inspiration

They always say "Keep your eyes on the prize."

Here are a few things inspiring me these days...

Kara Goucher - A freakin' rockstar of a runner 

and one hell of a role model. 

I only hope that one day

I can be half the runner she is!

(not to mention her amazing abs!)

She's amazing!

I can't believe that I've become

utterly sucked in

to this series.  

It's totally not my thing:

wilderness, blood, guts, loneliness.

But it's got a tough girl power heroine

who I simply adore.

And that's why I can't put the book down.

The love of my life.

 Enough said.

Yeah,

I know they suck.

And I know it's not 2002.

But I love them anyway,

and I get verrrrry grumpy

when I miss watching a game or hearing it on the radio.

Go Kings!

The best job in the whole world.

They say, if you find a job you love,

you'll never work a day in your life.

Well, I guess I'm not really working then, am I?

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely days

I come home exhausted.

But I love my job!

I love my kids; I love my coworkers;

I love my boss; I love my 4/5 team.

I love my job!

And last, but not least,

my dear ol' Dad.

Better known to me as "Daddy-O."

The best guy in the whole wide world.

The biggest Steeler fan you'll ever meet!

I can hear him halfway across the soccer field cheering,

and outside the house on a football Sunday.

A pro at a crossword puzzle,

an encyclopedia of useless (but useful!) sports trivia,

a heart of gold and an positive outlook for every situation.

He's the greatest! 

Always remember:

"Keep your eyes on the prize."

I Have a Dream...

My students amaze me more and more every day.

A simple assignment:

Write your own "I Have a Dream" speech/poem.

Students copied these famous words 6 times on their paper, 

and dreamt for the future, for their families, 

even for their pets.

Reading their words made me see what big dreams

10 year olds can have.

Thank you, Dr. King, for inspiring freedom and equality for all.

And thanks for inspiring my students to dream.

New Year, New Goals

"Shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

In the midst of people making their new years resolutions, I returned to work refreshed and excited to begin the second half of the year with my kiddos.  I myself did not make any "new years resolutions," rather I've committed myself to my 30 things before I'm 30 list.  However, I think the idea behind new years resolutions is a good one, and I wanted to pass it on to my kiddos.

This was an idea that randomly came to me during my "back to school insomnia" the first week back.  I have to credit my cousin Shelley, because I think she does something similar with her high school students at the beginning of the school year.

I had each of my students make 3 resolutions for the second half of 5th grade.  Each student wrote three resolutions on an index card: one for school, one for home, and one choice.

Then, I had the students place the card in an envelope and seal it.

The students put their name on the envelope, and then I hung it on a wall in my room.  The idea is that no one knows what's inside the envelope except them.  (I didn't peek, swear!)

I told the kids that every time they see it, they should reflect on their commitment to the goals.  On the last day of school, I am going to hand back the envelopes to the kids so they can again be reminded of what they hoped to accomplish.