Sending a big "thank you" to 4 of my Facebook friends that I have spent a great deal of time with already this week at the Avenue A Summer Scholars program. They helped me with Item #6 on the "Miller Bucket List"....to connect with each of my Facebook friends and buy them a drink this year. What a pleasure it is to work alongside them in this summer school setting. Knowing that I am among friends always helps make whatever burdens this life has to throw at me seem a whole lot easier to bear. I'm not sure I could ask for anything more than that.
Here are two young ladies that I'd love for you to meet. These are 2 of my "youngest" Facebook friends, the Rodriguez sisters--Kyra and Alex.
I caught up with these girls at Avenue A Summer School this morning. They are there volunteering in the classrooms that their parents, Shelley and Clint, teach in. When you are a "teacher's kid" you get to spend an awful lot of time in school-YEAR ROUND! These two girls are not afraid to pitch in and do whatever is needed. Besides being classroom assistants, Kyra and Alex are good role models to the students they interact with. They've been around the summer school setting for quite some time now. Kyra was actually a student of mine one summer. Knowing these girls and seeing them grow into the young ladies they are now has been such a wonderful experience for me. It's fun to keep in touch with the "inner kid" still left in me! Thanks girls!
Alex, Kyra and I at the Mexican Dinner-Avenue A 2010
They would probably deserve the award for "most time helping out at school."
This is Clint Rodriguez, dad to Kyra and Alex as well as a Facebook friend to me. Clint spends part of his vacation teaching summer school along with his wife, Shelley. I've kind of lost track of the number of summers we've all taught together, but it's more than a few. I'm always glad to see great teachers, just like Clint, in the classroom. Their very presence provides a positive male role model that some children never get to see, for one reason or another. "Mr. Rodriguez" has made such an indelible impact upon the lives of many students here in U.S.D. 308. It's always a pleasure to be able to teach alongside him and Shelley during the summer school sessions.
Clint and Shelley were my riding partners for the BAK. We made it "almost" to McPherson together! I was so thankful to be riding with them. My part of the trip, at least the mechanical part, went off without a hitch. But I know that if I would have needed Clint to do anything to help me, all I had to do was yell "help" and he would have been there....no questions asked.
You won't meet many young men that are nicer than my Facebook friend, Brian Brillhart. I first met Brian when he was one of the classroom aides for summer school in 2008. The first thing that struck me about him was his kind and very calm demeanor.....and this was in the midst of about a thousand screaming kids on the playground. I remember during that first summer school session, watching him to see if ANYTHING could get him riled up or make him raise his voice at kids. NEVER happened! And I've known him 3 summer schools since, and guess what? Still haven't seen a bad side to him. LOL Brian knows how to command the respect of students and he does so in an almost "magical way". Between Brian and his students, there is sort of a "mututal admiration" society....they respect him and he returns that same respect right back to the students. And that is what enables a whole lot of learning to take place in such a very short time. "Mr. Brillhart", you are a hero to me!
Brian was my classroom aide in the summer of 2009. Here we are checking out books at Faris Elementary. Mr. Brillhart is one of the best "kid wranglers" that I know of.
I like this Irish blessing that I found:
"May there always be work for your hands to do, may your purse always hold a coin or two. May the sun always shine on your windowpane, may a rainbow be certain to follow each rain. May the hand of a friend always be near you, may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you."
Have a wonderful day my dear friends!
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