So much to catch up on! Baseball!

I have been a slacker as far as the blog goes. Over the next few days, I hope to catch up. Today's is Arkansas Express. My son plays on this team, I am so proud of him! He has grown so much during this season both physically and social/emotional.

Graduation

32 days...yes it is a count down. I have put so much into getting to this day. I do not know what I am going to do with myself when it's done. Summer school, three semesters of 18 hours. Honestly, I am a little scared of not having a plan. That's not how I work. I should already have my schedule and a plan...but I am graduating. I am not twenty anymore, so it's not as if I am starting life new. A new chapter of life, totally unplanned. I hope I write it well!

Deep Thoughts...not from Jack Handy

Ok, so not everyone will get the SNL reference, but I did have a deep thought to share. Maybe it's just me, but I spend time counting down to things. Countdown to graduation, countdown to vacation, countdown to this or that. Does everyone do this? Probably. I don't think it's a bad thing. Counting down days until a big triumph, is normal. Here is my thought...am I consumed so much with getting to another day that I am not giving everything I have to the day I am in? I tell my kids to not wish their life away, these are the best years! They have very little responsibility, no debt and that all changes. No, I don't believe my teen years were the best of my life---just don't tell them that. Am I giving today everything it deserves? Am I allowing the future to take away from what lessons I am learning today? I don't know. I am still thinkin' about it. And that is deep thoughts from me at the ballpark.

Teaching and Learning...my point of view

I am glad to say that I think I have made the right choice in my profession. I am a firm believer that we are lifelong learners, and these past two weeks I have learned so much!

My biggest lesson, inside and outside the classroom:
Expectations should be on an individual basis. Some are actually giving all they possibly can, and some are giving just what they can get by on. A good teacher, friend, or listener will be looking for the answer. My expectations of each individual is based on what I would be willing to do for them (student, friend, coworker, relative...). Realizing that some are doing all they can has been a lesson learned. I know..."everyone is fighting their own battles", is the old saying. Remembering this daily --is the lesson!

High School...
If you give them an inch....they will take a mile, if given the opportunity!
If I am only catching 1/10 of what they are doing...what are they actually getting away with??
Testing boundaries is going to happen, but it goes both ways!

Times have Changed

I stepped back into the classroom as a teacher this week. This experience, along with all of the things I hear out of my own children has given me a perspective on change.

Do you remember when....

hunters had gun racks in their trucks?

the school did not have a group of people dedicated to technology?

the teachers used chalk and erasers?

police officers on campus meant something BIG was happening!

there were classrooms without air conditioning?

shorts were not even an option for school (so how short was not an issue)?

there was no gum chewing or food/drink in the classroom?

PDA meant a trip to see the principal?

everyone stood for the pledge of allegiance AUTOMATICALLY?

Well, times have changed! Some for good, some not so much. I am sometimes amazed at what I hear and see in school today. I am certain that much of it was going on back when I was in high school, I just was not paying attention. Technology has certainly opened up a new way of life and has also crippled us to a point. I know that this post is showing my age, but with age comes experience. I will take wisdom from experience over being a teenager again--everyday of the week!

Bring on 2012

I have high expectations of this year. I have never been one to make resolutions, because I never keep them. We are going to call these things I want to happen...and we will see how it goes from there.
1) Journal more regularly. I want my kids to be able to read about the things they did and as my memory starts to fade...and it already comes and goes...it is much more sensible to write it down.
2) Blog...lets shoot for weekly!
3) Be more positive--LOOK for the upside.
4) Be a better friend--remember everyone is fighting their own battles
5) Graduate College! Speaks for itself!
6) Make a difference-Because you can-Where you can.
7) Finish! I am terrible about starting projects and getting bored with it and moving on.
8) Listen more, talk less. This is hard for me. I like to talk, but I am sure there is a reason why we have two ears and one mouth.
9) Pray and talk with God. He is listening, but I must work on the connection.
10) LIVE LIFE! Don't put off till tomorrow, who knows if you'll get one.

Very Unusual Year...2011

It seems as if nothing was planned in 2011, it just happened. That is not a bad thing, just unusual-- because if it isn't in the planner, it usually does not happen. I feel like I have been taking lessons in humility, spontaneity, and accepting change. We have become a family that adapts well and that characteristic only makes us stronger...at least that is what they told me in college.
I am not going to list the highs or the lows of the year. No one really wants to read about that.
Just one sentence...We all made it!