We live in a big, beautiful world full of big, ugly problems.
Poverty. Undrinkable water. Dictators suppressing people’s voices and rights. Mass shootings. Lack of access to quality medicine or education. Loss of forests and rainforests. Irreparable damage to coral reefs and other animal habitats. Risk of mass animal extinctions. Racism. Bigotry. Terrorism.
I’m just touching the surface.
March 2nd was Dr. Seuss’ 114th birthday celebration. My social media feeds were a confusing mix of people lovingly and excitedly celebrating Seuss-day, aka Read Across America day, and others voicing an anti-Seuss movement, which stems from the opinion that Dr. Seuss’ works are steeped with racism and stereotypes.
My most recent gig in public ed was supervising and coaching other Early Childhood Educators to ensure the highest program quality, which we measure by our ability to build a strong foundation for future success in life, school, and the community. Ultimately this encompasses the whole child and ranges from social emotional, cognitive, language, literacy, and physical development, and also mathematical thinking, scientific inquiry, and so on… the job is a big one. But, our number one duty everyday is to keep children safe. Safety has to be first, so that they can learn, grow, thrive, and develop.
Continue reading No More Silence: My Thoughts on School Safety
Around our house, the New Year brought with it some sniffles, allergies, more teething for the twins (it’s like never-ending!), major nostalgia of being super pregnant a year ago and realizing my babies are about to turn ONE (EEK!), and also some real clumsiness on the part of this momma. To put it short, y’all, I’ve been a HOT mess! Meanwhile, for the rest of my family, the New Year brought some record COLD temps and/or snowfall where they live.
I am grateful for being a mom of 3 under 3 in a part of the country that is afflicted with boring, predictably 70 degree weather. Except for a few days ago as I drafted this, of course. That day, I turned the heat on and wore my coat. But anyway, I also feel like our big boy is missing out on experiencing real winter and snow, something he actually lived through for his first 2 winters, though he has no recollection of it. My life is full of conflict, I know.
Continue reading 8 Great Picture Books about Winter (not Christmas!)
It’s always magical to see children learning from a young age to appreciate and celebrate their heritage as well as the diverse heritage of others. I’m one of those people who loves the word diverse, y mas en español, diverso, porque todo suena mejor en español. I can’t help but mention here that I recently had a conversation with a man who shuddered as I described my high school alma mater as diverse. He claimed that “diverse” is a word that democrats have stolen and made dirty… don’t get me started on that. So I just want to say it again: (Dear Sir) I LOVE THE WORD “DIVERSE”!
As teachers, sometimes our hands are tied by school or district policies when it comes to exposing our little learners to cultural or religious holidays. I was always glad to be allowed to teach holidays, as long as these were taught in an all-inclusive way that made children aware of the diverse ways and days people celebrate but didn’t promote one over another.
We recently started talking to our big boy (who’s 2 years and 4 months) about God. This all started one day when he was reeeeeally testing my patience. Y’all, I’m no saint but I’m a Special Ed teacher, so that tells you God blessed me with an extra dose of patience. (And I’m so grateful for it!) I’m telling you, I totally was losing my mind that day. The kid had me pulling my hair out and groaning. As luck has it, hubby was stuck at work really late, so it was just me with the teething twins and testy toddler at bedtime.
That’s how we fell into our new routine of bedtime prayers, because we needed prayer that day. For a better day the next day. For gentle hands with the babies. For both of us to be better. For him to listen and control himself. For Mommy to be more patient and understanding. Continue reading 1 Family Cultivating 2 Religions
