What It Takes to Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Year 8 of teaching is in the books. 

Whew.

I'm exhausted. 

But, it was a good year overall and for this I am grateful. 
{What a loaded, glorious sentence to type!!!}

Finding an engaging unit to teach 8th graders in May is not for the meek. But I resurrected a mini unit I put together years ago with the conviction that the tools we need to survive life can be found through the characters and themes found in The Wizard of Oz, and it was perfect.

We read a series of nonfiction texts that incorporated five themes/ideas. We had a fluid definition for each of these words and the kids wrote about and discussed the ideas that were revealed in the texts. 

Dreams: 

When we dream, we ask these questions: What do we hope to accomplish in our lives? Where are we going? Do we "dare to dream"? What’s your “Emerald City”?

  

Courage: 

When a person displays courage, they are willing to risk anything to achieve their goal. They face challenges with a spirit of hope and confidence.

  

Heart: 

When a person has heart, they are passionate about what they do. They are committed to others. They are sympathetic, empathetic, and compassionate towards others.

  

Brains: 

When a person values their potential to use what they know for the greater good, they are successful. They know that education is power and that power is used for good. 

 

Home: 

Where we belong, where we are loved, and where we can be ourselves is home. When we can truly say that “There is no place like home", we know we will be okay.

 

I love this unit because there is a vulnerability created that is authentic. The kids discuss difficult issues and learn about themselves and each other because people's stories create an open and honest place for this. They met people like Christopher Reeve, Florence Nightingale, Meip Geis, Hurricane Katrina survivors, Malala Yousafzai, Tony Hawk, Bill Gates and a handful of "not so famous" people who choose to daily live with purpose because of their conviction around these ideas.

We were inspired to overcome all that life shoves our way and we learned to look beyond ourselves and within ourselves to find hope. 

We learned that the "core" of who we are and what we believe is enough.

 It is enough to withstand all the "scary" out there. 

It is enough to move forward and make the world a better place. 

It is enough, because there is purpose in who we are; we are enough. 

I read a reflection from one of my students who said that he learned  how to be more confident because of this unit. He wrote about how his mom is rarely around and his sense of "home" feels distant and unattainable. He went on to say that because of a story we read about a girl that found her "home" with her best friend's family, he had hope that he wasn't alone. He can still have a sense of home even if it isn't traditional. 

I had another student talk to me about their dream of being a chef and that his "Emerald City" smells like garlic. :) He told me he is going to do everything he can, even in high school, to strengthen his skills around his dream of being a chef. 

I heard students talking about standing up for what they believe even if it isn't popular to do so. They talked about actively fighting bullying and having courage to Stand Up.  

I heard them talk about not taking the American education system we are a part of for granted. One kid said he was going to stop breaking pencils {on purpose} because some kids in other parts of the world don't even have running water, much less pencils to write with! 

I nervously told the kids a snippet of my story and what it means to know, to really know, that Love Always Wins. I  almost didn't tell it, but I wanted them to hear how these themes are a part of my reality too. And while I was still wondering if I did the right thing in sharing, one of my students gave me this: 

{So grammar and spelling aren't her forte; she has other gifts. :)}

I think we can all take cues from these themes and figure out how to navigate our own yellow brick roads. 
We need to dare to dream and look for ways to make those dreams happen. 
We need to have courage when facing uncontrollable realities. 
We need to give of ourselves and see the good in others to help make the world a better place. 
We need to use our potential for the greater good and not waste our abilities. 
We need to remember where we belong and know we always have a safe place to be ourselves.

It's inevitable that there is going to be a "Wicked Witch of the West" and scary flying monkeys in our lives. We are always going to be searching for and needing companions who "get it" and then walk with us. We are always going to learn from each other. And, as we do this, learn to use our own stories to help others struggling to find meaning in difficult situations. 

We have so much to gain from each other and as we utilize the tools necessary to navigate our yellow brick roads, may we become inspired to change the world.

My Dad: The Man--The Legend

We celebrated my dad's 70th birthday yesterday up at my parent's house.
Brian cooked all the food and my mom and I did all the "extras".

We all wrote toasts to my dad with the theme of Stan:

 "The Man--The Legend."

Today, my dad said that yesterday was the best day of his life.

I wanted to share my toast to my dad in this space and continue to
celebrate the amazing person he is.

When daughters refer to how great their dads are, they have no idea what kind of competition they have with who my dad is.

My dad is the sort of person that would sacrifice all that he has to help another person. He is the type of person that gives others hope that they can accomplish anything they want. He is the type of person that people want to be around and they are glad they were around him—even for 5 minutes.
The people he interacts with walk away changed— for the better.

My dad has been known to tell legendary stories about life, love and football.

From the Flyin’ '37 rolling into ditches, fist fights with those trying to date my mom and broken noses of "Nebraska" football players, his stories never cease to be entertaining.  I think, though, that the best thing about his stories is that the core of them shows the resilience of the human spirit.  His stories are ones that people remember because they show heart. They show courage. They show that one can accomplish anything they want.



My dad has endured a lot of heartache throughout his life but he has managed not to allow these things to fester for long. He finds ways to crawl out of spaces that seem impossible to get out of. He finds ways to “dig another well” because he knows that’s all one can do. He then inspires others to do the same.

 

My dad’s generosity is legendary.

His love for those who don’t seem ‘lovable’ is legendary.

His kindness to strangers is legendary.

His love for his family {especially his favorite middle child} is legendary.

His ability to make you feel special is legendary.

His heroic spirit is legendary.

My dad is a man that people strive be like.

His legendary life is one that produces hope that is rare and desirable.

 

Cheers to my dad, truly the best dad in the whole world.

I love you.

Yes. Be Amazed.

Teaching is hard. 

Like, really hard. 

It's draining. It's unpredictable. It's pressure-filled. It's frustrating. 

It's one of those jobs that people thank you for doing because THEY would NEVER want to teach, especially in a middle school!

But it has its upsides too. 

Thankfully.

My "upside" came from a very unlikely place. We have been doing writing warm-ups to a book called "Be". This wonderful book outlines different things we should "Be" in life...Be happy, Be excited, Be ready, Be present, etc. 

I had the students choose a "Be" prompt to expand.One of my 8th grade boys wrote an AMAZING piece of writing that blew my mind. I think it blew my mind mostly because he is one of those students that I didn't think would naturally have that "writer's voice". 

He is quiet. Like, super, duper quiet. Even if when he talks, it's in a whisper. 

He's that unassuming person who you almost overlook because he is so shy. And, generally speaking, boys in my classes aren't the strongest writers. They certainly say things to get by, but it's rare to see that "spark" in boys' writing. {Why is that??}

Then I read this, and let me tell you, 

I was amazed. 

And inspired.

Be amazed by the world around us. Be amazed by what life gives you. I am amazed by the awesome world we live in; the trees, the wildlife, and the organized process we go through known as our lives. I am amazed at what we build. I am amazed at the friends life gives me, the people around me and my family. I'm amazed at myself, my thoughts, my creations and my opinions of the world. I'm amazed by the amount of people who think life is a big, fat, boring job and they act depressed and hate everything in their way. I say be amazed, people! You can't let the world give you its dark side; let it give you its light side! 

See?! 

Be Amazed.

Thanks, Kevin, for reminding me of this and for giving me hope that this 
job might not be too bad after all.

:)

P.S. In the spirit of being amazed and celebrating my favorite season, I have to share what Natalie From East To West wrote about weather and the changing seasons.
Read here, and be inspired.