The Percussion Bus

#sol22: March 13

     My kids both had an I.G.S.M.A competition yesterday, so I had to drop them off at their schools on a Saturday morning to catch a bus to go to the performance.  My daughter had already been dropped off, and now it was my son's turn.  We pulled into the parking lot and started making our way to the front doors.  

      "Look, Mom!  There's the percussion bus, too!"

      "A percussion bus?"

      "Yeah, for the vibraphone and the timpani drums.  Those won't fit on a regular bus."

      I looked down the driveway, and saw the "percussion bus."  I was a yellow rental van.  I was suddenly thankful that they had one available in school bus yellow, because it did look like it fit right in with the regular buses.

      As he jumped out of the car, I made him pose.  I told him, as a percussionist, it was required.  

 

Shamrock Shakes

#sol22: March 11th

Shamrock shakes for three,

with a healthy dose of whipped cream.

Riding shotgun after class,

this could be my dancers' dream.

Could all months be so great, 

and offer this minty treat?

I guess the answer is no,

so we'll just enjoy what's on my seat.

 

6 Word Stories

#sol22: March 10

      Today, we had a meeting where we had to make a 6 word story in a group of 3, describing our year.  I'm usually a writer, so I was surprised how hard it was to write a story collectively.  In the end, I let my partners take the lead a bit and just contributed, but have been reflecting ever since about why that was so hard. We ended up starting with words that described struggles, then joy, and I realized that it's been more of a rollercoaster of a year than a linear plot line.  What story do I want to tell?  What year am I describing?  Honestly, I had to look through some pictures to tell my story.

A few are optimistic for the future.

One that is a bit more pessimistic, because there are a lot of things we can't control.

Perhaps a few that just show my current state of mind.

     One that is just more fun.  Because, Wordle.

     Maybe I can't write just one 6 word story about my year, but I am certainly feeling better after looking at some memories.  Perhaps there are just too many stories to tell.  For that, I am thankful.

Socks

#sol22: March 9

      Is it weird that instead of matching the immense basket of mismatched socks, I instead went to Target and bought my kids new socks?  That way, I could go another week without having to match those mismatched ones.  Is that strange?

     And, is it even more weird that the day after I bought those socks, I asked my daughter why I didn't buy myself some new socks, too?  Because this week I wore Christmas socks in March because that's where I'm at.  A nice new pack of mom socks would have been a super smart purchase.

     But then today, when I checked Twitter first thing and thought the world was just too much, and I realized that we also didn't have coffee to brew, and the kids didn't want to get up, and I was running around, I had to go to that sock basket.  I went into my room with a scowl on my face, and looked down.  There, on top, were two black socks.  A match, unmatched, but right next to each other.

     The sock fairy turned my day around. That pair of socks went on my feet, and I put one foot in front of the other, and it was a good day after all.

     Do you think the sock fairy will return on Thursday?  Fingers crossed...

Numbers in Perspective

#sol22: March 8th

$4.59 a gallon

$74.00 for a tank of gas

5,068 miles to Kyiv, Ukraine from my home

3,010,209 Kyiv citizens 

2 weeks into the Russian invasion

44,000,000 terrified citizens of Ukraine 

~2,000,000 Ukraine people are now refugees.

-----------

$4.59 a gallon is a price I can pay.

(But, seriously, I might start driving less.)

 

Yellow Ribbon

#sol22: March 7th

     The sun was shining brightly that fall day.  We were dressed in yellow, to make a yellow ribbon for osteosarcoma, and the trees seemed to get the message.  Two schools came together, an elementary school and a middle school, both united to support an ill 7th grader.  Students with yellow shirts and yellow ribbons, pinned to their shirts.  Many asking, "Is he here?  I hope he sees us."  I just kept saying, "I'm sure he does."  

     That day, I didn't know my role in supporting our student, or our staff.  I had never personally taught him, or his sister, but he is still our student.  So, I came to stand with his classmates and his teachers.  It's all I could think to do.  I remember taking pictures that day, thinking that somehow commemorating the event would make some small difference.  Who knows it if it did, but I felt like I needed to do something.  

     That picture, above, is the perspective I had that day, me standing in the ribbon.  One of many, but all for one.  

     This weekend, the call came.  Teachers, filled with grief, sharing the news of his passing.  

