handwritten on February 15, 2019
I think lately I have been very drawn to this idea of a simple smile changing the world. I've been enjoying looking at the pure joy in others, the humor and the laughter that spreads so quickly when the vibe is positive, when people are happy, when people turn up the corners of their mouth into a smile. Really, I think if there is any such magic in the world, this is it. People are always trying to find that "magic incredient." No research is needed to find happiness. Smile. Create your own energy. There's the research. It works.
Something our staff at our school does very well is share joy. For the most part, we have a lot of humorous individuals. We have a lot of individuals who can...
handwritten on February 14, 2019
Today was a true day of love as we celebrated Valentine's Day. I've never seen my students more excited in my life. I also began to ponder a few of life's questions. I often think about how powerful my classroom would become if my students had the opportunity to interact more with our older youth of society. Imagine if we had the students interact with high schoolers during a Science or Social Studies project or even a nursing home. Imagine how motivated they would be to see what it is like "on the other side." We preach the peer teaching peer model and yet we do not necessarily utilize it to the best of our ability. I think sometimes our school system is flawed in that all grade...
handwritten on February 13, 2019
I think if you are an artist or in any artistic career, you probably have heard the phrase "finishing touches." The finishing touches bring the masterpiece all together such as the cherry or the sprinkles on top of a really delicious ice cream cone or designs carefully painted after the main coat has dryed. Sometimes, the finishing touches are what bring life into perspective. Sometimes, the delicate touches help us to make sense of the murky waters.
My husband has an eye for detail and finishing touches. I do not know what it is about him, but he has this magic of placing the sprinkles on top of every day. And truly, if we are honest with ourselves, some of us fail to see the "small...
handwritten on February 12, 2019
Today was one of the first days of our TEDx workshop with students who submitted proposals back in December to be part of our event at the end of May. Today's workshop was about finding the "Big Idea" or the "Heart" of our speeches. For example, what do you want the take away to be? What will be the mission of your particular speech?
As I learned today, digging deep takes time. In fact, for some of the students, we sat and discussed and probed their idea for twenty minutes until we got to a great place.
Two things I learned today. Time in the classroom limits thinking and the ability to really probe student thinking. So often this goes by the wayside, because we have to "do that" or "...
handwritten on February 10, 2019
Generally, on Sundays after church, I do some running around related to school or other odds and ends I failed to pick up the day before. With extra energy this morning and the sun rising, I attended 8:30 service and then headed to the Dollar Store to pick up some items. I thought I would encounter absolutely no one due to the "early time." However, I was wrong.
As I was searching for some cards and other items, I could not help but notice differences in this store compared to other stores. There was an energy and a friendliness. But there was also a connectivity amongst the people shopping and also working behind the register. Either everyone knew everyone or everyone was interesting in...
