A Peek into Chaos

I am so excited about this school year and this new group of 2nd graders!  I have a small class and I can already see each unique little personality shining through.  They are kind, curious and energetic.  I am just really excited to see all that they learn this school year.  Have you ever heard the saying, "There is no tired like beginning of the year teacher tired?"  I certainly felt that this first week.  Even though we were only there 3 days, by Friday I was ready to crash by Friday night.  As I sit here Sunday morning preparing for the week ahead I am trying something new in terms of reflecting on my plans from the week before.  I actually learned this from a new teacher in our district.  I am looking back at my plans in my Google Drive and physically making comments on the plans in a different color that tell what went well with that activity and what did not go well or what I might do different for next time. I can use these notes for the next year (if I choose to us

Ahhhh....summer!  After the hustle and bustle of my nephew's graduation, I finally feel like summer vacation has begun.  It's Monday morning and here I sit with my computer thinking about what I want my big rocks to be for the summer.  I mean, of course the usual:  vacation, spending time with family, getting things done around the house (Lord knows we need to do stuff around the house)....but I mean professionally.  I want to take advantage of this time and really help myself grow.  So what is it that I want to focus on? It's funny that I am pondering this question as I have the ability to view my children's ISTEP scores this morning.  One child has had PASS+ scores since 3rd grade.  The other child has passed ISTEP one year since 3rd grade and failed every year since then, including this year.  As I anticipated seeing his scores this morning I thought "Maybe this year.  Maybe he will pass this year."  You know, I am the first person that will always quickl

This quote right here.  This is the one that is on my mind.  Honestly, it is one that I have been passionate about for quite some time now but it seems to strike me more and more these days. In Education, comparison seems to be prevalent in every classroom.  It's hard not to compare, right? We see what the teacher next door is doing and think, "Wow!  Look at what she is doing, I didn't even think of that."  I think that is a basic human reaction in life- comparison.  It can drive us to achieve more, do better, reach higher goals...or it can rob us of what we are already doing well and slowly steal our happiness.  It can control us more than we want it to.  Comparison is a tricky concept. Maybe not everyone looks at what the teacher across the hall does and immediately compares herself.  Maybe the reaction is different.  Maybe it is one of inspiration and wanting to learn more.  In this situation, comparison can help us grow and find out so much mo

For me, Christmas break is always a time to catch my breath and set goals for myself both personally and professionally.  This year is no different.  I was able to watch some of Matt Miller's Ditch Summit over break.  I felt like one speaker in particular  was speaking directly to me!  Kim Strobel is a happiness coach.  She has spent many years in education so she understands the perspective of teachers everywhere.  She has devoted her life to helping people add more happiness to their life.  I feel like I am a fairly happy person but it is so easy, especially in this profession, to get caught up in the things that are not within my control.  Those things can weigh me down, build up over time and soon take over HOW I spend my time.  I might spend my time mentally focused on some of these worries and less time focused on the here and now.  She spoke about being present in each moment- both physically and mentally. One major takeaway I had from Kim was this idea of a gratitude jo