Uh oh... it's been over a week since I last posted a blessing! I promise, I've had many... but from last Wednesday to Sunday night, I was out of town without my computer. Update FAIL! Tomorrow I will make up for that... for now, I have a simple blessing:
Blessing #27: Half Days
I am so blessed... I get to spend my days with 27 precious children. Truly God's gift to me: an opportunity to do something I love every day with students I adore! However... this week, I am exhausted. I almost fell asleep while DIBEL testing a student this afternoon. Tomorrow is a half day. Even though we have professional development in the afternoon, we get out of school 3 hours early and have a 2 hour break before training starts. I see this as a blessing because I will probably take a nap during this time.
More to come tomorrow.
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Tuesday, October 20
Monday, October 12
Back to School...
Today was the first day back at school in a week... Boy, did I miss those kids! They have stolen my heart. I miss my students from last year dearly, but these new kiddos... we have something special, too. Many of them were eager to be in my class, and they tell me so quite often. I suspect this has something to do with the rap my class and I did last year at the talent show. Pressure's on. Now I have to think of a way for us to at least be as cool and exciting as my class was last time, if not more so. This year is going to be ch-ch-ch-fantastic in it's own way!
Everything about teaching feels so different this time around; which probably has a lot to do with my management and organization. If each year gets better and better, I imagine I'll never want to quit teaching! Spending time in my classroom was something I found enjoyable last year, but this year I find myself never wanting to leave. It's such a comfy place where I feel at home. Hopefully my students do, too. Their desks, books and groups are much more organized than they were last year, and my desk is never the disaster it frequently was one year ago.
One of my favorite activities we did at the beginning of the year was our Malleable Intelligence activity. In order to invest my students in our Big Goals for 2nd grade (a "Meets" -- 80% -- on Reading and Math Benchmarks, as well as mastery of Math Fluency Facts and achievement of their personal growth goals in Reading Fluency), I spent one afternoon's lesson talking to them about how our intelligence is malleable. I asked them what they thought intelligence meant; many of them knew it had something to do with how "smart" you are. I corrected them by saying that when we talk about intelligence, we are talking about all the things we know. Then I told them to think about clay or playdoh; clay and playdoh are malleable. What do we think that malleable means? This got the students to say what I wanted to hear: it means you can change it, you can squish it in your hands, you can make it into different things, etc.
At this moment, I shared with them that our intelligence, or all the things we know, can be changed just like clay; by working hard and wanting to learn, we can directly change how "smart" we are. One student raised his hand: "So, if we work hard in school, we can get smarter?" "That's exactly right!" I said. (This is where I took the teachable moment to get them excited about a quiet signal: I say Work Hard! Then the respond Get Smart! And we all yell Woo-woo! We also chant this before quizzes and tests.) Finally, we got to the really fun part: watching our brains grow! I gave each child a sponge capsule (the kind that expand from vitamin-sized pills to different shapes when soaked in water) and a glass of warm water. "The sponge is your brain," I told them, "and the warm water is school. What happens when we go to school and use our brain?" We dropped the sponge capsules in and over the next few minutes I heard many squeals of delight and gasps: "Whoa! My brain is growing!!" That's how I got 'em hooked on school: working hard and going to school makes your brain grow! Now when we talk about why we learn different things in school, the students tell me: "So that our brains can grow and we can reach our Big Goals for 2nd grade!" So precious...
Blessing #26: Text Messaging
I am so blessed... I love text messaging! I know lots of people complain about the impersonality of it all, but I really enjoy the art of text messaging. Makes you really think about the words you use; whatever you say has to be succinct enough to convey your intentions in 160 characters or less (otherwise, the recipient may not get the entire message if you have different service providers). In a world where people can oftentimes be verbose and ambiguous, it's nice to use a form of communication that to some extent doesn't allow for that. Of course, you miss the biggest part of communication and understanding: tone and body language. Still, I think text messages are pretty nifty and a decent way to communicate. (Plus, it opens the door to be in communication with more people than you would otherwise; you don't have to be best friends to text message someone. Another way to connect with more people, I say!)
