Boing, Boing, Boing...Springing Forward

Prayer request:
I am asking for you to please pray for the students in Lincoln Parish next week as they test. There is a lot of anxiety out there concerning these tests. Students have been working so hard and here is a sad fact....this is the weekend we SPRING forward and we all know it takes a few days to settle into these time changes especially when we lose an hour of sleep. I am hoping the kids are more resilient than I am when it comes to time changes. It usually takes me a week.....at the very least to feel normal again after the time change...I don't know why, but I suspect there is all kinds of scientific proof and reasons for this. It is sad testing is going on the week after the big shift. Because it is lighter out I fear students will go to bed later than usual just when they need to get restorative sleep. I have watched tired kids take tests and many times they will write down anything for an answer and put their heads on their desks for a snooze. I actually remember a student who was a couple years older than my son put his head down and told me he didn't have to take the test because he had a late baseball game and went to sleep. There was no keeping him awake! Back in those days testing wasn't considered "high stakes" and he knew he could still go on to 9th grade even if he skipped the LEAP. I will never forget that guy! (Some of you would know this guy. He is still a hoot!)

Anyway, please pray for these kids to be alert and also for them to be patient. I find they can do so much better if their frustration level isn't high and they are patient. Sometimes if they can't figure out an answer right away they will just guess. This test wants to see if the kids can think and work through some thought processes, but if they are impatient and feel it is hopeless and don't go through the steps, they will guess and rarely does a guess get it. We also have students who are repeaters and are taking the test for the second time. They have A LOT of anxiety. Please pray for them to be calm.

In a perfect world every kid would get the sleep they need, the breakfast best for keeping their blood sugar level and their minds alert.....their recall would be 100% and they have the time and the inclination to go over their answers for errors.....BUT we know that is not how it usually works. Some students will not be able to sleep because they are worried about this test and some will eat nothing but donuts for breakfast thus setting them up for the mid morning blood sugar drop. Both may happen to some students.....so please lift up these kids. Also, lift up the teachers who will be reading test manuals this weekend. Also, please pray for there to be no unusual occurrences....family tragedies....or extreme weather. Weather changes always cause the students to be so stirred up. Thanks!!!!

On another note....I am very disturbed concerning the coeds who were murdered at NC and Auburn. My heart goes out to their families. In the last few weeks there have been several girls killed....so utterly insane and wasteful. One was taken off a sofa as she slept. I pray I never have to know this sort of pain up close. Seeing their young, hopeful faces in their pictures is so tragic. Please pray for their families.

On a lighter note...
They are saying maybe SNOW tomorrow!! Yipeee! (I am not going to hold my breath.) Sophie will be invisiable when we take her out to winky tink. I doubt she would like snow. She is getting groomed tomorrow and hopefully will look a bit more civilized. Jim took her to the vet for her last shots. The vet looked at Jim and said firmly, "these kind of dogs need to be groomed." Jim sheepishly said, "I know." Jim said she ran into a wall yesterday....so it is time!

Goodnight....I seem to be going to bed earlier and earlier every night. I guess that is a good thing!