Today was one of those days that reminds me of what a great job I have, and how blessed I am to work with the people that I do...
Today was officially the first day of summer, and unofficially, one of our first truly summery days: sunny and 24-26c most of the day...
I spent the morning in the park with our little guys (3 year old special needs kids), then the afternoon in the school's "backyard" where we have a little water park set up, so the 4 year old kids took off their shoes (and some took off their pants!) to play in the water...
Amongst all of this, we got some therapy done: playing with play doh, drawing, doing crafts, and practising gross motor skills and strengthening exercises...What a fun, joyful way to spend such a beautiful day!
Later on, I went for dinner with some of my colleagues, and realized again what truly special people it takes to work with these kids, and enjoyed laughing and chatting with them about all of our adventures this year.
Then tonight, we celebrated the "Graduation" of our 5 and 6 year old Kindergarten kids, who will be moving on to new schools and new endeavours next year. It was a truly touching ceremony, with all of the kids somehow being on their best behaviour despite the new environment and LOTS of people (almost 200!). Teachers and parents spoke about what an amazing learning environment our kids are a part of, with such supportive staff and parents. A few tears were shed, and lots of hugs passed around.
One Dad who always impresses me was casually chatting with me after the ceremony about how life-changing it has been for him to have kids. He says that while he and his wife have a wonderful, loving relationship, he feels that their relationship would not be what it is if it weren't for their 3 kids making it into a "family", rather than just a couple. He says that any man will change his priorities once he has kids, realizing that there's no point in trying to impress adults when your kids are everything, and look up to you and teach you so much about being selfless.
This reminded me of a parent meeting I attended last week, where one Mom was saying how upset and depressed she had been last year, coming to terms with the long-term disability her child will have to deal with for the rest of her life, but more importantly, how upset she had been by hurtful comments made by other parents who just didn't know any better and would ask her why her 3-year-old daughter wasn't talking? She said that she can take criticism about herself, but when it comes to her kids, her heart breaks for them, and how dare anyone say such things about her child. She said that her life has changed, because as soon as she walks through the doors at Providence, she immediately relaxes because she feels that her daughter is accepted for who she is...
Sorry--getting into a bit of deep stuff, but this is a glimpse of what my job is, day-to-day, and may give you some indication of why I love it so much, and why it's such a perfect fit for me!
While living in Calgary, so far from our friends and families definitely creates a hole that can't be filled, it is such a blessing to be part of a school/work community filled with so much genuine love.
Hope you enjoy these photos of our kids just "having fun"!...They certainly make my day....
3 more official "school" days, then I have a somewhat relaxed month of July (doing reports, paperwork, inventory, etc.) before our big trip in August. We are planning to be back in Ontario for some of August, with an 8-10 day sea-kayaking trip in Croatia from approx Aug 7-17th. More on that itinerary later...
Today was officially the first day of summer, and unofficially, one of our first truly summery days: sunny and 24-26c most of the day...
I spent the morning in the park with our little guys (3 year old special needs kids), then the afternoon in the school's "backyard" where we have a little water park set up, so the 4 year old kids took off their shoes (and some took off their pants!) to play in the water...
Amongst all of this, we got some therapy done: playing with play doh, drawing, doing crafts, and practising gross motor skills and strengthening exercises...What a fun, joyful way to spend such a beautiful day!
Later on, I went for dinner with some of my colleagues, and realized again what truly special people it takes to work with these kids, and enjoyed laughing and chatting with them about all of our adventures this year.
Then tonight, we celebrated the "Graduation" of our 5 and 6 year old Kindergarten kids, who will be moving on to new schools and new endeavours next year. It was a truly touching ceremony, with all of the kids somehow being on their best behaviour despite the new environment and LOTS of people (almost 200!). Teachers and parents spoke about what an amazing learning environment our kids are a part of, with such supportive staff and parents. A few tears were shed, and lots of hugs passed around.
One Dad who always impresses me was casually chatting with me after the ceremony about how life-changing it has been for him to have kids. He says that while he and his wife have a wonderful, loving relationship, he feels that their relationship would not be what it is if it weren't for their 3 kids making it into a "family", rather than just a couple. He says that any man will change his priorities once he has kids, realizing that there's no point in trying to impress adults when your kids are everything, and look up to you and teach you so much about being selfless.
This reminded me of a parent meeting I attended last week, where one Mom was saying how upset and depressed she had been last year, coming to terms with the long-term disability her child will have to deal with for the rest of her life, but more importantly, how upset she had been by hurtful comments made by other parents who just didn't know any better and would ask her why her 3-year-old daughter wasn't talking? She said that she can take criticism about herself, but when it comes to her kids, her heart breaks for them, and how dare anyone say such things about her child. She said that her life has changed, because as soon as she walks through the doors at Providence, she immediately relaxes because she feels that her daughter is accepted for who she is...
Sorry--getting into a bit of deep stuff, but this is a glimpse of what my job is, day-to-day, and may give you some indication of why I love it so much, and why it's such a perfect fit for me!
While living in Calgary, so far from our friends and families definitely creates a hole that can't be filled, it is such a blessing to be part of a school/work community filled with so much genuine love.
Hope you enjoy these photos of our kids just "having fun"!...They certainly make my day....
3 more official "school" days, then I have a somewhat relaxed month of July (doing reports, paperwork, inventory, etc.) before our big trip in August. We are planning to be back in Ontario for some of August, with an 8-10 day sea-kayaking trip in Croatia from approx Aug 7-17th. More on that itinerary later...
1 comment:
So glad that you found a career where you are truly happy!
Love Mom
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