Love to Joplin...So close to home

Well I was all set to blog about how exhausted I am after my FULL week of teaching, about the constant battle to find the right activity and lesson to reach my kids, about having to buy my own art supplies and the copy machine never working, about the lack of funds and lack of support, about the office snitches at our school, about how YOUNG my kiddos seem at times, and about how the highlight of my week was one of my kiddos squirting hot chocolate out her nose because the little cutie across from her made her laugh…

But then I turned on Extreme Home Makeover, and my computer, and I found this post by DeeDee at Mrs. Wills Kindergarten asking us to link up and send Joplin some love, and my whole post (and attitude) changed. How could I ignore it? It was so close to home.

One of my sons’ best baseball buddies went through it; saved only by a two-by-four that braced the wall away from him that fell in, and the grace of God. They have been friends since the age of twelve when they began playing baseball together. He is going to school in Joplin to be a youth pastor.  Our families have watched together as he and my son have grown from boys to amazing young men.

We drove through Joplin just a month after the tornado hit on my way to Indiana and an awesome professional development experience. It was devastating.  And my husband and I broke down in Joplin on our way through in our early married years. I have a connection to Joplin.

More than that, I have a connection to the teachers of Joplin, because like them I have hope. Hope for new beginnings, brighter days and days filled with great teaching materials, endless (ok not endless but enough) supplies, friendly and helpful support staff, supportive administration, brilliant teaching lessons and receptive children,  and most importantly nobody squirting hot chocolate out their nose.

I don’t have a Teacher pay Teacher’s store so I decided to send a gift certificate. I hope it makes a teacher in Joplin smile, and hopeful. 

Link up and send some love of your own.