Last week, I was reminded of the importance of music. This reminder came in the form of a six-year-old girl named Lark.
Category: Kindness
Grateful Harvest: Baking in Kindergarten
This week, I had the treat of baking with kindergarteners. We transformed their four small Halloween pumpkins into a sumptuous dessert: Bread Pudding in a Pumpkin Shell! To my surprise, there were requests for seconds, thirds, and even fourths!
Showing Up
I have shown up for kids for forty-six years. It is my greatest achievement – this showing up – this putting intentional time into something as important as children. I love watching children grow and develop. I like being the one who cheers them on through the struggles.
That’s Silly! Learning and Laughing
Last spring, I submitted a poem for possible publication in Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong’s new anthology, Clara’s Kooky Compendium of Thimble Thoughts and Wonder Fuzz. Janet and Sylvia have been wonderful supportive of my poetry and my creative process. I can’t thank them enough for encouraging me to get silly again.
Refill Your Cup: Finding Balance in Teaching
This week, my joyful moment came in the form of a little second-grade girl named Victoria. Victoria rarely smiles and usually speaks in a whisper. Her writing, however, is full of sophisticated humor. I know that there is a sparkly little girl inside her somewhere.
Let’s Play!: “You be the Granny!”
Play will help us think outside the box, work collaboratively with others, and spark new ways of doing ordinary things. I was given these gentle reminders several sweet and assertive Kindergarten girls during recess time one afternoon.
What Makes You Happy?
I know I must start every day with gratitude, blessed to work in a place with such lively spirits. So many times, it is the children who have shown me the way to happiness. So many times, their fresh way of seeing things has given me pause and made me laugh.
Earth Gratitude
I immediately started reading “Returning the Gift” by Robin Wall Kimmerer the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. She is also a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Kimmerer noted that in today’s modern world we often miss Earth’s gifts and need to pay closer attention to truly feel part of her to adequately protect her.
Cultivating a “Make Lemonade” Mindset
Cultivating a “Make Lemonade” mindset is very appealing to me. I work with children who have learning differences and developing this kind of mindset is essential to them keeping motivated and engaged. I want to provide them with a path that says, “Okay, it’s hard for you to do this one way. What other ways can you create to help yourself? What can you do with what you know to be successful?” Presenting children with a “Make Lemonade” path, is very empowering.
Mindfulness Mandala
There are moments that we will never forget in our lives, some are traumatically stamped there, and some, like this one, are placed indelibly as a mile marker of hope. As I age, I find myself searching my memory more and more for those hopeful mile markers.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 