Back to School – UPDATE

You guys.

I don’t even know where to begin.

I poured my heart out yesterday on THIS POST, and then YOU ALL poured out all of your love and hugs and prayers back onto me.  I received so many comments on Facebook and the blog post that I was flabbergasted.  It’s been a long time since a post has garnered that much attention.  And, by the way, just to be clear, I don’t write my posts so that I will get lots of comments.  I write my posts because they’re in my head and I feel the need to get them out.  It’s therapeutic for me, but if my words also help someone or inspire someone or make someone giggle in the process, then that is just a big fat bonus!  🙂

SO!

You all prayed for my community and for me, and I am so unbelievable grateful.  I don’t even know how to express how grateful I am.

I wish I could give each of you a Thank You basket!!!

Yesterday, right about 5:00, we received an email from our superintendent that he is pushing back our start date to August 20.

Can you even?

I still can’t even believe it.  It does not feel real.

I literally (LITERALLY – not just using the word for fun) got down on my knees and praised the Lord.

He took the very last thing I had been praying about – starting school with teachers who have been evacuated from their homes, starting school with inclement weather, starting school with first graders who are used to a half day and keeping them inside ALL DAY LONG, starting school without seeing my colleagues throughout the day, starting school with teacher friends wearing masks because they’re pregnant, and starting school with a whole host of other things – and He shined his grace and love and faithfulness upon us all.  

I know the petition had close to 7000 signatures on it by the time our superintendent made his decision, and maybe that was part of his decision, along with air quality, but I am just grateful he made the decision to postpone our start date.  

Here’s the kicker.

He didn’t postpone the start date across the board for all schools.

Several of our schools (as of now) are still starting tomorrow, based on boundaries and Cal Fire recommendations and whatever else.  They will be on inclement weather because of the air quality.  Please join me in prayer and continue to pray for the staff and students at these schools.  I am so sad for them.  I feel guilty that we have a postponement, but they do not.

We somehow get 5 days where the kids don’t have to make up the missing days at the end of the year.  It’s a legal clause or something.  I don’t know.  Teachers have to make up the 5 days, but we have some flexibility and just need to make those 5 days up before the end of the school year.  So we could go in a few days this week, maybe a day over winter break, and then a day over Spring Break.  I haven’t come to any decisions yet.

I am just still in awe.

Still in disbelief.

I told a few of my friends that I feel like I’ve been on trial for a crime I didn’t commit, and I just found out the jury came back with a Not Guilty verdict.

That’s how FREE I feel right now.

I had a hard time sleeping last night because I was just so unbelievably thankful and grateful.  I just poured my praise out all throughout the night.

If you go to THIS POST, you’ll see a lot of comments from teachers who need specific prayer.  I made a list and will be praying for these teachers by name throughout this year.  If you’d like to add them to your prayer list, I’m sure it would be appreciated!

The Holy Jim Fire is now at 22,000 acres, but containment has risen to 36% which is a HUGE improvement!  Only 12 structures have been damaged, and from what the news tells us, these are rural structures deep in the Cleveland National Forest.  Several homeowners were allowed to return to their homes yesterday.  Please continue to pray for the firefighters and first responders, homeowners who are still evacuated, the houses and neighborhoods, and animals.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your heartfelt words, prayers, and support.

I am so grateful for our online teaching community.

Sending all of you LOVE!!!