Day 19 - Quotes I've Found Helpful

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Today I made sure I got off the kitchen bench multiple times... to walk away from the computer, to walk off my numbing legs, and to make sure my back didn't hurt worse. My sciatic nerve gave me some zingers today, so I knew I had to make some changes.

I was also able to connect with a few other students... I'm still missing eleven, even though according to the team everyone has checked in somehow. Today's goal was to email all of them to say what I thought their grade should be... Here's what I said:

Good morning! 

This email is going out to those students who I believe have earned a (insert grade here) in ELA for third quarter. I am sad we cannot meet in person to chat about your progress and how proud we should be of your work, but...  

So... please respond back when you read this - letting me know if you agree or disagree with this grade (above), and why. If you agree, I'll put the grade in PowerSchool ASAP. If you disagree and make a solid argument using evidence from PowerSchool, I'll put your choice in the grade book. If I have concerns, I'll share the evidence I see in PowerSchool, and we'll continue the discussion via email.  

I hope this sounds fair, and I hope you're proud of your work!!
Here's to doing our best next quarter as well! 

Missing you,
Mrs. Kirr

I've gotten ten responses back so far. 🤞

I loved "team time" today. We were able to talk about specific children we were concerned about, and shared some funny stories, too.

We saw a new Ford commercial... reach out if you are leasing or making payments on a vehicle and need financial support. More and more companies are sharing help like this. I was charged $70 for my chiropractor today, but since I won't be seeing her this month maybe they'll give me two free visits later?

Mandy Froehlich's blog post "Time to Be Still" struck a chord in my heart, especially this part:

My principal shared this article with us via email - "That Discomfort You're Feeling Is Grief." What struck me was this part:

Here's what will help: The author (and me, too!) believes "we will find meaning in it. ... we find light in those times ... people are ... appreciating walks. I believe we will continue to find meaning now and when this is over." No doubt! If we don't, we didn't get the message the universe was sending us.

From my reading last night of The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech:

     Lizzie said that if you imagined you were standing on the moon, looking down on the earth, you wouldn’t be able to see the itty-bitty people racing around worrying; you wouldn’t see the barn falling in or the cow stuck in the pond; you wouldn’t see the barn falling in or the cow stuck in the pond; you wouldn’t see the mean Granger kids squirting mustard on your white dress. You would see the most beautiful blue oceans and green lands, and the whole earth would look like a giant blue-and-green marble floating in the sky. Your worries would seem so small, maybe invisible.

     The first time I tried standing on the moon, what I saw in my mind was a million billion people, everyone of them with problems, all running here and there and screaming for help. It was a scary trip to the moon.

Yup. These days sometimes I'm Lizzie, and sometimes I'm the narrator. The sun is out and bright this afternoon, so I'm choosing to see the earth like Lizzie does. ✌️