Mindfulness

It has been awhile since I have written a proper post, so decided it was best to write out my thoughts. I went on a long vacation to Scotland, England, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. I drove on the “wrong” side of the road. Hiked up Scottish hills on the Isle of Skye. Navigated through some of England’s most famous industrial cities. Totally worth every moment. Every time I travel I feel something inside myself shift. No vacation is ever the same and the lesson is never the same either. Growth though is always the similarity. I get reminded of things, learn things about myself, and feel more connected to the world around me. This trip is no different. We do need to take moments to look around and just enjoy what the world has to offer. Sometimes we might think it is difficult due to financial issues or if we are parents, but at the end of the day when you do something for yourself you become better and more effective. Traveling is wonderous for the soul. Now I am preparing for ano...

A journal prompt a few weeks ago asked me what I believed in. I have to admit that I have a hard time with this, because my beliefs have nothing to do with a conclusion. It might not even have specifics. I do not have a strong believe that God exists or that there is life after death or that there is some sort of reward system that determines if you lived a pious life. Those things I am undecided on, because I do not have enough evidence to sway me and there are so many different versions of these sorts of ideas that all of them seem both equally plausible as well as inconclusive. Of course if you believe in any of that then good for you, but my brain does not work that way. I cannot conclusively give myself to any organized belief system, because there is so much I am unsure of. I do believe in a process though that brings meaning to people's present life. I believe we should be kind, we should be honest, and we should all serve a purpose that is bigger than ourselves. Some find...

Sometimes I do random journal prompts in my bullet journal. A few days ago it prompted me to think about my strengths. At first all the joke answers came to mind first--I am an excellent bullshitter and can create imaginative games like a boss. Then I thought of the more academic answers which would be that I am great with language, persuasion, argument, and recognizing patterns. I am a big picture kind of person. Always have been even as a kid. After a few moments I forced myself to brainstorm even more, because everything seemed superficial. I wanted to find to my core what it is that I am good at. Truth is I am an expert at failing. This is something that I try to convey to my students and the perfectionists in my life. Challenge, struggle, and failure is exactly what we need. You learn nothing by doing well all the time. Our SPED, ELL, and students who struggle in certain subjects have an advantage that they run away from. They know what it means to have to work hard for someth...

The thoughts I have been thinking about lately is language. Words are powerful and without even meaning to we can make people feel bad or make people feel under appreciated. When I was younger I had this friend, whom I am still friends with, and she was really into fantasy books including romance. I was someone who took pride in loving non-fiction books and I thought those sorts of things were cheesy. Now, I have never ready any of those books. But because I did not understand it I would often tease her about it. Little did I know that if I asked her simple questions like "What is it that you love about those books?" I might have learned something about her and I also might have learned that these books can be good for me. Eventually I read Harry Potter and had to apologize to my friend. I see this in my students. Kids who have a hard time reading put down kids who love reading. Partially because they do not understand how anyone could find joy in something that gives the...

I love taking personality tests. Not sure if there is truly anything scientific about them, because, well, humans are complicated; however, it is fun to intellectualize as well as have the vocabulary to talk about yourself. I have taken many personality tests and so far my favorite is definitely the Meyer Briggs test. I have always tested and been classified as ENFP. (Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving.) Now, the question is, do we develop personalities naturally or are they molded by circumstances. Or is it a combination of both. Yes, the old nature vs. nurture debate. It is a debate that will never be solved yet one that should always be pondered. I can see why my circumstances made me an ENFP, but at the same time there are definitely people who have had similar experiences as myself and chose to go a different way. Hell, even see that in my students among siblings or even among students who have similar backgrounds. Some choose path A and the other...

I learn a lot from conversations. Talking with my students about their lives and listening as they talk about their viewpoints challenges my own. Little snippets of deep conversations with various people in my life have sent me down interesting paths. Dialogue is the best teacher. Yet dialogue is sorely lacking as of late it seems like. The art of conversation has been lost and I hope it comes back. As a kid I was always comfortable talking with grown ups. I participated in political conversations when I was eight years old, hearing the various view points of my family members and taking it in. Some things I really did not understand, but I knew it mattered to everyone and I also knew that all of my relatives wanted what was best for the world just differed on some details. I also spent some lunches with my resource teacher talking about various topics when my classmates bored me. But the real reason for this post is a man that I had many deep conversations with, his name was Ben, an...

This is what has been on my mind as of late. I am not a morning person. I have never been in my life. The fact that I was able over several months to be able to start working out in the morning is...well amazing. I got comfortable. I created routines. I got use to having lounge time in the morning. Showering. Eating a good breakfast. Setting myself up for success. As soon as I got into my stride that was when my new neighbors complained about my workouts. The contract does mention 7am as a time, so the landlord does not want to give me permission to do anything until my neighbor agrees it is okay with them. So, until told otherwise I need to figure out how to maintain my morning routines by doing things differently. This has made me stressed and to be honest a bit lost. You get use to things. There is comfort in the predictable. So once I felt confident in my predictable something unpredictable happened. It is going to be a few weeks until I work out the kinks, but I am determined to...