Nov 17 One thing that is different from a year ago that I am grateful for...
I am grateful for the opportunity to learn on line and connect with others in profession on line. I have the opportunity to communicate in a much more effective and timely manner than every before. There are so many ways of reaching out to others through the use of technology. The more people use technology the more things change for the better. Google Docs have become a standard part of my world.
Nov 18 What do you appreciate about your colleagues?
My colleagues are open minded and all care about the students. I am very lucky to work in a wonderful school environment. I have had the opportunity to introduce brain breaks "movement re energizers" into the classroom because my colleagues understand that the students cannot sit for hours at a time and still continue to focus and learn. I love the sense of humor in my workplace. I love the sense of caring. If someone is down there are many people around to pick them up. There is always a smile to share. People are supportive and that helps as well.
Nov 19 Tell someone you know how grateful you are for the work they do. Share your story here.
I am grateful for all of PE colleagues. They all help to build a phenomenal program for our students. We all work together very well with the best interest of our students in mind. In particular I am grateful for 2 of the PE staff at my school. Jennifer Oakes has been teaching in the school for 44 years. She is a rock in the department. She has the longevity to be our historian and and keeps us grounded. She is also the athletic director. She schedules all sporting events, officials, buses and much more. She has continued to coach soccer and we have shared the coaching. In addition she officiates home softball games. I can only hope to have the energy and passion she has as I get further into my career. The second colleague I am grateful for is Pat Bannerman. She has been my team teacher for more years than I can count. She keeps me steady when I am winding up. She understands my need to think outside of the box and lets me wander into new areas and experiment with new ideas. After experimenting she helps by sounding out the challenges and successes. Both of these women are retiring this year. Both will be missed greatly. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with them.
Nov 20 What is one life lesson that you are thankful for having learned?
One life lesson I have learned is that with adversity comes strength. Things were not always easy my house growing up. I had to be resilient to survive. I have found that resiliency has helped me get to where I am in my career. I did not get a teaching job right out of college. I worked a few jobs that challenged me both mentally and emotionally. Those challenges that I endured upon the path that led me to my current position of 24 years help me to remember how thankful I am for what I have now.
Nov 21 List a book you are thankful to have read and how it have inspired you to be better at what you do.
A book that reference a great deal in my position as a physical educator is SPARK by John Ratey. This book helped to reaffirm what we as physical educators already knew. Kids learn better if they get regular daily exercise. Twenty minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise lights up the brain and builds neuropathways that support better learning. This book has helped me to work with the classroom teachers to encourage "brain breaks" or movement breaks for re-energizing their class.
Nov 22 What are your family traditions you are most grateful for?
I am so grateful for so many family traditions. The one that I love and hate the most however dates back to my grandmother. She divorced her husband when my mother was young. She became a single mother with 3 young children on a teachers salary. She wanted to so something special for her children at Christmas and couldn't afford to do what she wanted. She began writing poems from Santa to each of her children. They ended up in the stocking every year and highlighted the big events of their year. This continued for many years even as her children had children. I have 20+ years of my life in these in poems. Why do you say I love and hate this? I have inherited the gene to write these poems. I do them every for my nieces and nephew. They don't know who they come from. They are all 8 or 10 pages long and take a great deal of time to write. It is a labor of love. I know that myself and all of my siblings cherish the memories and I can only hope someday they will have the same meaning for my nieces and nephew.
Nov 23 How did your Attitude of Gratitude work out - tell us about it.
We have extended the food drive to extend through the Christmas break. I am sure that a large amount of food will be collected. I am still trying to pay it forward on regular occasions. The other night I was having dinner in a bar and someone on came in asked for the drink with the most alcohol. It was evident they were having a bad day. I quietly payed for their drink before I left after eating my dinner.
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