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Everything about teaching feels so different this time around; which probably has a lot to do with my management and organization. If each year gets better and better, I imagine I'll never want to quit teaching! Spending time in my classroom was something I found enjoyable last year, but this year I find myself never wanting to leave. It's such a comfy place where I feel at home. Hopefully my students do, too. Their desks, books and groups are much more organized than they were last year, and my desk is never the disaster it frequently was one year ago.
One of my favorite activities we did at the beginning of the year was our Malleable Intelligence activity. In order to invest my students in our Big Goals for 2nd grade (a "Meets" -- 80% -- on Reading and Math Benchmarks, as well as mastery of Math Fluency Facts and achievement of their personal growth goals in Reading Fluency), I spent one afternoon's lesson talking to them about how our intelligence is malleable. I asked them what they thought intelligence meant; many of them knew it had something to do with how "smart" you are. I corrected them by saying that when we talk about intelligence, we are talking about all the things we know. Then I told them to think about clay or playdoh; clay and playdoh are malleable. What do we think that malleable means? This got the students to say what I wanted to hear: it means you can change it, you can squish it in your hands, you can make it into different things, etc.
At this moment, I shared with them that our intelligence, or all the things we know, can be changed just like clay; by working hard and wanting to learn, we can directly change how "smart" we are. One student raised his hand: "So, if we work hard in school, we can get smarter?" "That's exactly right!" I said. (This is where I took the teachable moment to get them excited about a quiet signal: I say Work Hard! Then the respond Get Smart! And we all yell Woo-woo! We also chant this before quizzes and tests.) Finally, we got to the really fun part: watching our brains grow! I gave each child a sponge capsule (the kind that expand from vitamin-sized pills to different shapes when soaked in water) and a glass of warm water. "The sponge is your brain," I told them, "and the warm water is school. What happens when we go to school and use our brain?" We dropped the sponge capsules in and over the next few minutes I heard many squeals of delight and gasps: "Whoa! My brain is growing!!" That's how I got 'em hooked on school: working hard and going to school makes your brain grow! Now when we talk about why we learn different things in school, the students tell me: "So that our brains can grow and we can reach our Big Goals for 2nd grade!" So precious...
Blessing #26: Text Messaging
I am so blessed... I love text messaging! I know lots of people complain about the impersonality of it all, but I really enjoy the art of text messaging. Makes you really think about the words you use; whatever you say has to be succinct enough to convey your intentions in 160 characters or less (otherwise, the recipient may not get the entire message if you have different service providers). In a world where people can oftentimes be verbose and ambiguous, it's nice to use a form of communication that to some extent doesn't allow for that. Of course, you miss the biggest part of communication and understanding: tone and body language. Still, I think text messages are pretty nifty and a decent way to communicate. (Plus, it opens the door to be in communication with more people than you would otherwise; you don't have to be best friends to text message someone. Another way to connect with more people, I say!)
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Sunday, October 11
Pie and Bizarre Sensations
A bizarre sensation pervades a relationship of pretense. No truth seems true. A simple morning's greeting and response appear loaded with innuendo and fraught with implications. Each nicety becomes more sterile and each withdrawal more permanent.
How intriguing... I find it to be true. The moment someone finds a new meaning in my life or heart, everyday nuances and interactions become things to analyze (and, in most cases, over-analyze). What if "Hello," is really just a greeting? Ah, life would be so much simpler. What I have to wonder is... does this phenomena occur only to girls? Most girls I know do that. Not being a male, I wouldn't know if guys do that, too... but I imagine some, if not most, might. Maybe it's more of a human-thing than a guy or girl thing. Either way... How complicated things get when we start trying to attach new meaning to them!
