Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
This job keeps me busy. I am grateful for that. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I wasn’t busy, but sometimes I wish I had more time to write. So, I’ve been trying to make more time lately. I’ve been participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this month, and I am definitely not on point with where I should be in the highly coveted word-count game, but I’m further along that I would’ve been had I not participated in NaNoWriMo. As I tell my students, where writing is concerned, a start is better than a nothing. Then there is this blog. I must make more time for this blog. Writing keeps me sane. Publishing for a genuine audience holds me accountable. Sanity and accountability are valuable commodities.
But what this post is really about is gratitude. So let’s get there …
I am thankful …
… for God and family (biological and chosen) above all (Duh. This seems to go without saying, but I cannot leave it off.)
… to be my students’ teacher.
We are a very serious bunch. And, yes, we are a single-gender class, but we still miss our man, Tim B.
I’m also thankful that my students humor me so often. (“Form a semi circle on the floor so I can get all of your heads in here. Okay no. Let’s make that a full circle. Come on, smash in there. There we go. A little to the left. Now right. Now everybody–cheese!”)
world lit in the great outdoors
… to work with colleagues whom I genuinely admire.
my travel buddies
at ESU 3 with Mrs. Janda
… for #nebedu, #nebedchat, #engchat, #edchat, #silly, and for Twitter, in general, as a daily source of professional development, inspiration, humor and friendship.
… to have the honor of teaching my daughter and her friends during their final year of public education.
Homecoming 2012
… to coach students who have a passion for theater, for art, and for living life to its fullest potential.
just another day in Forensics class
the one-act ensemble and the Happy Princess
drama in drama class
... for being able to occasionally conduct class outside.
the straight line experiment
blog tag
… to work in a district that values innovation and professional development. (It’s good to be a Trojan!)
… for apps, especially photography apps.
iSwapFaces: Steven Franklin
PopDot: Matt B.
Retromatic: Mia
… to work in a community whose members value education and support the children and teachers of our schools.
… that I live in America.
… for this guy (I know this is old, but it’s still one of my favorites):
and all the levity the internerts provide me.
… that one of my students is also participating in NaNoWriMo and is much closer to being on point with word count than I am.
… that I had time to write this post.
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
~Epicurus