It's that time of year... Target aisles are crammed with excited children, parents, and too many shopping carts (no doubt a huge safety hazard), perusing the current school supply lists, matching listed item to product in hopes of being prepared and ready for action. I find myself among the crowd, desperately scanning the listings for the one that reads 'Suggested 21st Grade Supply List 2010-2011', in fine print 'for those who still love the smell of new erasers and freshly sharpened pencils; you, too, can participate'. I never found that list, but I may or may not have purchased a new 24-CT box of crayons from the fourth grade list, 1 red pen for the average sixth grader, and various colors of pocket folders for the 11th grader. I mean, really, what 11th grader cares about pocket folders? (Well, I did, but that's another story for another day.) Moving on...
The beginning of school reminds me of the beginning of a new calendar year. Everyone gets a fresh start, teachers and students alike. The summer days of pool time, sleeping in late, and reading casual books are over (though the summer temperatures are not), and it's time to focus on engaging young minds and learning. While I am indeed guilty of scouring the school aisle for bargains on 12" rulers, I will personally not be joining in on a new school year. (Thankfully, those days are long gone. Insert 'first day of school' picture here. Lucky for us all, I don't currently have one in my possession.)
However, I'm mindful of teaching friends who are taking on new classes, some for the first time, as well as the many children who are embarking on a new year. Make it a good one. Touch the lives of the children no one else believes are reachable; befriend the nerd who drops his books in front of the cool crowd.
Remember the many children who are not able to sit in their own desk in a classroom with smiling teachers. I think of the kids we met on the lake who have never seen notebook paper and markers, who only dream about a safe place to learn and grow and develop skills, free from their current 14-hour work days. Say a prayer for these kids today, that one day they would have the chance to go to school and laugh and play like other children.
This fresh start, this beginning, is something I could use a little dose of. It's been hard to jump back into life after our Ghana trip. I've had this overwhelming fear lately that the more I seep back into life here, the more I'm going to forget the feelings and moments from our trip. I fear that happening because I know I'm human and live in a society that values wealth and success and self. But as I look back through pictures and videos of the Ghana kids, I'm reminded that the moments that touch our souls so completely can never be forgotten. So I think it's time for me to dive in here in hopes that I'll be able to invest more in the work in Ghana when the time comes.
And don't you worry, if you missed your chance at pocket folders, the first week after school starts is always just as intense as the week leading up to the first day. There is always Little Joey who forgot his Fiskers Scissors for 2nd grade and Little Susie who just has to have the colored binder folder (the one with the little kitty on the front) to match her friends. So go ahead and pick up a few glue sticks and a 1" binder while your out. But please, oh please, leave that shopping cart at the end of the aisle...
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