Blessing #25: Pie
I am so blessed... Mmmmm, pie! Pie is wonderful for many reasons. One can justify eating pie as "not too unhealthy," by choosing fruit pies. Although, I don't feel a need to make excuses for eating pie (or really anything I like that "isn't good for me") because, really, as far as I know, I'm only gonna live once and I am going to enjoy the pie while I'm here! Pie is also wonderful because unlike cake and other desserts, you can eat it for breakfast! It's not too rich or sweet. Mmmmmm, pie...
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
How intriguing... I find it to be true. The moment someone finds a new meaning in my life or heart, everyday nuances and interactions become things to analyze (and, in most cases, over-analyze). What if "Hello," is really just a greeting? Ah, life would be so much simpler. What I have to wonder is... does this phenomena occur only to girls? Most girls I know do that. Not being a male, I wouldn't know if guys do that, too... but I imagine some, if not most, might. Maybe it's more of a human-thing than a guy or girl thing. Either way... How complicated things get when we start trying to attach new meaning to them!
Blessing #25: Pie
I am so blessed... Mmmmm, pie! Pie is wonderful for many reasons. One can justify eating pie as "not too unhealthy," by choosing fruit pies. Although, I don't feel a need to make excuses for eating pie (or really anything I like that "isn't good for me") because, really, as far as I know, I'm only gonna live once and I am going to enjoy the pie while I'm here! Pie is also wonderful because unlike cake and other desserts, you can eat it for breakfast! It's not too rich or sweet. Mmmmmm, pie...
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Saturday, October 10
What If...
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!
Blessing #24: Fall Break
Don't forget to count your blessings.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!
What if we could do those things? Wow. What a world this would be...
Yesterday, the Nobel Peace Prize was given to President Obama. The expected uproar ensued. What bothers me is that it seems some people are directing their frustration at the President. I mean, it's not like he nominated himself... And we certainly can't expect him to give it back. I can only imagine the commotion that caused in the White House; if anyone understands how potentially damaging this could be, I would assume it's the President. Talk about a future PR nightmare! What if he doesn't accomplish "enough" to have earned this award? And what would be "enough?" As if he didn't have enough to live up to before... In my humble opinion, there are other issues we should be spending our time discussing, such as: the economy, education, health care, the war... Need I go on?
Blessing #24: Fall Break
I am so blessed... just when teachers (and students) are feeling that 2 month rut kick in, we are saved by Fall Break! It couldn't come at a better time in Arizona; the weather is just getting beautiful here! Though I did not end up spending most of my time here, instead I went to San Diego! Short recap: Wizard of Oz + Woodstocks + Glee + Coronado and the best ice cream sundae ever + Point Loma + Fro yo + Apples to Apples + Jim and Pam's wedding on The Office + Julian + Pie + Oktoberfest + 90's music + Bagels + Eddie Izzard + lots of fun pictures + friend time = perfect mini-vacation! I return to the desert feeling relaxed.
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Tuesday, October 6
Timing Isn't Everything
But sometimes,
We forget what we got,
Who we are.
Oh who are are not.
I think we gotta chance,
To make it right.
Keep it loose,
Keep it tight.
Sometimes we forget who we got,
Who they are.
Oh, who they are not.
There is so much more in love,
Than black and white.
Keep it loose child,
Gotta keep it tight.
I've been thinking a lot lately about timing. Sometimes I think we blame timing for situations that don't work out the way we want, when really, the situation was wrong from the start. By "we," of course, I mean me... I'm just hoping you'll agree. Regardless, I think it would behoove me to stop my lame attempts to fix every little thing. Some situations really are just broken and fixing it isn't an option. That gets me to wondering, though... How do I know when I can or cannot fix something? Not that I believe in truly lost causes, but I do think that at a certain point, I have to be willing to let go and accept my own inadequate power over any person or situation other than myself. Really, I can only take responsibility for me. Once I know I have done that, there is nothing left to do but wash my hands. I'll have to start listening for that still small voice that gently whispers: "Let it be.." I think we ignore that voice sometimes -- at least, I know I do -- in favor of noble attempts to right situations we deem wrong, even if deep down, we know there is nothing to be done. Where is the wisdom in that?