     Once again, I feel like I'm standing there, not quite sure what to do, but feeling like something needs to be done.  All I can think about is his family, and our teachers as they welcome students back tomorrow with one less classmate in attendance.  What I wouldn't give for that fall day, when perhaps there still seemed like there was hope.  But, I think what we felt that day was united support, and possibly a hope for a miracle or perhaps a peaceful goodbye.  He had already fought so hard, and so bravely.

      A friend of mine posted a St. Baldricks fundraiser the morning he passed, so I donated in his memory.  She, her wife, and her son shaved their heads that same day, and I hope the money raised by them and many others helps find an end to losses like these.  But, in the meantime, I guess we must just stand together again, and support each other the best we can, as grief always presents itself differently.  Unlike the sun shining brightly that day, grief is all cloud covered and waits to cast it's shadow at unexpected moments.  But, when the clouds pass, Amadeo will still be with us in our hearts,  as we look towards the sun.

Spectator in Stride

#sol22: March 6

     

     "Come on guys!  It's time to go watch Dad!"

     "Can we sit in the car?"

     "Only until Dad should be finishing."

     "Ok."

      This is the easiest race our little Curb Crew has each year to support my husband, the marathon runner.   This race is an 8k at the park district down the street.  My husband drives there himself and starts at 8am, and we know to show up by 8:30.  If we get there by 8:15, we can usually get a pretty close parking spot, too.  So, we throw on some Irish gear, and head to the Running O' the Green.  

     "Mom, can I have your shamrock hat?"

     "Here you go."

     "I'm not wearing any green today."

     "Suit yourself."

      We get there and find a nice spot, and wait for about 10 minutes before my daughter sees the time and says that we'd better start making our way over to the finish line.  We get out of the car and walk over to some paving stones that overlook the running path as it winds around the park district.  My son and I stand on the pavers, and my daughter jumped down and walked closer to the path on the grass below.  And we waited...

      "Here he comes!" I shout.

      It looked like my daughter didn't see him at first, even though he was literally the only runner on the path.  But, then I realized she was hatching a plan to run with him.  Before I knew it, the two were running together as he turned that last bend.  She had become a spectator in stride with the competitor.   Of course, to see him finish the race, I needed to run through the parking lot to cut through to the finish.  That sweet family moment was cut short.

      "Mom!  Are you crazy?  You're running through a parking lot!  Cars drive here!" my son yelled as he, too, ran through a parking lot.

      "We'll be fine.  They're all running."

     We got back to the path just in time for my husband to run past us, and my daughter rejoined us.  He passed right in front of us.

      "Go, BOD!"

      "Mom, that's so cringy.  That's so loud."

      So this is spectating the Running O' the Green with a pre-teen and a new teen.  

 

Qubosity

#sol22: March 5th

     

     It was family game night, and we decided to play Qubosity.  You role the cubes, and then you have 30 seconds to go around the table to and name things that start with the letter we rolled.  

L

Me: Long Walk to Water (grabbed the Books cube)

K: Lakers (grabbed Sports Teams cube)

J: Lost key (grabbed Things in a Purse cube)

G: ....(thinking)....

Time's Up!  G took a chip, and we rolled the next letter.  We also rolled the cubes we had just grabbed and put them back into the middle to form new categories.

P

Me:.........

Me: Still thinking

Me: Come on!  Why can't I think of anything?

Me: Seriously?  How are there only 10 seconds left?

Me: Wow.  Think is embarrassing.

The timer went off, and my family just looked at me sympathetically before rolling a new letter.  My daughter did make sure I got my loser chip, though.   It made me wonder, is Friday night the best night for a teacher to be playing a timed word game?  Perhaps all the words in my teacher brain have been used, and Friday night should be a night of cognitive rest.  That, or P is just not my letter.

 

     

 

Dr. Blackwell

#sol22: March 4

      I was walking down the hallway, and a little girl was walking to the office on a delivery.  I said good morning, and then took a closer look.  She was wearing scrubs and a stethoscope around her neck.

     "Are you a doctor, or a nurse?" I asked her.

     "I am the first woman doctor.  My name is Elizabeth Blackwell."

      "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Elizabeth Blackwell."

Women's History Month is here!

 

Pickles

#sol22: March 3

     I was walking past this 6th grade classroom, and the teacher's question caught my eye.  

Pickles: Delicious or Gross?

     I immediately thought about the pickle Doritos that a friend recently brought to my house.  She had run to Walgreens to get juice boxes for our kids, and came back with a back of pickle flavored Doritos.  GROSS, right?

