Neon Dry Erase and Sharpie Manna

You know what manna is, right?  In the book of Exodus, the Children of Israel fled persecution and slavery in Egypt, led by God’s hand.  They cut a path through the desert on their way to Canaan, the “land flowing with milk and honey” (sounds like the first grade lunch table on most days).  Naturally, any length of time touring the desert is going to involve some hardship, especially when you run low on provisions, so God sent manna to feed His Chosen People until they were able to conquer Canaan and grow their own food.  According to scripture, manna appeared out of nowhere six days a week, tasted sweet like honey, and was a nutritionally complete food source for the hungry Israelites. 

Well, FedEx delivered some manna for a certain prairie first grade class today.  An acquaintance from my younger days found me on Facebook and has been following my blog.  She sent a message a few days ago letting me know that she works for a company that produces a variety of office products, and would it be OK if she sent a care package to my first graders?  Would it be OK?!? Do pregnant woman cry at commercials??  Yeah, it would be GREAT!  True to her promise, there was a box waiting for me in the workroom first thing this morning.  Smiling, I eagerly carried my treasure chest down to my room and popped that bad boy open.   I felt like the Count of Monte Cristo when he dove into the cavern lake and found unspeakable riches, just as the priest had described to him in prison. 

Before my eyes were every color imaginable of markers, highlighter, pens, Dry Erase products and various and assorted other very usable and appreciated products.   Rapture!  OK, you are probably thinking, “get a grip, lady!  It’s just ordinary office supply stuff.  Don’t you have STORES in North Dakota?  (Yes…, but not that many….)  the POINT is, while the school does a great job of supplying necessities for every teacher and classroom, the fact remains in our, (and every other school in the nation), there is only so much money.  We do not have wealthy benefactors or a steady revenue source, other than the taxes dollars of you and me.  And because we derive our income from the good people of this state and nation, we must and should be careful with how that money is spent.  So if I walk into the supply room, I may certainly take a blue, red, green, or black dry erase marker for my classroom, but if I want hot pink, for instance, Tough Twinkies!

And really, its not so much about the items in that package, although I am genuinely pleased and grateful for them.  No, its much more than that.  It touched me in a deep place to know that somebody else cares about my Little People.  I love these kids, you know?  They have wound their way into the depths of my heart and I hope that gets conveyed through my writings.  I’m thinking maybe my friend Sue, has sorta’ fallen under their spell too. 

When seven adorable first graders arrived this a.m. and I showed them the box and explained how it came to us, they wanted to know if they could look at everything.  Well, of course!  It was meant for them, after all.  I set the open box on the floor and watched in amusement as they pulled items out one by one, shouting, “Mrs. Dahl, look at THIS!”  I really never expected them to be so captivated by non-toys or candy, but they were.  It was priceless.

And so, I am glad that I introduced my first graders to you, The World.  This web site keeps stats for me, my son Trevor, showed me one night.  I can tell you how many of you have visited this site (3,832 as of tonight), how many countries have been represented (11 outside the US, including Malaysia, Russia, and Iran. IRAN??)  It just blows me away, this doorway to the world. 

So when a nondescript, middle-aged woman starts an online journal describing her first year of teaching in a rural, wind-swept town, and people world wide are interested enough to stop in for a visit once in awhile, I have to believe it is because seven precocious, adorable, lovable, unforgettable first graders have captured the heart of someone besides me.

Thanks, Susan.  We love you too.

Treasure!!