Pi Day

It is amazing how much notoriety a number has. An infamous number, Pi. Like May the 4th behind it as the Star Wars festivity. We love to celebrate. We wear green, drink Margarita's and dress in full regalia. We paint eggs, adorn trees with colorful lights and watch the darkened skies for vibrant, explosions of independence. We send hearts to loved ones, baskets of flowers to mothers and ties to fathers. We even celebrate our teachers, assistants and grand parents. All deserving of gratitude of course.

Why do we celebrate all of the above- we need something to tie us together. Commonality. Inclusion and connectedness.

We celebrate cookies, sausage, pets and donuts. If we created it or found it- we celebrate it. National this or that day. International this or that day. It is crazy. But we humans like to celebrate. To feel proud, happy and energetic. I for one am all about the little celebrations- we need them as of late. I celebrate finding my keys, making it to work on time, my coffee in the morning. I celebrate finishing a blog posts, getting a great evaluation. I celebrate student success, lessons that went well and the end of the day.

But I celebrate just as much beginning a new day- waking up and seeing my family. Petting my over affectionate cats. Listening to great tunes.

and for this I celebrate. This realization that celebration is a glue. The confetti. The warm hot tea. The calm on a Sunday.

Sunday Calm

Sunrise creeps, indeed it does

Over peaks and snow capped tips

It says peek-a-boo this cold March day

Luring the sleepy into wake

It whispered with fog and mist

Cold and damp

Keeping us inside

There is a calm, a sense of solitude

Sunday is not about hustle

but retreat

into a book

listening only to the purr

of cat contentment

waving back at the stretching rays

of spring 

The Benefits of Cycling Students

Coming from a public school setting with 30-32 students in a classroom, trying to stay afloat, learning names was challenging but once you did- you knew these students all year. They stayed in your classroom growing and changing and by the end of the year- you got to see such a transformation. It was awesome.

These days at a charter school, things are different. Every 4 weeks high school changes term and every 8 weeks middle school changes quarters. So a new set of names (15-18) for five classes occurs more frequently. But, this year, my first in this style of organization- I have gotten many students multiple times. Along side many new students.

I miss the atmosphere of a year long course, but I value this style- flavors and choice, more like college. I value the pace, the variety of science topics/curriculum I get to teach. Biology, physics, astronomy etc. I appreciate the opportunity to get to know 6th graders, 7th graders and 8th-9th graders. The juxtaposition of energy of 6th graders and high schoolers.

Having both middle and high in a week week term makes things interesting. I really enjoy the small class sizes and cycling of students. Giving them choice of classes makes a difference- they feel like they have a voice and this is important. It creates buy in and interest. I might be losing out on the long-term relationships over 9 months- but in exchange- I have the opportunity of meeting so many students in our 900 student campus.

This is rewarding.

Why Reflection is Important: A Teacher's Clarity

I moved from Texas to New Mexico six months ago. I had been at my last school for eight years: coaching multiple academic teams: Future City, National Science Bowl, Academic Quiz Bowl. I worked nights and summer camps at the STEAM CENTER. I was busy. I taught at local, regional and state conferences. I was a planner and a doer. I was a relentless go and get it spirit. I burnt myself out. I could never allow myself to slow down- I was invested, rooted, persistent. But, I was happy. Run down and frazzled, but happy.

I have only taught at 4 schools. Spending many years at each. This being my 21st year. My first at my new school. I have been in the public sector- and it is where I plan to remain. But I did make the shift from large district to charter. Still considered public, but individually run and organized. It was a definite shock to the system at first. The procedures are different, the process and expectations in education are universal however. So it was more of a micro-shift rather than a macro-shift.

The biggest pivot has been the slow down. I am not a mentor/coach, there is not STEAM Center to dedicated my time to. I have a club, but we meet during our designated club times on Friday's (schoolwide). So for these last six months a sense of doldrum has set in. I feel lazy even though I am teaching high school and middle school- a huge shift and pushing myself in other ways. It is a rhythm shift- my cadence has slowed but my performance hasn't. My stamina is in overdrive, with no outlet. I feel like my wheels are spinning- splattering the mud. 

So I decided this last week to actively seek opportunities in my school that may present themselves. Get out there an find a way to share my passion for education, gifted education and mentorship. I put my ear to the ground and found several. I settled on taking on a major next year- EDUCATION- where high schoolers get college credit for following with a cohort a set of classes (basically AP) but we do not have AP at my school. I am trying to get a pronounced gifted program in place here on my campus and I am becoming a Peer mentor in the mentorship program here about future jobs in the field of education.

I needed something to spark my creativity and drive. I have been in a rut lately. But, I moved because I felt in a rut at my last school. I felt I had no place to go- administration is not for me. I need growth. I needed to find new growth opportunities. Thus, my relocation. Finally I am getting my footing and ideas have started flowing and opportunities often present themselves when we open ourselves up to new growth and change.

