#SOL17 Day 28′

Oo, how I love the rainy days and the happy way I feel inside. ~ Neil Sedaka

Rainy days are perfect for:

• taking cat naps
• catching up on some reading
• relaxing in your favorite pajamas
• trying a new flavor of tea
• putting on your favorite hoody
• wearing fuzzy slippers
• making a pot of soup
• resting on the sofa under a cozy blanket
• listening to the rain beat against the side of the house
• popping some popcorn
• binge watching HGTV
• thumbing through old pictures and reminiscing
• calling a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while
• counting your blessings

#SOL17 Day 27

The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. ~ Socrates

I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about tonight, but then my son sent me this picture.

At least once a week you can be sure to hear someone in school bring up the subject of how kids have changed.  The kids are not invested in their education.  They want you to tell them exactly what will be on the test.  They follow a rubric but can’t think outside the box.  They are not problem solvers.  I have to admit that on occasion I have been guilty of joining in and agreeing with the conversation.  

After reading this quote by South Carolina head basketball coach, Frank Martin, I am second guessing my complaining.  He has gotten his number 8 seeded team to the NCAA Final Four after knocking off number 2 seeded Duke, number 3 seeded Baylor, and number 4 seeded Florida.  I am certain that it is due to hard work and commitment, not players making excuses for why they missed practice or didn’t complete all their practice drills. I am confident that excuses are not tolerated, and players who do not show dedication are not team members for long.  

I think as parents we want our kids’ lives to be easier than ours, although I really don’t think my life was that hard.  My parents expected things of me, and if I didn’t produce there were consequences.  They didn’t expect outrageous things.  They expected that I do my best in school, completed my homework, and that was with very little help from them. They expected that I complete my chores at home because that’s what being part of a family was all about – doing your fair share.

I remember one year in elementary school when my grades dropped from all 90s to almost all 80s from one quarter to the next.  I was grounded for a month.  A MONTH!  That was back in the days when we actually went outside to play after school.  We didn’t have air conditioning, so the windows were open, and I could hear and see all my friends playing without me.  When I complained to my mother that it wasn’t fair that I was grounded when my younger brother got 80s all the time and he wasn’t in trouble, she calmly told me that 80s were the best my brother could do but they were not the best that I could do.  I was paying the price for slacking off.

I think that I expected a lot from my own children, although I know that on more than one occasion I bailed them out of some situation where my husband thought I should have let them sink.  They both strove to do their best and made mistakes like any kid, but they were hard workers. Now as adults they still expect a great deal of themselves.  They are their own hardest critics.  My husband and I did our best to instill a solid work ethic in them, and I think we were pretty successful.

Back to complaints at school…..

As teachers do we expect less from our students?  Are we making things too easy for them because in some way it makes it easier on  us?  Not all parents are willing to let their kids take the fall for not doing their best, and that’s a shame.  However, are we as teachers afraid to push students because we may get push back from parents?  Does our test-driven society prevent us from teaching kids what is really important in life.  Skills that go way beyond curriculum?  

I don’t have the answers, but I do know that I will be looking more carefully at my expectations.  I want to be sure that I am preparing students for life not just for the next grade. Evidently this isn’t anything new.  After all, Socrates complained about children!

 #SOL17 Day 24

I saw this format on Tricia Ebarvia’s post last night and decided to try it myself.  I took a different twist and added the third line.  I want to thank some of the influencial teachers in my life, some of whom are now deceased but never forgotten.

A teacher affects eternity; s/he can never tell where his/her influence stops. ~Henry Adams

Thanks to Sister Rosathea, my elementary music teacher,
Who taught me the magic of music and putting on shows,
which started me on my way to becoming a music teacher.

Thanks to Mr. Rossi, my high school string bass teacher,
Who taught me not to make the same mistake twice,
which helped me land a place in the All-City Orchestra
and the chance to perform at the Academy of Music.

Thanks to Sister Claire Immaculate, one of my high school English teachers
Who taught me I could have a passion for both music and English,
Which led to publication in my HS Literary Magazine.

Thanks to Sister Regina Gormley, my college piano instructor,
Who taught me the value of stories and conversation,
Which carries over to my story-telling to my students today.

