#IAmWV

I have lived in WV all my life. Still live in the same town. Still have some of the same neighbors. Nothing much has changed in 38 years. I grew up in Lost City. If you blink when you are driving through you will miss it. Nothing to see or do here. Just a dot on the map.

My father was a farmer. We lived near the family farm. My dad raised cattle. Mom was a high school teacher for 40 years. She taught math, but for many years was a high school librarian. My Mom's family lived on a farm. My Grandpa Rittenour raised chickens, sheep, and Angus Cattle. He had awards for his sheep and cows.

I remember often spending time with Grandpa going to the chicken house or out to the sheep shed to help him. There were times that I would help feed the cows too. I learned to appreciate hard work and to be grateful for what I had. We didn't have much, but we were thankful for it.

Faith in God was important. Mom took us to church every Sunday. Dad was of the opinion that you didn't have to go to a building to worship God. Sometimes I think he is right. Sunday tradition was to come home from church to sit down to a beef roast lunch. Mom would put it in before we went to church and when we got home the house smelt so good.

Education was important. My Mom believed in getting a good education so that you could go far in life. School was tuff. I had some great teachers that taught me so much. One thing I remember Mr. Funkhouser teaching is getting to know your students. If you know them then you will be better able to teach them. Mr. Funkhouser was WV Teacher of the Year and it was well deserved.

I have found this to be true in my own education career. I am a Preschool Classroom Aide or Early Childhood Classroom Teaching Assistant (ECCAT). I have found that if you take the time to get to know your students that you will have a great year. Conversations with children are key. You learn so much about a child and their life. It makes the child feel at ease and they learn to trust you. Years later they will come to you when they need anything.

Music was always a big part of my life. I love to sing. At Mathias Elementary we had a choir that met during recess a few days a week. I loved to take part. Mrs. Funkhouser made music fun. She taught me that if you are trying to remember something important that if you put it to music you will remember it better.

Another favorite part of school was Home Ec class. Mrs. Lane taught me to use a Treadle Sewing Machine in 7th grade. Mrs. Strawderman taught pie baking in the 8th grade. I remember making a sugar free apple pie for my Grandma Rittenour. Grandma said that was the best pie ever. Mrs. Branson taught us how to bake, sew, cook, and decorate cakes in high school. I remember she taught us how to make meringue.

Thanks to Mrs. Moss I am able to type on a computer without having to look at the keys. Mr. Rudy taught me that it was always best to have completed your work whatever you were doing cause it could get you in trouble. Too many times of not completing my homework in Algebra II and having to go to the board to work one of the problems out taught me a lesson.

My Aunt Virginia taught me so much. I loved spending time with her. We cooked, baked, canned, preserved, gardened, and more. I loved to hear her read stories from the bible to me or sing songs of faith. I have many times made recipes of Aunt Virginia's that we made growing up and they were just not the same. I think it was all the love that she put in it.

I have traveled to many parts of our great state. Went to Cass and road the train twice. Been to Charleston, Beckly, Martinsburg, Elkins, Canaan Valley, Blackwater Falls, Morgantown, New River Gorge Bridge, Harpers Ferry, Shephardstown, Cathedral Falls, Ice Mountain, and even went canoeing down the Potomac River.

One of the best things we did in school came in the 8th grade. For WV History Mr. Zirk had us do a scrap book of WV things. I remember having a several unique things in there. I had a picture of my Mom and Aunt Virginia with Senator Robert C. Byrd, a Christmas Card from Gov. Gaston Caperton, and pictures of senators. I got an A on it.

I was asked once if I would ever consider moving away from West Virginia. My response was that I could not see myself living anywhere else. I love where I live. I love WV.   #IAmWV

Old Desks

Rev. Joel was telling this morning about a desk that was in one of the houses that he had lived in as a child. The desk was old, metal, and heavy. It reminded me of one that my Uncle Ed had in the den at his house. I think that it was his desk at Don Cartage in Michigan. I am not sure. That desk was metal and heavy. It has a piece of clear plastic on the top and under the plastic was all sorts of pictures and clippings that were important to him. The desk had an old metal office chair with wheels that went with it. Lots of memories of that desk. I use to do my homework on it when I would stay with Uncle Ed and Aunt Virginia. Uncle Ed would study his bible on it. Sometimes Aunt Virginia would write her letters on it.

As I think about that old desk I am reminded that some people are like that desk. The are unmovable. Things have to be their way and there is no changing them. They have a comfort zone that they are not moving from.

