Showing posts with label quotes. Show all posts
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Just Keep Swimming
Today I'm thinking about a story that Scott Shickler shared last summer at the 7 Mindsets University. It's about a legendary swimmer named Florence Chadwick. It was on the fourth of July of 1952, and this 34-year-old woman who had already swum back and forth across the English Channel set out to swim the stormy seas of the Pacific Ocean off of Catalina Islands en route for California. The water was choppy and the weather chilly. A dense fog hung in the air, making visibility so difficult that she could hardly see the boats alongside of her. After swimming for fifteen hours, Florence begged her mom and trainer, in one of those adjacent boats, to allow her to stop, but they told her she was close and encouraged her to keep on. Unable to see the shore, Florence became disoriented and just couldn't go on. She was taken out of the water, only to be told that she was less than a half a mile from her goal. It was the only time she had quit.
In a news conference the next day, Florence said this:
So my reflection questions today include:
What are the things in life that keep you in the fog?
and
How easy is it to lose sight of the shore because of that fog?
Who is in your boat, helping you stay the course?
and
What are the benefits to perseverance and endurance?
What are the risks?
If you could talk with Florence Chadwick, what would you ask?
What would you say? And how would those words help you
to keep on swimming the next time you're in the fog?
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Retiring Reflections
It was on Mothers Day, about three and a half months ago, that I decided it was time to retire from blogging. And while I did have a wonderful break from it, I have missed the reflection piece that journaling my thoughts and sharing them online offers. I've also missed the creative outlet I get from the writing process. So, I've decided to come out of my self-imposed retirement {or maybe it was just a summer break} as I start my 33rd year in public education. I was invited to inspire character educators at six different venues this summer, so I am
re-energized and ready to grow.
One of my workshop participants made this for her office
from something I said over and over again this summer.
Thank you, Toni, for bringing my reflection to life.
One of my workshop participants made this for her office
from something I said over and over again this summer.
Thank you, Toni, for bringing my reflection to life.
My first share? A growth-mindset song I wrote this morning:
Now I just need to get really good at it on my ukulele!
What would you say if you were to write verse two?
We were blessed to hear Liz Murray last week;
here's what she said that stuck.
I know, right? Let that power-bite sink in for a bit.
I actually got kind of carried away tweeting her thoughts as she shared:
She added that, "People will grow into the conversation you create around them." So today I'm thinking about how her words of wisdom will change me,
help make me better at what I do.
For now, I'm gearing up to cartwheel on in to the new school year tomorrow. Thank you, Jennifer Runde, for capturing passion in this photo.
courtesy of our FISD Leadership Team.
Happy new year; it feels good to be back at the Corner.
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Wise At Heart
Today I'm delighted because I spent most of it outside, enjoying the incredible weather and doing some work pulling weeds from the flowerbeds and yard. As I reflected on all of the happenings of last week, my heart and mind kept coming back to this gem that showed up on my desk, from my friend Zoe.
Some days are like that, aren't they?
You're struggling with something that seems insurmountable and then
someone says or does just the right thing to help turn things around.
Sometimes it's a drawing or a note of affirmation.
Sometimes it's a phone call or a text.
Sometimes it's a book, like this one, from my friend Annie.
It's a beautiful collection of inspirational pictures and words
about hope and kindness, about life and love.
Take a look inside, at one of my favorite pages.
It's chunk full of important reminders for and from
young and old alike,
about how we all matter
and how we can all make a difference.
Sometimes I get worn out and need to remember.
And then ... it's spring break.
And we're given a precious gift ~ time ~
just like the perfectly-timed picture that Zoe drew for me
and the book that Annie hand-picked for me.
If you're on break, how will you use your time this week?
Here's to some springtime relaxation, restoration, and rejuvenation.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Thursday Treasure Trove
Today, a few treasures.
What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself?
Why not take the Dear-Me Challenge?
Next, this growth-mindset maxim to remind us that
anything is possible.
Then, from Daily Good: What If Schools Taught Kindness?
And from Edutopia: Three Videos on the Importance of Empathy
NPR's thoughtful post about What Kids Need From Grown-Ups
Play to Your Strengths from our friends at The 7 Mindsets
And from PBS, Teaching Frustration Tolerance
For comic relief, this Social Skills for Politicians clip
Finally, check out this passionate and innovative superhero:
E is for enthusiasm.
Don't you just love how excited he gets?
Talk about your Thursday treasure trove!
Happy reading {and watching}.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
A Happy Meal
Today I'm excited because we just spent five glorious days away.
A much-needed break from the hustle and bustle.
Celebrating family.
In the great outdoors.
It's a twenty-year tradition, to leave home over Thanksgiving break and spend some time a few hours down the road in the Texas Hill Country.
Hiking.
Swimming in the Comal River.
Fishing.
Napping.
Playing cards.
Shopping.
This caught my eye on this year's outing:
I've never heard it said like that, but I believe it's true.
I've watched grace change people's lives.
I know that this Thursday it made a difference in ours.
