T is for Teaching!

"In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and highest responsibility anyone could ever have."

-Lee Iaacocca

Teaching...it's just what I do. It's not just a "job" or a paycheck. It's my career and my craft. For reasons unknown to many, society has a double standard of teachers. People will praise you and say what a noble profession that it is. Then they will turn around and say something like "Those who can't teach". What many people in society fail to realize is that we work hard....far beyond the 8-3, 9 months a year calendar you see. We take things home with us.....paper work, projects, ideas, and sometimes worry and concern for our students. We spend evenings crafting new ideas and our summer breaks perfecting them.

For myself, teaching is something that I strive hard to perfect. I work on it each and  everyday of my life. I am no where near perfection. Each and every day when I walk into my classroom, I hope that I learn just as much from my student as they learn from me. Many times, they teach me so much about the world around me. They teach me that Santa is real and that you can buy candy with money from the tooth fairy. They keep me up to date on the latest Disney shows and newest cartoons. They help me remember what it's like to learn something for the first time and recall the joy and excitement of the the journey through childhood and making new discoveries along the way. Most of all, they make me realize, that it's the little things that count...that sometimes we have to slow down and take things one at a time, but keep our eyes on the bigger picture.

One time, someone trying to be snarky about teachers asked me what I did. My response, "I teach people how to manage their finances". I then kindly explained to them that I taught them how to read and write, hold a pencil to one day sign their name on a check, count numbers, identify coin value, add and subtract, and so much more. It goes back to taking small steps while looking at the bigger picture. In order to successfully manage money one day, you have to start with the basics....holding the writing tool to sign the check.

Everyone has a favorite teacher that they carry with them in their heart forever. Mine was my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Bach. In a class in undergrad we had a professor who gave the best advice for future teachers. It was simple. Think of the teacher who inspired you the most and try to be half as good as them. I have never forgotten  those words and I hope I can find success in my career and leave footprints in a students heart the way she did mind. And for the record, I don't remember reading, writing, and arithmetic from her class. I remember a teacher that found the best in every child, helpped those who struggled, and pushed those who excelled. She made each and every child feel special..including me. Most of all, she made a difference in my life.

A lot of people seem to be "Waiting for Superman" these days. But the real superheros are already in the classroom. And to those who think its easy. It's just about as easy as making water out of wine.

S is for Sisters....

The bond between sisters is a very complex one. They are everything from best friends to worst enemies. They keep secrets and tell you the truth. They laugh and cry together....and everything in between. (When you think about it, it almost has the elements of a prime time drama).

 

Christmas 1981

My sister, Kellie and I are no different from most sisters. Growing up we were civil and cordial, but still had our share of fights over trivial things such as bathroom time, taking the dog out, watching tv, and who was cuter: Donnie or Joe (OK....that argument is still in progress).

NKOTB-NOLA

2008

 However, we have both made enough trips around the sun to become adults and best friends. Our lives are vastly different and opposite in many respects. She is very neat and organized and I "misplace" things often. She is rather quiet while I am loud and can't wait for the next party. She loves to read while I love to write. She's is a Ph.D Chemist and I nearly jumped for joy when I took my last math and science test ever. Even though we are opposites in many respects, there are somethings that keep us bonded. Such as our unrequited love for NKOTB, die hard KY basketball fans, and a secret guilty pleasure: The 16 and Pregnant/Teen Mom franchise. In addition, we are both "vertically challenged" and I am the "tall one" checking in at 5'2.

MaMaw and PaPaw's Front Yard

Mid-80s

Nice Jam Shorts!

Now that I am grown, I realize how lucky I am....many people never know what it's like to have a big sister. They don't have anyone to show them the ropes for life, pick them up when they're down, keep secrets from mom, and make them laugh when they want to cry. We may not always see eye to eye...but we are always heart to heart! Love you Sissy!

2012 Final Four

Semi-Finals Game

R is for Rainbows....

I absolutely love a rainbow and my love for them goes deep into the memories of my childhood. As a child (and truth be told as an adult) one of my favorite movies is "The Wizard of Oz". sidebar: which is ironic because my sister still hasn't seen it in it's entirety due to a fear of flying monkeys. My favorite part of the movie has always been when Dorothy sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". A fond memory to compliment that is my mom singing this song to and with me before going to bed on many nights.

No matter how many years have come and gone in my life and no matter how old I am, I still get excited each time I see a rainbow. Last summer when my MaMaw passed away, my dear old friend Jennifer, told me how when ever her mom and aunt see a rainbow that they say it's their own mother and Jen's Granny sending a little hello. Her telling me this was ironic on a few levels. The first being that I don't really go around telling people how excited I get when I see rainbows. Another being that on Jennifer's wedding day when the bridal party got to the church, her aunt told us that Granny was there because she had spotted a rainbow. The last bit of irony is that in the year since my MaMaw has left this world when my life seems to be spinning in and out of control, I have looked up into the skies to see a rainbow. I just smile and think to myself "I miss you too MaMaw".

