Lilley of the field

It’s is 100 th day of school. Students are 100 days smarter. Teachers are 100 days crazier. Little did I know that they would announce A Teacher’s Dream: early dismissal . The snow is coming. Actually the storm is coming- and it even has a name: Leon. It’s kinda funny how they name storms. These poor storms are given a bad rap even before they hit the earth. They are personified in the same way we label ax murders and burglars. This “deadly” storm “assaults” and “slams the south”, “snarls traffic” “leaves thousands stranded,” “roars through the southern United States,” and   “brings disaster”. It’s a “nightmare” out there apparently. Well, just dress him up in orange, snap a mug shot, throw him in jail, and call it a day folks. But I’m just not seeing it. Outside my window, gorgeous, gentle, peaceful snowflakes are floating to the ground creating a blanket of white. This is an assault? a slam? a nightmare? Perspective. I’m sure I could ask the husband ...

Alright all, I have some BIG NEWS!!!! Here’s the backstory: Last October our class went to the Greenville Zoo and played at Cleveland Park right next to it afterward. We were inspired by the wheelchair accessible playground. Our kids could freely move about, play with the toys, and go down the slides. Our little special ed playground right outside our room is quite pitiful. It consists of one plastic climbling/slide thing which only 1 out of 7 students can actually get on, a few wooden benches, and a broken sand digger. Most of my students are in wheelchairs and have limited gross motor skills. Two of my students in wheelchairs can get out and climb around, but get dirty and put that dirt in their mouth too! So I went home that weekend and searched around until I found the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Grant which awards between $2,500 to 5,000 to schools nationwide. I had three days until the deadline. I drew up basic idea of plans for an improved playground and applied quickly ...

Fling wide heaves gates. Let the cool crisp air of the winter and the low sun shining through the trees revive my soul. Let me be the only one walking in the woods. Let me hear the crunch of the frozen earth beneath my boots. Let me laugh, cry, pray, wrestle, and breathe. You are El-Roi. You are the God Who Sees Me.