     I mean, it would have been rude not to try one.  So, I reached into the bag and took a bite.  A science experiment of sorts.  She looked at me kind of strange, not sure what my reaction was going to be.  At first, I must have made a face, because she said, "What do you think?"

     "They taste like Cool Ranch Doritos, but they are a little sour."

      Then I looked at the bag again.  "CRUCH SOUR PUNCH" was written in big bold letters.  I knew my assessment was fair.  When my sister arrived, I told her to try one.  Before I knew it, almost the whole bag was gone.  

Gross? It turns out, not really.

Delicious?  Not quite.

A little intriguing?  You bet.

     

 

Fruit Loopy

 

#sol22: March 2nd

     We went to my son's band concert, and of course had to celebrate with some ice cream.  We headed to our favorite ice cream parlor, The Plush Horse, and I looked up at the seasonal offerings.  There are some pretty regular ice cream flavor behaviors in my family...

My daughter: Moose Tracks

My son: Peppermint

My husband: Nothing

Me: A seasonal flavor

     With March now here, I was hoping for Irish Cream.  No such luck.  But, they did have Fruity Loopy.  I looked at my daughter, and I said, "Did I like Fruity Loopy?"  She looked confused, and I realized that I was going to need to rely on my memory alone.  But, it was failing me.  Were the Fruit Loops soggy when put in the ice cream?  Or were they just soft enough where they still seemed a bit like Fruit Loops?  I could ask for a taster, but there's plexiglass up.  I don't think we can even do that these days.  I was at a loss. Should I take the risk?

     I'm in such a state of decision overload that I couldn't even get a seasonal flavor of ice cream.  I chickened out and got chocolate peanut butter.  I knew that was going to be a tried and true treat.  I left Plush Horse feeling a little fruity loopy myself...

Flashlights

#sol22: March 1st

     Today, one of our schools did a Boston Massacre crime scene, since they are learning about the event and using it to explore the idea of multiple perspectives in a historical event.  The Irving Eagles staff (Stevens, Von Ebers, and Blaufuss) set up a scene with 5 clues to help students determine if the group of British soldiers accidentally started a fight that killed 5 colonists, or if it was intentionally started.  Accident, or murder?

Exhibit A: Crime Scene

Marker 4: Setting

The incident happened at 9 o'clock at night in March.  Consider what it is like at 9pm at this time of year.  Is it dark or light?  Would it be easy to see what is happening?  Could it be confusing?

Student: I don't get what it is asking.

Me: {Read it out loud.}. It's March 1st today.  What will it look like outside at 9pm tonight?

Student: It will be dark out.

Me: So would it be easy to see what is happening outside in the dark?

Student: I think they probably just had flashlights.

Me: Did flashlights exist back then?  I don't think they had batteries, either.

Student: Hmmm.  Yeah, I don't know.

Me: If they had street lamps, there might be light.  Do you think they had to light those, if they did exist?

Student: Maybe we can see if there were lamps in the pictures of the Boston Massacre.

(I walked over to the picture of the images in Exhibit 5)

Me: Doesn't that seem weird that some look like they happened in the daytime, and others seem like they are at night?

     At this point, I start to look for lampposts in the images.  I got distracted by a student who said, "Oh no!  There's a dead body."  To that I replied, "May he rest in peace."  Immediately, 3-4 kids start doing the sign of the cross.  That was my last thought about street lighting, until I got home.  In the dark of the night, I remembered our wondering, and searched the internet.  I love how curious students push me to learn, too.  So, in case you were wondering, too...

      

 

#OneWord2022

Here we go again...

A new year, a new word.

I have always tried to choose words that would make me a better version of myself, but in a realistic kind of way.  Like, what could I reasonably focus on, that would make my year better?  Looking back, most of the words have been more to improve my professional life as an educator, or my life as a parent.  Perhaps this year, I will just choose to do something that I love.

READ.

I have always been a reader.  I grew up across the street from the library.  Steven Kellogg and Judith Viorst were my picture books of choice.  As I got to 3rd grade, I used to spend my allowance money at Waldenbooks.  I started as a Babysitters Club fanatic, then moved onto Christopher Pike novels as a young teen.  My high school and college years were spent in mostly the required readings, but I did take an elective British lit class at U of I that I really enjoyed.  For awhile, it was Dan Brown, Nicholas Sparks, and the Shopaholic books that grabbed my attention.  Then, I became a teacher.  The first book I bought for my classroom was the new Ramona's World book, published just that year. I hung around in early chapter books for awhile, and then moved up to middle grade.  Harry Potter was my guy.  As a literacy coordinator, I started to read young adult as well.  I also started reading quite a bit of historical fiction, mostly around our units of study in 4th-8th grade.  Many of these books were read while I saw in a waiting room while my kids were at dance or swim class.  And that's where I stayed.  

