Tim's Visit

Tim is visiting for a few days! I picked him up on Wednesday. It was SOO good to see and give him a big hug. It's been great visiting the friends and frequenting our favorite places while he's here. From the Townhouse with Steve, Amy and Jeff to the Liffey with John and Mary and then up to St. Cloud and Clearwater with his mom and dad and brothers, and then to Amy's bonfire party, it's been a fabulouse few days!

Today we went walking in our old neighborhood and to look houses to rent and/or buy. Very soon, we will be back together in one location and living in a place of our own!

A Community Rebounds

It was a tough day teaching in Rogers today. With the tornado and events of the weekend that turned a bustling, growing community upside down and maker of national news, the students were exhausted, excitable and mellow at the same time.

The students handled the day and dealing with the aftermath of the storm pretty well - I think they were happy to be at school and not at home so they could talk about it. The difficulty of the situation is, however, that there is such a range in the extent that people's lives were affected. Some students are literally 'homeless' and others hardly knew it rained on Saturday evening. It's hard to honor the emotion and sentiment of almost 40 kids each hour, regulate the ups and downs and still teach them.

With adversity comes growth, and we'll all grow from this.

Teaching Again

I got an email from my friend and now retired teacher. It was a response to one that I had sent asking for advice and lamenting over how much work this year has been. Having taught the same things I did before retiring last year, she commented, “From the first day of school to the last I did little else but schoolwork.”

So, that is not terribly encouraging to hear, but a reality nonetheless. It has been a huge struggle (and will continue to be one) to stay ahead in all my classes. I am constantly reviewing, in cases re-learning in others LEARNING three different subjects, planning for the upcoming week, the current week, the next day and on top of that, incorporating all the elements of good instruction: differentiation for the many skill/talent levels in each classroom, classroom management that contributes to a healthy and academic learning environment, listening to the students as much as I speak to them and so on. Of course, I cannot do it all everyday, and that’s okay, but that is also when I feel like I’m not succeeding. As Su said, it is at least “good brain stimulation”. That it is.

I do have good students though – for the most part, willing to listen and give me a shot as I try to teach American History, AP Government and Economics; for that I am grateful.

I am frequently exhausted, but not tired. I am overwhelmed, but not defeated. I am struggling every single day with 100s of decisions and scenarios but not without many successes mixed in with the failures. I am a teacher again.

Continuing the Soundtrack of my Life

I recently listened to the new Dixie Chicks CD and absolutely love it. Powerful messages, well written and good music. The final song is a personal favorite and it got me thinking to about why I teach: to inspire hope. I hope my students can "learn from our history".


"I Hope", Dixie Chics

Sunday morning, I heard the preacher say
Thou shall not kill
I don't wanna, hear nothin' else, about killin'
And that it's God's will
Cuz our children are watching us
They put their trust in us
They're gonna be like us
So let's learn from our history
And do it differently

CHORUS:I hope
For more love, more joy and laughterI hope
We'll have more than we'll ever needI hope
We'll have more happy ever aftersI hope
We can all live more fearlesslyAnd we can lose all the pain and misery
I hope, I hope
Oh Rosie, her man he gets too rough
And all she can say, is he's a good man
He don't mean no harm
He was just brought up that way
But our children are watching us
They put their trust in us
They're gonna be like us
It's okay for us to disagree
We can work it out lovingly
For I hope
For more love, more joy and laughter
I hope
You'll have more than you'll ever need
I hopeYou'll have more happy ever aftersI hope
And you can all live more fearlesslyAnd you can lose all your pain and misery
I hope, I hope

There must be a way to change what's going on
No, I don't have all the answers
I hope
For more love, more joy and laughter
I hopeyou'll have more than you'll ever need
I hopeThere'll be more happy ever afters
I hope
We can all live more fearlessly
And we can lose all the pain and misery
I hope, I hope
I hope
I hope
I hope