January 10th: This Post Has No Title

Sundays are often very long days for me. It takes me most of the day to get my lesson plans written. Any "free" time I get is spent completing the other "getting ready for school" tasks like laundry and a trip to the supermarket to stock up on peanut butter and jelly for the week. I wasn't really sure where I would find a positive moment today; I certainly wasn't expecting it to come in the form of a tweet!

I shared with you yesterday how proud I was of my students who had commented on Lee Kolbert's blog post, Warning! Don't Let This Be You! This morning Lee commented on my post and then sent me a message on Twitter about it. Then she asked me a question that really got me thinking: "Why don't you title your posts?"

Um...well...uh...I...uh...have no idea.

I hadn't really thought about it. Until Lee asked the question and then reminded me...the English teacher...of the importance of The Hook. The words or idea that grab your reader's attention and make them want to keep reading. It's one of the things I've always admired Lee for...she writes the best titles!!! Here are a few examples of her title-writing expertise:

• We Interrupt This Blog for This Public Service Announcement
• When The Shift Hits The Fan!
• Are You A Wimpy Whiner?
• Are My Private Parts Showing?

And it's also something I am ALWAYS talking to my students about! So, why is it I hadn't given it a thought?! You may also be wondering, "And how exactly is this today's positive thought???" That might be hard to explain. You see, for some reason, I took great delight in receiving a lesson from another teacher, especially one that I admire as much as I do Lee. And the best part was that I received the lesson well. I didn't perceive it as a personal attack as I might have in days gone by. No...seriously! The slightest critique or question would have sent me into a tailspin; that's how little I valued myself and my work.

I guess I'm finally growing up! Thanks for the lesson and the help, Lee!

Oh, if you're wondering why there's a picture of Haagen-Dazs ice cream at the top of this post, it's because I've posted to two blogs every day since New Year's Day and I think I deserve a treat. Chocolate!!

January 3rd

It's Sunday. The last day of my Christmas break from school. I was surprised this morning when I didn't start my day filled with dread and oh so much whining [is one ever too old to say "But I don't wanna go to school!!" in the whiniest voice imaginable?] In fact that gut-tightening "why didn't I get more work done over break" feeling never stopped by for a visit today.

Interesting.

Could it be that trying to stay positive is already having an effect? Or might I just be delusional from all the Christmas chocolate still in my system? Tough call.

I tried to think of a big, positive moment from my day, something I could write about here. But nothing really struck me as being "blog worthy." So, I sent a message out on twitter, and received this reply:


I read it over several times. Then it finally registered...these positive moments I'm looking for each day don't have to be huge, fantabulous, rock your world types of moments. I even wrote about that in my first post. The little things in life have value too, and we shouldn't overlook them. I did manage to get the laundry done as well as quite a bit of cleaning around here. The cable guy came by (yes, on a Sunday) and replaced my box, so I finally have cable again. I don't know if I did any "reveling" today, Mrs. Tenkely, but I did get in a bit of relaxation. Does that count?

So, thanks for the reminder, Kelly! You are positively a good friend!!