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 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.
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2016 has been a good year for me with books. I read 53 books - something of a record for me - and I pushed myself out of my reading comfort zone. I read more nonfiction, more on my iPad, and more fiction actually written for adults (and not teenagers) than ever before. Of course, I read quite a bit of YA lit as well, and found quite a few new favorites!
If you want to see all of my 2016 reads, check out my Reading Challenge on Goodreads (and let's be friends, while you're at it!), but for now, here are my favorites of the year.
In 2017, I am excited to join Modern Mrs. Darcy's Reading Challenge. She has two challenges - one for fun and one for growth - each with 12 categories. I've decided that I want to read books in all 24 categories, and I'm going to share my reading along the way. I'll tell you all about what I'm reading and what I think, and I hope you'll tell me what you're reading! Here's to a 2017 full of books!
This week I have been thinking about this scripture in Isaiah: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am they God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
I am a worrier by nature - I stress about things and imagine the worst case scenario of any situation. And so this scripture gives me hope. It helps me remember that no matter what comes, God will be with me. He will strengthen and help me to be able to accomplish the things that I wouldn't be able to do on my own. It has happened so many times in my life that there is no way I could deny it. This week has been a pretty stressful one. But luckily, I have had this scripture in mind and I have been able to think, "It's going to be okay. We can get through this together - with His help." God makes the impossible possible and gives me hope when I could be hopeless. He has always been there for me, and this scripture reminds me that He always will be. What do you do to find hope when life gets stressful and hard? There are a lot of new people in one of my church groups, so today at the beginning of our meeting we were asked to introduce ourselves by stating our name and one of our hidden or interesting talents. It was such a fun way to get to know people! Even people I know pretty well already - I learned something I didn't know about the people I see every week.
Here's the thing I've learned about getting to know people: if you really want to get to know someone, you have to go beneath the surface. You can ask people where they're from or what they do for a living all day long, but I think that if you want to get close to people you have to open up and share more than that with them. You have to be vulnerable and ask them to share something with you that they might not normally share. And sure, they might think you're kind of crazy because you have know more than the average person about Disneyland and ice cream, but chances are you'll become even better friends. So tell me, friends: what is one of your hidden talents? I'll tell you some of mine:
Today was an early-out day at school, so my sister and I took an impromptu trip home to have dinner with the family. There's just something wonderful about being home. Yes, living with my sister and cousin in our grandfather's basement is wonderful, but there is a feeling that defines home for me. Maybe because it's because being home is a break from the norm, but I feel less stressed, happier, and calmer when I'm here. I've been needing a mental health day - but I think maybe this afternoon trip home may be giving me the same benefit.
What do you do to give yourself a break? (By the way, if you're wondering what that yummy looking dinner is, check out this awesome recipe from Pinch of Yum. The Garlic Parmesan Lasagna Bake was seriously so good!) 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! Dear Students...This weekend was Valentine's Day. Did you know that, without knowing it, you have become my valentines? I remember one day during my first year of teaching when a college professor asked me what surprised me most about teaching. And the first thing that came to mind was how much I loved my students. I remember that first week of teaching, being so overwhelmed and so tired, but looking around my classroom after you left and thinking, "I LOVE these kids!" And you know what? It happens every year. Sometime during that first month of school I inevitably look around and feel this incredible love for you. Usually it brings tears to my eyes as I realize that, once again, my heart has grown to fit 200 more thirteen-year-olds. And then throughout the year you will do something that reminds me of the reasons I love you. Your smiles. Your high fives and hugs and knuckles and "snails". Your jokes - especially when you don't exactly mean to be funny. Your writing, and those moments when you FINALLY understand. Your excitement for life. When you move on to high school, I will miss you. You may not believe me, but there is something about each one of you that gives you a special place in my heart. So thank you - thanks for being you, thanks for making me smile, thanks for keeping me young. And most of all, thanks for being my valentines this year. Love, Miss B.2015 has been a year of family time, a year of road trips, a year of actually getting together with friends instead of just saying we will "someday." It has been a year of selfies, of pedicures, of movies, of trying new foods and of planning church activities. It's been a year of stretching, growing, learning, and being brave, but most of all, it has been a year of becoming more of the person I want to be. Thank goodness for 2015, and here's looking forward to a great year in 2016! Here are some of my favorite pictures from 2015. Happy New Year! 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. |
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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