16 June 2010

Just meant to be

So much is going on with Atala on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. Yesterday we were given the word that the city is giving us permission to put the school in. Sounds trivial, I know. But at noon yesterday I received a call that we'd have to have a special zoning meeting with a committee that only meets once a month. Then it would have to go through three other committees before they would award us permission. That could tie us up for 6-8 weeks in meetings. Uh...that's not going to work. With lots of sleuthing, we were able to prove to the city that the spaces are already zoned educational (which a quick search in MiamiDade.gov would show you) and were part of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Surely if the public school system had a school space there, then we could, too, right? Right! So by 4pm, all was well and we are now moving ahead to the Fire Department. We've already had an unofficial walk through, so we know what we need to do and will be able to fix things up before the real inspection. So again, we're moving ahead at an incredibly fast pace.

We've had 30 high school students with us every day this week. They come from Christ Fellowship Church and are all attending a Mission Camp. They come from as far away as West Palm Beach clear down to Homestead. They are awesome kids, and we are incredibly grateful for all they have done.

Two of our husbands pulled out the entire bouganvilla hedge (for lack of a better word) yesterday. Both are cut up like crazy, but it's gone. Can't have thorny bushes on a playground...Now through the help of an awesome parent, we'll start to plan how to set up the space. We have offers of free fill, free planting material, free plants, and free labor from various friends and family. Can't beat that!

The IT guys arrive today! Woo hoo! It's been tough on me not having Internet at work.

We're also getting a number of inquiries from all over. Parents are stopping by and making appointments on a daily basis. So enrollment is definitely picking up.

Do I miss FIU? Not really. I do, however, miss a handful of people who are very hard workers and extremely supportive of each other. I receive cheers mostly over Facebook and can't wait to actually drive up with some ice coffee when they start their 10-hour work days next week. Yes, I said 10-hour work days. FIU has a policy to save money in the summer by requiring people to work 10-hour days four days a week, and then lowering the thermostats Friday through Sunday. It's awful, but no one stands up and says so. The administrators don't care because they are earning six-figure incomes anyway, they are workaholics, and they either don't have kids or they are all grown. For a family with young children, it's an awful schedule. You leave in the morning before the kids are awake and get home just in time to put them to bed. Sure, you have three days off on the weekends, but you're so tired you can't enjoy the family.

Not that men can't be the primary caretaker (Colby certainly was the last three years), but it's just one more way in which FIU keeps women from really moving up that ladder. Although there are certainly a notable exception here and there, it's very much a men's network, run by men who have no concept of what it means to really raise to a family.

In my new position with Atala, my kids are with me every day, all day. If you bring your kids to FIU, you get "the look" of righteous indignation and the behind-the-door conversations about why are they here. My kids and husband are now working side by side with me, sometimes painting, sometimes working on homework, and sometimes playing hide and seek in the classrooms. I couldn't ask for a better summer! They are building the school as much as everyone. When they invite kids over to play, chances are, they mean at the school. It's become a second home to all of us, and we love it that way.

This is getting too long. I'll save the updates and additional thoughts for another post tomorrow...

Spread your wings!

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