Which reminds me of something a friend said on his blog: Wisdom comes from understanding that the build-up of your knowledge might have a theme, a pattern, a main idea if you will. Yet we are to quick to amass our knowledge into a pre-packaged theme that you might find in a fortune cookie or a Hallmark card. We rarely let the theme show itself or work itself out, and rather we are quick to label and judge our experiences and then further categorize them. I find this strikingly humorous, sad, and endearing all in one. It represents a perennial flaw of mine and yours - impatience. In my own ridiculous impatience, I fail to listen to that still small voice, which would impart to me the knowledge I need to handle a situation if I would just listen. Instead of choosing to listen and be wise, I constantly find myself choosing my own knowledge (which I can readily admit is limited and very naive) and acting on it. Silly girl. Will I ever learn? I hope so... As I sit on the floor with my laptop and a glass of water, I raise my green plastic cup and propose a toast: Here's to wisdom and learning to wait patiently for that still small voice.
Blessing # 23: IMEEM
I am so blessed... The internet is rapidly providing more interesting, simple and instantly-gratifying ways to listen to music. Case in point: Imeem. On this website, you can browse many genres and artists and create a playlist (Quick Mix) of music you currently want to hear. You can save the playlist if you'd like, or just close out of it and make a new one next time you go on the site. A basic membership is free and you can even listen to entire CDs! Unlike Pandora, there are no commercials (though I doubt that will last long), and if you'd like to purchase the song(s) you're listening to, the site takes you to iTunes. How cool is that?! I find it to be the perfect combination of radio, Pandora and iTunes. Love that site...
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
We forget what we got,
Who we are.
Oh who are are not.
I think we gotta chance,
To make it right.
Keep it loose,
Keep it tight.
Sometimes we forget who we got,
Who they are.
Oh, who they are not.
There is so much more in love,
Than black and white.
Keep it loose child,
Gotta keep it tight.
I've been thinking a lot lately about timing. Sometimes I think we blame timing for situations that don't work out the way we want, when really, the situation was wrong from the start. By "we," of course, I mean me... I'm just hoping you'll agree. Regardless, I think it would behoove me to stop my lame attempts to fix every little thing. Some situations really are just broken and fixing it isn't an option. That gets me to wondering, though... How do I know when I can or cannot fix something? Not that I believe in truly lost causes, but I do think that at a certain point, I have to be willing to let go and accept my own inadequate power over any person or situation other than myself. Really, I can only take responsibility for me. Once I know I have done that, there is nothing left to do but wash my hands. I'll have to start listening for that still small voice that gently whispers: "Let it be.." I think we ignore that voice sometimes -- at least, I know I do -- in favor of noble attempts to right situations we deem wrong, even if deep down, we know there is nothing to be done. Where is the wisdom in that?
Which reminds me of something a friend said on his blog: Wisdom comes from understanding that the build-up of your knowledge might have a theme, a pattern, a main idea if you will. Yet we are to quick to amass our knowledge into a pre-packaged theme that you might find in a fortune cookie or a Hallmark card. We rarely let the theme show itself or work itself out, and rather we are quick to label and judge our experiences and then further categorize them. I find this strikingly humorous, sad, and endearing all in one. It represents a perennial flaw of mine and yours - impatience. In my own ridiculous impatience, I fail to listen to that still small voice, which would impart to me the knowledge I need to handle a situation if I would just listen. Instead of choosing to listen and be wise, I constantly find myself choosing my own knowledge (which I can readily admit is limited and very naive) and acting on it. Silly girl. Will I ever learn? I hope so... As I sit on the floor with my laptop and a glass of water, I raise my green plastic cup and propose a toast: Here's to wisdom and learning to wait patiently for that still small voice.