Then there comes a point that like the desk these people have to be moved. I am not sure that if this desk ever came out of the house when my Aunt Virginia moved. I know they were trying to get it out for her sale. I was amazed that in 1976 when Aunt Virginia and Uncle Ed moved into the house from Michigan that they got the desk in the den.

Desk like these were made to last a lifetime. That is like the love of God. It is made to last forever. God's word is made to last forever too. We can depend on it to last.

Our Faith in God should be like this. Something that will last forever. In Matthew 15:21-28 we read about a woman that had so much faith in Jesus healing her daughter that she was persistent in going to him till she got what she wanted no matter what the disciples told her.

We all need to have faith like this. Faith that will last. Faith that is strong. Faith that will not be shaken. That way people will see Jesus in us and want to come to know him.  That is a great thought. We need to be more sure of our faith in this day and time.

Toxic People

There are days, most in fact that I feel drained. For the longest time I felt that the drain was coming from the stress I was under. Then recently I took a look at the situation that I was in and came to the conclusion that that the reason that I am drained is that I am around a toxic person. I can't believe how long it took me to figure this out.

Toxic people will ruin your life and steal your joy. They will drain the life out of you. You will be so worn because of these kind of people. It is like they are a disease to your life.

Don't know what a toxic person is? Here are some characteristics of a toxic person.

1. Speaks badly about others.
This person speaks bad about others in the hopes that it will make them look good. Sometimes it works and other times it just ends up making them look bad.

2. Are Negative.
These type of people always see the down side of things. They never see the good. For example they complain about a co-worker stressing them out. Another example is they feel everyone is against them. Best thing to do is walk away and not get sucked up in the negative.

3. Lack compassion.
Simply put they have no feelings for others. This happened to me. My Mom died 2 years ago. When I got back to work a co-worker told me to suck it up and move on. That lingering in my sadness was only keeping me from doing my job. I needed to dry it up and move on. This person had never lost a parent so they didn't understand what I was going through. I ignored it and moved on.

4. Take Away Too Much Of Your Time.
Toxic people tend to take your time. You think about them a lot. You wonder what they have up their sleeve. You need to forget about them and move on with life. The more time you devote to thinking about them the more of your life you loose.

5.Constantly Has Drama Going On
Toxic people love drama. They will do whatever they can to stir it up. They will get others involved in it too. Don't get sucked into the drama.

6. Lie To You
Toxic people are lairs. They will lie to you to see how you will react. Don't believe the lies.

7. Criticize You
You can never please a toxic person. Everything you do is always wrong in their eyes. Don't let their critic attitude get to you. You are better than that.

8. Play The Victim
I have had this happen. A toxic person will blame you for something that they did and play the helpless victim. Just be hopeful that whatever they say in the end the truth will come out. It always does.

9. Loose Their Temper
Toxic people get made easy. A lot of the time it is at the wrong time. Let it happen at the wrong time. That way people will see the toxic person's true colors. When they are loosing their temper at you walk away or make sure that someone is around to see it.

10. Have To Be Right
Toxic people are never wrong. They will make sure that you know that. You need to be the bigger person.

11. Are Self-Obsessed
Toxic people have to have it all about them. They don't care if they hurt others. It has to be their way or no way. They don't ask others opinion. They don't care if they upset others. Just as long as they are happy that is all the matters. It will back fire in the end.

12.Try To Control You
This is a big one. Toxic people have to control all parts of their lives and everyone in it. I worked with a person once that told me what time I had to be at work and what time I could go home. They gave me long list of things that had to be done before the kids arrived and after the kids left. This finally came to a halt when I couldn't get in the classroom in he morning and they made me leave when they did after school. Don't let people control you. You are better than that.

13. They Have An Addiction Problem
Most toxic people have an addiction. You might not know what it is, but they have one none the less. Best advice is to pray for this person to get help. It will help in the long run.

Best advice on how to handle a toxic person in your life. Pray to God and let him be in control of the situation. Things will turn around for you before you know it. Don't give up. God will see you through it.  

Be Careful Who You Trust

In the last year I have come to learn that you need to be very careful of who you trust. There are just some people that will take what you tell them and use to to get what they want. This has happened to me in my job.

I use to work with a person that I could not tell things too because they would use them to get what they wanted. This person loved to tattle tail on me just to make themselves look good. They thought that by telling on me that they could get what I had. Didn't work out so well.

Currently I work with some people that can't be trusted. One in particular has made comments to me that let me know that they are trying to get me into some trouble so that they can get what I have. I had to tell them that no matter what happened to me that they were far enough down the line that if I lost my job they would not get it for a very long time.

