handwritten on April 9, 2019
We have this thing called state testing in the state of Pennsylvania. Every state has it. And while this "test" is supposed to build up our students, it seems like sometimes it is doing the opposite. Finding multiplying love in standardization is tricky.
Not only that but we are quite literally asked to take down our walls. There can be no motivation. No beautiful words. No student work showing. For me, I have this mental block when it comes to taking down the heart of my classroom. Because at this point in the year, those walls represent all 22 of the hearts sitting in my classroom. I can bring myself to cover with colorful paper, but tearing down the hearts, I just cannot do.
Regardless...
handwritten on April 8, 2019
Tonight was a Connexions Training at Urban Impact. I always laugh a bit when attending these sessions because I think to myself If we could just bring these spiritual trainings into our public schools, I think we would find a life-changing transformation occurring within the hearts of our teachers and our students. Others may disagree, but if done correctly, I think professional spiritual development is incredibly whimsical. What is whimsical is showing up and realizing that we are never too old to learn a new lesson, listen to a profound story, think about something in a different way. For the minute we stop wanting to develop ourselves, we lose out on a lot of the whimsical encounters...
handwritten on April 7, 2019
My husband and myself decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather today and walk down to the Strip. For those unfamiliar, the Strip is probably one of the most whimsical and authentic spots in Pittsburgh. Not only is it culturally diverse, but it has a rich history of fresh markets as well as a history of getting others to realize the importance of people and community in the city of Pittsburgh.
We stopped along to grab a bite to eat or look at one of the shops we 'could not quite remember.' However, at the end of the long Strip, we felt the need to step into Wholey's Fish Market. It's funny because I have known my husband for about seven years and never have I heard him talk about...
handwritten on April 6, 2019
This morning I scurried around the kitchen at around 4:44 AM. I was making casseroles and more casseroles and cutting potatoes and making more casseroles. And in this beautiful casserole frenzy I was reminded of two things: how fun it is to prepare food for others in the comfort of a home in the spirit of hospitality. And how just encountering the mere act of the sun rising really allows you to acknowledge and understand and appreciate the simplicity and yet complexity of the blessings of a new day. Watching that sun rise through the window just lifted my very being. Sometimes we need that reminder that days are individual entities with a rising and the falling of that same sun-no blurred...
handwritten on April 5, 2019
There are some days in which the pulse of one's heart and the heart of the world can be felt a million miles away. And the beat is loud and purposeful.
This afternoon around 2:00 PM, we stopped all class to conduct a "read-aloud" performed by our new student who had arrived from Mexico only four months ago. Since then, the beat of his voice has slowly become louder, more energetic, more confident and vibrant.
He chanted the class chant this morning with a beat of power: "I know I can. Be what I want to be. If I work hard at it. I'll be where I want to be." A smile on his face.
There was a bit of trembling in his voice when he began his reading. "The Big Hungry Caterpillar." He was ready...
