This morning the Lord gave me a big hug from Heaven.  Our morning assembly began as usual and the children that are late are required to wait in the hall until the Scripture reading is completed so that they won’t disrupt the the reading of God’s Word.  We always have some students waiting in the hall.  These children filed in after the reading and the assembly continued on.  We were almost finished with the assembly when I looked into the hallway and there I saw one of our “big boys” in secondary school, obviously later than the rest.  Mr. Bryant was ready for us to sing the Gloria Patri and we all raised our hands to praise the Lord one last time before we were released to start our day in our classrooms.  Tears quickly came to my eyes as I watched this young man, who will soon be on his own in the world, raise his hands and his mouth followed the words that we all sang.  My point being that it would have been so easy for him to just stand in the hall since few could even see him.  He could have stayed at his locker two minutes longer for the assembly would conclude very shortly.  This young man could have walked to his first period class (and two years ago, I would have fully expected him to do so) but he chose to stand in the hallway, raise his large manly hands to Heaven and sing praises to our Lord.    He has no idea what a faith boost he gave me today!  (I almost ran to hug him when the song was over! :>)

With more faith than usual, and a gratefulness for God’s goodness, I pray along with Ignatius of Loyola:

Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous.

Teach me to serve you as you deserve;

to give, and not to count the cost;

to fight, and not to heed the wounds;

to labor, and not to seek to rest;

to give of myself and not to ask for reward,

except the reward of knowing that I am doing your will.  Amen.

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Pleasant Sounds

The chatter of over fifty people,

Squirrels running over dead leaves in the fall.

Birds chirping in the trees

And oven buttons clicking on Saturday morning.

The car starting when my family goes on trips,

And the sound of people screaming at a football game.

Leaves falling to the ground

And the sound of people battling with swords.

When people jump into a pool and the squishy sound of people stepping in mud.

The sound of my little brother and cousin crying.

A dragonfly buzzing right past you

And the sound of a zipper zipping on a cold winter morning.

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We recently read John Clare’s Pleasant Sounds and I asked my students to brainstorm some of their favorite sounds.  The lights were off and some of my students’ pencils couldn’t stop scrawling across their page.  The next day I handed my students the task of composing a poem of their own favorite or pleasant sounds.  I was most pleased with their work and would like to share a poem or two with you.

Pleasant Sound

The chirping of birds in the distance,

Trickling of water down the stream,

Laughter of children on the playground,

Shouts of joy for my team.

Rain hitting on my window,

Creatures scampering about,

Horses hooves in the fields,

The honk of a mailman on his route.

Dad cheering for the Aggies,

Knives hitting the plate,

Ladies sipping their tea,

The speeches in debate.

composed by Annaleigh

The post My Poets appeared first on 91Ô­´´.

Thank you, Mr. Bentley, for filling in during our time of need but also for being a Christian leader to our students during a time of trial. 91Ô­´´ really is a family. Sure, we have our moments of pettiness and difficulty but we also have our moments of love and caring for one another. Our students love our teachers and our teachers love their students. Praise be to God!

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7N4R8m8eXc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9IXCDsjzIM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Calk3fZOYqM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt4U6oyJ7Lg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0yhS5a-3TY

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It is my privilege to serve 91Ô­´´ as chairman of the board. I know I speak for the whole board when I express my sincere appreciation for MaryAnn Bentley’s service as administrator of our school.  Her presence on our school campus is proof that God has been faithful to our school in its early years.  She has been a blessing to the board as a great source of leadership, knowledge, and experience as well as being a blessing to our families as an educator, organizer, and friend.  Over the past four years, MaryAnn has helped to transition 91Ô­´´ from a somewhat informal collection of families to a thriving, growing school.

Having worked directly with MaryAnn on multiple projects and in a wide variety of school situations, I can say that she is truly a pleasure to work with.  MaryAnn always has a smile when times are tough. She often shares a story from her years in education and wisdom that can only come from a great mother.   For this rookie school board chairman, I deeply appreciate her calm approach and I’m sure this school year, and my life, has been better for it!

Her experience has proven to be invaluable to the board and her new role as fellow board member will allow for her continued involvement and input.  Additionally, MaryAnn’s new role as Placement Director will help our students find God’s direction for their lives and have even greater success in the pursuit of their goals.  MaryAnn has sacrificed greatly for 91Ô­´´ and her love of learning and the students has led to many great accomplishments.
During her tenure as 91Ô­´´ school administrator, she has endured the building of a new educational wing, formalized many school processes, grown the enrollment significantly, watched many seniors go to the colleges of their dreams, led times of devotionals and singing, disciplined students when needed, and prayed with students and families in times of trials and blessings.  MaryAnn has worn too many hats to count!  We are thankful also that Farrar will continue to serve the school as our Spanish teacher. Yes, we have been blessed to have the Bentleys at 91Ô­´´, and I look forward to many more years of serving the school together.

Mrs. Bentley’s mantle of leadership will be passed on to Mr. David Bryant, our current Academic Dean, who will become the administrator in June. The board is grateful that Mr. Bryant and his family are a part of our school.

On behalf of the 91Ô­´´ school board, and from the very bottom of my heart, thank you MaryAnn for your impact on the lives of our students, our families, our school and our community.

Sincerely,

Mark E. Sowell, DPM
91Ô­´´ Board Chairman

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What is it like for the other guy? How do things change if I look through his eyes? We should be asking these questions often in many relationships of life, and no less in the complex of relationships that make up the family-school connection. As an educator I try often to see things through the eyes of my students or their parents. As a school parent myself, it’s not too hard to see how the view looks from the other side of my school administrator desk.

Reaching the end of another school year, it strikes me that it is a good time to take stock of how to be a good 91Ô­´´ parent. Call it Parenting 101. Here and in a few subsequent posts, I will offer some suggestions for how to be a good school parent.

First, realize that the school relationship is a partnership, not a solo act.

Resist the temptation to be a drop-off parent who thinks, “They do the educating. I do the parenting. I pay them thousands of dollars so that I don’t have to worry about the education part.” No, parenting is educating. We are your partners in fulfilling your responsibility under God to educate your children.

When you approach school as a partnership rather than as a responsibility that you have abdicated or shifted, it changes everything. You get involved with the day-to-day progress of your children. You go over spelling lists and discuss the literature of the week and review math facts and probe your child’s Bible knowledge. You spot weaknesses to work on and strengths to praise and celebrate. You see the teacher’s role as an adjunct to what you are already doing. You support the teacher in countless ways as a co-laborer rather than as an mere spectator. You develop trust with your child’s teacher as you work together with him or her.

Teachers love it when parents are deeply involved with the academic progress of their students. And the opposite is true as well: teachers get frustrated with parents who are distant and only minimally involved in the education of their children. The first matter of Parenting 101 is to be an involved mom or dad who takes seriously your responsibility under to God in the education of your children.

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I’m hoping they’ve learned.  I’m hoping they’ve learned more of history, grammar and advanced mathematical procedures.  I’m hoping they’ve learned how to translate Latin sentences with relative ease.  I’m hoping they’ve learned how to get along in a world that isn’t always easy to deal with.  Most of all, I’m hoping they’ve learned that their sixth grade teacher loves them deeply!

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