Blessing # 23: IMEEM
I am so blessed... The internet is rapidly providing more interesting, simple and instantly-gratifying ways to listen to music. Case in point: Imeem. On this website, you can browse many genres and artists and create a playlist (Quick Mix) of music you currently want to hear. You can save the playlist if you'd like, or just close out of it and make a new one next time you go on the site. A basic membership is free and you can even listen to entire CDs! Unlike Pandora, there are no commercials (though I doubt that will last long), and if you'd like to purchase the song(s) you're listening to, the site takes you to iTunes. How cool is that?! I find it to be the perfect combination of radio, Pandora and iTunes. Love that site...
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Monday, October 5
Deep Cleaning
Change your thoughts and you change your world.
The last couple of days have been spent deep cleaning different areas of my life: my apartment, my classroom and my mind. Cleaning the apartment was the most thoroughly exhausting and satisfying. My dad helped me fix our vacuum and after tearing the poor machine apart and ultimately deep cleaning it, I must have vacuumed our place at least 5 times yesterday. And twice today. And probably first thing tomorrow morning. Vacuuming = peace. Cleaning my classroom was not as challenging as it was last year during Fall Break; this year, "cleaning" basically meant organizing a pile of papers I had not yet filed away. Otherwise, my classroom has stayed very clean and organized so far, which has been wonderful. Deep cleaning my mind and my thoughts has been a lot more time consuming than I would have expected, but still absolutely necessary. It felt a bit like opening that closet where you've just be stuffing things and when the door is finally pulled open: CRASH! Everything just comes tumbling out. As overwhelming as that felt at first, ultimately, I got to reorganize all of my jumbled thoughts and feelings and put them away (or throw them out). That felt incredible.
Blessing #22: Cleaning
I am so blessed... the physical act of cleaning one's immediate environment is... well, cleansing. There's really nothing as exhausting or liberating as getting on your hands and knees and scrubbing away. Vacuuming is probably my favorite part of cleaning, but I also really love doing dishes. I love to clean!
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
The last couple of days have been spent deep cleaning different areas of my life: my apartment, my classroom and my mind. Cleaning the apartment was the most thoroughly exhausting and satisfying. My dad helped me fix our vacuum and after tearing the poor machine apart and ultimately deep cleaning it, I must have vacuumed our place at least 5 times yesterday. And twice today. And probably first thing tomorrow morning. Vacuuming = peace. Cleaning my classroom was not as challenging as it was last year during Fall Break; this year, "cleaning" basically meant organizing a pile of papers I had not yet filed away. Otherwise, my classroom has stayed very clean and organized so far, which has been wonderful. Deep cleaning my mind and my thoughts has been a lot more time consuming than I would have expected, but still absolutely necessary. It felt a bit like opening that closet where you've just be stuffing things and when the door is finally pulled open: CRASH! Everything just comes tumbling out. As overwhelming as that felt at first, ultimately, I got to reorganize all of my jumbled thoughts and feelings and put them away (or throw them out). That felt incredible.
Blessing #22: Cleaning
I am so blessed... the physical act of cleaning one's immediate environment is... well, cleansing. There's really nothing as exhausting or liberating as getting on your hands and knees and scrubbing away. Vacuuming is probably my favorite part of cleaning, but I also really love doing dishes. I love to clean!
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Sunday, October 4
Defining Moments
Take time to realize
Oh-oh I'm on your side
didn't I, didn't I tell you.
Take time to realize
This all can pass you by.
Didn't I tell you...
But I can't spell it out for you,
No it's never gonna be that simple
No I can't spell it out for you...
Sometimes defining moments come and go without the realization that right then, everything changed. I'm finding that my subconscious makes decisions for me without my expressed consent, but that I need to be ok with it because clearly, my subconscious knows me better than I can even begin to understand. The fact that my instinct can be so spot on shouldn't really surprise me, but it does... Perhaps that's due to the fact that I like hanging out in Indecisive Town (see post "Anticipation Junkie"), and ignoring my instincts allows me more time there.
