Simple Grace Triumphs Over Darkness...

Renise Matters!!!!!!!

I read a story today that gave me chills, made me weep, and left me wondering....

What's my role?
Where do I go from here?
Can I do more?

The story was about Renise, a 13 year old girl I met in Haiti at the Orphan Transition Village (OTV). Renise isn't just any 13 year old....but a 13 year old with a story of redemption in the truest sense of the word. As I read her story, my heart wept for the hurt and shame she must have felt, the loneliness, the raw pain. My heart cried with happiness as she found a "parent figure" in Mama Fox at the transition village who encouraged and loved her along through her pregnancy. My heart rejoiced that Renise had a healthy baby girl and is now able to attend school so that some day she can fulfill her dream and become a doctor. My heart was stretched in Haiti and I doubt it will ever resume it's original size again! Attached is a link to the article about Renise(copy & paste into your web browse)...it's beautiful! Grab a tissue (make that the whole box) and get ready to read an INCREDIBLE story of God's perfect plan & Redemption! YOU WILL BE CHANGED!!!!!!!

http://theglobalorphanproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Renise-Matters.pdf

Fancy Dresses & Friends...

What's not to love about dressing up on a Friday night and being with friends!

A moment of teacher pride...

There simply are no words to express the depth and extent of my pride for my class today. We are taking our Communication Arts (Reading) State (MAP) test this week. My students were anxious and a nervous mess yesterday when we started. This is in part due to the increasing emphasis that is placed on this high stakes test. With a pep talk and some extra reassurance from me...we began. Day 1 went well. Students worked hard, completed their work in an efficient time frame and felt confidant about their answers. Day 2 involved 2 timed sections. While we have practiced all of the content related skills, I have to say I was a bit negligant in having them practice taking a test against the clock. This left me apprehensive at best. The day started with another pep talk and the following poem.

Moving Up
Teach me to walk and I will run
Teach me to look and I will see
Teacher me to hear and I will listen
Teacher me to sing and I will rejoice
For your instructions are important to my mind
And your shared experiences I will keep
What I have learned I will treasure
and by learning to fly
I will SOAR!

Students felt inspired and motivated to work. Several even commented on what the poem meant to them. My students did incredibly well on this portion of the test today. All the hard work, intense conversations, and late nights of planning have paid off. My heart is full of pride, I am encouraged and can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring with the next section of the test!

a Big Move...

I was reading the Global Orphan Project blog and learned that Pastor Calix and his family (about 33 orphans) have been able to move into their new home. We were able to tour his home while it was still being built just 2 short weeks ago. It was a short 10 minute walk from the OTV. How exciting for Pastor Calix and his family to be in their own home...able to start some sort of "normal" again. Thanks to the financial help of many here in the U.S. through the help of the Global Orphan Project their lives can continue to move forward and establish a routine again. I am so incredibly excited for them!!!!

div>Check it out for yourself... http://theglobalorphanproject.org/ I can't say enough about this organization and the work they are doing around the world!

Imagine my shock when I looked at my syllabus for my Linguistics class last night at 8 p.m. and realized that my FINAL PROJECT was due today...Monday. I had to interview an English Language Learner and then analyze their language results. I had NOTHING DONE but there wasn't a whole lot I could do about it. Needless to say I didn't sleep very well... Can we saw Preoccupied?! ugh!

But today I busted out the "SUPER GIRL" powers and cranked it out! Yep, got it done and think I even managed to pull off an A.

Time for some serious sleep!