Monday's Bubble

Sometimes I feel like I am in a Special Ed bubble. And then like today are times when I feel like I am doing more than just making copies or helping out or whatever people think when they hear that I am a para-pro. This year I am working with one that does a lot of centers. Centers works well b/c students can learn at there own rate. (Home school and Montessori schools eat your heart out.) Well, we have just started this past week and being Monday, we had a group and then switched after 20 minutes. My teacher is doing the main Reading/Language Arts and I am just adding to help. I am doing Saxon, which if you don't know, you have papers and you have a script to say for each day of learning. This was the first day doing it and I was nervous even though none of the kids knew what to expect and would even know if I screwed it up. I asked about consonants/vowels and some other things. What will be great is that each day is review and building something new as in a letter or more sequencing. It will be great in a couple of weeks to just see how much they have learned. After Labor Day, we are going to have Math Centers three times a week so I and the teacher can help the kids that are lower and delve into more things for the higher.
In after school, I have help on Mondays and Weds. Oh, how grateful I am for my friend Karen from the lunchroom that comes in and takes some of the kids outside so I can stay in with the ones that have a better time while inside. Karen has a special needs daughter in eighth grade, so she comes in also. She likes to help with the kids and has fun playing with them. While waiting to go to the gym, I put on a Disney show that was the kids favorites. It was the sweetest thing to see them laughing and goofing off with each other. I am not saying, oh they are special ed, of course they can't have fun or play. No, what I am saying is that with all of their differences, I saw how laughter and a common love (Disney) brought them together to have fun.
It also makes me think of Community. How wonderful I have it at my church. We have a website that's like Face book only in the fact that you have profiles and you can message everyone in the church, or just one on one. Well, I have been having car problems, which I wrote about yesterday. I posted for some help on a place to take my car. I put on there about being seen as a Single Woman and how I needed a place that wouldn't screw me over. I didn't put all of that, but put it in a way for help. Instantly while I was at my computer, four people messaged me and gave about the same place to go to!! So, when I get paid this week, I will be heading to a place in Roswell for some help with my car. Well, when I was walking to the front of church, the outside greeter asked me about my car. I talked about the oil leak and he said that his always has one. It was nice b/c I felt like part of the community. I have gone to churches and have times at my jobs where I wasn't seen. That I felt like no one knew my name, let alone things about me. So, who is in your community? Your family? Your friends that you can pray for and with? I saw early this morning that one of my friends from school needed some prayer. His mother was to have unexpected surgery today. We have sat together and had a prayer group in the mornings, so why would I not pray for him even if our schedules have changed this year? So, my other prayer partner and I have decided to get a gift card and Prayer card for him. Now I am not saying this to gloat, I am just saying that if something would happen to my mother, I would hope that some of my close friends and not so close friends would help me in my time of need. So, again who is in your community? People you see everyday and even people that you haven't seen in forever but live in your heart?