Blessing #21: Taco Bell
I am so blessed... aside from the immense pleasure I get from eating a Crunchwrap Supreme, seeing a Taco Bell as I was driving down the road yesterday triggered a series of thoughts that helped me clear my head of some guilt-inducing clutter. It's amazing the realizations one can come to when the mind is clear, open, and ready to see what has always been true. Plus, the food is as delicious as it is unhealthy. I wish I could say "I don't like fast food," but truth be told, I love it! There are few things as satisfying as a gooey pile of artery-clogging "cheese" and beans wrapped in a flour tortilla. Anyhow... Here's to being more aware of my instincts and acknowledging the wisdom that can be found in following your "gut feelings."
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Oh-oh I'm on your side
didn't I, didn't I tell you.
Take time to realize
This all can pass you by.
Didn't I tell you...
But I can't spell it out for you,
No it's never gonna be that simple
No I can't spell it out for you...
Sometimes defining moments come and go without the realization that right then, everything changed. I'm finding that my subconscious makes decisions for me without my expressed consent, but that I need to be ok with it because clearly, my subconscious knows me better than I can even begin to understand. The fact that my instinct can be so spot on shouldn't really surprise me, but it does... Perhaps that's due to the fact that I like hanging out in Indecisive Town (see post "Anticipation Junkie"), and ignoring my instincts allows me more time there.
Blessing #21: Taco Bell
I am so blessed... aside from the immense pleasure I get from eating a Crunchwrap Supreme, seeing a Taco Bell as I was driving down the road yesterday triggered a series of thoughts that helped me clear my head of some guilt-inducing clutter. It's amazing the realizations one can come to when the mind is clear, open, and ready to see what has always been true. Plus, the food is as delicious as it is unhealthy. I wish I could say "I don't like fast food," but truth be told, I love it! There are few things as satisfying as a gooey pile of artery-clogging "cheese" and beans wrapped in a flour tortilla. Anyhow... Here's to being more aware of my instincts and acknowledging the wisdom that can be found in following your "gut feelings."
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Saturday, October 3
Where Your Heart Is
Dad: "What IS that ugly thing??"
Mom: "Oh! That's the Cube. It's a Nissan. The cool thing about that is--"
Brother: "There is NOTHING cool about that car." (Laughter ensues)
Blessing #20: My Family
I am so blessed... the last two days I have been spending time with my amazing parents and brother. I've always known that my home is where my heart is, and even though we live hundreds of miles apart now, my heart is always with my family. I guess that means my home is in 3 different states. I laughed more in the last couple of days than I have in a while; my family is my joy.
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Mom: "Oh! That's the Cube. It's a Nissan. The cool thing about that is--"
Brother: "There is NOTHING cool about that car." (Laughter ensues)
Blessing #20: My Family
I am so blessed... the last two days I have been spending time with my amazing parents and brother. I've always known that my home is where my heart is, and even though we live hundreds of miles apart now, my heart is always with my family. I guess that means my home is in 3 different states. I laughed more in the last couple of days than I have in a while; my family is my joy.
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Friday, October 2
Right Time
The time is always right to do what is right. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sometimes you have to be willing to do what is right for you, even if it means putting yourself in an otherwise compromising position. That happened to me at work the last couple of days. This morning, after bursting into tears in my room at the reaction of an administrator to a conversation I initiated, I placed a call to my mom, who deferred to my dad. Then I dried my tears, took a deep breath and did something that was frightening but absolutely necessary: I stood up for myself and my kids. Ultimately, this situation will bring about some important changes and awareness that we as a school were lacking and even though it was tough, I am glad I dealt with it. I walked away today knowing I did the right thing. That is such an amazing feeling.
Blessing #19: Scrabble!
I am so blessed... I run a Scrabble club after school this year, and I love it! I've also been playing a lot of online Scrabble and today, I spent the last few minutes before leaving school to enjoy fall break playing Scrabble with two other teachers and a student. I love Scrabble!
