Lesson #20:

Lesson #20: Don't EVER Give Up

Teaching is hard. It has been a challenge returning to it after being in the "real" world of business for two years. Teaching, like I explained in my last post, is exhausting, both mentally and physically. This is the main reason that I haven't had time for other interests, including writing in this blog.

It makes me nostalgic for my previous life, one where I showed up to work at 7:30 and left at 4:30 and did not have to take anything home with me. I did not have to be "on" all day every day and I did not have someone constantly watching me do my job and evaluating me. I did not have to stay after work late to catch up before the next day, all the while feeling like I was never truly caught up. I did not have to forgo things I enjoyed such as reading good books, attending classes FOR FUN, making art, music and writing, hanging out with friends, cooking a nice dinner, working out, running, dancing, etc.etc.etc. Basically, feeling like a human.

It was all nice. I felt very well-rounded. But one thing I missed was feeling important. My job was not as essential as being a teacher. As a teacher, I shape and mold minds and people. I introduce worlds that had previously been unknown to my group of 7-8 year-olds. My classroom does not function with the same efficacy without me there. Each day I see my kids and help them to cross from point A to point B and when they struggle I go home, I brainstorm, and I come back the next day ready with a new arsenal of ideas to help get them there. Because I'm not going to let them fall back and be left behind. Because I care about getting them all to the other side. Because teaching is important.

It's true, we don't get paid what we should. So many people like to think that teachers are overpaid, considering their summers off and Christmas holiday. But if you put together all our hours that we put in during the school year (I usually arrive at 7am and leave around 6 or 7pm). I take work home with me and sometimes end up falling asleep with papers lying all around me. Weekends end up being the same. My husband and I spent one whole weekend grading papers in time for Progress Reports. I go to REQUIRED professional development classes after school and during the summer. Not to mention the fact that the job itself is so draining. There's no time or energy for other interests. Granted, there is a bit of a break over the summer, but it is necessary for sanity. Without it there would be no way to get through an entire year and go right into the next. Teachers are still human, after all. All told, the plight of a teacher is a difficult one.

I had a feeling last night that maybe teaching isn't what I'm meant to be doing. And perhaps there are other things I could pursue. But then another side of me came back with strength and dignity and shook me, saying "Andrea! Never EVER give up!". I thought of my kids. I thought of my ideas of ways to make things better. I thought of myself and the importance of what I do. I thought of progress. And I thought of the race.

I used to run Cross Country in High School. There is something very noble about that sport. It's kind of like teaching. There's not a whole lot of glory in winning Cross Country meets. There's a lot of sweat and exhaustion and early morning training and forgoing normal teenage activities during that time of year. But every time I would start the race I got into "the zone" and nothing mattered but me and my own pace and each breath going in and out my lungs in the same rhythm with my legs moving forward, right then left, right then left, right, left, right left. And once I was in that zone nothing could take me out of it. And you get that "runner's high". And sometimes I wouldn't even want to stop once I crossed the finish line because I had entered such a steady pace. I guess you could say that's how I'm beginning to feel about teaching. I'm in the zone. I can't stop now. I can't give up. And even today I'm putting together a new set of Math Centers and I'm organizing a lesson plan to help my struggling students from last week's topic, and I'm redoing a powerpoint presentation for the fourth time to make it even more engaging and informative.

So it is with teaching, and running, and life in general. Don't EVER give up.

I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/wilma_rudolph.html#WEqIiBQQkPDs5s5l.99

“I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.”     - Wilma Rudolph

I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/wilma_rudolph.html#WEqIiBQQkPDs5s5l.99

I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/wilma_rudolph.html#WEqIiBQQkPDs5s5l.99

Lesson #14:

Lesson #14: Think Outside The Box 

Travel is a beautiful thing. I've mentioned it already on this blog, but I wanted to reiterate the importance of this topic because it matters to me and I hope it inspires you. 

