One Word at a Time

This month has been an awakening the causes  of which are myriad and complex But who am I to judge ? Whether it be mornings , Sundays , or Monday , So far in my life, there is no comparison . Were there nerves ? Absolutely. Currently , they are slowly coursing through my veins. But this community has been like a mentor , an experienced and trusted advisor on all of life's stuff . During my many trials , I have taken solace in silence In the snuggles of my cats, in the stacks of books around my home When it felt like life was kicking me to the curb When every day my mind went back-and-forth Your slices  brought me to a space  I needed A space where I could look out for signs   Signs like more sunlight through DST Sweet sunlight that eases my worry So on this final day of our challenge Where many of you have acted as a life coach for me Commenting on my slices and offering me support and encouragement I want to express my appreciation for t...

~*~a love letter to yoga~*~ My darling, sweet Yoga, I don't think there are enough words but I'll try my hardest to show you how I feel. Nine long years ago. Some friends suggested I meet you during my first year of teaching as a way to be active during the winter months in a small group setting that was convenient, considering that first year I was at school until all hours of the night. I fell in 'like' with you then. I liked how you gave me back some of the flexibility and muscle I had lost after playing soccer. I liked how you made me feel calm and in control. And I liked the bonds you helped create between me and my fellow teachers. But alas, it was not meant to be then. We drifted apart. I had other new, lovely things to fill my time with, and you slowly faded into a sweet memory. Over these last years, I've toyed with rebuilding our relationship.  I've dipped my toe in, tried to find you on many different mats and in...

Independently or collaboratively, build a vision. Communicate that vision. Get others on board with your vision. Utilize that vision when making decisions. Reflect on the progress towards your vision. Uphold that which supports your vision. Address that which undermines your vision. Hold all accountable for upholding that vision. Reflect on the progress towards your vision. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ This may have come about through a conversation with my principal this morning, but I believe that it is a very important concept for anyone in any leadership position. If we want collaborative spaces, where all are working towards the same end goal, where growth mindset is rampant, where all voices and ideas are held in the highest esteem, these are some big important steps to take. Do you feel like you know what the "vision" is where you work? Do you feel like everyone is acting in support of the vision?

"I think I just need to actually try this work. Do it myself. I can't teach it if I don't know what I'm teaching." Amen , I said to myself. "Does everyone else feel the same way? How can I help to make that happen?" A short conversation ensued, and it was decided that since I tend to have more available time than they do, I would do some work to create an experience for them to mirror the work their children will do in our next unit. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "I think this piece is developed." "What makes you think that?" We were looking at a student's performance assessment after our last unit, determining where they fell on our district rubric. This is still very new work for our teachers. "Well, I don't think you can quantify 'developed' in a piece of writing - it can't be just certain numbers of details." "I agree. But I'm looking at the language of the expectation - that t...

My  feet are tender lower back aches hands are cramping eyes are tired cheeks are sore from 14,000 steps sitting in little kid chairs counting all the money not getting home until 10:00 so many smiles all for a great cause a great community a great family a great child a great love Our St. Baldrick's event tonight was a success! While I'm sad to see our run with the event end, I know in my heart we made the right decision. We have raised over $150,000 over four years in our small town. That's a lot of money to go toward cancer research so that no child ever has to go through what our honored kids and families have had to go through. My body may be tired, but my heart is full. ❤

I never really had a hobby growing up. I played sports and it seems as if that took up all my time.  But as I've grown older and moved out of the sporting world, I've tried to fill my time with new and different things.  As today went by, I thought about how much I want my hobbies to grow to be healthy things I turn to. This challenge has reminded me why I love writing and so writing has become something I've done in my spare time. I need to think about how to incorporate it more once the challenge is over. I've always loved photography, but tend to rely on only taking pictures where I happen to be, and don't make specific trips just to take pictures. I want to be more aware and continue to take pictures, as well as continue the online course that I started forever ago. Taken out of the window of my car with my phone I've played around with chalkboards, but need to learn a lot more lettering to really be great at them. Plus I just need to keep mak...

