My students wrote letters to honor their mothers as Mother's Day approaches. I gave them no guidelines other than to write what they love about their mothers, and if they were to get stuck for words, they could write about a favorite experience they had together. I didn't collect these, but from glancing, I caught some of the most beautiful gifts the children could give, their loving words. Here are some of my favorite quotes from today.
"Dear Mom...Thank you for being my mom and loving me even when I'm wrong."
"Dear Mom...You are a great cook. Your cooking is good and so is your heart, but please let me have your heart."
"Dear Mom...I love you so much. Thank you for bringing me into this world with Jesus."
"Dear Mom....You pack my lunch everyday.... Thank you because you cook dinner everyday almost.Thank you for getting breakfast ready....Thank you for sometimes taking us out to eat too....Thank you for working so hard for your children....I love you mom."
"Dear Mom, You make me laugh so much."
"Dear Mom...Remember the time when we went to Kings Dominion and we went on roller coaster and you were so scared but you still went on it with me. That was so funny."
"Dear Mom...I loved you from when I first came out. I didn't tell you then because I couldn't speak yet."
"Dear Mom....I just love you."
From my little heart-breakers.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Week of Spills
It rained this week. A lot.
I can't even remember back to Monday, but I do remember dreading it on Sunday. Whatever I dreaded that day wasn't worth it.
Tuesday was the day before a BIG decision deadline approached. Tuesday was rough. Everything that happened that day, I viewed through the prism of my anxiety. Which means everything stressed me out. And I had 2 parent teacher conferences, the latter was a no show... just to rub it in. It rained that day. I don't know when it stopped outside, but my toilet sure continued the tornado on me. My bathroom flooded with toilet, I cried. Because it flooded just to rub it in! Took me almost 3 hours to clean after I had taken a nap and a chill pill (aka a psalm). Had I not taken that dosage, Tuesday would've gotten even worse... from dreading Wednesday.
On Wednesday one of my students cried me a river. Then rallied up a pity party to celebrate the water works. It was over spilled milk. On Wednesday, I had to make an aching choice. On Wednesday it felt like Winter, Forty somethin degrees outside. When I got home, I stopped by the grocery store and found some fresh-looking frozen fruit. Frozen aint wet. So I decided to go home and make a smoothie with the new blender. It was going to be the highlight of my day. On Wednesday the base of the blender broke off...as my smoothie kept smoothing. On Wednesday, it rained frozen fruit in my kitchen. On Wednesday, I decided I was not going to let it get worse, by dreading Thursday.
Today was Thursday. The sun came out, things were looking up! Then one of my students had a minor projectile vomiting situation at recess that the black-top and grass took turns catching, just to rub it in. That's when the rain came back. I decided I would claim this day dry! So I got home and conquered the new blender. It worked! Today my smoothie would make King proud. I decided it was too good to have so little of, so nice...I made it twice. The second time, the blender decided to adjust itself.... as I opened the lid. My blender had a minor projectile vomiting situation that my shirt and shoe caught in good time. Just to rub it in.
Today I had tears of admiration for a dear friend, as she shared tears of experience with me. That is good rain. The kind that nourishes, strengthens, cleanses and teaches us how much we can, yet how little we have to endure alone.
Whatever I dread, almost definitely won't be worth it. I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow to get back at the spills...
...and I've picked out a hoodie...just to rub it in;)
I can't even remember back to Monday, but I do remember dreading it on Sunday. Whatever I dreaded that day wasn't worth it.
Tuesday was the day before a BIG decision deadline approached. Tuesday was rough. Everything that happened that day, I viewed through the prism of my anxiety. Which means everything stressed me out. And I had 2 parent teacher conferences, the latter was a no show... just to rub it in. It rained that day. I don't know when it stopped outside, but my toilet sure continued the tornado on me. My bathroom flooded with toilet, I cried. Because it flooded just to rub it in! Took me almost 3 hours to clean after I had taken a nap and a chill pill (aka a psalm). Had I not taken that dosage, Tuesday would've gotten even worse... from dreading Wednesday.
