handwritten on March 24, 2019
I drove up to Buffalo New York today to visit my grandparents who are both in their nineties. And when I arrived and was talking to my grandfather face to face I just could not help but realize how incredibly whimsical it is to be talking to someone who is quite literally 65 years older than myself. Think about that for a second and what wisdom there is in watching someone at the end of their life when you yourself feel as if you are just beginning your life. There is wisdom in the hands that have held that morning paper for hours upon hours, whimsy in the hair that has been cut with too many haircuts to count, whimsy in those feet that have walked millions of miles to football games and...
handwritten on March 23, 2019
As of late, my husband and myself have been attending this excellent breakfast place near the Northside of Pittsburgh just a block away from where my brother and his fiance will be dwelling. When my husband comes back at around 7:00 or so, we head to our favorite breakfast place, sit by the corner window, watch the sun shine and enjoy the chatter from the waitresses who appear to know just about everyone who walks through the doors. It is the friendliest atmosphere and the most loving. I think if you walk inside a place where everyone appears to know everyone you know you have found a timeless treasure.
There happens to be one waitress there whom we call the waitress angel. She is just...
handwritten on March 22, 2019
I ran across a beautiful poster a few weeks ago. Essentially, if you read the top line it says "teach." However, the bottom line spells "peace." It's funny because as teachers, we become so caught up and so busy in all the administrative issues and expected curricular mandates that we sometimes forget that teaching peace is synonymous. Or, at least it should be.
I often look at the education system and feel like we are doing it all wrong. In so many classrooms students (particular in elementary school) are under this impression that they are there to exist under the mandates of their teacher. The teacher is the sole voice. The teacher tells you what to learn and you learn it. The teacher...
handwritten on March 21, 2019
I have this saying that I use every year and that is "The Slowest One Wins the Race." Because I find as my little friends walk into my third grade classroom, they do so with the impression that fast is better. And truthfully, this is not their faults. Everything around their little minds and souls runs around so fast. They are told to "tie their shoes fast" and "pick up their coat fast." I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this phrase "quickly, please" or sometimes just "quickly" with no please attached. I'm guilty of it, too. And so often I think it is the mere speed of society that prevents our little ones from learning "please" and "thank you" and for some, to even tie their...
handwritten on March 20, 2019
My morning meeting, once we hit Wednesday usually becomes a ten minute talk of dreams and journeys and festive family activities. Because children do need to share their dreams, their sorrows and exciting stories. One of my students happened to be going to Disney with her cousins and was excited to tell me she was going to paint her nails. This erupted in a whole class carpet discussion about sparkles and color and proper color at that.
"You should do a black and red theme for Mickey Mouse"
"Green for Tinkerbell"
"I think it should be purple because there is a lot of purple in Disney"
After laughing a bit to myself as I realized that some of my boys now were also becoming quite invested in...
