Reflections on Year #37

(It took me awhile to wrap my head around how the year ended)   
     Just when you think you've seen it all....
     Year thirty seven began with all new furniture and some new supplies! With the help of my two AMAZING classroom aides, we were able to create a warm and welcoming learning environment for the incoming four-year olds. Calm colors and light covers made our classroom almost cozy.
     In our care, there were twenty-two children. Most of them had been together the year before, in the half-day, three-year old class. Some of them had gone to the same daycare for most of their lives.  Assimilating a handful of new children into the mix was no problem at all!
     We were all so busy! How could you not be with twenty two four-year olds? But man, did we have fun! My classroom aides are truly amazing at reading my moods and body language and can joke me out of almost anything. It was not uncommon to see all three of us laughing about something. Truly, one of the best school years in my career.
     ....then Covid happened....
     I dismissed my kids on Friday, March 13th, with a hug and a "have a great weekend." Little did I know that would be the last time I'd see many of them in person. We were just one week shy of Spring Break. Then everything changed.
     In the blink of an eye, we went from in-class learning to "distance learning." Let me just say this now: I did not go to school and obtain two degrees to teach children from behind a computer screen. It stinks! With the help of my PreK team and the parents, we made it work. Was it ideal? Absolutely not! Did I lose some families along the way? I sure did. It was the best we could do within the time permitted. So I recorded myself reading stories from our curriculum, posted an alphabet/reading activity and a math activity once a week, and just for fun, scavenger hunts each week. The parents did really well and adapted to being their child's teacher. The PreK Team made a decision to do a video chat with each of our kids every week, just so we could put our eyes on them and really check in with them. My class also did three Zoom class sing-alongs. Those were so fun and it was fun to see the kids see each other!
     In a nutshell, Year Thirty Seven was good and we adapted. It will be interesting to see how things go this next school year. Just like each year, it's a wait-and-see game.

You CAN Go Home.

home /hōm/. noun: home; plural noun: homes. a place where something flourishes, is most typically found, or from which it originates.

You can take a girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl!

     Last month, after being virtually locked down for eight weeks, I grabbed the opportunity to go home, to Northeast Nebraska, to the farm where I grew up.  I spent a week! I can't remember the last time I was able to spend a week on the farm. Typically, for me now, it's a long weekend here and there.  It was glorious!  I love springtime on the farm! Everything was green and flowering. There were calves chasing each other through the pasture. There were kittens. After being isolated, due to the pandemic, for so long, it did my heart and soul so much good to see all of this rebirth.

     My parents are still able to live on the farm and for that, I am very thankful. To spend a week with them and watch them reaffirmed that this is their happy place.  My dad, who is nearly 94, gets around now with a walker or cane. He'll still climb in his pickup and drive around the farm to "check on things," and sit on their front porch to watch the world go by.

     My mom has learned to drive the zero-turn mower and you should see her go!  Her flower garden is beautiful and her vegetable garden is tilled with tender loving care. Together, they have lived and loved on that farm for fifty-one years. It was so relaxing and heart-warming to spend so much time with them.

     Who says you can't go home? 

Learn to pronounce

noun

A Country in Pain

I've been silent for too long when it comes to Racism and the murders of our black and brown brothers and sisters. I have re-committed myself to the fight for Civil Rights and Social Justice.

A Country, in it's foundational documents, that pledges "With Justice For All" and t starts with "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness  - it's time we start living this truth, and stand up for those who are unable to do the same.

Love one another, does not come with disclaimers and everyone deserves the right to live without fear. White people, especially, have been silent for too long and it's time to choose a side, either your "Anti-Racist" or "Racist" there's no longer any middle ground left to stand on.