A Privileged Life...

I live a privileged life.

I have spent the majority of my life, in some sort of capacity, with children. Gratefully.

For me, yesterday was just another Saturday in just another gymnasium, spent enjoying young basketball players immersed in a passion for sport. As it has been over the years, I observed parents enjoying that their children have this opportunity for camaraderie mixed with competition. Some parents see their children as little selves and want desperately for those little beings to be the best and to entertain them, while others just let everything go and let their children experience. I am not saying that one way is right or wrong, but that it just is.

And then, like it is every so often, I get to notice grace. I was privileged to be on the outskirts of a dialogue between a father coach and a child player, whereby the father made certain that the child was playing her game for herself, and that it was just that. Her game, not his, and that she could take this game with her team anyway that she chose. He wanted to be sure in a very quick few seconds that she was not playing to please him. A lovely moment in time.

I live a privileged life.

~ Ellyn

The Little School That Does!

Even though my teens are in high school and no longer attend our local community school, my heart is there.

I grew up in a city, graduated with 398 others and never dreamed that I would send my children to a small rural school. Following University and a few years of teaching in large school systems, I accepted a teaching position in a little country school and ended up falling in love with rural education. I saw how efficient, successful and honouring it is for a school to operate like a family. This past weekend demonstrated this to the rest of the province as well. A week ago, our local girls’ basketball team won the championship for their area and this past weekend headed off to CWAJHAA, Provincials, where they worked hard to bring home the silver. They had seven girls on their bench compared to teams who had two or three lines. Other teams, who had heard that our little school had forty students, assumed that we had forty students in Junior High, only to find out that forty students was the entire school student body from grades 1-9.

I want these kids to be proud of this achievement because it is indeed an accomplishment worthy of just that. Bravo Girls, Bravo!

~ Ellyn

A Sparky Teammate!

The Little School That Does!