An Eddy Adventure

2018 began 55 days ago. Fifty-five days ago, I started this blog. In my very first blog, I mentioned I hoped it would affect at least one person in a positive way. This is still my hope. Every single day of this adventure called life, my mind races with thoughts, feelings, ideas, concerns, dreams, and expectations for not only myself but for others. I encounter many different people on a daily basis. Each of these encounters requires something different from me. Each day I wear so many hats, some of which are listed below. Usually I am one or more, or all, of the following:           Wife            Mom            Grandma            Listener            Helper            Organizer            Collaborator            Counselor   ...

This week I began reading a new novel with my students, Esperanza Rising . This historical fiction novel tells the story of a young girl and her mother who must leave their privileged lives after a tragedy and start over in a new land. In this novel, Esperanza must learn about being patient and dealing with life’s hills and valleys. In discussing the metaphor of hills and valleys with my students, these questions arose: What is happiness? What is the secret to finding it? Why is it so elusive? Can you be happy in the valley? Why does it seem like time in the valley lasts longer than time on the mountain? Wow! Each year, each group of students in each of my classes always amazes me with their insight. I have said it before in my blog, and I will say it again … I NEVER have enough time to dig deep with these wonderful humans. We discussed the reality of each life having difficulties – just at different levels and at different times. Happiness is defined in the ...

In Room 106, during the second semester, my students and I read and discuss  Esperanza Rising together. This book is the story of a young girl who faces tragedy in Mexico and is forced to immigrate to America with her mother.  They face challenge after challenge as they try to acclimate to their new life. Before we begin our reading, I always ask my students to respond to a question in their journals. I read the journal responses of my 120+ students today. Once again, I was reminded how much I learn from my students in Room 106. Once again, I was reminded how fortunate I am to be a 6th-grade teacher. Here are some of their responses: When someone is faced with challenge after challenge, how can they learn to appreciate life? ·                     Focus on the positive ·                     Help others · ...

When I was younger, television was full of variety shows. I loved watching these with my parents. My favorite act was a man who would bring out a big table holding dowels. He would place a plate on each dowel and, in order, for the plates to stay in the air he had to keep them spinning. Otherwise, the plates would fall to the ground and crash. I think back to this often because it reminds me of my daily life and all of my roles and responsibilities. Keeping all of the plates spinning is a metaphor for my life. One of my roles is being a teacher. I love teaching. I love teaching reading. I love working with my students. I love planning out lessons. I love our classroom discussions. I love seeing students have that “aha” moment when the lesson clicks for them. When I am in the classroom with my students, magic happens. These students come from so many different walks of life. I have 6 different classes.  Each class has anywhere from 20 – 31 students at a time. Ea...