The faces behind the stories!

The faces behind the stories!
My little Loves.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Harvest Christian School... and Us.

This year, we started a new school... a journey into private Christian school.

To be honest, I was against it at first. I was raised in public school and I felt like I was a "light in a dark place" sort of thing. I wanted my boys to also shine their little lights around people who needed to feel loved. The problem is, my sons needed love. They had a really tough time ending the last school year and were not treated the way they should be... and my heart was changed. We went to visit Harvest after some friends suggested it... and we instantly felt welcomed and happy about being there. Even then, though, my heart was not fully satisfied with the idea of them attending... until this:

I was standing outside of the boys' room hearing their little voices with them unaware. I heard Joe say to Matthew, "Can you imagine going to a school where the teachers are ALLOWED to tell us Jesus loves us?" That was it. That was the moment it all came together and a rush of peace came through my body. They were going. No matter what it took, they were going.

It turns out... I takes A LOT! ha ha ha Uniforms are, um, expensive; when you dont already have ANYTHING on the list! After about $1000, both boys' uniforms and school supplies were purchased! Wow! BUT... They look SO CUTE in them! (Pics to follow!)

The first day... they both put their full uniform on for the first time. I hadn't allowed them to wear the clothes until it was time for school (It was mostly the shoes that got them excited... they are all black)... They got their full uniform on, with their new "Big guy" backpacks... and they felt cool. They look so much older and so amazingly handsome, and they knew it. :) They walked a bit taller and just felt good about themselves.




After that first day of school... Joe was SO excited. He said, "Mama, I am friends with EVERYONE in my class and I even have a couple of best friends already!" ha ha... So great! Matthew was a bit less excited. He was having a hard time because he isn't quite as outgoing as Joe and didn't feel like he had made as many friends etc. I encouraged him that God made us all different and even if he just makes one new friend each day, that is just fine.

The second day of school... Joe gets into the van and says, "Guess WHAT!!?!".... "Every teacher knows my name!" ha ha ha... Now, where I come from, that's NOT a good thing! lol At Harvest, the teachers really make a great effort to get to know the kids, and even play with them at recess. Joe has really enjoyed a couple of the female teachers who have gone out and played, and he enjoyed bouncing the basketball and chatting with the principle! 

We are now about to finish week two. Matthew had a REALLY tough day a couple of days ago and I even had to leave him in tears. He was missing Prestwood and he wasn't really feeling like he had found his spot yet at Harvest. Turns out, he had gotten his name on the board! ACK! lol I talked to the teacher and she said he was doing great, but he is definitely learning the boundaries of their school... that he wasn't "in trouble" but kind of in a warning zone. I had a talk with him and assured him he was doing just fine, that I was not upset, and that he's just learning. 

Yesterday.... He got in the car after school and was so excited to tell me he was the first one to get his name on the board in GREEN... which apparently means he was one of the first to listen and do what he was told. :) He started to like the class a bit more! ha ha

We had our first day of chapel this tuesday... oh MAN did they look snazzy! 


Soooo... the adventure continues! I'm looking forward to watching their lives develop as they grow at Harvest Christian! :)