Above and Beyond

Today, two ladies on my staff, though quick thinking and a serious desire to help kids, stood up to make a swift and positive difference for the two kids and all the others involved. I was really proud to know I chose both of these people for our staff and to be able to say that they truly are great people with wisdom even though both are young 20 somethings. Thank God for people who still truly care to go above and beyond the call.

Kids and Teachers

We expect a great deal from teachers. Here . . .have 30 or more kids, treat them all individually, create individual education plans for about half of them and, by the way, make sure you monitor, reveiw and document so that we can see if you did your job or not. Also, make sure you mark all those papers as quickly as possible; it's not our fault you have four classes with 120 kids all together. Doesn't sound like a very positive post, and it's probably in danger of not being one - except to say that I had the chance to help a teacher understand one of her students much better today, I took it, and she was really thankful. Little things make a big difference to how people feel sometimes.

Prayer

Today, I noticed someone sit down in the staffroom, cross himself and say grace before eating. I've never seen that in the staffroom before and it was a good thing to see. Most of us, even if we are Christian, don't have the courage to pray openly in front of our colleagues. No one would actually say anything negative about it, but I think, as a whole, those of us who believe are often quite shy about our faith.

Little Kindnesses

Today I got a nice compliment from an American fellow who told me that our kids in Alberta and typically in Canada, come to their U.S. universities very well educated. It was nice to learn that someone thinks we're doing excellent work educating our kids.

Great Blessings

Coming home from work is made infinitely better when your husband has made you a wonderful supper and it's waiting for you on the table. My husband is one of the greatest blessings of my life.

Aging Gracefully

It's nice, when you're working on something, to find that you can reach into a huge personal bank of knowledge to find solutions to help others. I have just discovered a good reason to appreciate growing older.

Lost Tracks

Hmmm . . . the goal I started with got lost somewhere and I haven't posted here for a VERY long time. I will have to go back to the original plan and start again. I will say that today, I am thankful for the fact that it's October 23rd and the sun is shining brightly outdoors. It's chilly, but beautiful.