tendency to compare ourselves with others. Unfortunately, when we make these comparisons, we tend to compare our weakest attributes with someone else's strongest. For example, a woman who feels unschooled in the gospel may take particular note of a woman in her ward who teaches the Gospel Doctrine class and seems to have every scripture at her fingertips. Obviously these kinds of comparisons are destructive and only reinforce the fear that somehow we don't measure up and therefore we must not be as worthy as the next person. 

We need to come to terms with our desire to reach perfection and our frustration when our accomplishments or behaviors are less than perfect. I feel that one of the great myths we would do well to dispel is that we've come to earth to perfect ourselves, and nothing short of that will do. If I understand the teachings of the prophets of this dispensation correctly, we will not become perfect in this life, though we can make significant strides toward that goal."

I have only addressed a few of the ideas from this talk but I would suggest that everyone go through and read this talk because I feel like is is something that everyone should hear.

Seeking the Light

Today in Relief Society our President gave a great lesson based on Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk from last conference "The Hope of God's Light". The talk was a great one and the lesson brought up many ideas that I had not previously considered...

To me, the most interesting idea that showed up from the lesson is the idea of light vs. dark. When thinking about the light and the dark I decided that there is not really such a thing as darkness. It is not tangible you cannot 'create' darkness. Darkness only comes when you remove the light. When you fill your life with light there is no darkness. Darkness cannot be where the light is and that is something that I often forget but at the same time it is something that is crucial to remember. If we are constantly putting light in our life we are removing all traces of darkness because they cannot dwell together after all darkness is defined as the absence of light. One day in institute we referred to the water bottle metaphor. We talked about how when you fill the water bottle with water or good things (Light) there is no room for air or sin (darkness) but if you get rid of some of the water there is more room for air. By filling our bottle with light we are removing all darkness because the darkness cannot occupy the areas where there is light.

In his address President Uchtdorf refers to John 8:12 "I am the light of the word: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life". Through following the Savior we are able to continue in our growth and live to fulfill our potential. The idea of light and its application in the gospel fascinates me and I hope that as I study the scriptures and the words of our prophets that I will continue to learn more about the light and how to have it in my life.

Elder Bednar did a three part series concerning the ideas of light, this is the first.

By the way... My 100th post! Go me!!!

Springtime is here!!!

This week has been crazy!!!! Thursday was the semi-finals for the Volleyball tournament. Because BYU was ranked #1 the games were played at BYU. The first game was between Long Beach and U.C. Irvine, it was a good game but because the winner didn't matter as much to me I wasn't so invested in the game. The next game was BYU playing against UCLA. This was one of the best volleyball games I have been to this season! BYU lost the first 2 sets and everyone was disappointed. Then on the third set BYU started playing better and won the set! The fourth set was close but BYU ended up winning that one too. We then started the fifth set and it was intense! Both teams played well but in the the end BYU pulled ahead and won the set 15-10. The cheers in the Fieldhouse were deafening! It was so exciting to win the game and move on to the Finals! Saturday night I went to watch the finals and it was great but the game was not as exciting as Thursdays game. BYU won the match with a sweep and won the title! I am so glad that the volleyball team did well this year! I love the games and they are something I look forward to every year!

I also worked a lot this week... There were a lot of events going on due to graduation. I love working the graduation events but this year was interesting. Technically I would have graduated this year (I have been at college four years already!) but because of changes within my major I don't graduate until next year. Although I don't graduate for a year I have many friends who graduated this past week and it was crazy to me to see everyone decked out in their cap and gown with their family everywhere! I am so excited for graduation and seeing everyone else graduating has made me even more anxious... I can't believe I have to wait another year because of my internship!

In other news... My internship, I had a meeting the other day and we talked about themes and decorations for a classroom. I am struggling with ideas for my classroom theme. I don't want to do anything too cookie-cutter but I have not had any extremely creative ideas at the moment... Oh well, I have about 3 months to plan for it!!! I get to go to my school and meet my facilitator in a couple of weeks and I cannot wait! I have so many questions and I can't wait to get started actually planning my year! :)

By the way... I have created a new group blog (see it here.)! I'm super excited for it... The idea is for everyone to post little things that make their life better. A gratitude journal of sorts. I think that it can be a good thing to have when I need something to cheer me up!

Well I think that's about it for now but I do have one last thing to share... There is a new Mormon Message that talks about love and loving as Christ loves I hope that we can all come to accept those who are different from us and that we can realize that "different is good!" I truly believe that if we put forth the effort and learn to accept people for who they are we will see them as Christ sees them and recognize who they can become!

The Will of God

I have been re-reading one of my favorite books. This book focuses on living your life with a focus on the Gospel and growth in your situation. I have been contemplating some of the ideas within this book and I would like to share some of those thoughts today...

