Last year, by word was Flourish, and I really took that to heart. This year, my word is FEARLESS.
I want to think out of the box and do things that I wouldn’t normally think of doing. Life it too short to sit home and be scared.
Bring on 2017!
A conversation with my students. (NaBloPoMo Day 11)
This is how I explained to my students on why you should give any new president a chance to prove themselves, and to see what they can do. We were discussing how we might not like who was elected, but that we had to respect the office and why we should hope that whoever is in that office does a good job. (We had discussed Obama’s election too)
“Pretend that I have a stack of files, one for each of you. During the summer, I get a chance to read up on your schoolwork, your grades, your discipline records, and what your previous teachers have said about you. Now, I haven’t met you yet and I haven’t seen you, so this is all the information that i have. Some of you have been in trouble, some of you haven’t made the best grades, and some of you didn’t always get along with your teachers. Let’s now pretend that I have taken all that information and have already decided who is going to be the student who will give me trouble, and who will be the student who will get good grades…. all without having met you or given you a chance to prove yourself, and I treated you accordingly. Is that fair? Would you like me to treat you that way based on just the stuff that I have read and what other people say about you, or would you like me to give you a chance to get to know you, because maybe you have changed and maybe you have learned from your mistakes?”
My students , who are ESE (lower performing) and ESOL (English Speakers of other languages and immigrants) got it. Now why can’t adults?
And this is my last post on this election. It was an interesting conversation to have because of the makeup of my classes.
The Day After (NaBloPoMo Day 9)
It’s a new day and we can make it what we want. Last night’s election has caused shock waves across the world (including my own house) but it up to us to change the status quo, for us to flip the script and for us to change the direction of our country. One man or one woman does not define America, 350 million men, women and children of different ethnicities, faiths, orientations and income levels, define America. We have to listen to one another, help one another and be kind to one another. We have to stop the hatred, stop the rhetoric and stop all the behavior that divides us. A house divided cannot stand, and right now, the United States is pretty well divided. This is not who we are. Fear is driving us, rhetoric is driving, hate is driving us. We are stronger when we are united and the sooner we realize that, the sooner we will move forward as a country.
Election Night 2016
I’m going to edit photos and try not to panic. A more coherent post tomorrow.
Random thoughts on a Sunday (NaBloPoMo Day 6)
1)Sometimes I have too much to do and then I freeze and procrastinate and then panic to get everything done. I think maybe it has something to do with working under a deadline for so many years.
2) I used to hold my tongue and not speak up when I thought people were being ridiculous. I’ve gotten over that.
3) Most of the time, I like my dogs better than people.
4) I’d love to experience a real Fall and a real winter so I don’t feel like me knitting stuff is an exercise in futility.
5) I would love to take a month off, go to the mountains with books, knitting, my camera and my writing. (alone, well, maybe I’ll take Bacchus…Amanda wouldn’t let me take Idunn)
6) Maybe for #5, I’ll go to Scotland instead.
7) Bacchus would need a sweater. I’d have to knit him one or five.
8) And booties.
9) I miss my family in Louisiana. All the time.
10) I watch too much Bravo Tv.
11) I wish I was still writing as much as I used to.
12) I’m really not liking my job this year. I loved it last year, and this year I feel so out of my element that I hate going to work some days.
13) The only thing getting me through this year is working with my TSA kids.
14) I’ll be 45 on my next birthday, and for some reason, that is starting to bother me.
15) I drink too much tea. (well, how much is too much, really?)
16) I’m in desperate need of a manicure.
17) Mariah Carey is annoying.
18) I really need to more organized. I think it would help my feeling of always barely treading water.
19) I need to learn to say NO
20) My favorite meal is my mom’s roast, rice and gravy, blackeye peas and cornbread.
This was all train of thought, and that is a tad scary. lol Feel free to share 20 random things in your post.