Reflection is very much a part of my wheelhouse- I journal and blog daily. I knew my kindle was not igniting and I knew I needed more material, more fuel. I think I have found it. I attended my first PAC meeting. I am on a team about school improvement and curriculum enhancement at my school. I have started planning my major curriculum and my first peer meeting is after spring break. So I am colliding into the groove once again. I miss my mentoring of science/academic endeavors but I think I need to slow things down a bit and focus on how I can bring about change. How my voice can inspire others.

This has been a lot of reflection but I finally feel more connected in my field. More driven with new experiences on the horizon. I have not encountered any of these new roles before and I am looking forward to finding out how they will change me. So off I go into the new horizons and I am feeling the tingle of a new outlook.

Unicorns and Dragons- Classroom Magic

A unicorn gallops like a horse, mane blowing in the wind, even if a breeze in absent. Rainbow and glitter. Sometimes with a magical tune humming in the background. Many days unicorns are nowhere to be found, they linger, they peek their head in the door- but they remain aloof. I mean they live far away in the magical kingdom right? 

Dragons, they seem to lay atop the golden treasure, sparkly and shiny. Tidbits of townsfolk hoarded and hidden. Their scales are snug and thick. Layered with protection and certainty. Long spiked tales whipping in the air- creating lift. These creatures seem to fly in daily and make an appearance. They land with a thud. They breathe fire if necessary- which always seems necessary. They can leave destruction in their wake- for they are destroyers. They are acting on instinct.

I choose not to define which lessons are unicorns and which are dragons. For most educators have their own definitions of what they feel is successful or not. But, lately I have seen the scorched Earth, trails of soot- described on the Internet. I have heard fantastical stories of heroes and princesses. Castles with turrets and bright flowing flags. But also of swamps and dark forests where villains lurk.

It is a magical world of education that we live in. Haunted by ghosts of education past. Plagued by voices and mystics of education future. We dodge fireballs, hide amongst the trees and forge moats and battlefields to protect ourselves. The dragons and unicorns are visible in the skies above. But the creatures not great but small are also foraging and nestling around us. Choose to see all directions. Look up, gaze down and find your groove- I know you are amazing and your tune will guide you to the fortress or village faire you choose to reside in.

Watching the World Go Round and Round

Two years ago the world stopped. It kept spinning, nature kept growing and dying- bringing beauty and decay. Personalities shifted. Attitudes altered. Routines halted. It's been a humanity level change- so large it will be written about, remembered and slowly overcome for many years to come. "Remember when we had to wear masks?" "Remember when Covid changes the planet in an epidemic event not unseen?" I mean, we have had epidemics of this caliber in the past. But, we felt invincible. We felt we had a handle on things. 

"Life goes on." Many say, and yes after tragedy, we adjust and pivot and continue on. Humanity has done that for quite a while. But with this shift, with this event- it feels different now. Judgement and mock are abundant. Division and slander are alive and kicking everywhere- not just on the Internet. In grocery stores, on highways, in classrooms. It is a guttural shift in deep seeded in personal bias and guile. Many feel justified to do unthinkable acts. 

I don't mean violence in all cases either. Treating our brethren with malice and distaste. Disrespect and malcontent. The things I hear people saying to one another. The braziness that has erupted from this Earth shattering event will not be going away I feel. The habit of meanness and personal vendetta seems like its ramping up now that masks are coming off and mandates are lifted.

The world will keep going round and round. Emotions entangled and communication raught and tempered. Everyone is feeling displaced. I feel the lava bubbling, the gases choking off kindness and mindfulness. Many trying to combat the fatigue. But it is rumbling- this uneasiness and it feels very much not like the end of two years of uncertainty but the beginning of more.  I just hope those who want to breed malcontent and bitterness find their peace and realize- the only way to truly rebuild is to grab a productive tool, not raise a bulldozer to destroy the foundation of reconstruction.

A Canoe or Kayak

Some days it feels like you are floating down stream but there is a hindrance, an obstacle. The canoe is struggling to go straight. It's bumping into rocks, sand bars, getting caught in river vortex. It requires two, rowing on opposite sides to keep it moving forward. The moment one stops the rhythm- the canoe goes in a circle.

Often these days we are finding it hard as educators to row on both sides, to keep the balance. So we feel entangled in a current both swirling and tumultuous.

We switch to kayak's sometimes. Where it is a more even keeled cadence. Where we feel balanced and in sync. Where the flow carries us lightly and smoothly. But this kayak is heavy, and often we resort to the canoe. We expect an easy ride but exhaustion slows us down.

But, we need both canoe and kayak

Frenzy and excitement and comfortability and calm. 

I hope you find both.