The Perfectness of Bad Timing

I was at a Christmas Eve service last night, where the pastor referred to Galatians 4:4-5 as "the Christmas story." I had never heard a passage outside of the gospels talked about as the Christmas story before, but as I read the verses, it made perfect sense. Granted, there are not the same details and elaboration as there are in the gospels, but the basic elements of the story are there - God sending his Son to earth to be born as a human, for the purpose of rescuing man. That really is the Christmas story! 

Blessings #561-586

561. Safety coming home from Seattle on treacherous roads
562. Books that make me think
563. Being able to take a sick day without losing pay
564. A para-educator working in my classroom who has a tremendous heart for our students
565. Alex's generosity helping Colby

What Goes Unsaid in Education Reform - Part 1

She was there after school again, just hanging out and talking. She visited a couple of other teachers, but my room was one that she invariably came into after school. She didn't stay every day, but she stayed after school frequently, just to talk or kill time. After several weeks I finally joked with her about how much she must like school, since she stayed there for so long after the school day was over. Then I asked, "why don't you go home?" It was an ignorant question and I had been teaching long enough to know better than to ask such a question so flippantly, but I did.

"Why would I want to go home?" she answered. "My grandma is probably drunk and my grandpa is probably in the garage getting high."