This is why I teach:
I was refreshed during the conference I attended in Doncaster last week and I survived the amazing but rainy camping weekend with some of the year 5 and 6 kids we teach at Springboard. There were only 12 of us volunteers at the conference but it was incredibly soul satisfying with lots of talking about saying good-bye, transitioning into a new part of life, discerning God’s calling in our lives, and (of course, it’s me) LOTS of laughter.
Following these few days of rest was an activity packed weekend with 16 ten and eleven year old children. For the past five school years, Springboard has partnered with a boarding school, called Milton Abbey, and they have hosted around kids and the chaperones from Springboard to camp in tents on their grounds. Believe it or not, a lot of the kids that went camping with Springboard have never been outside of the area they grew up in London, let alone leaving London. All of the students at Milton Abbey live at the school in dorm-like halls, and most come from very wealthy backgrounds. After the camping weekend, I thought about the fact that the teenage leaders who have access to anything in the world led children who come from practically nothing. The interaction between the two groups was incredible to observe. A few of the kids from the Springboard group had never seen the sea, live animals, or the countryside, yet for the teenagers at Milton Abbey these, and so many more experiences, are part of their every day lives. None of these external experiences hindered the relationships they built. Yes, these two groups were polar opposites (based on their background), but you wouldn’t have been able to tell that throughout the weekend: they both missed their parents, they both loved hot chocolate before bedtime, and they both wanted to stay up later enjoying the fresh country air. There were so many more similarities, as these were just a few, but these observations have reminded me that all humans have basic needs no matter what we’ve been through or where we come from. Sure, there was a bit more rain than I was expecting but to see the children from Springboard forget their past for just a few days and enjoy missing their parents, the wonderful hot chocolate before bed, and drinking in the fresh air was priceless ☺
Picture of the week:
Below is a picture of all the Springboard full time volunteers at the 'sea' (as the British call it) during the camping weekend. Tobi, Edwin, me, and Caroline are on the bottom row. Jeralee, Klara, and Erin are on the top row. Tobi, Caroline, and Jeralee have been my housemates for the past school year, and Edwin, Klara and Erin live together in another Springboard house 5 blocks away. It's been great getting to know them this past year, and I know they will be missed next school year.
THANK YA JESUS!
Thank you JESUS that camping with the Springboard children was a blast! All the kids had a wonderful and memorable time and the adults had enough energy to endure the constant energy that follows any child.
Send ‘em up to the Big Man:
Realizing I've been away for a whole week from teaching, there have been class trips and more days off that have yet interrupted my teaching of children. Please pray that the kids come back to Springboard this week with a fresh mind ready to absorb all the targets I have yet to introduce to each child.
I know some of you have been asking how you can help support me during my third year at Springboard, so here's your chance :) I'm running another 10K this July and have a hefty goal: run it under 50 minutes. I'm praying I'll be able to achieve this, but nonetheless I'm running on behalf of Springboard for Children. All the funds will get me back to the UK in September and to the US next August (this means all the money raised goes towards my flights). I've set up a JustGiving website, which is UK based and really easy to use: http://www.justgiving.com/
Thanks so much for all your support and prayers. Look forward to hearing from you :)
Dana
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