What Do You Hope They Will Say About You? ...not waiting for a eulogy

Perhaps it's the excitement of having gone into work for the first time since March. Or perhaps it's having spent the day around people that I absolutely admire and love. Regardless, I couldn't wait for the chance to sit at this keyboard and write to you. I suspect there is a moment in every writer's life where it becomes commonplace for acquaintances to say something along the lines of, "You're not going to put this in your blog (book), are you?"  haha!  I always assure them that no...I will not. And I mean it sincerely. So here I am, not writing about any one of you beautiful people that I got to see today, and yet lovingly and genuinely writing about each and every one of you.

We are going to start this thing with the end in mind. A while ago I recall hearing someone suggest starting the school year with our mind considering that which we hope our students, parents, co-workers and administrators will be saying about us upon the end of the academic year.  So let's do that now, with this new beginning that is not really a beginning at all. I mean really, we have been working our butts off for half a school year already, but in my district, as we are starting a new phase, it has all the feels of a new beginning, a new chapter, if you will. 

*** This is important: We must keep in mind that even with all this newness, the title of the book we are writing together is still, "We Are Living Through a Pandemic" Catchy? Not at all. Accurate? Hell yes! And something we need to keep in the forefront of our minds as we try to meld ourselves into a school community in this new chapter called, "Let's Give Hybrid a Try".***

And so, let's think about this. What do you hope people say about you at the end of this chapter and this school year?  Here are some ideas for you to consider, with my not-so-subtle opinions marked next to each. 

✅She made me feel like we were connected even though we were six feet apart.

❌She taught me facts about fill in the blank with standards and curriculum.

✅She smiled at me so big just for showing up, that even her eyes smiled and danced.

❌She marked me late when I had a hard time getting to school in the morning.

✅I know she was scared too, but she made me feel safe.

✅She talked about her kids and quelling their fears, and that made me feel like she understood me.

✅She called my parents to tell them what I was doing well.

❌She gave me homework on top of all the other stresses I was carrying.

✅She showed and taught me life skills for living through a pandemic and beyond.

✅I'll never forget how she made me feel.

✅She helped other kids understand and accept me, just because she did that so easily.

❌She took attendance on time.

❌She knew how to use the smartboard with Zoom.

✅She had fun at school and that made me have fun too.

✅She made me laugh every day.

✅She must have had so much on her mind, but I saw her stop to care about other teachers and staff.

✅Her heart was on fire for others. I was lucky to be her student.

Lofty goals? You bet! And so, time to get to work on me, making sure I am healthy and happy and ready to be all that my students need me to be. We were made for this, you and me. What will be on your list in June?

One Thing Is Certain: You cannot hold a sleeping infant when she is awake

 If you know me, you know I don't sit still well, or for long. While home raising my five children for fifteen years I wrote many parenting articles, a couple of which were actually accepted for publication.  (Haha! You all should be thankful that I didn't have access or the idea of blogging back then and was instead at the mercy of folks willing to publish my writing.) One published article comes to my mind when I am approaching the end of a break from the daily work routine. I still had only two children, when I wrote the article that was published in a faith-driven magazine. You need to know, I was that mom who relished the time with which I was gifted to hold my children. I loved holding them! Often others would comment that if I kept holding them, they would get used to it and expect it...well, yeah! That was the point, no? 

Anyway, this article was about the euphoric feeling experienced when the rare instance of simultaneously napping children occurred, and what can be accomplished in that span of time. I meandered through the possibilities of catching up on laundry, paying bills, starting dinner preparations. All the things that are very difficult to do while two children, both under age 2, are awake and demanding my attention. But then I cut to the chase....I admitted to taking the time to sit and hold my sleeping daughter, soaking in her peacefulness, watching her trusting sleep fill my arms and heart, feeling her body becoming part of mine once again, and stating how this was truly the only thing that was impossible to do when she was awake.

So by now you are thinking, what the hell is she going on about? Why are we reliving her time 17 years ago before her children were the teenage brood that eats more quickly than she can shop, stays up later than she can muster and brings more angst than peace most days? Well, here is my point. I am on day #10 of an 11-day vacation from school. To be honest, I can't wait to see my students again and get back into all that we still have to share this school year! Crazy perhaps, but it is true. But at the same time, I woke up today thinking, "What do I want to do with my time between now and Monday morning? What will help me to know that I did what I truly cannot accomplish once school starts again?" In other words, what is my present day version of the cherished feeling of holding a sleeping, peaceful infant? That is what you and I need to determine to do with our time regardless of how frivolous others may think our choices are. Cherish it for the uniqueness it offers so the return to school is done with no regrets.