On Wednesday one of my students cried me a river. Then rallied up a pity party to celebrate the water works. It was over spilled milk. On Wednesday, I had to make an aching choice. On Wednesday it felt like Winter, Forty somethin degrees outside. When I got home, I stopped by the grocery store and found some fresh-looking frozen fruit. Frozen aint wet. So I decided to go home and make a smoothie with the new blender. It was going to be the highlight of my day. On Wednesday the base of the blender broke off...as my smoothie kept smoothing. On Wednesday, it rained frozen fruit in my kitchen. On Wednesday, I decided I was not going to let it get worse, by dreading Thursday.
Today was Thursday. The sun came out, things were looking up! Then one of my students had a minor projectile vomiting situation at recess that the black-top and grass took turns catching, just to rub it in. That's when the rain came back. I decided I would claim this day dry! So I got home and conquered the new blender. It worked! Today my smoothie would make King proud. I decided it was too good to have so little of, so nice...I made it twice. The second time, the blender decided to adjust itself.... as I opened the lid. My blender had a minor projectile vomiting situation that my shirt and shoe caught in good time. Just to rub it in.
Today I had tears of admiration for a dear friend, as she shared tears of experience with me. That is good rain. The kind that nourishes, strengthens, cleanses and teaches us how much we can, yet how little we have to endure alone.
Whatever I dread, almost definitely won't be worth it. I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow to get back at the spills...
...and I've picked out a hoodie...just to rub it in;)
Thursday, April 28, 2011
"Sharing is Caring" - OR an Economic Choice?
Well..."Sharing is caring" is a core value instilled in an elementary student. Whether they do it or not. They know it, they've heard it, they can repeat it in their sleep.
Today was 'normal' at work. One 'normal' incident happened when 2 of my students got into a conflict over markers for an economic choice worksheet I had given them. It was a double sided worksheet where they colored and cut their side of choice and thus established their opportunity cost, what they had to give up, on the other.
One little girl approached me during the activity. She is a student who has struggled with her tact...to put it nicely. She's been working on it and, in reflection of that, she says to me "Miss Thindwa, sorry but Chris is being really mean just because I don't want him to use my markers and he asked me and I said no today, but I always share my markers with him, and then he asked Sally and she said no and then he got really mean about it and called me a Know-It-All. I said no because he didn't ask me that nicely."
Chris came to me and responded "I just asked her to borrow them because I don't have any and I wanted to finish my worksheet and she wasn't using all of hers so I asked her if she could share and she just said no, but she has always said yes before."
(yea sometimes they speak like there is a scarcity of commas and periods.)
Anyway...
I thought about it as these two politely frustrated kids stood in front of me. I hesitated to respond.
Truth is, sometimes we just don't feel like sharing our goods. Especially when we are sharing our goods and not feeling that we yield any returns. I understand that. I understand that there is an opportunity cost of pride when we choose to share what we can with someone we don't want to share with. I get that there is an opportunity cost of "caring" when we choose not to share what we can at all.
This little girl, even in her spite, is entitled to reject a plea for her belongings. She feels he is unappreciative and it is her chance to make sure he knows it. He is not caring. This little boy is entitled to feel insulted when someone denies to use the little physical effort necessary to give because they didn't like how he asked. He believes she thinks she knows it all. She is not sharing.
So what was I going to say to these kids?
I wanted to explain all of this, in a way that a third grader could understand. I wanted to tell them they were both half wrong. I wanted to tell them that the issue was really in the intent, not in the entitlement. That when the intention of denial is to reject and hurt, then you are wrong. When the intention of asking is to expect favor, then you are foolish. I also wanted to just send them away and tell them "figure it out".
Aaah the supply was low-ish and the demand was high!
In a muddled way, I ended up saying to them "If you feel like someone is taking more than they appreciate, you should communicate that to them humbly. And if someone says no to a want that you ask for, and you know you asked humbly, then you have to accept "no" and let it be their personal issue."
I should take my own advice. This doesn't even sound easy, but I faked like it is. So after they had returned and I got to thinking some more....
I realized I had truly failed... to hype up the high supply of No. 2 pencils and/or good ol' wax crayons. Let me just do that next time.