Then, a pandemic hit.

While others might have used the pandemic to start reading, I stopped.  Like, almost completely.  There were a few novels read in Bazz's summer book clubs of 2019 and 2020 (with the best Zoom book club EVER with Colleen Hoover).  And Brezek had us read some social justice books in a book club, also via Zoom.  But, with a whole curriculum to revamp, I didn't have a lot of time to read.  And, with the time I did have to read, I spent hours on Twitter, reading articles about the pandemic and remote teaching and more about the pandemic. It's not like I was waiting for my kids at their sports classes anymore, either.  They were Zoom dancing in my front room.  Fiction became a thing of the past, unless I was reading it to record read alouds for our students.

I did buy a good amount of new novels, but they sat... Unread.

Then, one day last month, I was walking through Barnes and Noble to grab a coffee, and I saw it.  Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World.  There was a sequal?!?!  I read the first book, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, years ago in one night.  I stayed up until 3 am to finish it.  I just needed to see what happened between Ari and Dante.  It was one of the first coming of age novels I'd read, and it just opened up so many new understandings for me about culture, the LGBTQ community, family, and identity, and LOVE. I needed that sequal.  So, I picked it up, and it joined the pile of books that I have been buying but not reading.

One day during break, I decided that Ari and Dante deserved to be read.  So, I picked it up, and pretty much didn't put it down.  This book!  Reading it during our current pandemic, but knowing that Ari and Dante found their love during the AIDS pandemic, just had a profound impact on me.  The story of loss, the value of friendship, the relationships we have with family, the impact of teachers, the threads on racism and advocacy, it was all there for me to discover.  And, it immediately reminded me of WHY I read fiction.  The world I live in is seen with my eyes, but when I read fiction, I step into the perspectives of others.  And, I always learn something that helps me see the humans in my own world in a new and more empathetic way.  Ari reminded me that, sometimes, we invent who other people are in our minds, and that invention becomes our reality.  But, it isn't reality.  That's a lesson I needed to read as I step into 2022, during year 3 of the COVID pandemic.

Dante and Ari's love story also taught me that I need to remember and make space for my own love of books in 2022.  Works of fiction help me see the world as it was, and as it could be. They help me be a better human.  So, this year I will READ.  

(For you audio book lovers out there, Lin-Manuel Miranda narrates both books!  I might just need to listen to the first one all over again...)

And, I just so happen to have a friend who is leading the charge by organizing a teacher book club.  Thanks, Claudia Scott, for the motivation.

I think my first title in 2022 will be the book I started on summer vacation in the Smoky Mountains in 2021, This Tender Land.  I just need to find it...  I also bought Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone books for a little family book club.  And, there might have been a sale on hardcover books this week at Barnes and Noble.  

Let's READ!

 

#OneWord2021

      So, it seems, I have not blogged about my #oneword for a few years.  Imagine my surprise when I went to my blog to refresh my memory, and my memory failed me because I didn't even remember to write about it for multiple years.  

     I went to Twitter to "help" my memory, and came up with this #oneword history:

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

 

So, in the past 5 years, I strived to:

• Be present with the people in the moment.
• Be confident in making decisions in my life and in my new (at the time) professional role.
• Organize, everything.
• Don't make major changes, rather make nuanced ones that achieve goals.
• Focus on today, and try to worry less about tomorrow. 

     That last one.  What a spot on word! I had really struggled coming up with a word for 2020.  Now, as I look back, I think I was on the struggle bus for a variety of reasons.  I couldn't even pick a word to focus on. But, I went and hung out with a 5th grade class, and a 5th grade student shared his word, and it was TODAY because he worries so much about tomorrow and the future that his word was to help him remember to live TODAY.  I asked him if I could borrow his word, because I was feeling the same way.  

     And then a pandemic hit.

     Suddenly, TODAY was a whole new thing.  For months there, that word went from trying to focus just on today because the stress of tomorrow was too great, while simultaneously trying to reinvent today because yesterday wouldn't work in a pandemic world.  We ended up reinventing TODAY:  education, shopping, birthdays, holidays, experiences, celebrations, everything.  The day to day life we had had was no longer within reach.  So, we reinvented TODAY.

