Remember when (I feel OLD starting a post with those words...) halloween was about stretching creative muscles, finding a unique costume, and having fun. Specifically, I think of the year I went as a bubble bath. Yes, I found a cute ducky shirt, a shower cap, cut out the bottom of a laundry basket, filled it with balloons, and went as a bubble bath. Creative and fun.

Today I got a first hand look at halloween minus a dress code. This year's theme: slutty _____. You name it and I saw the slutty version of it. It was so sad because it reflects the girls' images of themselves. If, at first opportunity, the girls lose as many clothes as possible and come to school looking like a whore, that says a lot about how much they value their bodies. Heartbreaking, and teachers can't stop it.

Overall, I am adjusting to life in CPS. I'm learning how to pace my lessons, what to emphasize, and that there are situations out of my control. I can only do so much without students putting forth effort. Every day I am seeing the reasons why God has me in this placement: the one Christian in my fifth period class who is asking me about Trinity; the two boys in my sixth period class who are failing miserably but for some reason are doing work pretty well for me; the opportunities to witness through what I am NOT saying in the teachers' lounge.

We all have opportunities--small and large--in our daily lives to live for Christ. The question is, how are we using the opportunities?