Thanks to Mary Buckelew, Director of PAWLP,
Who taught me to have confidence in myself as a writer,
Which found me in the Summer Institute and completing a graduate degree.

Thanks to all the students I have met over the years,
Who taught me that the little things really are appreciated,
Which keeps me grounded and focused on what is important.

#SOL17 Day 23

To thrive in life you need three bones, a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone. ~Reba McEntire

Well, I finally have a reason why I am starting to spontaneously combust — I have osteoporosis! I am not really surprised, after all, when you have a pelvic fracture without a fall suspicions start to arise.  Since we affectionately call my mom “the incredible shrinking woman,” I should have probably taken her advice more seriously over the years.  Take your calcium.

Seven years ago I had a bone density test and came out with flying colors.  Everything was great.  I guess that gave me a false sense of security.  Now I have taken my calcium on and off over the years, but the pills were just too big, and I had a difficult time swallowing them, and remembering to take them.  What really was my demise, I believe, were the years that I had an undiagnosed vitamin D deficiency.  I have since learned the multitude of benefits taking vitamin D.  This I take faithfully.

So, now I am on a road to change.  I am taking my Citracal gummies everyday.  I should have tried them years ago; they actually taste quite good. Next, I will be scrutinizing my diet and begin calculating the amount of calcium found in each morsel entering my mouth.  Once I finally get off the walker, I will have to start doing some weight-bearing exercise.  That will be tricky with my arthritic knees, but I have to find a way.

My advice to you is to stay vigilant and take care of yourself.  You only get one body and when it starts to break down it is no fun.  Who knows, maybe I still would have had this osteoporosis even if I had taken more calcium and vitamin D, but it’s never too late start putting me first and being the best this aging body can be.

#SOL17 Day 21

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.  ~Thomas Edison

This slice comes from an app I have on my phone called Transform Your Life.  Each day there is a quote (and for those of you have been to my blog, you know I am all about the quotes!) and beneath that is an assignment for your journal.  This is today’s quote and assignment.

Today I am making a list of things that I will not give up on even though I am not too sure how close to success I am in each area!  These are in no particular order.

1. I will not give up on having good health.  Even though I am still using the walker and am not sure what is going on exactly, 58 is too young to be old and decrepit. I want to be a grandmother who can actually do things with her grandchildren.
2. I will not give up on losing weight.  This is a battle I have won and lost numerous times over the years.  I need to look at one meal at a time, one day at a time and not sabotage myself.  It is about feeling good and be healthy, not about a size or a number.
3. I will not give up on publishing a picture book.  I have a couple of ideas that are in the works.  I just need to go ahead and submit them.  Stop being afraid of rejection!
4. I will not give up on any of my students.  Some days are a challenge. Some students are a challenge, but each of them is worth the extra effort it might take to help them discover their gift – their voice.
5. I will not give up on trying to make a difference.  I may only be one person, but my actions can be examples for others.  I always want them to be examples of goodness, and kindness, and compassion.
6. I will not give up on being the best version of myself, whatever that looks like.

#SOL17 Day 20

Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don’t let anyone else use it, and get a new one every six months. ~ Clifford Stoll

How many passwords do you have in your life?  I don’t know about you, but I have decided I have too many.  A couple of years ago, I bought a “little black book” at Barnes and Noble and began to log all my passwords onto its alphabetized pages.  It was made especially for this task and was more detailed than just using any old address book. I am the bill payer at my house, and my husband use the computer only to check mortgage rates and car prices.  If something happened to me he would not have a clue how to pay bills online. He is definitely a paper check and postage stamp kind of guy.  I thought putting all the passwords in one place would be helpful to my daughter who would take care of all these things in the event I could not.

At home, Google saves most of my passwords online, and I don’t even have to think about them.  Things like my AOL email account, Facebook, and Twitter appear without me having to put in a password.  That’s great when I am working at home on my desktop computer, but when I need to access these sites on another device I am at a loss.  So, then I end up changing the passwords.  The problem is, I forget them before I get home and change them in my book. 

I know that the experts say that you should not use the same password for multiple accounts, but it is so tempting!  I think that the plan for this weekend is to go through the entire black book and change all the passwords.  I am glad that they are written in pencil!