10 Lessons from Ballet

I teach ballet. It's something I enjoy doing, but also something I hope my student will reap from. These are 10 things I hope my students will learn from dance.

1. Confidence: I've seen students struggle with this. They look at the floor and try not to be seen. I love to see them grow in confidence as they begin to learn and understand. This semester, I have seen a sweet girl grow and become more confident in ballet. It makes me proud. Having confidence will help in life whether it's a book report, a speech, or a job interview.

2. Determination: "That's hard!" I've heard them say it so many times. Yes, it is difficult. Ballet is hard work, but with focus, practice, and determination it'll come. I have so many smart kids in my class, and they usually catch on quickly. Ballet is hard, but also enjoyable. It's good for them to learn to work hard and enjoy something at the same time.

3. Self discipline: Contrary to many little ballerina's ideas of ballet, ballet is structured and disciplined. It takes much self control. We've all dreamed of flying through the air and doing multiple twirls on end, but it takes much practice to get there. One of my students told me that it's hard for her to do ballet because she's so wild. I love her energy, but in ballet that energy needs to be channeled  in a different way. I hope my students will learn self discipline through ballet.

4. Be responsible: Keeping track of ballet shoes, tights, and leotards can be hard. The older kids are usually very responsible, but some of my younger ballerinas are still getting the hang of always making sure they have everything.

5. Memory: Ballet consists of many weird French words, and many dance movements. Remembering exercises, dances, French words, and movements. . . .  it takes a lot of memory for the young ballerina's brain. I love that my ballerinas are generally ready to learn and have excellent memories. They've stared learning their dance, and I love to see how quickly they remember and recall what they have learned.

6. Music: As I mentioned before I have many smart kids in my class. When they know the combination well, they rush. Instead of learning to stay with the music, they speed through the combination. Nevertheless, I'm proud they know the combination so well. I also hope they learn to appreciate classical ballet music because it really is beautiful.

7. Gracefulness: Parents everywhere are putting their clumsy kids in ballet in hopes they will become graceful. I've actually found that ballerinas are prone to trip more because they are taught to never look down. Anyway, I do hope my students will learn posture and poise. I hope they'll learn to hold their shoulders back, head up, and walk with grace (and hopefully pointed toes, too).

8. Encouragement: There's nothing wrong with a bit of friendly competition, but I hope that my students will learn to encourage each other. There are days they get on each other's nerves, so this is always a work in progress. However, I've watched them help each other learn. I've watched them build each other up. There's nothing more encouraging to a teacher than seeing that.

9. Working with others: I occasionally have the kids get a partner and have them work together on a movement we are learning. This helps them encourage their classmates, as well as learn to be patient with each other. Another thing I learned from my own ballet teacher is to divide the kids up into two groups to watch each other perform the dance they are learning. Afterwards, they are supposed to tell each other 2-3 things they did well and 2-3 things they can perfect.

10. They're beautiful: I want my ballerinas to feel beautiful. They are made in the image of God and every single one of them is gorgeous. When performance day comes, I hope they feel pretty in their tutu, confident with their dance, and thankful to God for giving them the ability to leap across the stage.

Life is like a Coloring Book

Many days I don't feel like I'm a very good example of what a Christian should be. I think of myself before others. I complain. I don't think before I speak. I try to take things into my own hands and forget to trust God. Is God really at work in my life? Does he have a plan for me?

I may be 20, but I still love coloring books! I love seeing a blank black and white page come to life. It's amazing to see the transformation. A once drab piece of paper is now full of color! It reminds me of the work God is doing in us. Philippians 1:6 says that "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion." It's a comforting verse. Just like it takes time and care to transform a coloring page into a masterpiece, God is slowly growing us to be more like him.

Though we often mess up, we are assured that God is still at work in us. He's still molding us. He's still completing the picture. He cares for his children. He has a plan for my life if only I trust him! Growing in godliness a slow process, and it won't happen overnight. It won't happen if I just try harder next time. We need our forgiving and gracious heavenly Father to nurture us and grow us more like him.

Maybe you've heard this a million times, but it's something I need to be of reminded over and over again. I hope it is encouraging to someone. Trust that God can nurture and grow you. Trust that he will complete the good work he has began in you.


Caroline Stegman

Back to School Organizational Ideas

Well it's time to go back to school. I don't know about you, but the idea of having homework and tests doesn't sound appealing. However, cute school supplies makes it a bit more fun. So today I'm going to tell you how I organize my school supplies.

