The Sunrise Story

Life seems to be moving at hyperspeed. There are days when it's hard to stop and catch my breath. I'm working on practicing gratitude during these times. Here are some things which bring me joy and for which I'm thankful... 1. Students who challenge me and make me laugh. 2. Acts of kindness. 3. Laughing (and crying) with friends who see me and love me. 4. Phone calls and FaceTime with family. 5. Time spent in the pages of my notebook where I feel safe and free. 6. Walks and cuddles with Bella. 7. A school where I feel heard and valued. 8. The taste of my coffee in the morning. 9. Spending time making and creating 10. Long drives where I belt out my favorite tunes. 11. Making lists. 12. Cozy blankets and pillows. 13. My favorite blue ice cube trays that make my tiny ice cubes. 14. Making plans to attend & present at NCTE. 15. Pausing and listening. Just sitting down and jotting this list has helped me on this gloomy and rainy morning...

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. I've been thinking for the past couple of days about this post...but I can't think of anything to write. Frozen in my failure, I want to quit, but I push through and show up here...even though it seems pointless. Who wants to read a blog post about nothing?  I begin to panic a bit...Have I "lost it"? My passion for blogging? My ability to blog? Why can't I think of something clever? What do I have to say that anyone will want to read? (By the way, I'd have all of these answers if it was you asking the questions!) Should I quit? Give up? Accept defeat? NO.  Instead, I show up.  Instead, I remember the words I said yesterday to my seventh-graders,  "Show up. It gets easier." Instead, I write and show grace to myself. Instead, I remember that blogging is a muscle that I haven't stretched in a while and I need to warm up, I need to take some deep breaths. Here I am. Showing up to the page. I'...

Tomorrow is Back to School Night. My brain is filled with thoughts and plans to make that a productive and successful evening. My slice today will contain the top ten important things in my life:  1. I quit diet coke a week and a day ago. Brain fog has finally lifted.  2. I'm teaching only seventh graders this year. I miss my sixth graders, but I do love my seventh graders. There's never a dull moment.  3. Instagram stories are a new obsession of mine. I make silly and goofy stories and I have way too much fun doing it.  4. For the first year in forever, I have a paper calendar for school that I'm using and loving! 5. I'm only teaching electives this year. It's a whole new world and I'm really enjoying it! 6. Currently, I'm on notebook number 77 and loving it!  7. I read 86% of the Harry Potter series this summer. I only have book seven left.  8. This is my 23rd year of teaching. I just realized that I'm four years away from teaching as l...