if you're a parent of an elementary grade student, you probably attended an award ceremony at the end of the year. they seem like they are a dime a dozen. so i'm sure it sounds trite that the award ceremony for isaiah was one of the best days of my life.
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each student did get an award, but at DSCS each teacher could make up whatever award they wanted to give to the student, depending on the strengths they had observed over the year. some were 'sweet spirit', or 'king of phonograms'. i loved listening to each award given - it gave me a glimpse into each child and who they are. isaiah got the 'leadership award', even though after the ceremony, over lunch, i had to explain to him what leadership is.
i cried when i saw the award printed in the program. see, i spent a lot of time praying for isaiah this year - that he would remember who he was. that he would be true to who i know him to be, and that even when he wasn't in our presence, he would remember what it is to be a Godshall and not be swayed. this award seemed like a confirmation of sorts to these prayers. a testimony to who isaiah is and God's faithfulness to him.
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written in the front of the program was a note from the headmaster. part of the note read:
'...Robert Littlejohn said, 'If learning is hard, exceptional learning should be exceptionally hard.' The academic rigor of DSCS has pushed the students father than they would ever attempt to venture by themselves. Those who have faced the challenge have further developed the ability to harness new information through diligent and careful study. These honored students had to embrace true learning in order to meet the high expectations placed on them."
i believe isaiah has done just this - even in kindergarten. i have seen where he started, i was a part of pushing him, and i have seen where he ended up. it has been an exceptional year of learning for him, one that has laid a tremendous foundation - one that can never be taken away. now, more than ever, i am thankful for this school.
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a lot of mothering is a daily grind. i've said it here before that it is extremely hard to see the difference you are making. the reality is that most of the time you have to believe it even though you can't see it. because i was a part of isaiah's education this year, i got to see a very definite starting point and a very definite ending. i saw where we started and where we ended up. and i can picture and feel the daily routines that filled the middle. they weren't glamorous. they weren't momentous. we inched our way. we made small steps over a long period of time.
in those moments when i am overcome with guilt or despair that nothing i'm doing is making a difference...when i'm convinced that i am indeed fighting the same battles i always have with them - i can look to this. i have this homeschooling year as a visual aid to help me see. see where the daily, small steps can - over time - make a huge difference. and it was at the award ceremony that i fully realized what a gift this year has been to me. to get to teach isaiah. to get to be intensely involved in his exceptional learning. to build our relationship in a way that we hadn't before.
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and so my heart was full...full to overflowing. at the gift of my son. at God's faithfulness to him -- and to me.
