The silence between the notes

Even after the rain, With plants that were never meant  For bouquets, We can find beauty. Sort of like in life, In times that we never imagined  We would face, Growth can be beautiful. So maybe beauty comes less  From sweet fragrance  Or visual charm.  Maybe it comes more  From the way  We grow with the weeds  And the rain. *I shared a version of this to a private page on May 27,  and today I decided I wanted to include it in this “collection” on my blog.

 Trigger warning: Hot button topic ahead. I’m looking for insights and solutions, not complaints. Goodness knows our world has plenty of criticisms right now, so let’s focus on insights and solutions here! 🤍 ——————————————————— I have worked in education for over 20 years. Clarification— I have OVERWORKED myself in education for 20 years. For the first decade, I really thought that’s what I needed to do. I thought that’s what my students needed me to do. Then after years of hard work, constant self-evaluation, additional degrees, and endless professional development goals… my family experienced several traumatic situations, and I realized I couldn’t actually do it all. I couldn’t be there for my students 60 hours a week while caring for my family 60 hours a week too. (And I certainly hadn’t even considered if I should be taking care of myself at any point.)  When I began mentoring incoming teachers at the university, I made it a priority to teach my candidates that they shoul...

Full disclosure: Teaching is HARD! Online teaching is somehow even harder! Teaching online (and/or hybrid) in the middle of ever-changing social situations and a pandemic is UNREALISTICALLY HARD! I usually take pride in my ability to differentiate for students’ various needs but with online learning, that’s basically become one of my main job requirements! There’s no time left in the day to grade—just barely enough time to respond to the individual messages and try to plan their supports/modifications/extra meetings. Some days, my eyes are dry and burning and my heart is broken by student stories even before 10AM. On those days, I practically give up all hope of grading because it takes every ounce of professionalism to stay strong through my next 6 hours of Zoom meetings. And by the way, that is in no way a complaint! I sincerely value the fact that students are willing to reach out, and I value the fact that my job allows me to support them in different ways. I have seen programs w...

Uncertainty, patience, trust. Probably my least favorite words from 2020. And we're likely to face them ALL again tomorrow...and the next day...and so many “next” days... I have vague memories of the hanging chad controversy from the 2000 election, but until I saw the video below, I didn’t realize it dragged on for 36 days without an official result! Friends who were more of an adult than I was back then, did that waiting period have the same sense of distrust and angst that I sense coming with this one?! I get that it’s hard to be patient in the face of such uncertainty, and I think 2020 has hit us all with enough uncertainty and upheaval to last a lifetime! But I’m legitimately worried that America won’t be able to handle what comes next. It feels like so many people are ready to burst, no matter what the result is, no matter how quickly we get a result, or how long it takes to thoroughly confirm a result. So we can’t fully trust the system to provide certainty? Ok, then it...

 Unlike most "first day" of school experiences, today was a rather anticlimactic first day for me. And when I think about how completely chaotic and unnerving the last 6 months of 2020 have been...I'm quite content with this pleasant, low key day!  When my work day ended, I started to write down some Monday Motivation tips for myself and for some teacher friends who follow me on facebook, then I realized this list might also be helpful for others embarking on an on-line or hybrid school experience this year. So whether you're a teacher, a student, a parent who is now doubling as an at-home tutor or full-on homeschool teacher, or a school counselor or secretary or administrator who is trying to administer things remotely, I hope you find some encouragement (and dare I say, Monday Motivation) in this list! Motivation for Maximizing your On-line Learning Experience this Fall:  It’s easier to focus on the complaints than it is to find the blessings. (The sleepy complaint ...

As more and more STATES and SCHOOL DISTRICTS are releasing their plans for how their schooling will happen in the fall, I’m seeing more and more anxiety and frustration from people’s responses. Friends, please remember there are NO EASY, OBVIOUS ANSWERS, because no matter how obvious one viewpoint might seem to YOU, we have millions of families coming from various experiences across the country and they all have different concerns. I really don't think a singular solution exists, so the most important contribution I can offer in this conversation is my wider perspective. I’ve been a teacher for about 20 years, and a teacher of incoming teachers for 5. I have worked in or alongside approximately 60 schools throughout Washington State. I love my students and their families and my coworkers very much and I wish we could find some magical answer that would fix this situation we’re in. But honestly, I'm still torn about what I wish for the 2020-2021 school year. I’m worried...

