It's been a pleasant Thanksgiving week, in spite of our lack of money and resources. The family has played well together (meaning my extended family) and my kids and I really have utilized the break by doing a whole lot of nothing. I do have several things on my to-do list today, but it's been really nice not having an agenda. I'm thankful for the rest. I'm thankful for my kids that have actually played together and been sweet to one another. I'm thankful that in spite of it all I can feel peaceful and loved.

My niece and I had coffee yesterday and love was brought up. She is about to graduate from college with a degree in education and she is soooooooo excited about getting into the classroom. We were talking about the different philosophies of education and she said she had read one book that said you don't have to like all of your students, but you have to act like you like all of your students. "I don't think that's true, " she passionately explained," I think you love all of your students and find what's unique about each one of them. If you love them, it won't really matter if you like them, they will learn something from you, even if it's about being loved." I'm so glad to have a fellow believer coming in the classroom.

I was taunted pretty mercilessly by some of my fellow educators last year for loving my students and finding something nice to say about everyone of them. I'm not saying it's always easy, I teach middle school remember....there are some 12 and 13 year olds that make it a goal to be unlovable, but it is my job to teach them something and I think that learning you are valuable is just as important as how to properly punctuate a compound sentence. Don't get me wrong because I definitely am not into the false "everyone deserves an A, you are all equal, you are great and people like you" brand of self-esteem. What I've seen as the repercussions of that movement are ignorance and arrogance. We are all very different people with unique talents and gifts and I think the "everyone is equal" movement did a great disservice to our kids.(but that is a whole other blog) What I am talking about is taking the time to get to know the students in your class, praising their strengths, challenging their weaknesses, encouraging them to make wise decisions and loving them through their ickiness when they have bad days. Is that easy and always plausible in our test driven public education system? No, it is time consuming and exhausting. Are there kids that make that goal almost an impossibility? Yes, but my hope is that the ones I miss, someone else can reach and I can reach some of the ones that drop through other classroom cracks. Shouldn't that be the parents' job? Yes, but not all parents manage to do that, and besides that, there isn't a limit on the number of people allowed to care about  you.

I can't believe it's been so long since I've been on here. I thought I should put something up here since Elsa is teaching a class and in case any of my classmates stop by, I don't want the place to be empty. Messy perhaps, but not empty. So what's been happening around here the last 18 months or so?

Me...I went back to work last year, teaching middle school. I wasn't quite ready to go back, and I miss being home with my kids, but sometimes you do what you have to do. It's hard to beat having summers off and middle schoolers provide ample opportunities for amusement...raging hormones and low filters equals all kind of stories they will tell you. My kids are getting older now..my oldest is 6th grade, my daughter is taking over her 2nd grade class and my youngest is begrudgingly attending kindergarten. I have some stories to tell, but for now I think I'll swing by and say hi to some old friends and look forward to meeting some new ones.

So there are some weird things about living in a small town, even if it is next to a big city. Like a phone call from the town, one of those automated phone systems to let you know about emergencies and such, to tell you that the circus has moved due to the rain. Okay....didn't even know the circus was in town, but by golly, I would have hated to have gone to the old spot and not found the tent....of course the new location being so far from the old one....across the street.

But I'm glad to know my tax dollars are hard at work!

That balance thing? Obviously I'm not too committed to it, I agreed to a new puppy.

What was I thinking?? But she's really cute, and pretty good as far as puppies go. She helps us pick up the playroom by grabbing any toy on the ground, she keeps the cats in order by keeping them up high or outside, she even cleans the litter box, if I let her, but since she also likes to lick my toes, I try not to let her very often, if you know what I mean.

Camille started soccer as well. Of course, to her first practice she had to wear a skirt and in between turns she was practicing her high kicks. She really, really, really wants to be a pee-wee cheerleader and I am fighting it soooooo hard. So I'm letting her try everything else in hopes that something will grab her attention. It's not that I'm trying to be controlling (okay, maybe a little), it's just that we live in Texas and well, I'm not all that crazy about being put on a hit list. Any ideas?

It's all about balance. My life has been out of balance the last year and I'm trying to get a grip on it again. I think that's why I love my yoga class so much is because for that 1 hour 3 days a week (if I'm lucky) I'm balanced. Everything I do to the left, I do to the right, I'm centered, I'm grounded, and yet I'm still reaching and stretching. My goal is to take that out into the real world. Balancing my kids activities with some of my own, balancing work with pleasure, balancing responsibility with freedom. It's a skill more than a gift, so I'll keep practicing. Taking a few falls I'm sure, but that's how I grow and eventually I'll get it right.   No that isn't me, and yes, I'll get tired of the yoga metaphor someday.