Today was 'normal' at work. One 'normal' incident happened when 2 of my students got into a conflict over markers for an economic choice worksheet I had given them. It was a double sided worksheet where they colored and cut their side of choice and thus established their opportunity cost, what they had to give up, on the other.
One little girl approached me during the activity. She is a student who has struggled with her tact...to put it nicely. She's been working on it and, in reflection of that, she says to me "Miss Thindwa, sorry but Chris is being really mean just because I don't want him to use my markers and he asked me and I said no today, but I always share my markers with him, and then he asked Sally and she said no and then he got really mean about it and called me a Know-It-All. I said no because he didn't ask me that nicely."
Chris came to me and responded "I just asked her to borrow them because I don't have any and I wanted to finish my worksheet and she wasn't using all of hers so I asked her if she could share and she just said no, but she has always said yes before."
(yea sometimes they speak like there is a scarcity of commas and periods.)
Anyway...
I thought about it as these two politely frustrated kids stood in front of me. I hesitated to respond.
Truth is, sometimes we just don't feel like sharing our goods. Especially when we are sharing our goods and not feeling that we yield any returns. I understand that. I understand that there is an opportunity cost of pride when we choose to share what we can with someone we don't want to share with. I get that there is an opportunity cost of "caring" when we choose not to share what we can at all.
This little girl, even in her spite, is entitled to reject a plea for her belongings. She feels he is unappreciative and it is her chance to make sure he knows it. He is not caring. This little boy is entitled to feel insulted when someone denies to use the little physical effort necessary to give because they didn't like how he asked. He believes she thinks she knows it all. She is not sharing.
So what was I going to say to these kids?
I wanted to explain all of this, in a way that a third grader could understand. I wanted to tell them they were both half wrong. I wanted to tell them that the issue was really in the intent, not in the entitlement. That when the intention of denial is to reject and hurt, then you are wrong. When the intention of asking is to expect favor, then you are foolish. I also wanted to just send them away and tell them "figure it out".
Aaah the supply was low-ish and the demand was high!
In a muddled way, I ended up saying to them "If you feel like someone is taking more than they appreciate, you should communicate that to them humbly. And if someone says no to a want that you ask for, and you know you asked humbly, then you have to accept "no" and let it be their personal issue."
I should take my own advice. This doesn't even sound easy, but I faked like it is. So after they had returned and I got to thinking some more....
I realized I had truly failed... to hype up the high supply of No. 2 pencils and/or good ol' wax crayons. Let me just do that next time.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Little Advice 2010-2011
- "Miss Thindwa, don’t laugh so hard or you’ll break your funny bone. That’s why it’s there, so you don’t break it when you laugh.
- "Miss Thindwa, where did you get your hair from? It looks nice like crazy like that."
- "Miss Thindwa I’m going on a cruise next summer. It goes to the Chesapeake Bay, Texas and then Japan. It will take 3 months. You should go."
- "If you give high fives you might miss the hand and like accidentally like get the face."
- "You want ME to go get her? I think you should go cuz you’re the teacher."
- "If you were born on some months of the year, you are a talker. I was born September 3 so I’m a double talker. MY dad said I came out talking. So I’m sorry I’m just a talker."
- "You should be the desk fairy….."
- "Being foolish is like eating corn without a fork...grub grub grub grub"
- " You shouldn't do bad things like a PG13 person"
- "Miss Thindwa by you telling us how to do this fast, isn't that taking more time...so really its like wasting time"
- "I have a right to remain silent"
- "I just like to be interested, but sometimes this feels like Sunday"
- "The other meaning of degree is like I don't degree with you"
- As he rubs his belly joyfully post Winter Party and eating frosted cookies/candy canes - "Miss Thindwa, that was a whole lotta co-les-te-roll"
- "We should have a 7 hour delay"
- "The wind can make you do things. It may have picked up my knee and pushed it into his back. That's what probably happened. "
- "I have a boy cat. We had to take him to the doctor so he stops making the girl cats go crazy. He also needs to shave in his porta. His cat butt."
- "Miss Thindwa, if your mom comes to visit us again, do I call her Muzzzz Thindwa???"
- "ValentiMEs day is Jesus' birthday...again."