These kind of people who can't be trusted are the ones that will do whatever it takes to throw you under the bus so that they look good. That happened to me recently and it back fired on the person throwing me under the bus.

You have to be super careful in your person and professional lives as to who you trust. Some people will do anything to hurt you and others will be kind. You have to know the difference between the two.

I have learned rather quick who is true to me and who is fake. Those fake people have to be watched. Those are the kind that will do whatever it takes to succeed. Sometimes in the end it will cost them and not you.

So if you are feeling uncomfortable about a person distance yourself from them. God is telling you that you need to avoid them. They are not to be trusted.  Listen to God and get rid of them in your life.

Leave A Legacy

Today was the Opening Day of schools. As the Superintendent gave his speech this morning he talked about a teacher that had made an impact in his life. My mind got to thinking of that one teacher in my life that had made an impact on me.

This afternoon as I sat in the cafeteria of East Hardy High School that person came to mind after thinking about how much the school has changed in so many different ways. Sitting in that cafeteria I realized the one teacher in my life that made a difference to me was my Mother.

My Mom had taught school 40 years and 30 of them in that very building when it looked a lot different. My Mom started her teaching career at Moorefield High School where she did her student teaching in Math with Coach Johnny Paugh. Funny thing is that Coach Paugh had taught my Grandma Rittenour some many years before at Mathias High School.

Mom's first real teaching job was at Wardensville High teaching math were she was known as Miss Rittenour. It was not long before a  handsome brown eyed farm boy from Lost City (my dad) stole her heart. She would later become Mrs. Webster, move to Lost City, and teach math at Mathias.

Then in 1979 when she was expecting her first child (me) she would be moved to the consolidated high school in Baker known as East Hardy. She would spend 30 years there. In that time she taught Math there for 5 years till her second child (my sister) came along. Then she would move into the library where she spent most of her time at East Hardy.

Mom valued a good education. She got her teaching degree at Shepherd College. She got her Masters in Library Science from James Madison College. Mom pushed my sister and me to do well in school. I remember that I was one class away from getting my 2 year degree. Mom pushed me to take the final class and get the degree. So glad that I did. It has come in handy.

Mom wanted every child that came in her life to succeed. She wanted them to have the opportunity to do things that they would other wise not get to do. She supported organizations, classes, and teams at school. If a child needed money to go on a trip Mom would give an anonymous donation to the organization for the child. Going to state with a sports team, but don't have the money. No problem cause Mom would give for that too.

Mom supported the students of East Hardy High School in so many ways. She showed them love, kindness, and compassion. A lot of the students that came in her room she knew their stories. She had had their parents in school or knew their family.  She really cared about every one of them.

If a student needed someone to listen to she listened. She hugged a student when needed. Was there for co-workers when loss occurred or they just needed someone to listen. Mom talked about many nights that she woke up in the middle of the night praying for a student or co-worker not knowing what the situation was.

Teachers today need to be more like Mom. They need to take time to get to know their students. A lot of the time students come to school with some much baggage from home that they need someone to care and listen. They need someone to take the time to just be there for them. Being someone like that helps students to do their best.

Teachers today more often than not are more worried about what they have to teach and how well they are going to do on an observation. They never think about the fact that children will not do well if their minds are elsewhere.

We as educators need to slow down and take time to care about students. That way students will do so much better.

My Mom and all the Original teachers at East Hardy High left a legacy of love, caring, and compassion behind. That is the greatest gift that an educator can leave a school. Teaching children to love and care for each other helps students to know that whatever they are facing at home they are not alone. They have friends and teachers at school who love and support them. People that care about them.

I am a lot like my Mom. I take the time to get to know the children in my classroom. I make them feel loved and cared for. I listen to them when they need a friend. Sometimes a good hug is all that they need.

I hope that in the future my legacy will be to leave behind students who know how to love and care for each other.

What will you legacy be?

So Long Summer

Tonight I am saying so long to Summer. Why you ask? Labor Day is the official end to Summer. Well, you are right. However, for us educators the official end to Summer is the last day before we have to head back to work.

When I was a kid Labor Day signaled the end of Summer and the beginning of school. Now it seems that schools are starting earlier and earlier. Meaning that those of us that work in the school system are having our precious Summer break cut short.

I am sure that parents are ready to send their children back to school cause they have had enough of them being at home. I can tell you that educators are not ready to go back. We want more Summer. We want more break.

My Mom taught school for 40 years. During the 30 years of my life that she taught I came to realize why Summer Break was vital. Mom worked late hours making sure that the library at East Hardy High was up to date. She wanted to have the best for the students.

