There's a First For Everything: Homemade Mac n Cheese and Ubuntu Planning, 2016. Friends, Food, and Hope

Last night, I had a reunion dinner with William King and Jessica Baldizon, teachers from the 2015 Ubuntu Academy who are working on a Masters thesis on Ubuntu this spring and prepping for summer work in 2016. William said, "Jessica only eats chicken and things with cheese," so I looked up a recipe for Mac n Cheese, experimented, and pulled it off. He and I, of course, got the Crandall special with shrimp.

I feel fortunate to have good relations with the two ESL teachers who work with Ubuntu kids all yearlong, in summer and during the school year. They recognize the obstacles of the youth, especially with the extra obstacles facing the young people at their schools. Keeping the spirits up can be the greatest challenge they face as they work strategically, emotionally, and professionally to provide for the students who need and deserve the most attention.

A Thursday night dinner meant I didn't get to my other goals, but that is okay, because all work and no play makes Bryan a dull boy (and we worked, it was just over dinner).

It's Friday...one more day of portfolio scoring and then it's back to a reading/writing marathon for the weekend. But there's food in the fridge and can't be sad about that. It was so wonderful being with their smiles once again.