Working in Education through the Language Lens

  On Saturday, I officiated a lovely wedding at a very unique venue, BB Riverboats! For the first time in a long time I was invited to stay for the brunch buffet, to which I gladly accepted. I did not know that the wedding would be on the first day of moderate temperatures after a sweltering heat wave. I was eager to get home and do yard work on our mini farm. As I sat at Table 6 - the table for "others", all alone I might add, I looked again at the wedding itinerary. The boat ride was about to begin, which means I would not be home for another 3 years. Even though the buffet was calling my name, I thanked the bride and groom and exited the boat. Next stop was the bank to deposit the wedding check, and then onto Tractor Supply for pig and chicken feed, and straw for the goat beds. After leaving Huntington, the thought of a Panera iced tea and bagel was calling my name. Well - I should have stayed for the buffet! As I entered the intersection after seeing two vehicles fly thro...

If you live in an area where basketball is a keystone of the culture - or you have colleagues that you work with that support a team (loudly and proudly), you inevitably know about March Madness. I love the undying loyalty that comes with team sports. I am a Tampa Bay Buccanners fan (yes, I know that's football - from 1999 after learning about Mike Alstott when I lived in Lafayette Indiana. I don't LOVE basketball. I do love sports but this is not a sport I was raised with any awareness about. As an immigrant from South Africa, our big sports were Rugby, Cricket, Squash and girls played Netball in school. I moved in 1992 and attended 12th grade for a second time. Primarily becuase my grades in South Africa did not translate well as acceptable college material (even though I was immensely proud to earn the grades I did). That's a whole other story for a different time. A pretty significant cultural movie came out that year - that left me wondering if indeed I did know Englis...

I know I haven't posted in a long while - but it's time. This is an important message for myself to express, and hopefully for you all to read. It's that time of the year where we are frantically updating procedures, handbooks, staff rosters and the like. Enrolling new students, sending out supply lists etc. The excitement and anticipation of the First Day of School is now tangible as tomorrow is August 1st! The hope of returning to school in a 'normal' setting is appearing doubtful, and we have started Mental Health/wellness training and plans for our schools. Having our staff and students safety and wellness is top priority, and yet we are an educational institution, so there is learning to plan for. Throughout this past year, we have seen so much new learning for staff and students alike. Adjusting to new schedules, new learning environments and new technology to ensure that contact with our students and families continued - and of course teaching and learning oc...

 It's time to return to blogging, for many reasons - some including: 1) We are all trying to build this plane while flying it 2) I feel more now than every it's time to advocate for the needs of our special populations 3) I need to share my learning and growing When our district learned that schools would start virtually - my heart sank. I know of many families that are merely surviving since Covid first started and now we are going to further their isolation. For me - here are my top 3 priorities for leading our department through this all: 1) Accountablity - check in with every single student - every single week. 2) Health and Wellness : encourage and ensure the well being of our students and staff are at the forefront 3) Remove barriers : to learning period, but especially learning virtually. As a parent of a junior EL child, who spent 2-3 times longer on daily work than his brothers during NTI, this needs to be a positive learning experience for all. So tomorrow we begin ou...

It's that time of the year - !!! We are gearing up for back to school. My principal colleagues (district colleagues) and friends are prepping their back to school nights. Schools are getting cleaned from rafters to baseboards. Even I have been 'evicted' from my office work space within one of the elementary buildings, that now needs the space for other things.  (SO grateful for the years they have accommodated me!) Then at our leadership retreat, I heard three distinct messages. From our internal Happiness Advantage guru's From our newly appointed Deputy Superintendent From a national leader in brain neuro-plasticity and daily gratitude modeler! and one outcome that I just can't shake - so I need to blog about it, is this:                                        Don't get on the bus - or on the boat - get on the RAFT! 1. In today's educational climate, I'm pretty sure c...

I've posted about resilience before - but this post is geared more towards being able to push through those hard times, when life seems to be falling apart -at the seams. Just like diversity, and other topics near and dear to my heart,  I want this conversation to continue. I recently watched "To Write Love on Her Arms" ~ if you haven't seen it - and you are an educator - you should. It's not a feel good movie by any stretch. However it allows you to take a glimpse - into the lives of those affected and afflicted by addiction and mental illness. Unless you have experienced any kind of trauma or mental health illness of your own, you will watch this movie with blinkers on, missing some key things. So let me share some self reflections (without spoilers- and yes read between the lines): 1. You cannot "see" depression. Unfortunately, it is not always visible when someone is going through a period of depression. Don't expect to see a teary eyed ...

"Well this is a mess!" These were the exact words my orthopedic doctor used to greet me on Thursday to share the results of my MRI. I had torn my shoulder a few weeks back (trying to lock the back row passenger seat in place while turned around in the driver seat). Yup, not smart! Then, instead of resting - we moved. So I packed, and lifted, and packed and lifted. Then, I slipped on a stack of flattened boxes - and while trying to spare my shoulder - landed on my forearm and burned it on a wooden stair case. THEN, while in the new house, I attempted to lift my 80lb chocolate lab up four stairs (usually not an issue), but as I exerted force, my shoulder gave out. So needless to say - I've been unable to do all I need to do. I have pictures to hang - and boxes still to unpack. My hopes of landscaping and building a vegetable garden and chicken coop are being put off until next Spring. Even getting dressed and clicking the seat belt fastener is a challenge. Being on...