- "Miss Thindwa have you heard of Borders book store? Did you know they are closing down all of the stores in America? It's because only me, my dad and my brother shop there."
- "what do you mean was I pulling faces at him Miss Thindwa? You mean like, literally pulling faces? "...he says as he tugs on his cheeks. :::long sigh:::
- Kid A: Miss Thindwa my dad's coming tomorrow so you'll get to see him. He wears glasses, that's how you'll know it's him.
Kid B: What kind of glasses does he wear?
Kid A: Like glasses (as he traces his eyes with his fingers)
Kid B: Like does he wear the ones that shade the sun or the other kind? I forget what they're called. The one's that don't I guess?
23. "I'm sorry I walk so fast, I would slow down but it's my destiny."
24. "Miss Thindwa for some reason I don't feel well...like in my soul."
25."Miss Thindwa, if you find any more of those bookmarks after we leave, just call me on my cell and let me know"
26. "I can't go on the computer because I can't wear the headphones because they will mess up my Mohawk."
27. "Every time I get a cold chill, I need to use the bathroom. I left my jacket so....."
28. "I don't have my form today. This morning I woke up late so I had to rush in the shower and my hair was wet so it got really nappy and my mom tried to comb it out and then I went downstairs to get breakfast and I was rushing so I spilled my drink and the water from my hair also made a big blob...on my form. That's why I don't have it."
29."In Ancient Greece Olympics, people won a coral reef around their head, today they get metals."
30. "Miss Thindwa, on this summer camp form, on the price, shouldn't there be a decimal point after the one?"
Me: "Unfortunately my dear, the cost is not $1.99"
31. "Miss Thindwa, the beads in your earrings are the ones that have been showing up in my nightmares."
32. "Firm fingers and gentle hands make for a great massage...you want one?"
33. "Miss Thindwa now I know teachers have to do so much work, so when I grow up I think I'm gonna be a doctor instead."
TBcontinued, most definitely.
Confessions of a Necessary Lip Zip
1. A few mornings in the past months, maybe 3 or 4, I woke up for work at ridiculous O'clock and the first word out of my mouth was sugar-honey-ice-tea....without the sweetness. Then I remembered, my parents raised me civilized.
2. I had (still have) a balance at the library. Everyone knows when they have a balance at the local library! I don't know why some librarians, in their otherwise hush-insistent professionalism, all of a sudden lose this persona when announcing your fines. I asked a librarian to shush. Is that wrong or just ironic? She was loud!
3. I was reviewing short vowel vs. long vowel words with my third graders and the word 'put' came up. I told them the the u is short as in ugh- up because it is a CVC word. A kid asked about the past tense of it being short also (the same), I gave a non-example. I used "pooted" . They did not recover.
4. I received a nasty email from an high strung parent early in the morning, along with a call from my car credit company that fed me an appetite for a tasteless day. I was then regretfully rude to an old friend, in the same way the parent was rude to me. I felt like the person deserved it, then my mum told me "No, you are to never be mean to people". In her simplicity, she was profoundly wise.
With mum's scold, I felt like a child again. A child who knew better, but who just really had to get that last cookie in the jar. I had the cookie crumbs resting at the corner of my mouth, defiantly saving more for later. Anyway, after mum's reprimand and my little angel reminding me that my words should be weapons for good, I wiped the crumbs by calling to apologize. It felt right and good to confess and apologize, until the old friend told me they hadn't read the email yet. Lol. Then it just felt....just. My humble pie came with whipped embarrassment. Serves me right!
2. I had (still have) a balance at the library. Everyone knows when they have a balance at the local library! I don't know why some librarians, in their otherwise hush-insistent professionalism, all of a sudden lose this persona when announcing your fines. I asked a librarian to shush. Is that wrong or just ironic? She was loud!
3. I was reviewing short vowel vs. long vowel words with my third graders and the word 'put' came up. I told them the the u is short as in ugh- up because it is a CVC word. A kid asked about the past tense of it being short also (the same), I gave a non-example. I used "pooted" . They did not recover.
