The beginning of the school year. . . September . . . I have long considered this the true beginning of my new year. I am given new chances to change my life, change parameters of my job, try new strategies, refocus my energies. It seems to be the best time to pick myself up by my own bootstraps and get moving.
This year's focus is to begin each day in a positive manner, telling myself that I feel good about everything I am doing. For me, this means a prayer and quick glance upwards to thank God that I have another day to see my family, my friends, and my students, another chance to make a small difference.
Then I head towards at least one of several changing positive motivators I leave lying around so that I will see them and pick them up. I even have them stuck on my desk computer at work. It may not look like the old Barbara everybody knows, I don't usually blast everyone with this stuff, but my friends know I am using it to heal, survive, and build. I have many reasons to remain strong this year, and I intend to become the person I once was, only stronger, happier, calmer. That I also may become more loving, supportive, and giving along the way gives me the feeling of icing on the cake.
But the true test is how that shows up daily in my classroom, how I feel about working with all these children who are not my children or my grandchildren. For me, the reward must be great enough to bear the long intervals between visits to my family. I don't know how other people do it.
With all of this in mind, one of my first assignments for my third grade students was to give me a short definition of love, as a Back-to-School gift to our parents. Funny thing, not one parent has made a comment to me about these beautiful words of wisdom from their little angels. Yet, several teachers have already been amazed that my students wrote them, that they were not culled from thousands for a collection. I had gotten the definition idea from an email I received. I have decided to have a poster of the definitions printed for a fund raiser for UNICEF, or high school scholarship, or hula hoops for the school, or field trip funds for the classroom kids. Hard to decide at the moment. I think I'll have the kids vote.
Enjoy. How to Love a Child |