We decided to enjoy an early Thanksgiving meal this year, so we drove up to the Golden Corral shortly after they opened. The line stretched out the door, but wasn't as long, we didn't think, as it was last year when we ate after our hike. An elderly man got in line right behind us. By himself. After a few minutes, I invited him into a conversation by asking if he graduated from A&M, a pretty easy guess since his shirt sported its colors and logo. I told him that Jacob was a student there now, and we visited about Aggieland for a bit. We stepped into his story for a spell and learned some things about our new friend, most significant was that he had recently lost his wife of 34 years. As we neared our turn at the cash register, I wondered if it'd be weird to ask him to sit with us. It was Thanksgiving, after all, and he was all alone. And then, as if John were reading my thoughts, he asked if we ought to invite that Aggie to eat with us. So, we did. And as we were about to sit down, he told us he said as he entered the restaurant, "It's just you and me today, Lord." He thanked us for including him and offered to say grace. So we circled up with Morris at the Golden Corral, we held hands, and we prayed.
Together.
Grace.
It changes everything.
Speaking of happy meals, if you want a creative twist for your next collaboration, here's a fun resource we made. Print these on card stock and laminate them to use when you want to randomly group students. (There are 3 sets of 36 cards, so feel free to share with 2 friends.) Want a foursome? Group them by restaurant. Want pairs? Let students find someone with a matching item. Want a bigger group? Have all of the burgers, fries, toys, or shakes, for example, work together. Click on the picture to download. How else would you use these grouping cards?
Sunday, November 8, 2015
The Gift Of Gratitude
Let's talk gratitude. A month or so ago, I was invited by Shelley Burgess to guest moderate a Twitter Chat {#satchatwc}. When I selected a November date, I just knew my topic would have something to do with thanks-giving.
Today, I'm sharing how that chat yesterday went.
Click {here} to read the archives; enjoy these highlights.
First, I asked participants to introduce themselves and share a favorite quote, thought, or reflection about gratitude. Here's mine.
There were SO many inspirational quotes shared,
like this one from my Principal friend, Beth Houf.
After about 7 minutes of sharing, I posed the first question on this beautiful picture of last week's rainbow, taken by my friend Jen.
Here are just a few of their awesome answers:
Seven more minutes passed, and then came question two.
I shared this infographic from the Templeton Foundation:
After we talked about the benefits of gratitude, we moved on to
question three, which asked participants to share their promising practices for nurturing gratitude in their students.
From students, we went on to showing gratitude to faculty & staff.
Someone shared this cool idea for a staff WoW journal.
Then I challenged my Tweeps to go deeper ...
... and deeper.
Some of the answers were heartbreaking.
Gratitude through cancer.
Gratitude through student suffering.
Gratitude through broken trust.
And yet, gratitude has gotten them through the tough times.
Now that's thanks-living.
And our final question:
Did you know there's an APPreciation app?
Check out Gratitude 365.
Then it was action time. The Challenge:
How will you make gratitude a verb?
It was so much fun to come up with these questions and then experience the generosity of these gratitude gurus.
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| Click to learn more about The Zen Teacher book. |
So today I'm celebrating the gift of gratitude and I thank you, dear reader, for being in my Corner. I'm grateful for you. Every day.
Monday, August 24, 2015
The Changes Cha-Cha-Cha
Today I'm excited because I started my 32rd year in public education. I also started a new job at a school that's new to me, working with students at a different age and stage than I'm used to. And I got my new laptop today. You could say that I've stepped out of my comfort zone a bit whole bunch.
Sing it with me: Ch-ch-ch Changes
Taking my new ukulele to school today felt like a pretty big leap of faith. So did wearing the grass skirt (that my friend Annie gave me last May) over my new outfit. Would I be able to play the chords fluidly enough? Would the kids think it was cool? Would they recognize the song and {gasp} maybe even sing along?
It was yesterday morning after church that I decided on The Lava Song, a Pixar Short that played before Inside Out at a theater near you this summer. I started the repetition I'd need for the muscle memory to pull me along and varied the words slightly to make it a welcome-back tune. Then this morning, I watched for third graders (my comfort zone kids) whom I could serenade.
I'm happy to report that I survived the jump. Welcoming students to Bales with a song was a total blast and well worth the blisters on my finger tips and my thumb. Here's a clip that one of the moms caught and graciously shared:
So this year, I'm making it my mission to embrace the Changes Cha-Cha-Cha and dance it fervently, with energy, passion, and grace. Care to join me?
Time now to work up my next song:
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine ...
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine ...
Monday, July 27, 2015
Monday Made It: Scrabble Tabs
Today I'm feeling crafty, so I'm linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics
and sharing two things on Monday Made It.
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| Click image to see what everyone else is making. |
Lately, I've had so much fun taking pictures and making them into inspirational minis. Last night I snapped this shot poolside.
My friend Jennifer Runde took this vacation picture and gave me
permission to use it as a slide in a workshop presentation.
You can create posters like these in Picmonkey or Powerpoint.
On Saturday I took a stab at making these Scrabble Tabs.
Here's a quick video tutorial.
John showed me how the edges of the tiles would serve as a tool to cut the magnet paper to the perfect size; we had the whole batch done in less than an hour.
Easy Breezy, Lemon Squeezy!
I took them to my classroom this morning, to try them out.
Here they are stuck on our Collaboration Station in Hero Headquarters.
I can't wait to play Scrabble. Or Boggle. Or Hangman.
We can also use the tiles to incentivize desired behaviors.
Students can earn letters for words like LEADERS;
move letters up to reinforce strong leadership choices.
When the whole word is in complete alignment,
it'll be time for a dance or some other fun.
Just for fun. Because fun is the ticket to engagement.
So that's what I've been up to, to beat the heat.
What have you created lately?
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