First, I color code. I assign each class a color. For instance, I am taking four classes this semester. Sociology is orange, science is blue, English is pink, and psychology is green.


I then order planner stickers from Etsy (click here). I love these stickers because they are customizable. You can choose whatever color and text you want. I choose the colors based on the colors of my classes as I mentioned above. For example, a pink sticker that reads "test" means I have an English test that day. It makes it easier to scan over your planner and know what is coming up.

Next, I find spiral notebooks in the colors that I have chosen. My binders don't always match because they are patterned, but occasionally they will somewhat match.

The binders that I own have no pockets for papers. Handouts never seem to be hole punched, which means those loose papers full of important information are apt to be lost and crumpled in the bottom of your backpack. So to fix the problem I made my own. I picked out some scrapbook paper. The fun part is you can choose exactly what paper you want. With a bit of cutting, folding, packing tape, and hole punching, you'll soon have a sturdy pocket ready to hold important papers.

Don't be that person who shows up only on tests days and asks to borrow a pencil. You're smarter than that. What might help though is some cute school supplies. I just couldn't pass up this cute pencil case. I ordered mine from Nordstrom because it was 40% off  (plus free shipping), but they are now sold out. You can get one (full price) for $14 at Bando. Of course, I now need pencils to go in the pencil case. I bought these cute pencils at Home Goods. It was my first time to go to Home Goods, and I fell in love. They have so many cute items for low prices! I love the gold print on the ends of these pencils.

Well looks like you're now ready for classes to start back up. Just make sure you've got your textbooks, and you should be ready to ace this semester. Thanks for reading! I wish you the very best as you head back to school!

Life Lessons

The semester is drawing to a close. I've finished two of my classes before Thanksgiving (yippee!), and there's more finals just around the corner. I have learned a ton of lessons throughout this semester. Here's just a few things I've found. 

1) You can’t do it on your own. You can’t tell yourself, “Today, I am going to be kind, patient, and faithful”. If you do, you will be disappointed. Growing fruit takes a long time. Can fruit be grown in a day? Of course not! A seed cannot grow by itself; it needs someone to nourish it. Let God nourish you, and pray that he will produce in you good fruit. This is something I've always known, but this was shed in a new light for me this semester. 

2) Trust God is in control. I worry a lot. I always imagine the worst case scenario. Yes, it makes me prepare more. However, most of the time worrying just drains me and makes me tired. I was sick this semester. It was so hard to balance school along with trying to get well. I had so much to catch up on after I felt better. I really learned to trust God through that.

3) Don’t get too close to just one person. Try and meet as many people as you can. As an introvert, I can’t begin to tell you how hard this is for me! Meeting and making new friends can be awkward. 

4) Don’t be afraid to confide in a friend. Don’t misunderstand me, your friends probably won’t like it if you always have drama and problems. However, I recently had a problem that I kept trying to fix, and it just kept unraveling again. I didn’t know what to do. I finally decided to confide in a friend, and she told me that she had gone through the same exact thing! She was able to offer some advice that really helped. God put her right there when I needed her most.

5) Do what you love, and use it to help others. My church doesn’t offer much for college-aged students, so this year I am helping in the 3's and 4's Sunday school class. I love it! I look forward to working with these little ones every week! It’s such a joy to do what I love and help out the children’s ministry at my church.

6) Relax, it can’t be perfect; go with the flow. Life throws curve balls all the time (like getting sick). I'm a planner by nature, and I like everything to be perfectly planned out. I have high expectations and am disappointed when they are not met. Life isn't perfect and it's full of unexpected surprises. If anything, teaching kids has definitely taught me the moral that things rarely go as planned.

7) Be humbled by your mistakes. Have you ever said or done anything that you wish you could have taken back? Maybe it was a snide remark or a selfish action, but it made you look and feel guilty. It happens to all of us, and it's very humbling. Let God use it to show you how much you need a Savior.

Maybe you can relate to something I've said. Or maybe you can learn and take something away from this. If something stood out to you, or if you have a lesson to share with me, please leave a comment!

Thanks for taking your time to read my blog!

Why a Teacher?