Mom always said that a sign of a good teacher was how much time that they invested into their classroom. They want to make sure that their students succeed. I had teachers like this. I even work with teachers like this. You know who I mean. The ones that come to school early and stay late. Those are the ones that cherish their Summer Break.

So as I say Good Bye to Summer I am hoping that this school year flies by so that Summer Break is hear again. But until then I will be thankful that I have a job, thankful for my students, and thankful for my co-workers.

This school year I encourage all parents to consider how hard teachers, aides, and all school employees work. Reward them for a job well done to make sure that your child has a quality education. It helps them to feel good, do their job better, and know that they are making a difference.

Back To School

It is that time of year again. Back to school time. This time of year can be stressful or it can be smooth sailing. To make this time of year smooth for both you and your child I have a few tips that I want to share with you. Please take my advice. I am an Educator and what I say is 100% fact. These are things that I have learned over the years that I think that parents need to know.

1. Buy everything on the supply list. When the school supply list comes out you need to by everything that is on the list and buy name brand. Yes it will cost more. However, named brand works better and last longer. Also buying everything on the supply list helps your child's teacher out. It is less that they have to buy for the classroom. You would be surprised at how much of their own money that teachers spend on their classrooms each year.

2. Continue to help with supplies. There are always things on the supply list that the classroom uses all year long and goes through lots of. Make sure to help your child's classroom out by refreshing those supplies often.

3. Come to Parent Night/Open House/etc. Come to school for Back To School Night. Meet your child's teacher and get to know them. Take a look at your child's classroom. Make the visit short, but come. Also if there is anything specific that your child's teacher needs to know make an appointment to see them before school starts. That way you can explain those things to them.

4. Bring your child to school on time. The first 2 weeks are the most critical for a child as they are learning routines in their classroom. Make sure you get your child to school on time so they don't miss out. Also make sure to review the policy on tardies , late arrivals, and absences.

5. Make sure if there are transportation changes that you send a note. If you plan to send your child home on a different bus, pick them up, pick them up early, or whatever it is send a note. DO not email your child's teacher with the message. That will not work with the school. The has to have a note from you stating the change in transportation. They keep a record for the safety of your child.

6. Remember to write excuses. If you know ahead of time that your child will be missing school you should send in a note to that affect. Not only will that help your child's teacher, but also lets the school know of the plans. Also if you child has an unscheduled absence be sure to send in a note to school about why this occurred.

7. Do not talk bad about school. If you have something bad to say about school don't say it in front of your child. Talk about it with other adults. You need to be positive about school in front of your kids. That way your child will like school and will want to do well.

8. Get involved in school. No you don't have to become a part of the PTO or PTA. However, volunteer at your child's school. When there is a fund raiser at school support it. The more you are invested in your child's school the more they will be.

9. Get to know the teacher. You don't have to become your child's teachers best friend. However, get to know them. Find out if there is something (within reason) on their classroom wish list and get if for them. Find out what they like and get them personalized gifts for the holidays. Also you could organize the parents in your classroom to do goodie baskets for your child's teacher. This boost their moral and helps them do a better job.

10. Encourage that teacher! Right from the start, take the time to tell them something you love about their classroom, or how they run things, or something your child brought home. You can just scrawl a note in the take home folder, or send an email. A little bit of encouragement surely goes a LONG way this time of year!

11. Believe that they are FOR you and your child. No matter what happened last year, this is a new teacher and a new year, and you want them to let your child start fresh, right? Do the same for them. If you've had a bad experience, that was before. This is THIS teacher. Give them a chance! So choose to believe they want your child to succeed and thrive. The VAST majority of them do! If there's something that concerns you these first few weeks, just talk to them about it. Send an email and ask for a conference. Look at them across the table so you can see in their eyes and hear in their voice how very much they value your child, and how very hard they are working to do a job that can be difficult, even on the best days.

12. Remember that they are real people, too. They have children who were sad when they left this morning, sitters who called in sick, to-do lists miles long, a car in the shop, bills piling up because it's been a while since they got a paycheck, babies who woke in the night, parents who need care, husbands who miss them while they're gone so much during preplanning week. They're just humans, and they sit with the weight of educating dozens of little minds, and they don't take it lightly for a second. Be patient with them. Give them the benefit of the doubt, every single time.

Friends, teachers LOVE what they do. They love the smell of new crayons and writing your child's name neatly on their desk and planning a wonderful year of growth. If you parents can lock arms with them and make sure they know that you've got their back and will support them all year long, the children are the ones who will benefit!

Happy 2017-2018, teacher friends. The work you do is noble.

