Today was the first day of classes at Holland Christian Schools. Students were excitedly buzzing around the halls of our campuses, eager to reconnect with their friends, meet their new teachers, and get started on this next installment of their learning adventure.
In the high school this morning, we were greeted by the sound of a french horn playing a pep band solo, loud chants of the number "7," and various packs of students roaming the halls in sailor hats, Hawaiian leis, and stick-on mustaches. All that could only add up to one thing: Freshman Orientation Day. Over 100 of our seniors took time out of the last two days of their summer vacations to get trained as orientation leaders and then spend this morning welcoming the class of 2019 to campus. A scavenger hunt helped teams of students get to know the campus in a fun way before their first real day of classes. All in all, it's just a great way to kick off the year and build community.
At our elementary and middle school campuses, administrators and teachers welcomed mobs of students into the halls and thanked the Lord for a week of mild weather forecasted to make for a smooth transition back to class.
But this afternoon . . .
There was a little mix-up for our afternoon bus routes that ended up with one of our principals, my assistant, and me getting in our cars and bringing kids home.
"That's in your contract. Didn't you read the fine print?" joked my assistant.
It was certainly an unexpected turn of events, but I'll tell you what: I got to pack 6 wonderful elementary students into my Tahoe and ask them about how their day had gone.
"It was great! My new teacher is awesome!"
"We had chapel today where we learned about Life Together, our theme for the year . . . and then we got to sing some songs too!"
"Our teacher read to us. She's really good at that."
"I saw all my old friends, and I even made a new one!"
We pretended that my driving them was a cool adventure, and despite my iPhone spitting out turn by turn directions, I let them tell me how to get to their homes. When we arrived at our first stop, the two moms waiting there couldn't have been nicer and more understanding. All in all, it became an afternoon of unexpected pleasures.
Isn't it great when that happens? Isn't it nice to know that even when we've planned and scheduled our lives to the Nth degree, God has the ability to throw a wrench into things to remind us that we aren't in control . . . and then turn an inconvenience or a tough situation into a blessing to remind us that He is in control.
Today I watched students and teachers full of joy. I held a couple of meetings and prepared some materials for our school board. I started to answer emails and was then interrupted by the unexpected blessing of a ride home with some wonderful kids.
Education doesn't pay a lot, but it's the greatest job in the world.
Or didn't you read the fine print?