I would like to address the idea of goals. I am not the person I want to be. I like to think that I am a good person but I know I can be better. In making goals to improve myself I need to remember that "the achievement of some important goals in our lives is subject to more than the timing of the Lord. Some personal achievements are also subject to the agency of others... Do you see the difference between committing to what you will do, in contrast to trying to plan that you will be... married by the time you graduate from college or that you will earn at least X amount of dollars on your first job?" This thought was poignant to me it is important that I not make goals that depend on someone else. The book goes on to state that though we cannot justify goals that are 'subject to the agency of others' we can develop goals that will help us be better prepared. "Life has some strange turns. Do your best and then trust in the Lord and his timing." If we can have patience enough to accept the Lords timing we will be blessed! That does not mean that we wait to live our live we need to make plans an prepare to move on with our lives but we also need to stay focused on the Lord and strive to follow his will. Elder Oaks stated "Do not rely on planning every event of your life- even every important event. Stand ready to accept the Lord's planning and the agency of others in matters that inevitably affect you. Plan, of course, but fix your planning on personal commitments that will carry you through no matter what happens." I know that I can grow in many ways and I know that as I struggle to improve myself I can always trust in the Lord and ask for guidance and he will give it to me!

Sunday thoughts

I have so many family and friends at the moment who are on missions or leaving soon on a mission so I get a lot of missionary emails. I love reading these emails and seeing how much these family and friends have grown and applying their knowledge to my life. One of my friends recently challenged those back home to share a message every week that will strengthen or comfort someone else. I am going to try just that...


While looking at the Mormon Channel on Youtube I found this video. The video focuses on courage and perseverance. It refers to the story of Ester and the faith and courage that she needed, to accomplish the things asked of her. The story of Ester is one of my favorites. I'd like to think that I could be as faithful as her if the situation ever arose, so likening Ester to modern women of the church really made an impression on me. I know that we can do hard things. Like Ester and many others we are not alone, we have the support system of our family, friends, ward members, Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. As long as we are striving to be our best we will have the strength and courage to go on. I hope you enjoy this...

Wisdom

I read a great article this morning before going to school... I love the point that Elder Anderson shares through this article. In the article he talks about wisdom in the world today and then relates it to the Gospel. Here are a few of my favorite parts along with my thoughts (Because let's face it I always have an opinion):

"The wisdom of the world, while in many cases very valuable, is most valuable when it humbly bows to the wisdom of God"  I love that Elder Anderson recognizes that the wisdom of the world can be valuable. I think that often we are taught that the things of this world are horrible and that isn't the case. This things of this world have their place and their purpose but we benefit from having a knowledge of God's plan and His wisdom. The main thing to remember is to keep perspective and I love the way Elder Anderson reminds us to keep this perspective.

"We can pole-vault over many of the sad experiences that come in life by obtaining wisdom early..." Here he is talking of the wisdom that we gain through others. Yes we remember a lesson better when we learn from experience but if we can observe what happens to others and learn from that we will be able to 'pole-vault' those experiences and continue our growth. Elder Anderson tells us to be reflective and obtain wisdom early which helps us in the long run.

Although we can learn wisdom we do not know everything "we should realize the limitations of this wisdom" Elder Anderson talks of different professions and the importance of professional wisdom. You would not want a teacher performing surgery on you and you would not want a surgeon teaching your children. Both careers mentioned have a set of knowledge that correlate with them and neither is more important. They are both important and they both deserve respect.

These are just a few of my favorite parts of the talk but if you do have a few minutes I would suggest that you read it. I love the connections that Elder Anderson makes between wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God.


Knowledge comes in many ways... when we turn to the Lord we are welcoming knowledge from Him and he will help us 'pole-vault' to where we need to be.

Moments That Matter Most

I'll be short and sweet today but I just want to say how thankful I am for the time we have on this Earth and the knowledge that I have of life after this Earth. I hope that we may all work to make the best of our situations and learn to devote our time to others! Here are a couple of videos that I have loved this week and I hope you enjoy them too...

Sunday Thoughts

We were talking about something in my Religion class that got me thinking of a parallel between God and I. My teacher was talking about why we get married, why we follow the word of wisdom, why we are charitable, etc. and the answer given was that we do these things because God does these things. Think about how happy he is when we follow in his footsteps? Now here comes the parallel... When I was younger, and my young cousins were younger they looked up to me! They would walk around with me and often, when I would do something they would do the same thing. It was always exciting for me to have my cousins doing the same thing as I. I loved feeling so important. I enjoyed the friendship that came as a result. Now that I am older and they are older things are different, they do not always follow me they entertain themselves and I always feel a little left out because they do not pay so much attention to me anymore. Of course they still like me and occasionally we will play but not as often. I think that God probably feels the same way when we do not give as much attention to him when we get busy, when we start slacking on our relationship with him. 

I was watching some of the Mormon Messages today and I found this one that I really liked, so here it is...