Author: Michelle

Drawers, boxes, closets…

Are you compartmentalizing your life or are you living out the bigger picture? Do you have one box for “X” area of your life, a drawer for “Y” and maybe a closet for “Z”? Do any of these areas interact with the others or do they all have their own identity or life unto themselves?

I found myself doing this. I would have one area for mommy things, then I had another for work things, then I had yet another for personal things. And I felt like one of those performers who was trying to keep all the plate spinning at the same time and not let them all come crashing down around me.

Then I found myself just living the everyday, ordinary life that I had become accustomed to. Somewhat of a rut, a boring routine, not really going anywhere. I wasn’t doing what I was really passionate about, and I was struggling with that. It wasn’t until someone else challenged me that I was finally able to come up with the answer that no, in some areas, I’m not doing what I truly love or feel that I am “called” to do. So I re-evaluated what was occupying me, my time, and my focus and made some changes.

Now, I am in the middle of three, maybe four, different projects. Some big, some small. They all will have an impact, on what scale, I don’t know yet. And I am passionate about each one. I also see the potential in those closest to me, and I want to help them realize their dreams and goals too in whatever way I can. Which opens up a bunch of other projects and the opportunity to spread myself too thin. But that’s another post.

So now I am challenging you. If you are ready, then go think. No, really think. Ponder, mull over, reflect on, formulate an opinion, on what are you doing and what do you want to be doing? Or do you need to take a new direction in life and finally do what it is that you really want to do. Feel free to comment or e-mail me if you want to share. If not, that’s okay too. I just hope I have given you something to think about today.

Teaching our kids

It’s a sad reflection on our society today if a teacher doesn’t have confidence that a parent is going to actively be involved in a child’s education.

I recently had a parent/teacher conference and I must say this is the first time I have been disappointed with one of my child’s teachers. Don’t get me wrong, she seems to be a good teacher and Amy really likes her. But I have some reservations.

I’ve known for some time now that I have a smart kid. I know most parents think their kids are smart, but mine is one of those really smart ones. I’m going to have to go back to school to keep up with her at this rate. She has blown the top off of the CRCT standardized tests that they give here in school. She’s reading at a 5th grade level and that’s when she’s not really trying. Her math skills are incredible too. I don’t know any other third graders working on square roots. I don’t even remember what grade I learned that in. I know it wasn’t elementary school.

So when I went to this conference one of my concerns was that she wasn’t allowed to pick more challenging books from the library. The reason I was given: “well if she reads all the higher level books now she won’t have anything to read when she gets to 5th grade.” Is it just me or is there something really wrong with that statement? She went on to say that in 5th grade we would have to go to the public library to get books for her to read and we wouldn’t know which ones were AR books and it would be a lot more work. Ummm… I’m at a loss for words here. Why wouldn’t I do that? If I want what’s best for my child, then I will do whatever it takes.

Are there really that many parents out there who don’t care about their kids education? That is the only thing I can glean from that comment. Has school just become a place where kids are babysat between the hours of 7:30 am and 3:30 pm? And if that’s the case, what are these kids going to do when they grow up?

I know there are some teachers out there reading this blog. Please comment and tell me what you think. Personally, I will continue to work with my daughter, take her to the library, book store, museums, etc. in an effort to continue to challenge her. But if this is what I have to look forward to for the next 9 years, I may have to re-evaluate what we’re doing about schooling.