4. I received a nasty email from an high strung parent early in the morning, along with a call from my car credit company that fed me an appetite for a tasteless day. I was then regretfully rude to an old friend, in the same way the parent was rude to me. I felt like the person deserved it, then my mum told me "No, you are to never be mean to people". In her simplicity, she was profoundly wise.
With mum's scold, I felt like a child again. A child who knew better, but who just really had to get that last cookie in the jar. I had the cookie crumbs resting at the corner of my mouth, defiantly saving more for later. Anyway, after mum's reprimand and my little angel reminding me that my words should be weapons for good, I wiped the crumbs by calling to apologize. It felt right and good to confess and apologize, until the old friend told me they hadn't read the email yet. Lol. Then it just felt....just. My humble pie came with whipped embarrassment. Serves me right!
Being the First: Blog Intro
Being the first of my new blog, I thought I should express the root of my new venture to jar my thoughts in the way of the 21st century.
Why Blog?
I teach. Kids. I am a bit of a klutz. This gives me a lot to process, internalize and verbalize; and sometimes I talk to a loved one about my human interest stories that come from the journey of my profession as well as the quirks of me in my everyday. Sometimes I talk to myself about them. Sometimes in the shower. Yea I am convinced this is not weird. Trying to get my family on board with me on that....the crazy ship haha.
I'm really blogging to get my thoughts out so I can learn to process the events of my life positively and progressively. To laugh at myself, cry, laugh at why I'm crying, and to have a place to remind me why I should dare cast all my cares on Him.
Why Morning Dew?
I tend to get stressed out and/or into some strange situations and as I talk it over with friends, I am learning to air it all out, laugh at the funny, complain about the dummy...
They care with me and laugh with me. The amazing thing about these beloved is that they do it at the most sincerest of moments.
I had always prided myself in being private, but of late I have found acute remedy in the sharing of my life. It's like being caught in rain. The kind of rain that gives you an entree of wet with a side of wind slap. But then you realize the beauty of it the morning after; when you are sheltered, the plants have grown and the sun is out:)
Joy comes in the morning and to me, sometimes the "morning" is a chat with a good friend, a prayer, a hug, a song, a book, chocolate, mum's cooking, cupcakes, MMA (whhaaaatt!!?), the beach, chic flick, or simply a good old laugh. I'm toying with the last. I did play with the thought of naming this Mourning Due but concluded that it was awfully pessimistic of me. My second choice was Memoirs of an Immigrant Samurai. You'll find out why in my future blogs.
How Blog?
Like my dad, I am a fan of short, concise paragraphs. That's how.
Love,
Me~ WRT
Why Blog?
I teach. Kids. I am a bit of a klutz. This gives me a lot to process, internalize and verbalize; and sometimes I talk to a loved one about my human interest stories that come from the journey of my profession as well as the quirks of me in my everyday. Sometimes I talk to myself about them. Sometimes in the shower. Yea I am convinced this is not weird. Trying to get my family on board with me on that....the crazy ship haha.
I'm really blogging to get my thoughts out so I can learn to process the events of my life positively and progressively. To laugh at myself, cry, laugh at why I'm crying, and to have a place to remind me why I should dare cast all my cares on Him.
Why Morning Dew?
I tend to get stressed out and/or into some strange situations and as I talk it over with friends, I am learning to air it all out, laugh at the funny, complain about the dummy...
They care with me and laugh with me. The amazing thing about these beloved is that they do it at the most sincerest of moments.
I had always prided myself in being private, but of late I have found acute remedy in the sharing of my life. It's like being caught in rain. The kind of rain that gives you an entree of wet with a side of wind slap. But then you realize the beauty of it the morning after; when you are sheltered, the plants have grown and the sun is out:)
Joy comes in the morning and to me, sometimes the "morning" is a chat with a good friend, a prayer, a hug, a song, a book, chocolate, mum's cooking, cupcakes, MMA (whhaaaatt!!?), the beach, chic flick, or simply a good old laugh. I'm toying with the last. I did play with the thought of naming this Mourning Due but concluded that it was awfully pessimistic of me. My second choice was Memoirs of an Immigrant Samurai. You'll find out why in my future blogs.
How Blog?
Like my dad, I am a fan of short, concise paragraphs. That's how.
Love,
Me~ WRT
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