                           
Not long ago when I was trying to make the decision to change jobs and take a step in a new direction in my career, I walked out the door to find the best rainbow of all....a double rainbow. I just smiled and thought to myself "Thanks for the good advice".

Q is for Quotes.....

I love quotes. What I think is so interesting and remarkable about them, is that they stem from something people just said on a whim...without thinking. But to at least one person at that moment in time, their words became unforgettable. Words that were inspiring and meaningful. 

Often when I am up late trolling on the web and come across a quote I like, I will save it into my phone so that I can look back on it...sometimes just for fun...sometimes when I need reassurance. So here is my gift to you. Some of my favorite quotes. Hope the they inspire  you as much as they have me. 

                                                     
                                         


                                                     

                                                                   

P is for Patience....

Patience is sort of an oxymoron in my life. My cup overflows with it for some things....and for others the amount I have could fill a thimble.

Not to pat myself on the back...but as a teacher for children with special needs....I have the patience of a saint. I adore my job and the lives of others that I get the privilege to intertwine with. When it comes to teaching, my personal philosophy is that everyone has to be the best person that they are capable of being. I will teach, reteach, teach again, and do back flips to make sure that a child learns something. And no matter the teaching challenge, I never loose my cool....I keep my eye on the prize.

Now there's the flip side of my patience. When it comes to some things...I'm worse than a kid at Christmas. If I know I am going to get something....I want it and I want it now. I usually wait until the gas light comes on because I just don't like having to stop at a gas station. And don't even ask me to wait in a line somewhere...it won't be pretty.

But I guess that's what life is all about....a little bit of patience and a little excitement. I wouldn't have it any other way than to embrace my career and take the time and do it well...and not be able to sleep the night before Santa comes.

O is for Orleans.....

.....as in New. The City of New Orleans has sort of a circular meaning for me. The very first time I went to the Big Easy....I wasn't exactly thrilled about it. Although it seems like only yesterday, but when in reality it was some 17 or so years ago when I found out that my life as I knew it was over. That my family would be leaving the State of Kentucky.....the only place I had ever called home and what I always envisioned calling home forever.

I can still remember the thickness of the humidity when I got off that plane the first time we went to NOLA to scope out a new place to live. My photographic memory helps me to remember that it was President's Day weekend and the Big Easy was in full swig with Mardi Gras.

A few short months later, we move there and made a new home. It took a lot of getting used to for me. New culture, new people with new belief systems, a different and unknown way of life. Even though I was only 14....my life as I knew it was over.

Now years and even decades have come and gone and I am still living in South Louisiana only a short drive from all the thrills, bells, and whistles that NOLA has to offer. Although there are some days that I wonder what might have been....what would have been different. But I have made peace with the issue and I know that it's my own personal belief system that things happen for a reason. I may not have known the reason back in 1995....but now I see it.

Had fate never led me to make the move, I would have missed out on memories with friends that will transcend my life time. The lives that I have touched as a teacher may never have been touched (and my life not touched in return). I may not have ever kicked watching my Cats cut down the nets off the bucket list. 

Life is what we make out of it....the good...the bad...and the ugly. Questioning life and why things happen is a lot like rocking in a chair in a wind storm.....wears you out but gets you no where.

N is for New Beginnings!

No...I have not left my trip down the alphabet behind. It's been a crazy 2 weeks for me and my life and career took an unexpected turn for the better.

For the past 9 years, I have been a special education preschool teacher. The past 4 of those years I have taught a reverse mainstream preschool class which has both children with and without special needs. It was the best of both worlds for me and I loved every minute of it. However, it was always in the back burner of my mind to try something different. So at the beginning of the summer I decided to put it in the hands of faith and drop off a few resumes.

A few weeks ago, I woke up to a voice mail in regards to a teaching position. A teaching position that was not in preschool, but would still be working with children with special needs. I went in for an interview that afternoon and had to wait an agonizing 5 days to hear back and receive an offer for the position.

The decision for me to change schools, change teaching settings, leave the world of preschool behind, was not an easy one for me. I knew preschool forwards and backwards and it had become my craft. But after much thinking and pondering, I decided to be a risk taker and take on this new journey. I am no longer a special education preschool teacher, I am now a 1st and 2nd grade special education resource teacher.

As nervous as I am, I am hopeful and confident that I will be successful is this new track in my life. I'm ready to take on this new beginning! I just hope some of my teacher tricks work just as well for bigger people!

Life is full of beginnings and endings. But for every door that closes behind us...there is a new adventure to find behind the next door.