A First Grade Miracle!

Mr. Davis and Fred at kindergarten graduation, May 2011

I love our elementary school! I mean really I love almost everything about it! Mostly I love the staff and how they care very deeply about my children.

When I was going to move five years ago, I only wanted my daughter (I am going to be calling her Hannah in my blogs) to start kindergarten once. I was not exactly sure where we were going to find a house and in which school area we would be, so I went to several schools to open enroll her. When I walked into Peiffer elementary, I knew immediately this is where we needed to be. They were so welcoming and helpful, and there was an availability in the kindergarten class. I just had that gut feeling that this was going to be a home base for us. It happened that we ended up buying our house in the Peiffer area. It all worked like it was supposed to!

Every year, Hannah has had fabulous teachers and then my son (whom I am going to call Fred in my blogs) started kindergarten last year and had an amazing kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Gray, just like Hannah's teachers all had been. At the end of the year, I requested to Mrs. Gray that Fred be put in the same first grade teacher's class as Hannah had been. Mrs. Gray regrettably informed me that Mrs. Marden, our beloved first grade teacher for Hannah, would be teaching second grade in the fall. I was dumbfounded to say the least! What? No, Mrs. Marden for first grade for Fred?? How could this be? The thought had not occured to me before then.

I am sorry to say that I was not feeling thrilled about the remaining two first grade teachers. They seemed fine enough, but not superb. I have been fretting a little all summer long.

So yesterday afternoon, we were driving over to the school for the annual open house and ice cream social where the kids meet their teachers and bring in their supplies. Hannah was musing over which of the fifth grade teachers she wanted, both great choices, and whether she would be in the same class as some of her friends. I said I wasn't really all that worried about fifth grade, but first grade was another story. To put a good spin on it for the kids' sake, I said, "But we know Mrs. Gray knows Fred very well and will place him in the class that will be best for him. We are just going to trust in Mrs. Gray."

We walked up to the school and looked on the front doors where they post the class lists. I looked at first grade while Hannah looked at fifth grade. As my eyes fell upon the lists for first grade, I saw three, not two, first grade lists. The name on the third first grade list was none other than MR. DAVIS!!! I even exclaimed it out loud and looked down to see Fred's name there on that very list! I burst into tears and Hannah, having heard me exclaim the name, gasped out my very thoughts, "Oh thank you dear God!"

Mr. Davis is the law around our house as far as Fred is concerned! Fred was able to have Mr. Davis as an intervention teacher last year for extra reading help. If Mr. Davis said the vowels are a, e, i, o, and u, Fred would come home and exclaim such news to me as if it were written on a stone tablet, even though I may have already told Fred upteen times the same information! I would just simply respnd with interest and satisfaction, "Really, I had no idea that those were the vowels," all the while smiling to myself and offering up prayers of thanks for Mr. Davis.

Fred will spend the afternoons in one of the other first grade teacher's classrooms, since Mr. Davis will only be a half time teacher, but still this is the most perfect scenario. One that I would never have even imagined!

It just reminds me that God is watching out for our every need. I especially needed it yesterday when I had already had a meeting earlier in the afternoon that was extemely disappointing and offered me no solace. This was just another one of God's gentle nudges that He is still there and still taking care of me, Hannah, and Fred! And I offer up prayers of thanksgiving and blessing to God for Mr. Davis, our first grade miracle!