Singing a New Tune

I’ll admit it – I do NOT love this fourth grade class.  It is huge, it has been a revolving door of children moving in and leaving, it is filled with some of the most immature students I have ever taught, it does not have a supportive parent base, and all of my efforts to instill skills like respect, responsibility, effort, and listening seem to have literally fallen on deaf ears.  Sadly, I am looking forward to May.  I feel at some level I have failed this group.  On another level, I am simply frustrated that this year has been nothing but one challenge after another.

I have made few connections with my students.  I have had a short temper.  I have not taught well.

Today – however – there was a very rare bright spot.  I love to sing – and have an OK voice.  But I do not enjoy teaching music to my kids so there is little of it going on in my classroom.  This time of year we are deep into a US states and regions unit.  I love it, as I have always been a geography buff.  I decided years ago to incorporate songs from the regions into my instruction.  I don’t play an instrument – so I simply downloaded songs like “Home on the Range”, “Roll On Columbia”, “Blow Ye Winds In the Morning”, and “The Wabash Cannonball”.  These are songs most modern kids will have never heard.  I also teach “This Land is Your Land”.  We talk about the folk music movement and the activist movement.  We discuss some of the artist who sing these songs.  We learn about the lyrics of each song.  But mostly – we just sing.  When I told my kids we were going to learn some songs, they all moaned.  Oh great I thought, This will be a group who just hates this.   But, I kept upbeat.  I persevered.  I also joked that any kid who did not sing would have to do a solo.  Eyes bugged out.  “Home on the Range” was this week, along with “This Land…”  Today, they couldn’t wait to sing.  They asked about it all day.  And when we finally had a few moments, and I plugged in the iPhone and keyed up the music – they sang their hearts out.  They can’t wait to learn a new song next week.

I had to smile.  It was one of the few times this year that ALL the kids were engaged, upbeat, happy, and participating.  I’m sure there are a few lessons I should be learning here – but, for today – I’ll simply be satisfied with the warm feelings I came away with, the connections I felt, and the anticipation of more of the same in the weeks to come!

Quotes of the day:  


Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons.  You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body.                       ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.  ~Berthold Auerbach

Madness

A slice of my evening - better post this now cause you'll soon see why it won't get done later....

Once I post this I will be:

*helping my son get started on regular homework
*take son to baseball practice
*try to rush over to see daughter in track meet
*return to pick up son from practice
*figure out dinner - sounds like a gross take out night
*pick up said dinner
*come home, eat
* help son finish up regular homework, help son with make up homework due to the two sick days he had this week
*prepare for a meeting with my principal tomorrow
*email a couple of son's teachers
*start laundry
*grade papers
*try to squeeze in catching a bit of the U of AZ basketball game (GO CATS)
*start sub plans for next Monday
*make sure kids get to bed at a decent time (maybe, if homework doesn't take all night)

There might be more, but I just can't remember...
Ready, set, go!

Quote of the day:  Today I felt pass over me
                             A breath of wind from the wings of madness.
                                                    ~Charles Baudelaire

MY 100th BLOG POST

Yesterday I struggled for a topic.  Many of you commented and I appreciated your support!  I knew I wasn’t alone – but it didn’t make it any easier.  One commentor suggested that perhaps inspiration would hit after I posted.  In fact – it did.

I found myself with an open hour last night ( a rare occurrence).  So I used it to read as many posts as possible – new ones especially – as I feel I have not had a chance to acquaint myself with many new slicers this year.

What a treat… such amazing, creative voices we have amongst this group.  I am always so impressed, so moved, so inspired.

I came across one post from a fellow slicer who was celebrating their 100^th blog post.  Every time I read one of these, I am astonished – just how does one do this??  That is a lot of writing.

Then… it occurred to me.  ( Yep, I am a bit slow on the uptake at times, folks.)

IF this is my third year of participating in this challenge, and IF I also made the occasional post outside of the month of March for the past 3 years – I might have actually hit 100 as well.  ( In fact, I was worried I had surpassed it and missed this milestone altogether).

So – back to my blog I went and began calculating.

What?  I checked again.

99?  99?  99!

Soooooo – tomorrow – TODAY – is my 100^th blog post – most of them as part of SOLC.

Guess I didn’t have to think too hard about a topic for today!

My post will not be anywhere near as eloquent as others’ who have written about this landmark.

That’s OK with me.

For all I really want to say is THANK YOU to this community for including me, supporting me and encouraging me along the way.  It has been a life transforming adventure – and I look forward to the continued journey with you all.

In celebration I am reposting a section of a slice from my first year of this challenge – explaining how all of you make me feel:

Sustained

                                    Affirmed

         Challenged

Supported                                        Encouraged

Cared for

                                             Loved                          Valued

Reminded

         Listened to                                                              Acknowledged

Understood

                                    Helped            Embraced

Inspired

Quotes for the day:     Strangers are just friends waiting to happen.  ~Rod McKuen

   We can only be said to be alive in those moments

               when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.  ~Thorton Wilder

Nothing To Talk About

I normally don't post until mid-day at the earliest.  I have busy mornings and I like to wait for inspiration from the day anyway.
Usually something happens that stirs up a "slice" by early evening at the latest.

Well - not today.  Have you ever waited and waited to get inspiration to write - but it just never comes?  I hate posting about not having anything to post about.

We've all been there I know - but what do you do in cases like this?  It is so frustrating -
My apologies for a pathetic post tonight - the well was dry.

Quote of the day:  “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. ” 
                                                                         ~Walt Disney Company

A Conversation

She called

I came

She cried

I hugged

She talked

I listened

She confessed

I squeezed

She shared

I supported

She confided

I nodded

She listened

I advised

She was silent

I was silent

She explained

I understood

She was brave

I was proud

I joked

She laughed

She smiled

I smiled

I left

I cried

Quote of the day:  Truth is tough.  It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch, nay, you may kick it all about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening.                                                     ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

A Late Morning Walk

We took a quiet stroll through the neighborhood this morning – my husband and I.  This is a rare occurrence.  He is the usual dog-walker each morning.  Now that his schedule has changed, however, we have a bit more time together.  

So we walked.

In spite of my not feeling well, we walked.

In spite of all there was to attend to back at home, we walked.

We chose a leisurely pace, though Kona encouraged us to speed up by tugging on her leash now and then.  We spoke little, although there was plenty to discuss.  We simply walked – enjoyed the crisp late morning air, the quiet streets, the emerging spring yards.

We traversed a new path – at least new to me – and my husband pointed out features of this house or that one. 

“These people feed the stray cats that wander our neighborhood – see the bowls they put out.”

“Look at this pencil cholla – I’d like one of those in our yard.”

“This man sold his black crossfire and bought one of those new Jeep Cherokees.”

(My husband is an avid observer of detail, as am I.)

I nodded, listened, made small talk.  We walked.

I noticed houses I had not seen before – with cosy, albeit small, front porches – inviting one to come up and sit in one of the plush chairs or cushioned benches. Come up and sip some coffee amid the clay pots of daffodils and tulips.  One after another – delicious, warm, welcoming porches.  I made mental notes of how to improve my own front porch.

We walked.  We observed.  We pondered.  We were present. A happy accident. 

Quote of the day:  Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.  

                                                                                     ~John Muir