I think it is essential for the opening of the heart and the expansion of the mind to get out of your day-to-day routine and narrow perspectives.There are a lot of people out there who assume that my travels in my early to mid 20s was because I had wealthy parents. That is false. My parents paid for two semesters of study abroad and then said "Fin". I studied abroad one more semester (I couldn't help myself) and this time financed it all alone. It wasn't easy - I had to work and save all the money I was earning. I had to apply for grants and scholarships (which I received) and I had to be proactive about budgeting. But it was worth it to me. And I made it happen. 

There are many, many ways you can make your dreams happen. Some people say, "I'll never travel the world, or never get to go to that place I've always wanted to go, because I'll never be rich enough." FALSE! The world is a big and wonderful place full of opportunity and you just have to put yourself out there in it to experience all it has to give to you. Seek out opportunities, and then (like I've said before) JUST DO IT. 

I opted to travel around by myself for a year in 2005. I had to do a variety of jobs, some great, some not. But I managed to support myself the entire year and managed to see amazing places, meet amazing people and have experiences that I will remember for a lifetime. 

One of the ways I managed to travel for so long was by becoming an Au Pair. It was great because I was saving money on living expenses while also earning money to be used later on in my travels. 

I've written about this experience in a guest post for the blog Escape Normal. If you have not already visited this blog, I strongly encourage you to check it out. It has all sorts of ideas for ways to incorporate travel into your life. Ways that perhaps you may not have ever dreamed of...

Did you know you can work on farms during harvest seasons for room and board? 

Did you know you can work at summer camps in other countries? I've even seen a few on the coast of France....hello!

The important thing is that if you dream of doing this, by gosh-golly, go do it. You really do only live once (and I know that's a slogan now, or at least I've seen it on T-shirts and wrist bands...YOLO!) but regardless....it's true. If you don't think you're going to land on that giant pot of gold any time soon, then do it without the gold! 

People are very willing to take your picture when traveling solo. I didn't feel bad asking on several occasions.

An interesting mode of transportation...Santorini, Greece

On the Via dell'Amore, Cinque Terre, Italy

Someone got a kick out of making this statue (Manneken Pis, Brussels)

Rome, Italy

Salamanca, Spain

Beautiful sunsets...this one in Sevilla, Spain was amazing

Costa Brava, Spain

Plenty of time to figure out how to be a true Italian, Rome, Italy

Tours seem cheesy, but you actually do quite a lot and meet great people. Plus...excellent photo ops! Scotland

Wandering streets...Spain

Again...never miss an opportunity to witness a sunset. This one is in Scotland.

 Thanks to Jacqueline over at Escape Normal (www.escapenormal.com) for allowing me to write on my experience as an Au Pair! I hope it inspires anyone out there who is interested in stepping outside that box and experiencing the life they dream of. 

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose." -Steve Jobs

Lesson #12:

Lesson #12: Don't Be Afraid of Not Knowing

I recently found out that I am going back to teaching at my old school (yay!) but I've been told that I will most likely have to teach a different grade and within that different grade I will be teaching Math/Science (I'm kind of, sort of a more language arts/social studies leaning personality).

When I first found out I will probably not be teaching Kindergarten, but instead teaching 2nd grade Bilingual, I was sad. You see, I LOVED teaching Kindergarten! I loved being their first teacher, I loved seeing them grow so much in one year, and I loved that I got them all to myself that year (no switching classes for different subjects). I also have about 10 huge storage boxes full of Kindergarten teaching supplies (property of yours truly) which I will not be able to take with me to my new grade level.

But...that wasn't what was making me the most sad. The thing that was getting to me the most was that I felt a teeny weeny bit of fear creep up over me.

Fear of the unknown.

I have taught Kindergarten and felt like I really learned how to teach for that grade level. I felt confident at that grade level. I had ideas swirling around in my head for things I would do differently this upcoming year, ways I could teach something in a new way, tons of creative projects...all focused on the Kindergarten curriculum. I was actually becoming very excited about it! Now that I will most likely be teaching maths and sciences at the 2nd grade level...GULP...I feel out of my element. And I don't like that feeling.

