Summer has ended and we are back to school. We started school August 27th but we had a 5 day weekend because of Family Camp, so we will go back tomorrow after a long break. Once again we had a frantic race to get everything ready the last few days before the big day, but we managed to get everything done. The first week of testing and chaos is over and we are settling into the normal routine. I am finding that this year is going more smoothly than the beginning of last year, now that I know how everything works and what to expect from the kids. We both have pretty good classes, and are excited to see what this year brings for the students and for ourselves. It is great to see the kids so excited about the beginnning of school and to hear their goals that they have set for themselves. Hopefully as the year progresses they will be able to achieve and even surpass those goals.
Family camp was fun this weekend. It was a nice retreat from normal everyday life, and the speaker had some powerful messages about the dynamics of families. They were great for everyone to hear, but I think he especially got through to some of our kids who have been so broken by their families. We are constantly being reminded of the backgrounds of our students, but I don't think we can ever be reminded enough. In the midst of a difficult situation with a student, it is sometimes hard to remember that they didn't have the life that I had growing up, and that there are circumstances beyond their control which have affected their lives in a negative way. Not that we are to dismiss their behaviors and put the blame on others. We must teach them to move past these circumstances and to put God in control of their lives instead of their dysfunctional lives.
