Day Three

It's day three of my self-imposed #Write365 challenge, and I'm already starting to wonder if I'll be able to find something every day to write about. I mean, how many posts can I write that complain about grading or lesson planning? Those are daily issues, but I don't want to continuously focus on the negative.

Should I assign myself writing prompts like the ones some teachers give to their students? Should I simply write about any random thoughts that pop into my mind during the day? (I work with middle schoolers...my life is filled with random thoughts.) Or should this be one long therapy session where I try to figure out all the things that are wrong with my life. (Oh geez, no one will want to read that!)

Sidenote: As I'm writing this, I'm also watching the NFL playoffs and I'd like to make a request to all commentators out there. I can guarantee that many of my middle schoolers are watching the games this weekend. As their grammar teacher, could you please use proper grammar while speaking? You may not know this, but many of my students hang on practically every word you say. And sometimes they come into class on Mondays and make fun of some of the grammatical errors you made over the weekend.

Okay, never mind. I rather enjoy that.

I took this picture of a robin while I was at my mom and dad's for Christmas. He kept staring at me, probably wondering what that strange thing attached to my face was. He sure jumped every time the shutter clicked.

It amused me.

Then again...I'm easily amused.

January 6th

Seventh graders are interesting creatures. I should know...I spend all day with them. Thirty-six of them! Quite often I wonder who the real teacher in the room is. After school today, Taylor came up to me and said, "Look, Miss McMillan, it's a four-leaf clover!!" My ridiculously negative response: "It's torn." And this incredibly wise young lady responded with, "I don't care. Take a picture!"

So today's positive moment stems from today's most negative moment. How many conversations have I had with seventh graders about the importance of being accepting of all people no matter what was on the outside. True beauty lies within. Don't judge a book by its cover.

It's torn.

It's not perfect.

It's not photo-worthy.

How ridiculous! Of course it was perfect...to Taylor. And it most definitely became photo-worthy...to Taylor...and to me! I mean, look at that photograph! Isn't it a cool shot!! It made Taylor happy and it makes me happy to look at it.

So, what did the teacher learn today? I learned that my pessimistic, glass is half-empty, view of the world is deeply ingrained in me. I learned that learning to be optimistic, to think positively, might be a longer and harder journey than I had originally thought. I learned that we can find teachers wherever we go in life, including our own classrooms.

I learned I have so very much to learn.

A New Year, A New Way of Thinking

I have always said that I don't believe in making New Year's Resolutions. If I wanted to make a change in my life, I didn't need to wait for a specific day to do it. I could make changes anytime I wanted! The problem is I never really get around to that. Maybe I really am the kind of person who needs a schedule for everything!

What I do know about myself, much as I hate to admit it, I have always been a "glass is half empty" kind of gal. And where has that gotten me? Nowhere, really. Oh, I could give you a long list of Whoa-Is-Me-Isms, but that would go against the reason for this blog...the change I'd like to make this year.

Today, I began participating in the 365 Day Photo Challenge along with many of the members of my PLN. The idea is to take one photo every day and share it via Flickr and, possibly, your own blog (you can see mine at Picturing My Year Day By Day). This got me thinking. About my thinking. Seriously.

And here's what I've decided to do. I will find at least one positive thing each day of this New Year and write about it here on this blog. It doesn't have to be anything huge...in fact, I've always believed that it is the little things in life that hold the most value for us. The point is to help me change my view on life; to try and find a way to see my world through anything but dark, gloomy glasses.

Who's with me? I would love to see others participate in this challenge. I'm sure I'm not the only one in the world who could use a fresh, clean perspective on life. Besides, if there are others participating with me I'll be more likely to keep up with this every day.

Care to start a Thought Revolution with me?!