It seemed so simple. For my 10th birthday, I asked for my party colors to be pink , blue , and yellow —so there would be something for girls, boys, and anyone who didn’t like the color the color they were “supposed to like.” Lol. Because who says all girls have to like pink? Or all boys have to prefer blue?? Out of the mouth of babes, right?!  Just a few short 10...20...ish years later, I find that it's no longer so simple. As grown ups, we seem to have a lot of concrete ideas about what the people around us--including the children around us--do and wear and feel and express. But when...and why...did we start to think this was worth judging?? As people, we are so much more than pink or blue, or skirts or ties, or other people’s expectations of our identity! And that’s not meant as a new age idea or liberal agenda—I believe this idea can be completely independent from social or political propaganda. It’s simply about respect, and in some cases, about the willingness ...

Disclaimer #1: Regarding the title question--NO! Or at least, it's highly doubtful that North Korea or anyone else considers Moses Lake an upcoming target. But if you read the measly 4 paragraphs in this article, you'll understand the reason for the title. Disclaimer #2: Regarding the following article--The years have been changed to protect the innocent...and the youthfully aging author...And yeah, that's as close as I could come to having a sense of humor when dealing with something so serious.  When I was ___ years old, still in grade school, I had a panic attack because I was afraid the Gulf War was going to come to Moses Lake, Washington and kill everyone I knew. It surely sounded absurd to a grownup, and probably even to a less intense elementary schooler, but to me, it seemed perfectly plausible. In one of the most compassionate parenting moments that I can recall, my mother posted a 3' world map in the hallway next to my bedroom and marked it with places w...

Here I am again, after months of writing things and not posting them. I have in fact had a lot on my mind. (Those of you who know me personally are not at all shocked, I'm sure, but maybe someone out there doesn't yet realize that, so I felt it was fair to say.) But my whole life, I've done this thing where I have too much to say so I say nothing for a while while it bubbles up inside...then I try saying something and it all comes whipping out like a hurricane of nonsense...so then I go back to bottling it up and stating my need for "processing time." Guess that's what's been happening with my sporadic posting for the last few years too. Who would have guessed? Then there's this other thing I do when I don't know what to say--I obsess over a song, poem, essay, etc. in which someone else said what I couldn't. So to that end, I'm directing you to a few two articles by a cause that I admire very much: To Write Love on Her Arms. If you haven...

I was trying to catch up on email during a coffee break, but I got distracted by the two gentlemen in their 60s-70s who were talking at the next table.  The younger one was answering questions about how people can have so many opinions about President Trump all the time. The gist of his answer: Trump writes short notes on electronic media and shares them with anyone who has a computer via a place called Twitter. So people aren't just responding to his policies or his recent military actions; they're also interacting with these notes, which at times are actually quite brash or vulgar.  Both men continued evaluating the pros and cons of various ideas, asking sincere questions and giving thoughtful answers, comparing recent events with past wartime experiences, and maintaining a perfectly relaxing conversational tone.  Their conversation was so completely opposite of the hype and drama we've become used to on social media lately. It made me wonder how many of to...

Contrary to popular belief, maybe we should NOT always follow our heart. The heart is unreliable and can even be manipulated by others. These unreliable emotions are what leave us exhausted, frustrated, doubtful, hopeless, and lacking focus.  God wants us to be more emotionally attached to him than to any other person (or circumstance), and that is how we can find emotional stability and health. We must be honest with what we feel, challenge it, and change it. We don't have to automatically accept our feelings--good or bad. We can take control of them.  Above all else, guard your heart because out of it flow all the issues of your life. (Prov. 4:23) Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matt. 11:28) So who or what am I more emotionally attached to?? Wow...Where do I even begin?