My little second graders made their first confession yesterday, after I went. yuck. It's bad enough knowing your sins, then confessing them to the priest. It is supposed to make you feel better but I just feel worse afterwards.
When I was growing up, we were not allowed to watch TV during Holy Week unless it was a religious movie. Did you ever see the movie, "The Robe"? Well my siblings and I did. We were so desperate to watch TV, we found that in the TV Guide, got my mother's approval and sat through a terrible movie. Even as pre-teens, we knew it was a bad movie. But hey, it was TV, so we watched it.
We tried that one year. The kids and I watched the Greatest Story Ever Told and Jesus of Nazareth. The latter is wonderful. The scene where Peter realizes he has to leave his family to follow Jesus, very powerful. Kate cried. When he denies knowing Jesus, we all cried.
Another year, we tried saying the rosary every night curing Lent. That lasted about 2 weeks and by Holy Week we just said it 2x a week. Our intentions were good. I've been trying not to curse this week and I have already blown that. I'll keep trying.
What I am really looking forward to is the secular things we have planned this week. We are leaving around 2pm on Wednesday and going to my brother Matt's apartment in Queens. I want to go to "The Top of the Rock", "ESPN Zone" , "Mid-Town Comics" and a Borders or BN store. We have 2 days before we go out to the Island to see my parents, so there is lots of time to do fun stuff. Kate gets measured for her bride's maid gown on Saturday. Hey, maybe we will go to St. Patrick's Cathedral to say a prayer on Good Friday.
I will keep you posted on where we go and what we see. I'll say a decade of the rosary for you, will you say a prayer for me? I feel like I need them badly today.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Good People
I have been fortunate to work with some wonderful people over my years at Berlin Brothersvalley. I need to relate a story about a young man I work with and the people who have helped bring him into his own over the years.
This little guy was removed from a home where his diabetic mother (now deceased) in a wheelchair was slapped around by the dad and he and his brother were abused and neglected. CYS did the right thing and the children were removed from the home. I worked in the HS at the time but people in town said rats scurried from the trailer when it was hauled away.
I met this little guy "Jay" in the middle of grade 3. He returned to our district in foster care. He was hyper and stood by his desk to write and his foster family was overwhelmed with his level of need. He was tested for an IEP and knowing the trauma he had experienced, was identified Emotional Support. He became quieter, attentive and eager to please in grade 4. He stayed in regular education and marveled everyone with his math abilities.
I watched this little guy move into his aunt and uncle's home, who I forget are such. They look like they could be his grandparents. They adopted him and love him and want the best for him. They get mad at him when he gets C's! I watched and encouraged him and tried to get him out of his shell. Teachers have encouraged him and believed in him and his grades were decent throughout the middle school years and (only a PA teacher can appreciate this) he left 8th grade proficient in reading and advanced in Math.
The team saw his natural talent in computers and math grow in HS. This kid has taken many hard classes our school offers. Chem II, Algebra III/Trig, Web Design, 3D Modeling & Animation, CAD classes, etc. I am happy to say he rose to the challenge for each class. Math, computer and design classes - A's, Science's B's & C's. He is a great kid. Still tiny, still quiet and never quite fitting in but a smile that will brighten anyone's day.
Now in grade 12, he earned an A on his senior project, designing speaker boxes for his car, using the CAD program. He is taking Bio II and wasn't planning on going on his Bio II trip to Wallop's Island in the Spring. Well "his school mother" was not going to see that happen and when I was talking to some collegues in Elem and Middle school, everyone offered to help pay for his trip. I sold more candy for him than I have ever sold in a fundraiser for my own kids and many teachers in the district donated. Some who I never thought would. Good, kind people who are happy to see a child succeed. A little guy who could have been a tragic story of the neglect and abuse many of us in the service field see every day. Well he is NOT one of the casualities. He is a success.
In the fall he is going to Penn Highlands to study computer aided drafting. Berlin community, his family and school family have much to be proud of.
This little guy was removed from a home where his diabetic mother (now deceased) in a wheelchair was slapped around by the dad and he and his brother were abused and neglected. CYS did the right thing and the children were removed from the home. I worked in the HS at the time but people in town said rats scurried from the trailer when it was hauled away.
I met this little guy "Jay" in the middle of grade 3. He returned to our district in foster care. He was hyper and stood by his desk to write and his foster family was overwhelmed with his level of need. He was tested for an IEP and knowing the trauma he had experienced, was identified Emotional Support. He became quieter, attentive and eager to please in grade 4. He stayed in regular education and marveled everyone with his math abilities.
I watched this little guy move into his aunt and uncle's home, who I forget are such. They look like they could be his grandparents. They adopted him and love him and want the best for him. They get mad at him when he gets C's! I watched and encouraged him and tried to get him out of his shell. Teachers have encouraged him and believed in him and his grades were decent throughout the middle school years and (only a PA teacher can appreciate this) he left 8th grade proficient in reading and advanced in Math.
The team saw his natural talent in computers and math grow in HS. This kid has taken many hard classes our school offers. Chem II, Algebra III/Trig, Web Design, 3D Modeling & Animation, CAD classes, etc. I am happy to say he rose to the challenge for each class. Math, computer and design classes - A's, Science's B's & C's. He is a great kid. Still tiny, still quiet and never quite fitting in but a smile that will brighten anyone's day.
Now in grade 12, he earned an A on his senior project, designing speaker boxes for his car, using the CAD program. He is taking Bio II and wasn't planning on going on his Bio II trip to Wallop's Island in the Spring. Well "his school mother" was not going to see that happen and when I was talking to some collegues in Elem and Middle school, everyone offered to help pay for his trip. I sold more candy for him than I have ever sold in a fundraiser for my own kids and many teachers in the district donated. Some who I never thought would. Good, kind people who are happy to see a child succeed. A little guy who could have been a tragic story of the neglect and abuse many of us in the service field see every day. Well he is NOT one of the casualities. He is a success.
In the fall he is going to Penn Highlands to study computer aided drafting. Berlin community, his family and school family have much to be proud of.
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