Tonight I had the privilege of attending my oldest son's Upper School presentation at his school. It was an opportunity for us to see the experiences their children are having in school. My son, along with another classmate, spoke about their experiences as fourth graders (he is in the 5th grade now). He spoke with confidence and poise. All of the other students got up and spoke with an eloquence and assuredness. I was very pleased.
They gave a variety of examples of things they encounter while at school. The arts presentation blew my mind. I was watching the presentation, but as a teacher, I was also taking notes for things I could do with my own classes. It was a great experience.
We live about 20 miles away from the school. It is about an hour commute in and an hour commute out. There are several days when we are frustrated with traffic, inconsiderate drivers, our own fatigue, roadblocks, and other factors. Yet, when I saw my son present about his life at school and tell how much he enjoys being there, I was reminded that this is a good sacrifice.
How many times do we do things that we don't want to do, but often have to do to see our children grow? Another prime example happened this past July 4th. We got caught in Baltimore leaving a cookout. My son really wanted to see the fireworks. He was nearly in tears. So what do we do? We race across the city trying to find a good spot. There was none (at least from our location). So we race back to Bowie, MD (seriously, I cannot remember the last time I floored this car like that-Tony Stewart didn't have Jack Squat on me!). My youngest was in the back seat praying, "God, please help us to make it in time to see the fireworks. In Jesus name, Amen." We made it just in time to catch the last ten mintes of the show in the Best Buy parking lot. The look on the boys' faces...priceless!
Sacrifice for my fam... is often times...good. Tell me about some of yours. I'm NOS in knowing...
And by the way...No Speeding Tickets! Nice!
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ReplyDeleteDid I mention that I love this blog!!! You are always right on point. I hear that you'll be in town(Atlanta) in the next coming months. Let's plan to have dinner so your family can meet my family. Anyway, my kids go to a charter school that recently moved from Lithonia to Tucker. It's not nearly the commute you have, but it does make a difference. I love this school. I am given positive feedback on this choice almost everyday when my kids get in the car and tell me about their day. They are excited about going to school and love knowing that I am interested. The school has a strict volunteer policy and so my kids frequently see me or their dad at the school. The principal knows every kids by name. The teachers are friendly. When I am there, I feel like I am a part of the educational process. I appreciate that on so many levels. The work that my children are doing there is utterly amazing from math to technology to art, this school is on the move and worth the sacrifices made for them to attend.
How about the sacrifices we make when they are sick... ? It's on my mind now since I have had to cancel 3 days of committments to be with James. It's frustrating but also worth it; just like your post.
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