What it Takes

The beginning of every school year brings reflection and determination.  I am entering my second year of teaching having two kids.  Last year was a whirlwind of emotions and commitments made outside work to serve my family and my sanity.  This year I get to relish in a bit more stability and experience with how to orchestrate our three ring circus.

A couple of simple guidelines to strive for this school year: turn on my phone twice during the school day to check for messages, get one-to-one conversations going more often with my students and commit to limiting my weeknight commitments.

This morning I was thrilled when 8 of my Freshmen from last year came by to visit me in the morning before they started there day as Sophomores. One of my favorite things about walking the hallways from my classroom to the math wing for my co-taught class, is getting an opportunity to run into smiling students from years past.  I love seeing them grow-up year after year and keeping in touch with them throughout there time at LHS and after!

You see a great majority of us are always striving for better ways to do x,y & z in our classrooms, this goes without saying.  I'll tell you, just when you start to doubt that your not doing enough to make a difference, your reminded how much of a difference you do make.

18: Post Conference Thoughts

No big surprise that last week was exactly what the doctor ordered!  We met fantastic families, affected individuals and Registry leaders. 

The minute I walked into our first workshop, I could feel a weight lift off my chest. I knew then and there that we belonged.  During lunch the first day, I spotted a mom of an affected child with a beautiful 18 tattoo on her wrist. I went over to her table and introduced myself, as I could tell from her badge this was also her first conference.  I met another lovely mother with an affected daughter that comes from a family of educators.  During mom's night out, one of the post poignant conversations was had when myself and a mom talked about our daughter's having old souls.  We believe that our girls have wisdom way beyond there years and teach us an immeasurable amount about life. 

Two veteran members from the Midwest who have children with 18q- introduced themselves to James and I.  I had the pleasure of meeting there families and discovered that one of the member's daughters teaches at a nearby high school!  These ladies are quickly becoming reliable resources and rocks to lean on. 

Wednesday night's dinner dance was an opportunity to catch up with folks that we didn't have a chance to meet with throughout the previous days.  One of the most beautiful moments came in the form of affected adults welcoming Adele to the family.  We owe it to Adele to continuously seek guidance and support from her affected family; after all, this is a part of her identity. 

Our family and friends in Jacksonville proved once again to be amazing! We spent Sunday at the beach for some time with our good friends that we miss dearly.  My cousin lent us her mini-van (thanks Marv the mini), for the entire week along with picking up and dropping us off at the airport and watched the girls for us on Monday and Tuesday!  

Savannah itself is a stunning city with gorgeous buildings and landscaping along with delicious food and drink.  Shopping is a breeze and we must have walked 6 miles a day with no second thought.  I was a big fan of how the city is structured.  It is similar to Chicago in the sense that everything radiates from the water into a grid pattern.  This made navigating a breeze!

James also had a chance to interact and connect with some amazing dads as well.  These men offered him advice and glimpse into the future. 

We are planning on attending as many conferences as possible.  Next year we'll be heading to Stamford Connecticut to reconnect with our new family.