handwritten on March 15, 2020
Today was a unique Sunday
with lesson planning all digitally
the uncertainty of tomorrow
and the picking up of a family member
for a sleepover
Laughs were had and
final trips to the grocery store made
dumplings packed beside
bottles of Clorox and
cleaning solution
probably the only time in life
I have considered dumplings and cleaning
supplies to be related to one another
laughing and computer work
and of course more discussion and storytelling
exchanging stories that would otherwise be untold
because generally days pass by here so quickly with our
schedules filled with so many activities that we cannot
even begin to catch up with the day to day but then
again- it is so rare
that in the...
handwritten on March 14, 2020
Today's Irish Blessing
May the road rise to meet you,
Meet that road with wonder, integrity and hope
May the wind be always at your back.
This isn't always the case-but we can certainly try to view it this way
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
Look at the sun in a new way. For every day is a new day.
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
Sometimes the rain falls. The softest rain can create a new space for learning and growing
From this day forward.
Every day is a new day to take one step forward even if we feel like we are taking two steps back.
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
Though we may find ourselves in the home more often than we hope for, may we find joy and...
handwritten on March 13, 2020
It's interesting because..
my philosophy this year has been to "shake things up" take leaps and chances and try new things. And it is always interesting to me how important it is to "shake things up" until you realize that shaking things up so fast that you feel like the world is overflowing-is not necessarily what you hope for either.
I left school Thursday evening thinking that we would have at least one more day together with the students. And this morning I woke up to a text message and multiple phone calls indicating that our school was closed today. It felt weird-I'm going to be honest. It felt weird going to school today knowing I would not get to see my students or their beautiful...
handwritten on March 12, 2020
Well-
It has certainly been an interesting week full of many uncertainties, a whole bunch of fear, a sprinkle of panic, a lot of stress but much togetherness. In fact, admidst all of this, it has been refreshing to see many individuals come together. Like, colleagues who barely talk to on another, or a lot of group chats or small texts from friends we may have not talked to in a while or phone call conversations with people we don't usually converse with via the phone.
It is a strange thing how individuals react when things are beyond control. But I think even more interesting is this idea that we do tend to need togetherness when the going gets tough. Except, I think sometimes people...
handwritten on March 11, 2020
This past week, my students have been writing a pretty involved ABAB pattern poem about a leprechaun who beats all odds whilst trying to tackle the quest of making it to the rainbow. The poems have been inspiring. They have given me hope that creativity still does exist within this world and in the hearts of all children. Not to mention, I have never seen so much fun writing a piece, and I suppose this has something to do with the fact that when you write a piece like this-the information and the story are entirely our own. You aren't writing about something you have read. You certainly aren't analyzing a text for themes or dramatic plot changes. You create the characters and the plot and...
