Rainbows are Everywhere

#SOL16

Day 16

     When I graduated college, I needed to make a professional portfolio.  Because I like themes, I made mine about seeing more rainbows than rain (or, seeing the positive instead of the negative side of things in education).  I even got rainbow stationary.  It was pretty awesome.  {I think.}  I can't currently find it to prove that, and I had actually completely forgotten the portfolio until this year.

     This fall, I was driving home from school on 9-11, and an ambulance drove by.  When I looked for it, I saw a rainbow in the sky.  Seeing a rainbow over first responders on 9-11 was clearly a sign I was supposed to notice.  But, it wasn't until I walked into a first grade classroom a few weeks later and saw this sign that I actually remembered that portfolio, and the mindset I had started my educational career with.

     I told +Kayla Kaczmarek that I love rainbows, and being the bright and shining person she is, I started associating them with her.  And suddenly, I began to notice them everywhere.

     In the preschool halls of Komensky...

     In math meetings...

     In childrens' books...

     Even in the QR code reading talking stems of +Shianne Gillespie.

     After Read Across America Day, Kayla became my literal rainbow with her costume from The Bad Case of Stripes.  There's just no denying it.  

     On this St. Patrick's Day Eve, I got to read a book abut rainbows to a 4th grade class who had just finished their weather unit.  I had bought it just the day before for +Kayla Kaczmarek because it was on clearance and started and ended with a rainbow.  But, while reading it to +Virginia Burdett's room after their Touchcast presentations (because they had ASKED me to bring a book) I realized what a lovely fictional water cycle book it is.  The kids saw their tornado, flood, and blizzard research in it, and I got to call them my rainbows.  They had invited me to the event with an invitation that had said, "Remember, you don't just learn from books.  You also learn from videos that students make around the building."  Yep, they are little rainbows all right.   

     So, I came home from work, utterly exhausted from just the sheer volume of things to accomplish  as an educator.  But, as I unpacked my own daughter's book bag, I found this book that she had made in kindergarten today.  Rainbow Hair!  Then I sat down to write this blog post with absolutely nothing to say, and a Twitter notification came up with a tweet from Kayla with the image below.  My topic emerged through the clouds like a rainbow breaking through on a rainy day.

     Rainbows are everywhere.  The literal ones, and the metaphoric ones.  That cup of coffee on my desk this morning from +Lori Horne was a caffeinated rainbow.  The truthful conversations I had with coworkers today were thoughtful rainbows.  The leprechaun traps in kinder were joyful rainbows. The photographs of my ancestors from Ireland were sentimental rainbows.  They were just all around me today.  I remembered to notice them.  

     See more rainbows than rain.  There's bound to be treasure ahead.