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Sometimes you have to be willing to do what is right for you, even if it means putting yourself in an otherwise compromising position. That happened to me at work the last couple of days. This morning, after bursting into tears in my room at the reaction of an administrator to a conversation I initiated, I placed a call to my mom, who deferred to my dad. Then I dried my tears, took a deep breath and did something that was frightening but absolutely necessary: I stood up for myself and my kids. Ultimately, this situation will bring about some important changes and awareness that we as a school were lacking and even though it was tough, I am glad I dealt with it. I walked away today knowing I did the right thing. That is such an amazing feeling.
Blessing #19: Scrabble!
I am so blessed... I run a Scrabble club after school this year, and I love it! I've also been playing a lot of online Scrabble and today, I spent the last few minutes before leaving school to enjoy fall break playing Scrabble with two other teachers and a student. I love Scrabble!
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Thursday, October 1
Anticipation Junkie
"Well," said Pooh, "What I like best--" and then he had to stop and think, because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.
Oh, Winnie the Pooh... beloved childhood bear and purveyor of wisdom. There is that moment before you do something -- anticipation -- that somehow holds more emotion, excitement and thrill than the actual experience itself.
Merriam Webster defines anticipation as: 1 a : a prior action that takes into account or forestalls a later action b : the act of looking forward; especially : pleasurable expectation.
My friends, I am an anticipation junkie. Perhaps my self-diagnosed "indecisiveness" is really an anticipation addiction; the more time I spend in Indecisive Town, the longer I can experience the thrill of pleasurable expectation. You know what I mean... that feeling of not really knowing what is going to happen after the next move you make. Akin to sitting in the first car on the roller coaster right before you take the plunge down the 250 foot drop, anticipation exhilarates you like nothing else can. Maybe that's why we sometimes crave change -- we're actually longing for the moments leading up to change when we feel the thrill of looking forward to the unknown. Of course, many times the lure of anticipation leads to unfortunate choices; there are many moments I don't enjoy the aftereffects of a decision I was finally forced to make after lingering too long in Indecisive Town.
Blessing #18: My Kids
I am so blessed... my students are beyond wonderful! They make my heart... overflow with joy and love and happiness and all those cheesy things. We just have the best time together. We laugh and sing and tell jokes and get excited about making our brains grow in second grade. And their hugs... Oh, their hugs heal all the little messes in my life that overwhelm me. My life is made infinitely better by these 27 angels.
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
Oh, Winnie the Pooh... beloved childhood bear and purveyor of wisdom. There is that moment before you do something -- anticipation -- that somehow holds more emotion, excitement and thrill than the actual experience itself.
Merriam Webster defines anticipation as: 1 a : a prior action that takes into account or forestalls a later action b : the act of looking forward; especially : pleasurable expectation.
My friends, I am an anticipation junkie. Perhaps my self-diagnosed "indecisiveness" is really an anticipation addiction; the more time I spend in Indecisive Town, the longer I can experience the thrill of pleasurable expectation. You know what I mean... that feeling of not really knowing what is going to happen after the next move you make. Akin to sitting in the first car on the roller coaster right before you take the plunge down the 250 foot drop, anticipation exhilarates you like nothing else can. Maybe that's why we sometimes crave change -- we're actually longing for the moments leading up to change when we feel the thrill of looking forward to the unknown. Of course, many times the lure of anticipation leads to unfortunate choices; there are many moments I don't enjoy the aftereffects of a decision I was finally forced to make after lingering too long in Indecisive Town.
Blessing #18: My Kids
I am so blessed... my students are beyond wonderful! They make my heart... overflow with joy and love and happiness and all those cheesy things. We just have the best time together. We laugh and sing and tell jokes and get excited about making our brains grow in second grade. And their hugs... Oh, their hugs heal all the little messes in my life that overwhelm me. My life is made infinitely better by these 27 angels.
Don't forget to count your blessings.
Much love. ♥
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