    TODAY.  That student sure helped me pick a good one.

     That brings me to 2021.  And honestly, I really need to use some of those previous year words again.  Like, I really really do.  But, I think that would be #OneWord cheating.  And 2021, while it brings hope for a better year ahead, also reminds us that the pandemic is far from over.  I could go with a word like "hope" or "joy," but I didn't really lose those in 2020.  I'd love to say "control," but 2020 taught me that is unrealistic.  I could be funny and choose "sanitize" but I do that pretty seamlessly.  I have become better at risk analysis, so I could go with "risk" but that might sound a bit negative.  The world doesn't need more negativity.  So, I landed on PRIORITIES.  It will help me reapply some of my words from the past, while also helping me make choices in a pandemic.  

2021

     I won't share with you what mine are, but I do encourage you to do the same (one word or not).  This world has forced us to the point of decision fatigue.  Perhaps if we keep our priorities in mind, it will help make those impossible decisions a little more possible.  And by impossible, I could just mean picking what to make for dinner. But, I also need to make big decisions, like keeping my kids as remote learners. In a pandemic, decisions are hard, and some feel like climbing a mountain with no gear. Maybe my PRIORITIES can be that compass I need.

     2020 has also made me realize that each one of us, as humans, have different priorities and goals.  The choices we make are on display for others to see these days.  But, if I keep my priorities at the center of my decision making, perhaps I will remain confident in my choices even if others would do things differently.  Here's to finding out if that happens!

     Stay well in 2021!

 

Show Up

 

     There I was, on a Saturday afternoon, listening to Lucy Calkins close out their first ever virtual Saturday Reunion.  Of course, I had forgotten all about it, so I only got to see 1 mini session and this closing message, but I tuned in all the same.  I was hoping she'd talk about an article I had just read about early literacy.  She did not.  Instead, she brought me to tears.

     She talked about the need to Show Up.  That, in this crazy time, we need to show up for each other.  She told the story of her adult children (2 of whom have my own children's name- extra tears for that) showing up as her husband passed away last spring.  I was listening to her speak as I was working on a forth grade planning doc, and the screen started to get a bit harder to read.  Tears were clouding my vision, as I could hear the strain in her voice.  Her heartbreak had now become a metaphor for all of us, as we struggle and grieve with what the pandemic has done to the world we knew.

      Her closing message had nothing to do with reading or writing or phonics.  It was a message about humanity.  She reminded us that we need to be as connected as we can be right now.  We just need to show up for each other.

      We don't need to be perfect.

      Our presence matters to others.

      Show up for your students.

      Show up for your colleagues.

      Show up for our country.

      Hold on to the faith that we matter.

      Vote.

      As I wiped a tear, the doorbell rang.  I was in the middle of working on 4th grade Quarter 2, and was crying, so I didn't want to get up.  My husband wasn't home, and I thought maybe he left his keys at home.  So, I sent him a message. 

     In he walks, holding a delivery.  Indeed, it was a pumpkin of flowers.  It was sent by one of our 4th grade teachers, who "just wanted to put a SMILE" on my face.  That smile came, of course, while I was working on 4th grade curriculum and crying over Lucy's words about showing up for others.

     Theresa Sievers, I have no idea how you managed to show up just when I needed you, but you sure did.  In fact, this past few weeks have been so very stressful for so many many reasons, and the stress was less because people that I work with kept showing up.  Kind emails.  Coffee and chocolate deliveries.  Thankful words.  Text messages.  Twitter tags.  Why?  Simply because I work with the best staff in the world, who SHOW UP for their colleagues.

     We are going through some pandemic level stress right now.  Instinct often leads us to show our stress by criticizing and pointing fingers.  It is happening all over social media.  The reality is, though, that in order to get through this, we need each other.  We need to show up.  Some days, we are showing up for others.  Some days, they show up for us.  Together, we will get through this.  In the meantime, I'll just stop and smell my pumpkin of flowers and be thankful for my D100 family.

      I challenge you to stop and take a moment and send a kind message or do a random act of kindness right now. This very second.  It could be a text message to a friend you haven't seen, or a kind comment on a coffee cup left on a doorstep.  It doesn't matter what it is.  It will matter to someone.  Show up with kindness when the world seems upside down.