my job rocks

I have been dreading Thursday night for over a week. It's PTA curriculum night, and for the first time in my RN Harris life I have Pre-K parents signed up to come! I've been freaking out since Friday afternoon of last week... that is, I WAS freaking out... until I started thinking about what to do. As I thought (some outloud with my amazing roommate) about how to talk about literacy and math with a handful of parents, I just thought, "what would I want to know if I were a parent" and "what can I do to NOT make this meeting boring." Plus, I don't like talking in front of adults for very long. Little people I'm cool with... adults are a different story! Leanne and I went to the dollar store and bought $10 worth of random things. We came home and proceeded to make a LONG list of how to use these things to teach concepts that are in the NC standard course of study for Pre-Kindergarten. We even got Chris involved in the brainstorming. As I typed out the list and then created my hands-on agenda for the meeting, I actually found myself getting excited about it! I love what I teach. I love the way these kids learn, and the crazy, fun, imaginative ways I get to teach them. I actually get excited about helping parents know better how to teach their children. I really and truly love my job. What a blessing!

And one more thing... anyone who talked to me about my kids AT ALL last year knows without a doubt about Ke'Shaun. Ah... my little Ke'Shaun. Teachers don't have favorites... but if they did... hehe :) Anyway, Ke'Shaun was a baby when he came to me. He was still only 3 years old and was the youngest in the class. Though at the end of the year his social and physical skills were right on track, I honestly wondered how he'd do in kindergarten this year. Today I received the best job evaluation a teacher could ever ask for. Ke'Shaun's teacher came to me in the cafeteria today and said that I'd be so proud of him. She said that he read all of the class sight words to the class today and that I just HAD to come hear him read them. I went by during my kids' naptime and sure enough, he read every one of them. I asked the teacher if that was normal and she said that only about 6 kids in the class can read them all. She said Ke'Shaun is one of the hardest workers in the class. She said he may not know everything right away, but he works so hard that he gets it and he learns quickly. My Ke'Shaun is no baby anymore. He is a bright, SMART Kindergartner. And I could not be more proud.

Let me just say it one more time... I love my job.

my neighbors are gonna love me!

A while ago I witnessed a Durham Public Schools school bus knock down a basketball goal at the end of my street. A couple weeks ago I realize that nothing had been done about it, so I decided to get involved. I've been in correspondence with the transportation department. Today they asked me who the goal belonged to, and I had no idea. This afternoon I was going to my car to get something, and I saw the guys walking down to the end of the street to hang out. I asked them who the goal belonged to, and explained to them what was being done about it. They were really excited at the prospect of getting their goal back! They didn't even know it was a bus that knocked it down... they thought some kids had knocked it down. Hopefully soon the goal will be fixed, and I'll be the good guy! I'm so glad that I finally had a reason to talk to these guys. Typically it's impossible to even get a hello out of them. But now maybe they'll like us! hehe :) Hooray for an "in" with the neighborhood kids! :)

i ♥ fall

What a lovely afternoon... I slept in, which is always nice. Then I met a new friend... Leanne's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend (did you follow that?) who is spending the weekend here with us. She's great - she loves everything about the house... the colors, the decorations, the couch, and even my dishes! (I think maybe Leanne paid her to be nice, but I can't prove that yet...) Then we had a fantastic breakfast made by my amazing roommate... Chris and his brother joined us. After that, it was time to get everything ready for Oxford Manor kids' club. We had some new missionaries with us today, and they were wonderful!! The weather was a bit cool, and I definitely wished I'd had a jacket, but if I had, the weather would have been absolutely perfect for me. I love the brisk cool breeze and just the feeling of Fall. Fall makes me happy. I love wearing sweaters, hoodies, and sometimes even a scarf. I love pumpkin scented candles, Fall leaves, and apple cider. Fall makes me want to slow down and take a break from the madness. Soon enough the "most stressful" season of the year will be upon us (sad that Christmas is deemed stressful, but that's for another blog!). Now is the calm before the storm... the quiet lull of Fall. Ahh... I shall enjoy it while it lasts. :)

blessing from across the waters

Yesterday morning I got on facebook to check something quickly. Right before I was about to sign off, I got a message. It was from an old friend named Vusi. He was a young man that I knew in South Africa. I met him through Kurt (my team leader in SA) and then got to know him better when I started working with Nurse (a young lady I met in the townships). Besides being friends, I was teaching Nurse how to teach Bible stories to little kids. I brought Vusi into the mix because I wanted Nurse to have someone to work alongside when I left. Plus, Nurse didn't have any Christian friends, and I thought they would be a good influence on each other. So... back to yesterday... I hadn't talked to Vusi in almost 3 years. We were catching up, and I read that he had attended Bible college, was an associate pastor of a church in the townships, and was a part-time missionary with another ministry! How cool! THEN... he wrote this... "since you introduced me to kids ministries, I've been on fire for the lord and it opened many doors for me.thanks to you and thank God for allowing us to meet!!! you will always be part of my life and the ministry that I do" Oh my goodness... I had no idea. NO idea. Needless to say, I bawled like a baby. It's so easy to wonder what good I did in my years in South Africa. I often wonder why God sent me there... I didn't see a lot of fruit. I had a great time, and loved life, but as ministry goes, I felt like God taught me more than He used me. Little did I know what was going on. This has reminded me that we have no idea what God is doing, and we will never know everything that is going on. If I hadn't gotten on facebook, I would not have chatted with Vusi. I consider myself extremely blessed to have been allowed to be a part of this young man's life. It is just proof that God can use even the most unworthy vessels! Oh... and Vusi said that next year he is starting a ministry near Swaziland. So he is not only reaching people with the Gospel in Johannesburg, but he's taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth. What a privilege and honor to have a small part in the HUGE plans of our almighty God!!

Nurse and Vusi teaching a Bible lesson in Rand Leases