The first response I get when I tell people I want to be a kindergarten or first grade teacher is, "oh my, you must have a lot of patience!" I can't tell you how many times I have heard that. What's ironic is that I am generally not a patient person. God has definitely grown me in patience, but he is still at work. So why do I teach? It's definitely not because I have patience, because occasionally there are days I do not have patience. Here are four reasons why I teach:

1) Children seem to have a very genuine love and are eager to learn. Children speak their minds. If a child says your shirt needs to be lint rolled, it probably does. If a child says he loves you, he probably does. I find young children are generally more accepting, open, and trusting. Generally, they also are more willing and ready to learn.

2) I love to watch the progress children make. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing a student understand. Progress in students is encouraging and makes the job of a teacher worth while!

3) One of my favorite things to do is to get to know each child's personality. I laugh at the outgoing one who makes a funny comment, or I watch as the shy one slowly starts to feel more comfortable in the classroom. Every child is different, and it's so much fun to see that!

4) I learn things from my students. I'm the one who is supposed to be teaching, but I usually end up learning something new, too! It's funny how that works! They unknowingly teach me classroom management skills. Other times, they help me teach the lesson by giving me clever examples.

 I love working with kids! Every day is a surprise! It has taught me a balance of flexibility and preparedness. It has also taught me patience. Maybe I'm not always a patient person, but maybe that is what God is molding me into.

It's Craft Time!

Have you been looking for a fun and easy craft? This one is perfect. Today, I'm going to show you how to make an adorable picture board holder! It's super simple, inexpensive, and a thoughtful gift for friends.

1) First you will need to print pictures. I cut mine down to 2.5 by 2.5 inch squares so I could fit 6 pictures on the board.

2) Pick out a board. I got this small one at Hobby Lobby. I know it doesn't look fancy, but when we get done it will look fabulous!

3) Paint the edge of the board. In the end, this will give it a finished look.

4) Since you already have the paint out, take 6 tiny clothes pins and paint the tops of them. This will tie everything together in the end.

5) Grab the jar of Mod Podge and a sheet of cute scrapbook paper. Trace and cut the paper to the right size. Then, use the Mod Podge to adhere the paper to the board. Put Mod Podge over the paper, too. It'll try clear.

6) Once the Mod Podge is dry, use E600 to glue on the 6 clothes pins.

7) Clip on the pictures!

8) If you have extra pictures, make a pocket on the back to store them. That will make it easy to switch pictures in and out.

I was pretty excited how mine turned out! Let me know if you give it a try! Thanks for reading!

The Doubts of a Future Teacher

At some point in life, everyone has doubts. Some days I doubt. I doubt whether I should be studying to become teacher. I doubt that I'll have the energy to get up every morning and teach kids. I doubt that I have the knowledge and wisdom to be a teacher. When moments like these overwhelm me, I step back and look at the lessons I have learned in life.

Everyone is asked the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" multiple times in their life. Kindergartners are asked. High school graduates are asked. It's a tough decision. For me, it has always been clear. Ever since I was a little girl, I told people I wanted to be a teacher. As I grew older, it became even more clear. God has given me a passion for teaching little kids. I enjoy getting to know children and their personalities.

Although fun, working with kids can be exhausting and energy draining. If it is God's will for me to teach, he will give me the energy I need. I know this from experience. Let me tell you a story. During my senior year in high school, the role I wanted most in the Nutcracker Ballet was the Sugar Plum Fairy. I was thrilled and surprised to be given the part. However, what concerned me most was the level of stamina it takes to dance Sugar Plum. I wondered if I was really cut-out for the part. I prayed that God would give me the strength and stamina to dance my part well. God gave me the strength I needed, and I made wonderful lifetime memories dancing that coveted part. All that goes to show, that God will provide.

There is so much I don't know about teaching. Some days I doubt that I have the knowledge to explain well. Others, I doubt I have the wisdom to know how do handle difficult or emergency situations. I have learned a lot in my first year of teaching ballet classes, but I know I still have a lot to learn about teaching. I must apply myself and ask God for wisdom.
I believe doubting oneself is not uncommon. Everyone at some point in life experiences it. Sometimes a little bit of doubt can be good. When I doubt my choice to be a teacher, I pray. When I doubt that I will have the energy needed to be a teacher, I am reminded how God provides. When I doubt my abilities and wisdom, I think of ways to improve and gain knowledge. What things in life do you doubt? How do you handle doubt? When in doubt do you turn to God and know that He has a plan for each one of His children?

Thanks for reading the doubts and thoughts of a future teacher.