Taking Proper Care

Recently a friend of mine reposted on Facebook a post from a lady who's used 2014 Chevy Cruze caught on fire. This lady was trying to warn people about what had happened and in a small way blame Chevy for the fire. My thought was that Chevy may not be to blame here.  Lets look at what we know. The 2014 Cruze was used and that in itself can present problems.

Being that it was used threw up red flags for me. My first thought was what if the previous owner knew that there was a problem with the car and didn't want to put out the money to fix it. So instead they sell it and get a new one. 

Then there is the other huge thing that may be just the cause of what happened here. The previous owner had failed to have proper maintenance done on the car. Not taking proper care of a car can cause serious problems. 

I owned a 2014 Cruze. I took it back for regular oil changes to the dealer. They made sure to give it a look over to make sure that there was nothing wrong and to let me know if I needed something fixed on it like brakes or tires. 

Not getting proper maintenance can lead to engine problems that will cost big bucks in the end. Your car may over heat, use coolant, and in the end crack the head gasket. 

Always make sure to have your car properly maintained. That way you can ensure that you will be able to keep your car on the road for a very long time. Cars today have lots of sensors that will tell you when you need to have your oil changed, something wrong with the tire, and much more. Listen to those sensors so that you can keep your car in good running order. 

Here is something else important. When you buy a used car you need to do your homework. You need to find out if there was regular oil changes done on the car. You need to know if it has been in an accident. You need to know what kind of driving was done with the car such as just for work. You need to find out how many miles were put on it. Things like that so that you can make a well informed decision about the car and if it is right for you. 

Above all you need to make sure to keep your car in top shape. If not it will leave you sitting on the side of the road. Better to be safe than sorry. 

Wrestling With God

Two years ago on July 16, 2015 my Mom passed away. At that time I got very angry with God. So to knock some sense into me he and I had a Jacobesk wrestling match. This went on for sometime until I came to realize that God was not the enemy here. That he was there to help me to get through one of the toughest times in my life.

So here I am again. Angry with God about the loss of the most amazing man in my life. After 6 years of being with Jeremiah it all came to a stop. I had fallen in love with Jeremiah. My heart was broken into pieces. I was determined to fight to save what we had. I was determined to keep Jeremiah in my life. I was in love. I had fallen in love for the first time and now I was hurting.

So I have been on a wrestling match with God once again. Trying to come to some sort of answer as to why I had to loose the love of my life. To figure out why I had to hurt as much as I do. To figure out why he could move on so fast. Wrestling to just plain out find answers.

I have yet to find the answers that I am looking for with this, but I know that it will happen in time. I just have to be patient and let God do his thing.

Sometimes in life we have to wrestle with God about things. It helps us to become stronger in our faith. It helps us to hear from God. I think that wrestling with God also helps us to see the bigger picture of what God has in store for us. God loves us and only wants the best for us.

It was the same with Jacob in the bible. God wrestled with Jacob. He was trying to get Jacob to see the bigger picture that He had for him. Jacob was just to stubborn to see it. Jacob was determined to do it his way, when God's way was a lot better.

We are like that. We think our way is the best and only way to do something. We never want to hear what God has to say. So we end up in a wrestling match with God. The end result is that God smacks us upside the head to get us to see that he is right.

So in my case I am thinking that when God is done wrestling with me over this thing with Jeremiah that I am going to get a smack upside the head. It will knock some sense into me and help me to see that he is right. I am thankful for moments like this. It helps me to see the bigger picture that God has in store for me.

He is always right and so is his timing. We just have to believe in it and follow it.

One Year Ago

August 4, 2016 is a night that I will never forget. It was a night that changed my life forever. That night I took a chance and went to the Tri-County Fair to meet my boyfriend (now ex) for the first time. We had been talking online and it was time to take the next step.

When I looked into his beautiful blue eyes that night I was drawn into his heart. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but in this case his eyes took me to his heart. I never knew what true love was until I looked into Jeremiah's eyes.

The moment that I looked into his eyes I fell in love. I wanted to have him forever. He had my heart from that moment on. Even though we are broken up now he still has my heart. He will forever be my first love.

It is hard to get over your first love. I still to this day look at his picture and feel all the same things that I felt that first time I looked at him. Those are feeling that don't easily go away.

I know he has moved on. I respect that. However, I am still in love with him. I pray everyday that he is not hurt and that if it is meant to be that he comes back to me. I know that that may never happen, but it is always good to wish.

So today I will look at his picture and feel all those feeling again. I will remember what it felt like that night. I will never forget Jeremiah and how he made me feel.

I will forever love him. He is my first and only love.