Ifs and Gifts

If ifs were gifts, every day would be Christmas. 


Well said, Mr. Barkley, well said. And I do mean Charles Barkley, in case you were wondering.

I might tell the kids that tomorrow. Partially because watching the reaction would be amusing; partially because I've run out of ideas as to what to say when hands are raised in question, and most of those questions start with "What if _____?" I'm done early. My pencil breaks. We don't have enough time. I don't get it. He's done early. I don't have the color crayon I want. I can't think of anything to write. I'm not ready to stop. We get more than 5 stars. We don't get more than 5 stars. We're tied with you. We don't get any stars. We stay in our new room the whole year. These are the burning questions 7 year-olds have, you know. Really, though, I love their questions. And I don't want them to stop asking. I just wish I had better answers. Fortunately I'm pretty honest with them about the fact that I don't know everything, and - surprise! - my job is to help them learn, not to tell them exactly what to do every moment of every lesson of every day; so they're not at all surprised when I answer, "Well, we'll just have to see what happens, won't we?"


Gratitude is the feeling that prevails when answering those questions: at least they care enough about being in our classroom - and, by association, learning - to have so many questions about our day and the many possible outcomes of any learning situation. Speaking of gratitude...


Blessing #96: Wellness Incentives
I am so blessed... Our district insurance carrier came up with this "Wellness" activity to engage the staff. For the duration of the three weeks, you choose from a list of New Year's Resolution-style changes you can make to improve your overall wellness, such as: pamper yourself, drink water, exercise daily, drive the speed limit, get enough sleep, etc. You track each goal on a sheet that looks incredibly similar to a report card. I wonder if they did this on purpose...? At the end of the three weeks, you turn the sheet in and voila! you receive an insulated lunch tote. It's a win-win situation: I pamper myself (my life is infinitely better when I eat more Peanut M&Ms.), thus gifting the district with a satisfied employee, and in return I get a fancy lunch bag to use instead of Safeway bags. Score!

♥