The Luckiest No Matter What!

Today, June 20th, is #WorldRefugeeDay... Because of the content I've taught during my teaching career, I've been fortunate enough to become knowledgeable on several countries around the world. Countries like Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Syria, for example. These countries just so happen to be three of the top countries refugees are coming from so this global issue has a very special place in my heart.  I wanted to pool some resources here so that my readers could build knowledge, build empathy, and learn what an impact and difference you could make!  Here are some great websites to learn more:  - Top Countries Refugees are Coming From   - The United Nations Refugee Agency is a powerhouse for information and statistics - Amnesty International  works to help people achieve their basic human rights, including safety, and has great things to read on the refugee crisis.  - Read here to learn about the top five refugee crises in our world today....

In the fall, I shared with all of you what a difficult decision it was to listen to the advice of the teachers and place Nolan and Judah in separate classrooms. My boys, up until that point, had done literally EVERYTHING together... willingly and by choice. Here we are, it's June, school is out, and I've been able to really reflect on that decision and how I feel about it now... At first, that distance between the two of them was difficult and also endearing. They both had a hard adjustment and looked SO forward to recess, lunch, and pick up where they could cling to each other and spend time together. I loved that and hated that all at the same time. These two walked hand-in-hand almost every day As the months continued, I began to notice a shift as the boys grew in their confidence and grew in their individuality. I remember vividly talking to them one evening about lunch, trying to sort out why Judah hadn't finished his lunch AGAIN and I was asking Nolan what he...

The end of the school year is bittersweet for so many and teachers are no exception. There's the sweetness of celebrating a wonderful year alongside your students. There's the sweetness of summer- looking forward to having more time to spend with loved ones and especially the mental break summer provides for us from all that comes with the rewarding and challenging job of teaching. There's also something bitter about the end of the year: the ending of a safe, empowered, school family you spent all year cultivating. The ending of sharing with your students, bonding with them, learning with them, from them.   I shed tears every year, for all of it- the bitter and the sweet.  As THIS particular school year wraps up, my feelings are all there in a big way as I AM TAKING NEXT YEAR OFF. My reflection, too, is heightened more this year than any as I prepare to step away from the classroom for a minute.  One of the things teachers spend time doing at the end of the y...