- I can walk this race, because it has a longer time limit.
- One of my best friends signed up, and it will be fun to do this with her.
- I'm going to turn 30 on my next birthday, and for some reason this year that means I'm trying a lot of new things. I'm not really sure why, but I'm really pushing myself out of my comfort zone in a lot of ways this year.
- I have really been wanting to exercise more, and I thought maybe if I had a goal I would push myself more.
Today I signed up for my first half marathon. Am I crazy? Maybe. But here are some reasons I decided to sign up, even though I HATE running (with a passion):
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Today I was in a meeting after school for a technology learning initiative that I'm participating in. We watched a short video about creativity and then were challenged to go out in our school and take a picture of the school from a new perspective. Here is my picture. Nothing fancy, but I like the way the light kind of bounces off the lockers at the end. I've actually been thinking a lot about perspective lately. It seems like, especially with some of my students, all I ever see is the negative, the reasons why they are hard to teach. But I want to switch my perspective, to look for the good things they're doing, and to catch them being good - instead of always nagging them. Maybe if I look at them with new eyes things will change - for me and for them. Today my colleagues and I held a (very simplified) Passover Seder for our students to prepare them to read Night. As part of the Seder, we had students try some representative Seder foods, asked the traditional Four Questions, and sang songs. We even had an afikoman - our students' goal was to keep a treat hidden from my colleagues and me until the end of class, when they could "sell" it back to us. In some classes, they really got into bartering and getting a great prize from their teachers. I now owe:
Honestly, even though I now have to pay up, these bartering sessions were my favorite part of the day. I LOVE seeing my students light up and have fun with something. I love it when they get involved and participate. I think these are the days they'll remember - so hopefully, someday, they'll read or hear something about a Jewish family celebrating Passover and they'll think back on that day in 8th grade when they ate horseradish and bartered with their teacher. Hey teachers! What are some fun things you do to create days to remember in your classroom? Leave a comment below and share your great ideas! I love writing 6-word memoirs with my students! It's fun to see how mine change from year to year. Here are today's memoirs, written as I watched my students write their own.
Five best friends, more like sisters. Middle school English is my life. Real books are better than Kindles. Three continents down, four to go. Ben and Jerry are my boyfriends. Yesterday I saw the new Cinderella movie. First off, let me say: it was beautiful! I loved everything about it. So if you haven't already made plans to see it, make them now. It's worth it. Among the many things I loved about the movie was this line, repeated over and over throughout the story: "Have courage and be kind." I have been thinking about it since I saw the movie. What a wonderful life motto! I don't know that we can go very wrong in life if we remember those two things, because they encompass so much that is good. So my goal this week is to do just that: have courage to do the right thing, to do things that are hard for me, to live to my potential. And to be kind while I'm at it. I'm reading Night by Elie Wiesel with my 8th graders right now, and there's this beautiful section toward the beginning in which Wiesel starts every sentence with the phrase "Never shall I forget..." Today I had my students write a list of things that they will never forget, and I thought I'd do the same today.
Never shall I forget the moment I heard my first little sister's cry through the hospital door. I jumped up and down, yelling, "My baby's here! My baby's here!" Never shall I forget the cross-country road trip that took us to our new home in Vermont, when my loves of traveling and Ben & Jerry's ice cream were born. Never shall I forget the look on Melissa's face when she and Mom told me that Mom had cancer. Never shall I forget the day I opened my mission call and saw the words, "Spain Barcelona." Little did I know how that moment would change me and create this place in my heart for a country, a culture, and a people halfway across the world. Never shall I forget the odd mixture of smells that characterize the streets of Spain: one moment cigarette smoke, the next freshly baked bread, the next a large pile of garbage. Somehow the smells of cigarette smoke and cooking olive oil always manage to transport me back to Spain. Never shall I forget that first semester at BYU - so lonely, so overwhelmed. And of course I can't forget the rest of the semesters, either: the late nights, the roommates, the last-minute papers, the friends. Never shall I forget the first time a student called me "Miss Brown" and I realized it really does have a special ring to it. So many good memories...isn't it amazing how much memory affects us? I can't imagine what I would do without memories. What's something you will never forget? Today in my scripture study I was reading in Matthew about how if we come to Christ and learn of Him and try to be like Him, He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28-30). Amazingly, rest is something I really need right now. It's the end of the term, so I'm stressed about grading and such, but I am also worried about church responsibilities, family concerns, and my social life. Sometimes I just feel like there's not enough of me to go around. So as I prepared to go to church and other meetings today, I prayed that I would find the strength to get through this next week. Boy did I ever. Practically every talk, every song, every lesson was about pressing forward - very much a "You can do this!" kind of a Sunday. I felt like the words I heard were hand-picked for me, letting me know that God had heard my prayer and was sending me a little pep talk for the week. And maybe that's what it means when Matthew says Christ will "give us rest." He won't necessarily take away the burdens that we have, but He will strengthen us and buoy us up so that we can meet them head-on and succeed. He brings rest to our souls and hearts because He reminds us that if He's on our team, we can do anything.
Today I went to the funeral for a good man. Even though I know he is now free from the physical limitations and sicknesses he faced, it was still a pretty sad day, and he will be very missed. But instead of focusing on the sad parts of today, I wanted to remember some of the things I learned from Jason.
Someone today called Jason a "great example of manhood." I feel like these characteristics - laughter, perseverance, ability to change, and love - are some of the characteristics of a true man, and really just an all-around good person. I'm excited for the day when I can see Jason again, and I hope in the meantime I can use what he taught me to be a better woman. Thanks, buddy. See you soon.
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About MeI'm a daughter, sister, friend, and book lover turned English teacher. This blog is all about the things I'm learning as I go through my many adventures. For more info about me, check out the About Me page. Categories
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