A sense of humor, resolutions and the power of "now".....

WHAT AM I DOING TO HELP KIDS ACHIEVE?

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THEY ARE THERE?

WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?

           My wife is an early childhood special ed preschool teacher.  She came home from work on her last day with kids.  She asked me if I could help her get a "few" things from the car.  I needed a forklift to get all the gifts she received.  I do not know where to start...ornaments, candy, gift cards, body lotion, food, more candy..it was a Christmas before Christmas.  I think she even got gifts from some of her students who are muslim, hindu and agnostic.  Why do I mention this?  Below is the one gift I got (not even from a student).  

   In this business, you have to keep a sense of humor.  Always look on the bright side...I know that absolutely NO ONE is going to steal my coffee mug.  I suppose if I take myself too seriously I could get upset.  I did however receive a couple of other gifts.  I was able to talk to a few former students who have come back from college.  We actually had a nice conversation....one sought me out and one I saw at a coffee shop ( he did not run the other way when I saw him).  In both cases, the students were both working on a major in a chemistry related field and are optimistic about their future.  There is a miniscule part of me that thinks from our conversation that maybe I had a really small part in their decisions.  I would like to think that maybe I had a positive influence in their lives....and for a teacher, this is one of the best gifts we can receive.

     Which brings me to my resolution for the school year.  My hope is to live more in the moment.  I am not going to "blow" off lesson plans or refuse to reflect back.  I am not going to get pessimistic about the current state of affairs in education.  I am going to try to sometimes set aside the "list" of stuff that needs to get done and just listen and try to be present to whoever is there.  By "present" I mean not wishing I was somewhere else or worrying about all of the stuff I have to do.  I really think this is the basis for any kind of healthy  relationship in which I hope to have a positive influence on a person.  So my resolution is to be present in the here and now ....and maybe cut back on my coffee consumption...