End of Week 1

This has been a really neat, but busy week. We kicked off PDAS, with an average of 25 kids each day stopping in for most of each afternoon. It looks like the kids are having fun and getting homework done, but it's clear that we will need more qualified staff. On a typical day, a small handful of kids arrive at 3:00 and play video games. Then, the Quincy Upper School contingent arrives at 3:35. Not long after, bigger waves of kids arrive; but by that time, I'm out of the Family Room and in the Studio doing some tutoring or homework supervising. By 4:30, when we have our Meeting TIme, we're usually up to near-capacity, which is great because they'll get to be there for announcements and the devotions. After Meeting time and snack, the rest of the afternoon is taken up by more homework, card games, and maybe basketball if the parking lot is free.

I'm getting to know some of the newer kids, particularly 6th graders who are full of energy-- in the best and worst ways. It's hard for me to remember when I was that age, and it's sometimes hard to keep up with their hyperactive pace and attention span, but I hope we get to keep them and watch them grow for a few years. Lord willing, we'll still have a program when they are high-schoolers. On Sunday, I'll be taking a group to the New England Aquarium-- if anybody shows up with a permission slip. You just don't know; and that's one of the realities of a "drop-in/ stop-in" model.

Other than ministry, classes have started. It's tough to find time to do homework with all the administrative work related to running these programs. Still, I'm glad to be back in Boston again for the whole year and hopefully I'll get better at managing this schedule.