Courage

What is your definition of courage? Mine is doing something that needs to be done in the face of adversity with or without the guarantee that the end result will be positive. Courage breeds heroes. And who are your heroes? Is it the football player that wins the Heisman Trophy as a freshman? Is it the movie star who makes millions of dollars for every picture he/she makes? Is it the politician that takes our nation by storm? We all have our heroes and they inspire us to never give up.

My dad is one of my heroes. He was critically injured in a car crash just before I turned 3 years old. He was left a paraplegic. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he pulled himself up and made a life for himself, my mom and me. My mom is one of my heroes. She stood by my dad and did what needed to be done for him until his death just over 2 years ago.

My biological sister, Denise, is one of my heroes. We didn't grow up together but when I found Denise she was completing 27 years of service in the USAF. That alone qualifies her as a hero in my book but there is more............ Denise was a medivac air crew member for the first 8 years of her service to our country. During that time, she flew around the world providing medical assistance to our service men and women and their families. During the evacuation of Saigon she flew on planes that airlifted people out of that soon to fall city. She tells a story of running down the tarmac to complete the pre-flight preparations while artillery shells from the NVA were falling on the other end of the runway. She was frightened out of her mind but did her job anyway. That's heroism.

My friend, Kathy is a hero. She raised a son with a heart defect to believe he could do anything he chose. And he did. He became a husband, a father, and a teacher. He lost his fight over the weekend but in doing so, he inspired many people and made them realize that life is worth fighting for. He's a hero, too.

My greatest hero is Jesus Christ. He chose to give his life on a cruel cross for not only his followers of the time but for those of us yet to come.

Choose your heroes. Be a hero. Inspire your children to become heroes, too.

Gun Safety

Part of my job involves teaching my students about safety--all aspects of it! We discuss pedestrian safety, playground safety, electrical safety, etc. as well as personal safety. Those of us who live in Texas generally take our Second Amendment rights quite seriously. Many of us possess guns in our homes. It's vital that any safety education include gun safety. My thanks to FBS parents Shane and Brittney for taking time from their busy schedule to come and educate my students on gun safety. BTW, the first and most important rule my students learned today was "GUNS ARE NOT TOYS." My students learned something important today and it is my hope that they will share with their families so that we can all be safe.

The Gifts of Life and Time

I've thought a lot about gifts this week. Monday was the fourth anniversary of the death of a little Canadian boy named Andre. Andre was born in the spring of 2006 with Severe Combined Immune Deficiency and in December 2006 he received a bone marrow transplant from me. I was the only possible match for him out of approximately 6 million tissue samples and I was a good enough match that my marrow was harvested and sent to Canada for him. It was such an honor to do that even though I didn't know him or his family and to this day have not met any of them. Sad to say, I didn't save his life but I gave him the gift of time. My head gets that concept but my heart hurts for his sweet mom and dad and brother and sister who loved him and miss him very much.

The son of a high school friend is currently fighting for his life in a hospital in Austin. He was born with a heart defect that ultimately caused his heart to fail. In June 2012, he received a heart transplant from a grieving family who had the forethought to donate the organs of their son to give others the gift of time. My friend's son, whose name is Mike, has fought hard to live for the past 15 months. He's currently suffering a major rejection episode and only the good Lord above knows if he will survive this or go to Heaven. His family (parents, brothers, wife, and daughters) certainly hope he has more time with them and so do I.

If you are not on the bone marrow donor list, I encourage you to go to the website of Be the Match and find out if you qualify and if so, get on that registry. If you are not a blood donor, I encourage you to become one. Please make sure that your family knows if you would like to be an organ donor in the event of the unforeseeable. These are all things that offer others the gift of time--a most unselfish gift.

The Gift of Life is another matter. That comes from God above through his son Jesus Christ--the greatest gift ever. I'm so glad that I have received that gift.

Just Kids!

It has been my privilege for the past several years to teach History to our junior high students in addition to teaching first graders full time. It can be a challenge-- in terms of time, preparation, and in the difference between children of  6 and 7 and those who are entering their teens. It's always rewarding and never, ever dull!

We had a special program on Wednesday by a young woman who represented the NED program--Never Give Up, Encourage Others, and Do Your Best. A part of her program involved yo-yo skills. Now, I grew up in the day when yo-yos were made of wood and provided endless hours of entertainment for those who were interested. I really didn't know how our junior high students would react to this program and the very low tech toy used in the presentation. Imagine my surprise when they 1)loved it and 2) wanted a yo-yo for themselves!!

So............today, having completed their classwork and because it was Friday, I took the 7th graders and their yo-yos to the playground and they entertained me with their newly learned skills. Who knew that a simple yo-yo could be such fun in this day of hand held video gadgets and pocket cell phones! Who knew that they would be laughing and giggling and just having fun!!

It was a joy to see them being -----   JUST KIDS!!

First Field Trip

First grade went to Blue Baker in College Station. Thanks to Zach and crew for a great time. Thanks to moms and grandmothers who accompanied us.

Pictures, pictures, and a few more pictures

Musings from Mrs. Jones

I haven't blogged since last December. And I can't say why. Perhaps it's because I got busy during the spring semester with work and family and such. It's not because I don't like to write. I DO like to write. I like to write a lot. I'm going to do my best to keep up with this blog this year.

The 2013-14 school year has started out great! I have an awesome group of first graders and I'm privileged to teach World History to some amazing junior high students. I'm blessed to work with a caring staff who are devoted to giving our students the best educational experience possible.

Today is one of those dates that will be forever etched in our minds. None of our students are old enough to remember the events of September 11, 2001 but for the rest of us it's a day we'll never forget. A lot has happened in our world since then--some good, some bad. As a nation, we are divided in many ways but we are still citizens of the United States of America and as such, should work hard to keep our nation strong. We should pray daily for our leaders and vote our conscience when election time rolls around again.

Today is also the birthday of my youngest brother. I might forget the birthdays of others but never Tim's! Some of you know (others don't) that I was adopted as an infant and in 1999 I found my birth family. Tim is one of eight siblings from my birth mother. He has been a blessing in my life. He has helped put the missing pieces of the puzzle of my life in place.

Watch this blog. I will post pictures of class activities and field trips, possibly some videos of my students doing special things and also just my thoughts on various subjects.