January 19th: When The Rain Comes

Phew! What a day! We had everything: wind, rain, thunder, lightning, sunshine, rain DURING the sunshine. There was even a bit of hail as well as a double rainbow! Beautiful!!

Thunder and lightning is not something we get a lot of here in Northern California. So when it does arrive in full force, as it did this afternoon, it's quite noticeable. Especially when you're teaching a special class after school with students who have attention issues. Fortunately for them, their teacher also has attention issues.

I know the proper response as the teacher should have been to keep them in their seats and convince them that there was nothing for them to see. "Stay focused on your work, please." But who are we kidding? I was the first one who headed to the window to spot the lightning! It didn't take long for me to figure out that this was something that's fairly rare for my students, so why not enjoy it with them!

Rather than hide us behind closed windows and doors, I threw open the blinds and opened the door. The lightning didn't last long, but it was just long enough for us!

January 18th: Imagine the Possibilities

It was a lovely, stormy day here in Northern California today. The kind of day that is best spent inside, under a warm blanket, with a fire going in the fireplace.

Or...if you're like me...you enjoy getting out in the storm, feeling the wind and the rain on your face. It may sound odd, but I always feel more alive when Mother Nature is in close contact! And it looks like I'll be feeling more alive a lot this week.

Wandering around in the storm today, taking pictures, gave me plenty of time to think. My thoughts today were centered mostly around education and my place in it. Mostly what I came up with were just more questions: What is my part in education? Am I supposed to be in the classroom? Is that the best place for me to affect change? Should I be thinking more along the lines of working to change education on a different level? And what would that look like? How would I get there?

Perhaps I'm already on my way there, and I just don't realize it yet. I've had some wonderful conversations recently with other educators. Conversations that make me feel hopeful that I am on the right path. I may not know exactly where that path is heading, but I have to learn to trust that I'm heading in the right direction. It's the journey that matters, not the destination.


Photo: Storm! by Liebedich