Back to School!

First of all, THANK YOU. We really had a wonderful summer in the US, reconnecting with so many of you in various ways. I would personally rank it the "best summer back" out of the three we've had so far. We were able to recharge, reconnect, and have a lot of fun with our kids doing "US" stuff that we can't do in Nicaragua. We also gained 10 pounds, but that is just a testimony to your hospitality, right? A few (random) peeks at our adventures--we didn't take many pictures:

We've been back in Nicaragua for less than two weeks, and it was a race for me to get ready for the new school year, which began two days ago. While I disappeared into the depths of my classroom at every waking moment, Ruth held down the fort at home, restocking our empty shelves, unpacking from our summer travels, and entertaining wild children who DESPERATELY needed the structure of school again. While excited to be back home in the jungle, the phrase "I'm bored" was certainly thrown around plenty.

What did my work entail these last 13 days?

I unpacked my "stuff" and set up the room. That took about 10 minutes, except for the fact that I had a locked file cabinet with ALL of my files in it, and no key. A local locksmith named Roberto proved invaluable:) It is SO awesome to have a finished classroom and furniture! I didn't recieve furniture until a few months in to the school year last year. . .so it was wonderful to begin this year with a classroom that looks like a. . .classroom.

I've been busy creating schedules (the Puzzle of All Puzzles) and orientating our new team of SOAAR volunteers, who had a good first two days! They are going to be great supports for our five students that need that extra support in the classroom. These first two days I tried to spend ample time working alongside of these assistants, making sure they are comfortable and feel "trained" before I leave them alone:)

I've met with many teachers, making sure they feel ready and supported as they prepared to support students with needs in their classrooms. I made copies of IEPs and APs and information sheets to share with gen. ed. teachers. Knowledge is power.

I've emailed. A lot. I LOVED my empty summer inbox. No longer the case.

And Monday and Tuesday were actually very good days, welcoming students back to NCA.

Charlotte, Mae, and Henry are all at NCA this year. Charlotte is in PreK2, Mae in 2nd, and Henry in 4th. All have wonderful CRC partner missionary teachers! They loved being back in the classroom.

I've jumped back into life at Tesoros de Dios, welcoming our new shared Speech Language therapist meeting with the director, planning for a new year of Thursday afternoon classes, and working on various board initiatives. The entire staff and a large group of students and moms spent last Tuesday honoring the life of Kevin, a 6th-grade Tesoros de Dios student that died last week. I was able to meet Kevin through my time on Thursday afternoons; Kevin had muscular dystrophy and had been fighting to survive in his slowing body for many years. For a while last year, Kevin was too weak to attend classes at Tesoros so I was able to visit him and his mom at home a few times. It was my first burial here in Nicaragua. It was hard, but I have to think of Kevin's newfound freedom, no longer bound by the chains of a degenerative disease.

I found this picture of Kevin on the internet--the photo is probably four years old. 

Today is a national holiday (after two days of school!), so we're having a lunch gathering with almost 60 of the CRC folks of Nicaragua! There are a number of new faces this year joining this unique community. And then. . .back to work tomorrow:)