School starts one week from today and this is what our campus looks like. I am exhausted and exhilarated by it all. For the past five years, we have planned and talked about and raised money for the school. It has pushed me into areas of great discomfort and frustration. But I have also been brought to tears by the generosity and kindness of people. One day last week, a young woman came into the school and said, "I just needed to be sure this building was still here. I loved being her every day." She was in my class when she was 3, 4, and 5, and now is in her twenties. It is humbling to know that sometimes our everyday actions have a greater impact than we can imagine.

So the dream buildings are rising from the dirt and now we have to fill them with children and adults in community with each other. Here is something I read today from one of my mentors:

"And so, Montessori teachers must teach children to read, write, and calculate - and they must do it well. But with these academics, spiritually aware teachers can encourage children to love, to forgive, to be responsible, to be tolerant, to feel compassion for the less fortunate, and to work for the common good. Spiritual nurturing, by spiritually aware adults, can give children the spiritual strengths they will need to work for Montessori's goal of creating a better and more peaceful world."

and this:

"In a democracy, election of the most able leaders depends on the voters' ability to analyze the claims and arguments of those seeking office. Such analysis can only occur when the electorate can listen discriminately, think clearly, and express themselves accurately."

Time to get to work.