“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
Another snow day--ANOTHER SNOW DAY! It is not supposed to snow any more, but it has been snowing at my house since 7:30 this morning, and it is still coming down. I can't wait to get out of this house and go see my dad.
For those of you don't know, it is one of my greatest privileges to teach 11th Grade English and AP Language and Composition at Har-Ber High School in Springdale, Arkansas. Har-Ber High School is truly an amazing place and I must have some sort of deal with the people who create schedules, because every year I get the most amazing students. It is true. I keep in touch with many of my former students. I truly cannot even believe the overwhelming sense of gratitude I feel when I walk in my classroom each day (I am in beloved room C-203, the very same room I in which I completed my teaching internship). As an APLAC teacher and learner, I am always trying to come up with ways to make my students appreciate writing. I mean, it is true that we do A LOT of writing of essays (I know, kiddos think they have it bad, but I get to read all of their amazing works, some that are ON THE WAY to becoming great), but writing isn't just about essays. In life we write for a whole host of different reasons, not the least of which is connection. We write to connect with other people. So, my students have started blogging (again, with the reading thing for me). This week, during our second "snowcation" of the year, I posted fifteen creative writing prompts for them to consider for their next blog post. They range from writing an ode to a photobomber to creating Jimmy Fallon style "thank you" notes. I don't ever leave my kiddos hanging, so I'm choosing a prompt today and writing!
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The prompt I am choosing is "Write about an awesome gift you either gave or received. What made it so PERFECT? Tell a little bit about what it was for and the reaction/memory." Here goes:
I have been blessed by an extraordinarily generous husband and have received so many amazing gifts, it is difficult to choose one. I also love giving gifts, but hopefully those stories belong to the receiver. I want to tell the story of the simply most perfectly amazing Mother's Day gift one English teacher/crazy mom could ever receive.
Mother's Day is one of my most favorite holidays because I love being a mom. It is the most amazing gift in itself. Our traditions on Mother's Day usually include waking up and planning a day of trivial things I love to do, mostly hanging out together, getting free frozen yogurt (or other Mother's Day freebies from local shops) going outside for a walk, hike, bike ride, maybe a Superhero movie...kind of like a perfect mom day.
In 2011, I woke up to a wrapped gift that was shaped like books! BOOKS! Yep, this day was starting out right on target. When I opened them, they had strange new covers. The books were covered with scrapbook paper, and had been adorned with the following titles: Mom's Motherly Meanings by Olivia Moore, Words for my Wife by Justin Moore and Happy Mother's Day Dictionary by Austen Moore. I had no idea what was going on. Then, I opened up the first book. Each one of my people had purchased a dictionary and had selected words that they thought reminded them of me--highlighting the chosen words in the dictionary. I could not believe this gift. I poured through the dictionaries with both tears and laughter with each member of family. There were words in common in each, but my favorites were the ones that meant something to just that person and me. Here are a few of my favorite words:
For those of you don't know, it is one of my greatest privileges to teach 11th Grade English and AP Language and Composition at Har-Ber High School in Springdale, Arkansas. Har-Ber High School is truly an amazing place and I must have some sort of deal with the people who create schedules, because every year I get the most amazing students. It is true. I keep in touch with many of my former students. I truly cannot even believe the overwhelming sense of gratitude I feel when I walk in my classroom each day (I am in beloved room C-203, the very same room I in which I completed my teaching internship). As an APLAC teacher and learner, I am always trying to come up with ways to make my students appreciate writing. I mean, it is true that we do A LOT of writing of essays (I know, kiddos think they have it bad, but I get to read all of their amazing works, some that are ON THE WAY to becoming great), but writing isn't just about essays. In life we write for a whole host of different reasons, not the least of which is connection. We write to connect with other people. So, my students have started blogging (again, with the reading thing for me). This week, during our second "snowcation" of the year, I posted fifteen creative writing prompts for them to consider for their next blog post. They range from writing an ode to a photobomber to creating Jimmy Fallon style "thank you" notes. I don't ever leave my kiddos hanging, so I'm choosing a prompt today and writing!
The prompt I am choosing is "Write about an awesome gift you either gave or received. What made it so PERFECT? Tell a little bit about what it was for and the reaction/memory." Here goes:
I have been blessed by an extraordinarily generous husband and have received so many amazing gifts, it is difficult to choose one. I also love giving gifts, but hopefully those stories belong to the receiver. I want to tell the story of the simply most perfectly amazing Mother's Day gift one English teacher/crazy mom could ever receive.
Mother's Day is one of my most favorite holidays because I love being a mom. It is the most amazing gift in itself. Our traditions on Mother's Day usually include waking up and planning a day of trivial things I love to do, mostly hanging out together, getting free frozen yogurt (or other Mother's Day freebies from local shops) going outside for a walk, hike, bike ride, maybe a Superhero movie...kind of like a perfect mom day.
In 2011, I woke up to a wrapped gift that was shaped like books! BOOKS! Yep, this day was starting out right on target. When I opened them, they had strange new covers. The books were covered with scrapbook paper, and had been adorned with the following titles: Mom's Motherly Meanings by Olivia Moore, Words for my Wife by Justin Moore and Happy Mother's Day Dictionary by Austen Moore. I had no idea what was going on. Then, I opened up the first book. Each one of my people had purchased a dictionary and had selected words that they thought reminded them of me--highlighting the chosen words in the dictionary. I could not believe this gift. I poured through the dictionaries with both tears and laughter with each member of family. There were words in common in each, but my favorites were the ones that meant something to just that person and me. Here are a few of my favorite words:
I still pull these books out and pour over them. I cherish every word. My daughter chose the word "nose" because my nose is always cold. She chose jive because I love to dance with her in the kitchen. My son chose "mouse" because of my irrational fear of rodents. He chose "night" because without fail I always trudge up the stairs to wish him good night. My husband chose "outdoors" because of my legendary camping promise. He chose "wave" because of my love of the beach and our first vacation there together. Each word they picked means something to both the giver and the receiver. It is like a whole bunch of little gifts inside each book. It is the most perfect gift I have ever received.
Today I am going to spend the day with my people. I am going to stop freaking out about the loss of another teaching day, and I am going to make a memory with some really awesome people. I hope you can give yourself the gift of today.
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