My 10

I am the teacher of the most amazing group of 3rd graders. Ms Laura's 10:Chase, Brooke, Johnathan, Macayla, Allie, Derek, Zac, Leah, Steven and Connor. They call me by my first name becasue that's all they've ever known me by and we're cool like that!

Ok, so today the funniest thing happend, during math of all times. Understand this is not the favorite part of the day for almost all of them. Its Dereks birthday today also, like 1/3 of the class has a birthday this month, it's funny, anyways.

I have directed them do work alone. There are a few coming up for help and some escalating chatter happening and I repremand them for the 50th time (today was a chatty day). All of the sudden and out of the blue, in a really seriously and surprised tone, Macayla says "look there's Dale Earnheart Jr." (we have windows in class). I can see that Derek spins around in his chair so fast to look (its his favorite person, but a sport I don't understand) and everybody just starts laughing, like real belly laughs. We laughed and laughed and I said "Macayla!" and she just sorta smerked and shruggled a cute mixture of "Oh, what the heck and What?". It lightened the serious and tired tone in the class and it was just hillarious! We all laughed because for a split second we all believed her. I have no idea what possessed her to say that, but it was a very special time to just laugh for real and have fun with them. That's my 10.

Oh, the beauty.

A kind, older man told me this with tears in his eyes. "You will loose your life in Africa. Not because of a bullet but because it will steel your heart forever. You will loose your life to Africa. You will fall in Love with her." He told me someone said it to him and he found it to be true, when he was there; hense the tears. Oh, the beauty of this man.

What a life altering thing it is to share a dream and passon with total stangers=itineration. To see the spark of excitment pass on to them and to hear their dreams, its a powerful exchange!

The delay makes more sense now, to teach my kids, for a few months. It will however make the little part of leaving all the harder. The gift of hinesight, from our father, is a dear one, I beleive. "All the better to see with." (guess who) . . . . . right! The Big Bad Wolf, is that right?
Those who teach must dare to learn. -Ms. Peggy
Oh, the beauty of children.

I was driving tonight with the top down enjoying the Virginia countryside, soaking it all in. The smells, the birds, the cool breeze, the shade spotting the road from the large trees. It was beautiful.