I take so much for granted.

[jmarie]

I drive for the after school remedial program. The whole area is covered by 4 buses and we encompass an area that is normally covered by 4 or 5 buses, so the children, who ride, are on the bus for quite awhile. This gives you a better chance to know them because of this distance.

This week, one of the grade groups are gone out of town to learn about the Capitol of the State. They go there, get to go to the beach for 15-20 minutes and wade out into the water, just a lot of enrichment activities. Her sister was on the bus. The sister is older, being in Middle School.

Someone asked her where her sister was and she told them that she was on the field trip. She then started talking about the year that she got to go. She mentioned that when it came to leave the motel that she cried for over an hour. She said it was one of the hardest things that she had ever done was to leave that motel. When I asked her why, she replied: "Because it was so beautiful. It was the most beautifullest place that I had ever seen. I will never ever get to stay in a place as wonderful as that again." I stayed in that motel once when I went as a chaperone for a friend's child. It was nice, but I was just as excited to get on with my trip, as were the children in my charge.

She went on to add that "You should see my house and you would know why." I will add, here that there are 10 children in this family and the only way this family gets by is with State Assistance. Mom nor dad work. It is not easy for those children. She said "You go into my house and you can't even see for the smoke, it's everywhere and...." And then she stopped abruptly there and said..."Well it's bad."

She went on to add that she didn't take a camera for her trip but that someone had given her sister a camera, so she was going to take pictures. She told her sister to please take pictures of the motel, the outside, the lobby and the room.

I told her that this was an important reason for studying in school, so that when she graduates, she can go to college. And when she graduates from college she can get a good job, so that she could take a vacation every once in awhile. She told me that she wants to be a teacher. This child has a lot of obstacles to hurdle...she is like a lot of other children, who get by, but for the grace of God.

This child took away from this trip something so different than what most children would. And I am so glad, now, that they offer this trip. I never thought about it before except as a historical journey...but it is so much more than that.

Thanks for listening...Teachers, you play an awesome role in these children's lives...I wonder if you can ever know just how important you are to them.

I am just so guilty of taking so much for granted.:(
jmarie

[wallycat]

It sounds like this was a school sponsored trip.
Think about the kids that wouldn't even be able to take advantage of school field trips because you always had to pay for them and the family was too embarassed to ask for assistance so the kid never got to go (ahem....ME).

Yes, people take many things for granted and school can be a cruel place for the "different" child to learn many things.

Your point to her was wonderful...I hope she finishes school and gets to make better for herself.

Learning to appreciate everything we have on a daily basis is a hard thing; you don't know what you don't have till you don't have it.
Yoga and meditation are great tools to help you learn to live in the moment and focus on each task and each event. :)

[leebee]

Joyce, I just wanted to tell you how often you make my heart swell right up into my throat. I've never posted that before, but thought this was the right time because I want to tell you about my friend. She came from a house & a family much like you describe above. She & I became friends in 3rd grade. I remember once she said she loved to spend the night at my house because our soap smelled so nice & she could take a shower in the morning (they didn't even have running water at her house for many years). She had a rough start in life and things were a struggle for her. But she was smart and funny and wanted to get a better life. I won't say it was easy, she ended up quitting school & had a baby very, very young. BUT--she didn't give up. She got her GED, she took some college classes and is doing very, very well. She has some great kids--who WILL be finishing high school & going to college if she has anything to do about it!--and a terrific job. She has the life she wanted and I know that the opportunities she had in school and the people that cared for her had a huge impact on that. She said that the difference between her and her sister is that she had hope--her sister did not. That hope sustained her and made her realize she could do something with her life. You are a critical part of that--you have helped give another child hope and I pray that that will sustain her and make her strong for the long journey ahead.