So...what to do? Take that feeling and use it as a lesson : How to move on when you are fearful. Putting on your big girl pants. Feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

There's a book about that that I should probably pick up right away and read.

by Susan Jeffers

The point is, every path in life is leading to the unknown. In fact, sometimes living life without introducing scenarios that place you in unfamiliar territory leads to boredom and monotony. And if there's anything I hate more than fear, it's boredom. If given the choice between the two, I think I'd have to go with fear. Fear makes you feel alive, it lets you know you're in the game, and it gives you sort of a rush. Sure, it can also lead to stress and fatigue, but that's where you have to remember the mantra of "Just Do It" and another mantra that can be just as useful : "Roll with the Punches".

So, I'm rethinking my lot in this teaching life of mine. I'm going to start digging into my new role and making the best of it. I won't try to be Super Teacher this year, but I will try to be the best teacher I can.  I will work just like I worked my first year of teaching - keeping my head above water and focusing on being present. By the end of next year I might find that I loved this new grade level so much, I won't want to go back. Who knows? Obstacles are placed in our lives to make us better people, with more perspective, more wisdom and more knowledge. Doing the same thing over and over only makes us dull. 

As Ms. Jeffers says, "Feel the fear and Do It Anyway". Message received.

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” - Paolo Coelho, The Alchemist

Lesson #9

Lesson #9 : Actions Speak Louder Than Words

This one might be a quick blog post, but one I feel like sharing. I was recently with a group who were discussing how hard it is to talk about politics or current events with people of opposing political parties.

I agree.

It's sometimes maddening, and I know for a fact it goes both ways. So what do we do about it? You know you can't change someone's mind by simply repeating over and over what it is you think is wrong about their system or how yours is clearly smarter or better or more just or more fair. It just turns it into an argument and then the defensive walls get put up and productive discussion ends at that point.

My suggestion, speak with your actions not just your words. Sure, words are necessary in debating a point, but actions also go a long way to making yourself feel better about your positions on issues and justifying, ever so quietly, your point. (And I'm hoping your position on issues is one that is towards bettering some aspect of this world...I would hate for this same suggestion to be taken and used to promote disenfranchisement, intolerance, violence or manipulation...just sayin...)

For example, if you feel very strongly about advocating for women's rights and you are tired of politicians and their constituents promoting policy that you feel violates these rights, then take this approach.

First, do your research. Find out exactly what you don't agree with and why. There's nothing worse than claiming you are against something when you don't really have a grasp of the issue in its entirety.

Second, find out if there are organizations out there that support your side of the cause. Join them, donate to them, participate with them, promote them. Make sure you always know the ins and outs of their policies as well and be sure that it aligns with your values.

Third, go out on your own and make a difference towards what you believe in. Promote an advocacy group for women in pursuit of further education, create a group that helps working women out, create an organization that introduces girls to the world of science and math to encourage more females in jobs that require those skill sets, create a meeting that talks about ways to speak up about women's health rights, attend and promote meetings discussing rights to fair pay and equitable wages, start a group that encourages and supports women entrepreneurs, visit women owned business, start a magazine that discusses, promotes and focuses on things women are doing in your community... this list could go on and on, but you get the point.

You'll never be able to change some people's minds, but instead of letting all that frustration sit deeply rooted inside of you, and spending so much energy trying to talk someone over to your side, instead use that energy towards bettering your side of the cause.

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” - Martin Luther King, Jr

Lesson #1

Life is a journey. I'm sure you've heard that. Life is an adventure. Life is cyclical. Life is a quest for answers. In the end, do we ever find them? Or are we just left with more questions?

I started this blog as a way to express the things I've learned and what I'm learning. This is appropriate because I am also a teacher and teaching and learning are essential to who I am.

