teach.run.pray.

A few weeks ago, I was lying on my right side  in bed . The front of my body was facing the front window of our bedroom. The front window of our bedroom is on the front of the house. We live on the corner, so from our bedroom window, we can see the house across the street and several houses on the street that runs perpendicular. I was having trouble falling asleep and through our blackout curtains, I eyeballed a blinking halo of light. The blinking halo was coming from a neighbor's porch. For close to a year or longer, we have occasionally talked about the annoyance of this blinking porch light. Why the neighbor doesn't fix it or change out the lightbulb, I have no clue. However, on this particular night, I found comfort in that blinking halo and not an ounce of annoyance. See, this flickering light suddenly comforted me. I no longer thought of it as something the neighbor needed to do something about. I saw it as a sign or affirmation of where I was - home. I could be...

As a teacher, for me, my biggest successes are the connections I make with my students. Not test scores. Not grades. Not reading levels. Connections.  And, for those who have read nearly all my posts, you know I have a soft heart for the hard to love ones, and I probably always will. However, I will hold kids accountable, and I will have them take responsibility for their actions. I will do my part in teaching them how to right their wrongs and how to learn from their mistakes. I will do my part in teaching them how to be mindful and thoughtful with their choices. And, I will always treat them with dignity and respect. After all, kids are human, and like us adult humans, I've learned they appreciate transparency as well.  Let me tell you a story about a boy. He's in trouble a good bit. He has a bad attitude. So, automatically, I'm drawn to him, and I wanted to connect with him. The problem was I didn't know how, and one day, when I didn't even mean to, I connect...

Monday, as we all know, was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I was fortunate enough to be off work that day and took a few moments to reflect. As I scrolled social media, there was one quote all about love which I saw frequently. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. It's a great statement. I love it. I love the message it sends. After all, I am definitely a lover. However, I took it upon myself to do a little reading of my own. And, there were several quotes that stood out to me more-especially considering the state the world is in right now. I'll start with the following two. One of which, I did see on social media. Brenee Brown posted it on her Instagram account. There comes a time when silence is betrayal. The other: In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. Notice in both quotes he speaks of silence and its magnitude. I'm guilty of being sile...

When you look at our home as a passerby, you will notice a yard full of fallen leaves, dead flowers and trees as winter has sucked the life out of them. As you drive by our home, you'll notice two second-floor windows trimmed in brown when the rest of our windows are trimmed in white. From the sidewalk, you'll look into our home through glass panes caked with dog slobber, and chances are you'll hear loud barking while dogs stare you down through the crack of a window between our front door and piano. The piano chords will echo their bark. At first glance, you'll notice an unmotorized dented and dingy white garage door. You may even think, "Man, are they ever going to blow those leaves, paint the window trim, or clean those windows?" Some may even think, "That house makes our neighborhood look unkempt." While others may think, "With a little TLC, that could be a nice house." And, this is what I have to say to the judgmental eyes that scowl o...

"Just think of all the good times. That is what we have to do. Our family has been through more than most. There has to be some kind of reason. You have been right by my side through it all. Thank you for being so strong. Do not tear up today. Be happy. You deserve it." Those are the words my mom sent me yesterday when I told her I was having an emotional morning. The truth was I had been having an emotional two days. My heart hurt. I missed my dad. I missed my brother almost more than I could bear. My heart thirsted for a hug from Miles and his laugh. I couldn't stop thinking about what Christmas would be like with him. I imagined him married with kids and acting crazy and foolish like he always did. I imagined him and Matt hanging out and having some holiday spirits together. I imagined us giving Kaitlan a hard time about her hoodie dress and spray tan. I imagined mom playing with her grandkids. I imagined Paige being home and not so far away on Christmas. My heart ju...

A few weeks ago I was home putting up our Christmas tree and completing chores around the house when I started thinking about people who decorate their tree with themes. A few years back we went to a Christmas party and the host had at least four different Christmas trees. Each tree had a theme. There was an Elvis tree, a Marilyn Monroe tree, a Santa tree, and several others. These thoughts led my brain to people who go to holiday fairs and tree festivals. Those thoughts led me to, "How cool would it be if my students could decorate trees using books as the theme?" So, I picked up my phone, texted my fellow ELA co-worker, threw out the idea, and the rest is history. Fifth graders at Palmetto Elementary were going to create trees for the fifth grade Festival of Trees. And, it just so happened we started our theme unit the week we returned from Thanksgiving break. Here's what we did. I'm all about integrating standards and figuring out ways to weave standar...

The Friday morning following Thanksgiving, I was lucky enough to wake up oceanside at Folly Beach. My husband's family, well most of the family, made a trip to Folly for Thanksgiving this year. It was something really magical and special for so many reasons. My sister-in-law also made the trip. Jenny has POTS ( Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome ), Ehler's Danlos syndrome, and a wealth of other health concerns, so traveling anywhere outside of her home is tricky. But, she's been working so hard and by God's love and grace, she made it to and from Folly Beach without an ER visit. So, that all in of itself was magical.  Back to waking up Friday morning. I decided to go for a run. I haven't been running regularly or really even exercising regularly for over a month now. Physical exercise has really been putting my back and hips into some pain, and I've been struggling with fatigue. I blame it on the endometriosis. But, anyway, I woke up that Friday morning...