updates and FYIs

Today is the first day of spring break, and I have placed under house arrest by my principal, Ruth. Over the last month sickness has plagued our school in various ways, and my usually impervious immune system has, in fact, been compromised. Last Friday I woke up with a sore throat, I coughed all weekend, and by Tuesday morning I had completely lost my voice. Against my better judgement I came to school every day, despite the fact that I could only whisper, and I couldn't stop coughing. My colleagues volunteered to sub for me, but there was just too much to do before break!! So now I'm at home drinking nasty tea with honey -- I hate honey! -- and praying that my voice comes back soon.

One might think that since I'm on break, I don't need my voice. On the contrary, this Saturday our school is hosting the International Christian Educators Conference, the attendance of which is mandatory for all BFA staff. Christian educators from all over Europe will be coming to BFA and my friend Katrina and I have been selected to lead a workshop that takes place on Sunday morning. So you see, it's actually quite crucial that my voice comes back in the next few days so that I can lead my workshop! Please pray for my cough to go away and for my voice to heal!

In the meantime, I am catching up on grading, blogging, and newsletter writing. I came to the embarassing realization that I wrote a newsletter in mid January that was never published. I suppose that's what happens when you are exhausted and life is moving a mile-a-minute, but there's really no good excuse for that! So, even though it's almost two months old, here is my February newsletter.

February Newsletter

And because the third quarter is now over, here is a very short March newsletter.

March Newsletter


You may or may not have noticed that my blogging has been very sporadic since Christmas, and I hope to remedy that during our last quarter. The main goal of this blog is to keep you, my friends, family, and ministry partners, updated on what's going on in my life and service at BFA. So, I apologize for my extended absence and hope to get back into my regular blogging rhythm in the last quarter!

In the meantime, if you want to #stepintomyclassroom more often, follow me on Twitter (@bertschirae) or friend me on Facebook. I post daily updates, quotes, and snapshots of a day in the life of Miss Bertschi. Every day is an adventure, and I invite you to join us!