My goal is to write a lesson a day, so (in theory) I should have 365 lessons a year from now. I'm pretty sure I'd like to incorporate lessons that I teach my little ones (in school) as well as lessons that I'm happy to share with the rest of the world. Who knows? Maybe someone reading is having the exact same thing happening to them and is looking for some kind of answer. I know I often search for answers when it comes to matters of the heart and I find that reading, whether through a blog or a book or a magazine or newspaper article, always provides me with some sort of insight. I always walk away having been introduced to something new, or gaining a new perspective. Or sometimes, like with fiction books, I get to read about how something plays out, how a character deals with an issue, and imagine myself in that same scenario. Only, in fiction, you get to read to find out how it ends. In your own life, there is no scripture to guide you. You have to make those stories on your own. My hope is that perhaps through some of my own trials and tribulations in life I can write about how it went for me and what I learned and someone can take that and apply it to their own life.

Or not. It could just be an interesting read.

Or not. Perhaps no one will ever read my blog.

I'm okay with that. It has happened before.

So here it goes, folks.

Lesson #1: Just Do It

Very cliche, I know. But it didn't become the Nike slogan for nothin! I'm certainly one who has had to learn this lesson the hard way. Without getting into too much details just yet (hey, we just met each other!) I've had some regrets in life about decisions I've made in the past and most (okay, ALL) of those regrets stems from not having done something. Not being bold enough to do something that scared me. Not having the guts to say what I feel. Not taking that leap of faith.

I have absolutely NO regrets about things I went ahead and did, whether or not they were a success. Life is funny like that.

“Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, "It might have been.” 

- Kurt Vonnegut

So, just as I preach I must practice. This blog is something I always thought to myself I should do but never sat down to write, for fear of not saying the right thing or not having something interesting enough to write about. But, I have plenty of really good stories that have provided me with a lot of insight in my 31 years and I think to myself, I would want to read about some of these stories! So, I sit down today and I start this blog. 

Done. Just Did It. 

In keeping with this spirit, I have tackled some things that I normally wouldn't do. Things that may scare me, or I just put off. Well, the time for putting things off is over. I was determined to DO 5 new things this week. Here are the things I have done in keeping with my Lesson #1: Just Do It. 

1. I have been learning to play the ukelele. I have failed many times at learning musical instruments because I suffer from a perfectionist attitude. This time I thought, what have I got to lose? Absolutely zilch. So, I have two songs down and if I keep it up by the end of the year I should have enough for a solo coffee shop performance! 

   

   Guitar and Ukelele (or, as I like to call them, Papa Guitar and Baby Guitar)

   
   
2. I have continued knitting. I learned how a long time ago but forgot. With my recent surge of just do it attitude I took it back up (with some help from the friendly folks at this knitting place) and have been plugging along. It looks to me like a blanket for a mouse rather than something wearable for a human, but if I keep up my can-do-ness it should turn into something formidable in the near future. So, I'm doin it. 
3. I have bought tickets to attend my friend's wedding in Italy. I kept putting it off for fear of not having the funds, but my husband and I saved up for a few months and then, when our tax return came back, I thought...just. do. it. So now, we are officially going on a 10 day trip to Italia! 
4. I took a new exercise class (Pure Barre). I know that's not such a big deal, but it was stepping out of comfort slightly because it was something I had never done before. And I made a pact with myself to attend every day of my 2 week unlimited pass. I only missed a couple days because I was so freaking sore I physically couldn't put myself through it. But I did it. You're welcome, tight new booty. 
5. I have been decorating our house with fresh flowers. Spring has not sprung up here in Pittsburgh, PA but I thought about bringing a little spring into our abode. Normally I would say this is a waste because flowers just go and die anyway. But the color and freshness and beauty of them really do wonders in brightening the mood of the place, and, in turn, my own mood. 

 

I may try upping the ante on my trying-new-things and just-doing-it list (10 things next week?). But I had to prove it to myself that, as a lesson learned, I need to be following it. Who knows what thing I just might do to lead me onto something great? 

So, when you consider things that you want to do or try and then push it off or save till later or claim that it isn't for you...remember that the things you leave undone or unsaid will lead you to feel the deepest regrets later on in life. Trust me. 

Jump. Leap. Fly. Do.