Just Thinking About...Thinking

I just read a report that says if you drink caffeine, your memory will be better. I sure hope so because I feel like I have more to remember than ever. Proven today when I had to remember the score of my tennis match (yipee...won 6-2, 6-1...thanks to my partner, Cathy) and then had to remember where the heck my car key was. It fell off my keychain, and had to be in my pocketbook since I hadn't taken it out. Couldn't find it. Looked all over. Couldn't find it. Now logic says either it was in the car or my pocketbook so I started in on the car. Sure enough, it had fallen between the seat and consul. Whew. Also glad I remembered to leave another key at my parents' house...just in case.

Then I had to remember to bake for tomorrow's surprise "thank you treat" for the bus drivers in our district. We have a facebook pay it forward event going on. I will be interested to see how many people remember to thank the drivers after what happened with the icy conditions on Friday. I baked brownies, apple muffins, and brownie cupcakes, which I kind of DIDN'T remember to take out in time.

This week I have to remember four rehearsals, two meetings, and, of course, teaching. Should be a fun week.

I think.

Just Thinking About...The Power of a Thank You

As many of you read yesterday, driving in Medford was very tricky. Our transportation department, which consists of more than fifty-five members, had the daunting task of bringing students in grades K-8 to school. Buses were late, some didn't make it to their stop at all, they were "grounded", and yet they all made as many runs as they could. Many drivers helped their students (and make no mistake about it, they are THEIR students) from their homes to the bus, others made the suggestion that perhaps parents may want to wait a bit and bring students in themselves, but the underlying focus was safety and care.

As a thank you, I am reaching out to the Facebook Community of parents, assistants, and staff members to see if each school can greet one of the buses with at least a dozen of something (bagels, cupcakes, brownies, whatever). If each school does that, we would have more than fifty-five "thank you"s for our members. They can bring the goodies back to the transportation center and share it with others throughout the day.

Let's see if this works and how many people will respond. It would also be nice of the Board of Education and adminstration would do something...including sending a thank you email to ALL the staff members. I'm sure they are working on this now.

So...just thinking...do you think it will work?

Just Thinking About...Safety

It looked just like this...rain, or what people that was rain, falling, and turning to ice on impact on the road. Today was quite a day. I, myself, made it to work in twenty minutes from Haddonfield to Medford, arriving around 7:20am, but shortly after, everything was iced over. Buses already on the road with students, were slipping and sliding, and then finally making the proper decision to pull over and wait. Accident abounded with people trying to stop and yet, not being able to. We were so lucky that none of our staff was hurt, although three association members were.

I am so proud of our transportation department. They worked hard to keep our students safe. This is why we don't let strangers drive our students to school. Our custodians worked hard to make sure our parking lots were safe. The teachers, secretaries, and assistants were working hard answering telephones and covering classes so our members could arrive safely.

Yes, there were complaints that school was open. It was a hard call, but it was what it was. Everyone in Medford Township should be proud of their public schools and the people who work there. And thank them.

Just think about it.

Just thinking about...gratitude

This month, my third-graders are involved with a great deal of writing projects:
writing valentines for each staff member in the school
writing a valentine for another school
monthly pen pal letters

BUT the most important writing they are doing is every morning in their journals. This month we are writing gratitude journals. Each day they need to come up with things they are grateful for, usually from the night before, and they have to write WHY they are grateful, thereby learning about cause and effect. This to me is so great. In morning greetings, each person says to the other, "What are three things you are grateful for today?" and they respond. Some always say family, friends and heat, and that's okay because at least they are thinking about things, but others are really thinking.

For example today B said, "I am grateful for jokes because I love to hear people laugh." It's that type of writing and insight that makes the day start off just right.


Just thinking about that makes me grateful.

Just Thinking About...changed my mind

I WAS going to write about my day, rehearsal, county meeting, dropping off my car and taking Mom shopping, but then I saw this on facebook and wanted to share it because it was so darn awesome.


It reminds me of the poem that has the lines "fog creeping in on cat's feet". It looks ALIVE

Just thinking about...how freaky this really is.

Just Thinking About....

...how cool people are. I am the director of the school play in our building, along with two other teachers a parent helper and now a young choreographer who is helping. We do this because we love theater, but more importantly because we love working with these kids. Now, there are some very talented kids in our show...very talented...and they will always be chosen to be in shows, but I am especially impressed with the child who doesn't have as much talent but has put him/herself out there to be on the stage. I don't know that I would have had enough "guts" at age eight, nine or ten to do that. If I had, maybe I'd be more of an actor than a director.


So, today I am thinking about that kid...the one with that little something extra inside of him/her who goes for it.

How Many Conversations....

Today I was JUST THINKING ABOUT how many different conversations on how many different topics I had. From making sure the custodian in the building was okay with everything this morning, to teaching about national parks (did you know how much a round trip ticket is from Philadelphia to Anchorage, AK?), to doing break apart multiplication, editing skills, pen pal writing skills, trying to enable Skype, yes, it WILL be cold tomorrow, don't wear shorts...learning about which planets are gas and which are rock...how to say a line from the script in "Annie"...how to make our association better...asking questions at the local board of education meeting...making the daily phone calls to parents and close friends (thank you,God, for the good news about no cancer!) to finally coming home. And this isn't all...but enough for today.

Best two conversations of the day were 1) finding out a friend is cancer free and 2)listening to the things my third-grade students are grateful for...and knowing that we are going to start every day this January with sharing these things.

I am grateful for all of the above, that I have the ability to do all these things. I am also grateful to the people who choose to give up their time with families to serve on local Board of Educations. Three of these people were sworn in today:

So what am I JUST THINKING ABOUT now???? Silence...pure silence.