Up, Up, and Away!

I am a firm believer that if opportunity knocks on your door, you should perform a background check and if all clears, let opportunity in. A recent opportunity did not exactly come knocking on my door, but instead, I sought it out and after doing its own background check on me, opportunity decide to let me in.


The opportunity that I have been granted with is to teach at another school. It will be bittersweet to leave the school that I am currently at since I have taught there for six years, and I adore the students and my colleagues; however, the school is on a path that I do not necessarily want to be on. Therefore, I decided to do something about it. Fortunately -- and I feel amazingly blessed -- I was hired at an independent school with a strong reputation. Without a doubt, every school has its own challenges, but I am ecstatic to be able to embrace change with my arms wide-open.


June 6, the final day of the school year will be sad; I've already shed a few tears when I watch my seventh graders shine and demonstrate how much they have matured throughout the school year. Not seeing them as eighth graders will definitely feel like I've misplaced something. Yet at the same time, I am looking forward to the completion of the current school year. I am ready for a new adventure; a new journey that will challenge me to be a stronger middle level educator. Becoming the veteran teacher who never made an attempt at something new or who was always resistant to change is someone that I refuse to become. The students deserve teachers who want to be there, excited to try new strategies, provide innovative and engaging lessons while creating a nurturing environment where adolescents want to work hard in order to exceed expectations. I want to strive to be that teacher and by embracing this opportunity, I believe that making this transition now is the right thing for me my family.

Inspired by

Two Writing Teachers inspires the writer within me.


Two Writing Teachers saved my life.
Yes, I realized that is a very heavy statement, but they did.
I was lost in motherhood with nothing to call my own.
And then destiny called logged on,
and I discovered the Slice of Life.
A little bit about your day,
a chunk, a piece, a slice.
A story.
Once-a-week.
Tuesdays to be exact.
Behold, a challenge!
I love like a challenge.
SOLSC = Slice of Life Story Challenge
Hence, The Chockboard.
Every single day in March, I wrote.
and wrote.
and wrote.
31 days straight.
It was exhilarating!
Writer's block is not exhilarating, but sharing your writing
with other writers IS.
Who cares if your grammar isn't up to par
or if your spelling is somewhat spontaneous?

Teachers, beware!
Two Writing Teachers
will refuel you
and your writing teacher habits.
Refreshing ideas, encouragement, and shared experiences
is what Two Writing Teachers is all about.
Teachers building capacity within one another makes
every single classroom flourish
and TWT is where it's at.

Thank you, Ruth & Stacey!

Stressed

{be. designs}

I was perusing some design/diy blogs (I love reading d.i.y. blogs, but rarely never actually d.i.m), and I came upon Amy's be.designs blog where I found the above graphic with the most marvelous anagram. 

It was the perfect reminder for me to work on letting go of things that I either cannot control or have to do anyway, so why be stressed about it? Like a dessert, just eat it and enjoy it!

Remember when...

the TELEPHONE edition






The first cell phones were gray bricks... and you certainly did not own one?


Pay phones were easy to locate and making a phone call cost 25 cents?


Everyone's household had a landline telephone?


Memorizing phone numbers was customary and was done easily?


The word "phone" was not synonymous with "iPhone"?


You didn't have to be paranoid when someone took out their phone, in fear of being recorded and then posted publicly for all the world to see your bizarre behaviors?


Kids couldn't text message during class?


There were no telephone rules at school because... well, you didn't need them!


People did not bump into you as you walked on the sidewalk because their eyes were glued to their smartphones?


You actually called someone and heard their voice rather than "communication via text message"?

Quotes: My Top Ten

10. "Respect my Authori-tah!" 

-Cartman from South Park

9. Pull your weeds and plant good seeds.

8. "For you, a thousand times over!"

-Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

7. "In the end, everything's gonna be alright and if it's not alright, then it's not the end."

 -Bill Rancic

6. The more open to possibility, the more possibilities open.

5. "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in Ourselves."

-Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

4. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

3. "Love is keeping the promise anyway."

-John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

2. "The time is always right, to do what is right."

-MLK, Jr.

1. "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

-Albert Camus

Paradise

Pristine coastlines
White sand
Warm, translucent waters
Unaffordable real estate
Local access to beaches denied

Graceful hula dancers
Handsome brown-skinned surfers
Carefree barefoot children
Domestic violence
Low math and science scores

Untouched beauty
Aloha spirit
Unique island lifestyle
Homeless tent cities
Development over agricultural lands

Paradise.

Opportunity

(knock, knock)

Who’s there?       

                                  

                                                                        Opportunity.

                                                                        And I’m only    

                                                                        knocking
                                                                        once.

Why should I let you

in?

I’ll have to start from

scratch.

New friends.

New ideas.

New challenges.

                                                                        New friends.

                                                                        New ideas.

                                                                        New challenges.

                                                                        New YOU.

Constant change.

                           

                                                                        Change is constant.

If it ain’t broke,

why fix it?

                                                                        Trepidation and time
                                                                        will break you.

                                                             
                                                                        Fear dismantles
                                                                        d  r  e  a  m  s  .

And life’s regrets,

permanent.

                                                                        Be Brave.

                                                                        Be Bold.

                                                                        Be Buoyant.

Welcome.

Please come in.