In a conversation yesterday with a friend of mine who is our middle school softball coach, she mentioned how she handles team selection and notification. I thought it was perfect, especially for middle school and the self-discovery and differing levels of confidence. On the day that team selections are announced, the girls are gathered in the gymnasium.  A short speech is given, specifically around the idea that no matter what it says inside the envelope, that if they have a passion for the sport, and they really want to grow as a player, that they should take what is inside seriously and know that this day is not the end of the road. They specifically mention a former player, who is now a star at the high school, who was cut from the same team as a 6th grader. Then, inside the envelope are three pieces of paper. One says, "Congratulations, you've made the team" or "Unfortunately, you did not make the team." Another is a "standards-based" rep...

'I have something to say, but I'm not sure how to bring it up.' We all looked over, giving our attention to the organizer of our little gathering. 'I feel like maybe this is time to close up shop. To make this our final year. We've all commented on how participation is waning, there are only a few people who are volunteering to help, and, after  last year, it just feels right to me.' Eyes scanned the table, landing on each of us. 'This is my first year being on this committee, so I don't feel like I really have a say in the matter, so I'll defer to you all and what you think.' A few heads nodded in appreciation of the deferment. ' I also joined, just not as late, and I don't have as much of an emotional connection to this as the rest of you do. So I'll support moving forward if people aren't ready to say goodbye. Or I'll support saying goodbye if people are ready to do that.' One small smile, fol...

I woke up to the cats playing tag on the floor next to me. I reached over to press the button to find out what time they decided I needed to be awake tonight. The clock read 2:33. That's pretty usual for them, especially after the time change. And the fact that they're cats and sleep all day! Following my usual routine, I got up to use the bathroom. As I climbed back into bed, I didn't feel the usual sleepiness that signaled that I would be back in Dreamland again soon. Instead, a current of energy coursed through my veins. It also could have been the sugar from the sleeve of Thin Mints I ate after dinner (don't judge). Either way, I was now awake. After I had mentally walked through every room in my house, labeling and pricing items within each for a future tag sale that I hadn't known I was having until 2:3 8 that morning, I began thinking about June. See, June is going to be a tough month. For me, for my husband, and for our two cats. We will be spending...

Some mornings,  you roll out of bed,  eager to start your day check the school's website  to see if there is any weather related news (there is, you're getting out early!) post your Slice,  pour a cup of coffee,  change out the laundry And just before you go  to jump in the shower,  you walk into the bedroom And something is in front of you, something so surprising that you can't ignore So you stop what you're doing take it all in and reach for your camera, because Brother and sister,  calm and feisty,  social and introvert,  solid and stripes, yin and yang are sharing a moment together,  without coaxing or encouragement So with a smile you click away, capturing a sweet moment

{a letter to daylight savings time} ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Dear Daylight Saving, You know as well as I do that our afternoons and evenings together this week have been glorious. I don't have to tell you that. It's in the songs I'm humming under my breath, the moments I stop and bask in your light, the windows rolled down in my car as our voices blend together in a sweet harmony. While we're together, time seems to be a concept that ceases to exist. Our afternoons stretch into evenings with bursts of color. But before I know it, our time together is over with one final, glorious burst of color. I delay, I convince myself just a few more minutes with you won't mean that much the next day. Soon enough those streaks of color have faded, and darkness seeps in. But it is a light kind of darkness, if that makes sense to you, a darkness that is never too far from light, the kind that tricks you into thinking that it won't get any darker. And I begin to worry that...

Those of you who have been following me this year know that 2018 has been rough for me. Since 2018 started, I have been dealing with death, traumatic injury, personal illness, and job stress. The last month or so has felt neverending. But I've been searching for meaning amongst the pain and stress (see here ). I think perhaps I found two pieces . . . One thing that we are currently dealing with is getting ready for our house to be put on the market. As I was working on one room just getting it "show" ready, two signs appeared that spoke to me. I was trying to organize my jewelry, as often I take it off in the bathroom at night before bed and then it never makes it back to its home in my vanity. As I was pulling apart tangled necklaces, I found a necklace that I haven't seen in years. What was curious was not that I found the necklace, but what the necklace symbolized. Here is the back: One of the things that I've struggled with most this year ...

All I had to do was . . .      move some furniture           put the laundry away      actually make the bed for once           wipe down the glass top      completely rearrange and reorganize all my jewelry           gather materials from every room in the house      find two AA batteries for the bamboo fountain           gather more materials from every room in the house      rearrange the pictures underneath and, of course, reminisce           convince my husband that this wouldn't distract him while he is falling asleep      rearrange the shoes in my closet so that I could have my own little writing space in our bedroom!       My writing space which doubles as my vanity which doubles as the only open ...

