This concept appears to be the theme of our first days back at school. Finally, my long leave has concluded and yesterday (on Saturday) and today (Sunday) we've returned to teaching. It is one of those unusual things for foreigners...7 day holiday (no school)...BUT, NOT SO FAST, you have to "make up" two of those days by working a weekend (thus making a 7 day work week.)
Sometimes we wonder "why" we are Here. What "good" could we possibly be contributing to? We are just a large family, taking up space, in the Middle Kingdom. We're growing larger (not just the hips are being referred to here), but we are growing in all ways (number of children, size of children, space we fill up.) Not long after we came Here we began to see, and frankly, to hope, that our enormous presence and the make up of our brood might contribute to some softening of hearts...specifically towards those born with special needs Here.
Our Father is SO MERCIFUL and gracious to us.
The evidence of that mercy and grace was so evident, just yesterday.
Our dear principal, with whom we have worked for all the time we've been Here, came to my desk to tell me that there was a new student in the first grade. She asked us to give him a placement test for his English and that he was "trying out the school for 2 weeks." Of course, I said we'd take care of it later in the day.
After first period, one of our new teachers, Mrs. V, came excitedly to my desk to tell me that the new student, was a local boy, born without his left hand. She was excited because I had recently shared with our new teammates (Mr & Mrs. S and Mr & Mrs V) that we've been delighted (and so encouraged) that this year the school has admitted two other new students who were born with special needs. A fourth-grader who is hearing impaired and a first grader who has autism. I cannot emphasize enough that this is such a break from the norm Here. Quite literally, if you have a child born with special needs, it would be COMMON that the child be kept at home, instead of attending school. I am unsure if the public school "must" accept those students, but I know for certain that private schools CAN and DO routinely refuse to admit students with any special needs. As advocates for kids born with special needs, we were thrilled to see our school taking a counter-culture position by already admitting two students with special needs.
Later I heard more of the story from our Principal. She told me that the new boy's (who has a single hand) family was heartbroken when they came to us because other schools had denied him admission due to his special need. Please understand, this is a bright, fully functional kid who just happens to have only a single hand. They asked our school to accept him.
Our Principal consulted with some of the higher-ups in our school's organization and the higher-ups likewise refused the boy's admission. However, our Principal took a contrary stand. She insisted that in keeping with the core values of our school (and the character education plan that is headed up by our own dear Daddy and my husband) that we want to be a place of "community" and welcome. That the world is made up of people who are DIFFERENT and that this is GOOD. (Yes, I am shouting those words!) She said that our school has a 'warm heart' and that we would do what we could to accept the boy.
In truth, I have not really processed the magnitude of this decision on her part. She has likely laid her position on the line, but she was so excited to tell me about it yesterday. As we have known her the entire time of our living Here, I can tell you with assurance that this represents a major change in her thinking! She too would have, for most of the past 3 + years, agreed with the higher-ups about becoming known as a school that has 'those kind' of students. (THOSE KIND OF AWESOME, DELIGHTFUL, CREATED FOR A PURPOSE, SUPER-POWERED STUDENTS!) In fact, during our last adoptions, this dear Principal friend of ours did what she could to dissuade us from adopting any more 'special needs'. Looking at photos of children born with special needs that we sometimes are in contact with would cause her to look away with discomfort.
Yet somehow, living Here together, seeing our family with kids of various special needs, a barrier has been broken down in her thinking and she SEES that the beauty of our world can be appreciated in differences!
Please know, I fully understand that it is a combination of factors that has led her to this place far beyond us or our presence! But I am thankful that perhaps we've been able to be a part of this heart change in her. How wonderful it is to see up close that her heart is softening...and as she told us last year that though she doesn't fully understand about 'our Jesus', she does understand the love that she sees.
As for me...this was like water for my thirsty soul.
