Mindful Monday: Your Amazingness

State Testing. 

These are probably the two most hated words in education. Yet​, it’s a part of life. There's no way around it.

As testing gets underway this week and you wonder if you’ve done enough​, wonder if they’ve learned enough​, wonder if they were listening​ during your lessons, if it all sunk​ in, if those small groups made a difference​, I assure you​... it’s all been enough! 

Don’t let the ​"​what ​ifs​" creep in. Don’t let the anxiety win. Know that​, just like your students are more than a ​single test score, so are you! 

T​his one day, this one snapshot, in no way culminates all your dedication, all the time and energy you have poured into our students this year. ​

They've got this because of YOU! 

Mindful Monday: YOU are the Blessing

I heard a quote the other day and it hit a little differently. "Sometimes it feels like nothing good happens to you. ​M​aybe that’s because you are the good that’s happening to others. Y​O​U are the blessing​." 

Hearing that felt like a mic drop moment. 

​When we’re grinding through life, ​it's the good that makes the grind survivable. Sometimes we’re just hoping for a glimmer of light, some words of affirmation, ​maybe somebody to notice us to get us through the day.​ However​, have you considered that perhaps ​Y​OU are that glimmer of hope​, that light shining upon others​? Perhaps ​Y​OU are the good that others are so desperately needing. ​J​ust maybe ​your friendly smile in the hallway is ​exactly what that person needed to make it through the afternoon. Maybe your kind words stuck with them and carried them through the week​.

​When you’re looking for the good ​around you, consider ​Y​OU may very well be the good others are looking for.​ YOU are that blessing! 

Mindful Monday: Don't Listen to Yourself

"Don't listen to yourself. Talk to yourself." I heard this quote for the first time the other day, and it completely resonated with me.

I'm sure it's not news to hear that we tend to be our own worst critics. We would never speak to our loved ones the way we often speak to ourselves.  We are quick to nit pick and criticize our choices. We beat ourselves up over our shortcomings. And the crazy part about this is that we believe it all. 

So enough. Stop listening to your inner voice. Stop listening to those intrusive thoughts that say 'you can't' or 'you're not enough'. 

Instead, be intentional and speak light into your life. Speak words of affirmations. Be kind to yourself. If you're not in a place where you're ready to believe it, then believe what others tell you. When someone tells you how great you are, believe it. When something shares how grateful they are for you, believe them. When a compliment is shared with you, accept it. 

Mindful Monday: Love > Hate

To say there is a lot going on in the world today seems to be an understatement. There is so much noise these days, so much screaming, I can hardly hear my own thoughts. 

I absolutely get there is a lot to be upset about. I get the "other side" (whichever side that may be) never seems to get it. I get there are real issues and topics we should absolutely be concerned with. 

However, at what point will we tire of being filled with rage? When will we grow weary of insisting we're right and "they" are wrong. When will the fatigue set in from only pointing out differences? 

At some point, we have to all agree that hate is not the answer. 

Thank you for being a part of a profession that chooses to embrace hope. 

Thank you for being a part of a profession that adds love to this world each and every day. 

And thank you for being a part of a profession that knows we are better together.  

Mindful Monday: Feeding Your Peace

Valentine's Day tends to consume the month of February with a particular focus on loving others. Here's the thing, in education, we give a lot of ourselves to others. It's time we shift the focus to self love. 

This month, I challenge you to focus on 'starving your fears and feeding your peace'. It's easy to focus on the future and get trapped in the what ifs, the what might be's, and the hope nots. The next thing we know we are trying to control it all, plan it all out, and avoid potentially negative scenarios. The thing is, we aren't in control of it all. And when we feed our fears, we feel even more stressed. 

Instead, feed your peace. Focus on what you can control. Focus on what brings you joy. Focus on what brings you peace. Most of us are being pulled in multiple directions daily. It's not indulgent, it's not selfish, and it's certainly not a luxury to do what's best for YOU. I get it's easy and often necessary to focus on others, our children, our spouses, other obligations we have; however, not to the detriment of our own peace and wellbeing. 

This week, as you find yourself being pulled in multiple directions and the stress rises, ask yourself, "How can I starve my fears right now and feed my peace?"  

Mindful Monday: Shining a Light

Teaching in 2020 caused many of us in education to be reflective and think about why we are here. ​Upon much reflection, my 'why' ​was boiled down ​t​o this one sentence. “I am here to shine the light on the greatness that lies within you.” This is my life‘s purpose for my students and colleagues that I have the pleasure of working alongside ​​to shine light on the brilliance within them. It is my hope that I live out these words​, and that through my actions, you feel seen and validated because what each of you do every day is beyond amazing!

Mindful Monday: Inspire

The word inspire comes from the Latin word spirare, meaning "to breathe". When combined with the prefix in-, it literally means "to breathe into". This is what you do each and every day when you inspire our students. You are quite literally breathing life into them. When you inspire others, you are opening doors they may have never once tried. You are showing them paths they never knew existed. When you inspire those around you, you are providing the wind that helps them soar. I know it to be true because I see it first hand everyday. 

The dedication, the passion, the resilience, the creativity, the enthusiasm, the pure love shown each and every day inside these walls inspires me. After doing this for 19 years, I have yet to meet someone that didn't bring something needed to the table. Each of you has an amazing gift of your very own that we need, that our students need. It is your gift of patience, or perhaps your kind smile; maybe your gift is giving second chances, either way, everytime you share your gift, you are inspiring others. 

Thank you for breathing life into those around you!