Our days are often made up of many different slices. Recently, I read Michelle's post titled " Today, I ", where she wrote about small slices from across her day, each of which could turn into a larger slice. I was inspired to write a post like that, but wasn't sure when the day would come. Well, today's the day! Fourteen Slices from my Day Actually woke up to my alarm without hitting snooze, which I haven't done allllll week long - this felt very refreshing, and I hope it's the start of a routine. Walked into the kitchen this morning to find a portion of the floor covered in small black ants - EW! EEK! I texted my husband to let him know. Heard the noise signaling a text on my phone, and hoped my mom would wait a few minutes - but she was saying she was running late and I had a few more minutes to get ready Tried to stop at the bank, but we stopped at not one, not two, but THREE bank locations that Google Maps told us were open but were, indeed, c...

I   w e n t  .  .  . upstairs for bus duty        back downstairs for a sweatshirt     back upstairs for bus duty            outside with the late bus         inside because it was too cold                back outside with the late bus only a few minutes later             downstairs to a meeting                    outside to my car                 back inside and downstairs for my charging cell phone                        outside to my car             inside to change into leggings and feed the cats                    outside to my car         inside the ...

With all that's been going on in my life over these last few months, the weekly yoga class I signed up for on a whim has been my saving grace. At the end of each class, my teacher guides us through a meditation, which sometimes involves imagery. Tonight she asked us to imagine a place, a place that we love, a place that makes us feel happy. My mind knew immediately where to go. My place is a curb. ~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~ I'm sitting on said curb, with my knees up near my chin (since it's a low kind of curb). One hand rests on the cement walkway behind me, avoiding stains left by other curb sitters. When I do my curb sitting, it's dark, but not fully dark. The sky itself is dark and full of traces of smoke. But against that dark sky are lights, lights everywhere. Lights from children's toys, whirling around and around in fast tight circles. Lights from flashes, as moments in time are captured again and again. Light illuminates the world behind me, so my body cas...

Do you have stacks of papers everywhere? Do they threaten to topple over at the slightest touch? Do you, regardless, know where everything is? My mission at work today was to get rid of my stack. I'd been moving it (yes it - multiple stacks had mutated into one giant stack) from my desk to a work table to my bag and back again. The stack was somewhat organized, with sticky notes indicating my thoughts about the organization of what was in it, but it was still a stack. And today was the day I was going to do something about it. So, I began. I came up with a system, labeled some file folders, punched some holes. I chatted with my fellow coaches as I worked, finally let go and recycled some unimportant paperwork, and set up a pile for the shredder. I could feel some of the stress leave my shoulders as the stack got shorter and more things found their home. I now have a few stacks, but they are much shorter, and each will be more manageable on its own. I do need a better system...

each snow day begins like every other day like every other morning spring, summer, winter, or fall with snuggles but snow days continue like few other days like few other mornings snowy, sunny, rainy, or cloudy with snuggles couch chair bed no matter at all they find a way to dig in, knead away, snuggle purrs vibrate sighs are soft every now and then movement stretch position change but mostly it's quiet sweet sleepy together snuggles

As I wrote yesterday, 2018 has been a tough one, actually even stretching back to the late December of 2017. Between traumatic injuries, deaths in the family, and illnesses - I just can't keep up. This year, more than ever before, I've focused on self-care. I pay attention to my water intake, to the food I'm eating, to the time I'm taking with myself. And thank goodness I have, or these ten weeks would have gotten the best of me. One thing that happened, quite naturally actually, is that I have gone silent . No more TV in the background, no more podcasts while I shower, no more radio in the car. Complete. Silence. Before this? I woke up to music. Played Pandora or podcasts or ESPN Radio while I showered and got ready. Worked out or ran to upbeat cardio music. Worked on the computer to music. Channel surfed while driving to sing along. Consumed podcasts while cleaning and doing laundry. Turned the TV on as soon as I sat down at night, even if I was reading or s...

2018 has tested me more in ten weeks than any year has before. I'm sure it's trying to teach me something. Not sure what that is yet, but I have some thoughts. As I teach my students when they're thinking about the theme of a book, I'm developing a theory. And, as they do with every page that passes, with every day that passes, I'm collecting evidence to strengthen or modify that theory. I'm open to learning. I'm open to changing.