tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72805261527525930862024-02-07T21:23:09.828-08:00Give. Risk. Learn. Trust.mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-41929047904646912332018-02-21T22:57:00.004-08:002018-02-21T22:57:28.285-08:00Dear Penngrove Families...<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Penngrove Press Newsletter is published every couple of weeks thanks to an amazing mom at our school. I usually write the intro blurb which is often nuts and bolts and perhaps sprinkled with a little inspiration from time to time. Tonight, I'm thankful the writing juices were flowing and I'm pleasantly surpristed by the feedback I've received from several Penngrove families. Enjoy.</span><br />
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February 21, 2018</div>
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Dear Penngrove Families,</div>
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Oh, I have so much to say yet honestly, feel somewhat overwhelmed to the point of not knowing where to start. Ever been there? I sit here this evening, in the comfort of my home watching my sleeping baby boy, thinking of all this world has going on. Like you, I wonder how to help, what to focus on, where to spend my energy, and I think of a million things I can do, ways I can make our community stronger, areas I want to change or do a better job focusing on...the list goes on. It seems like my hopeful list of "to dos" gets longer and longer with each passing moment.</div>
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And then tomorrow comes. And tomorrow is filled with kids who need hugs. Students who forgot their snacks or maybe even their math notebook. Little faces who didn't remember to brush their teeth, are nervous to ask for help, want to be first in line. Kindergartners who left out letters in the alphabet, 6th graders who worry about junior high. Students who daydream in class thinking of a difficult family situation. A 3rd grader who just lost a pet, a 5th grader who struggles to make friends. I think of the six year old piecing together reading while overhearing way too much grown up talk, the 4th grader who is still upset from a wall ball game at recess. These are the things that can haunt me if I let them.</div>
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Our sweet little country school is filled with so many stories. Stories that deserve more. More support, more love, more kindness. For every forgotten snack, there is a staff member who bought an extra box of granola bars at Target last night. For every student looking for a friend, there is a parent sharing encouraging words of wisdom. For the 3rd grader who lost a pet, there's a counseling office with extra tissue and a plethora of stuffed animals. For the students working so hard to master reading, there are night time snuggles and good night stories. There are daily successes, huge wins, and even the smallest of accomplishments that earn continual positive praise.</div>
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I guess in times like this when it's difficult to hear the news, hard to talk to kids about life, when calendars are way too full...one thing we can all do is to stop. Just stop and be. Be present with each other, with your children, and with your families. We can listen to our little ones. We can harness their innocence and keep them young for a while longer. We can put down our phones and iPads and pick up a book or grab some fresh air together. Heck, we can even have dance parties in our kitchens and eat ice cream for dinner.</div>
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Last week, on Valentine's Day, our staff spent time in downtown Petaluma together as a team. We sipped lattes at Della Fattoria, nibbled on pastries, then moseyed on over to Copperfield's Bookstore to pick out some classroom treasures. Glamorous, huh? Don't get me wrong, we had the longest "to do" list back at the ranch. IEPs, SSTs, conferences, report cards, team discussions, new curriculum implementations, class placements for the new year, emails, reflections on best teaching practices, safety conversations, the list goes on. But for that afternoon, we chose connection. We chose to stop and just be. As I parked my car in the parking structure and walked to meet the group, the almost hidden sign pictured below caught my eye. It was subtle and nestled in between some lovely flowers. It read, "Now more than ever...be kind."</div>
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At Penngrove, we want your children to be academically strong. We want them to be socially mature. We strive to foster friendships, to teach confidence, and to strengthen skills that will make life long learners out of each and every one of our students. But above all else, when I stop and just be, I realize that all I really want for each and every one of our 399 students, is that they will now, more than ever, be kind.</div>
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What will you change? Where will you carve out more time? What statement can you make to show your children that you are never too busy, too consumed, too tired. They need us now. We know they are resilient and they likely won't cry out for help. But I'll cry for them. I'll beg. I'll keep fighting. I'll keep going until each and every one of them knows they are loved, they are treasured, and that they are our hope. I hope you'll join me. Because now, more than ever, they need us.</div>
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Amy</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(To read the entire Penngrove Press Newsletter, <a href="https://www.smore.com/3qcxv">click here</a>.)</span><br />
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<br />mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-7548128232889419202017-01-05T18:27:00.000-08:002017-01-05T22:56:09.721-08:00Missed Opportunities<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On a fairly regular basis, I suffer from major #fomo (</span><a href="https://twitter.com/kathyamelton" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Melton</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, you might need to look that up, I know my hip lingo is much more advanced than yours). The thought of missing out on fun times or shared memories is just too much for this girl to handle. While “fomo” doesn’t necessarily make me lose sleep at night or send me racing to schedule an extra therapy session, it does preoccupy my thoughts from time to time. This morning, as I was on my way to San Francisco International Airport en route to SoCal for the weekend, I came to a disturbing realization. There’s something far worse than fomo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As dawn began rise over Hwy 101, I noticed my chest feeling heavy and my eyes becoming misty as a former student of mine shared with me some of her high school experiences. Our conversation started out very simply. She was asking for advice on her schedule for the semester and trying to coordinate her work schedule with the classes she wanted. I started asking questions about what she would be missing in class if she adjusted her schedule. Her response, “We don’t do anything. It’s just a really long (almost 3 hours) and boring class. The teacher is really sweet and we’ve gotten really close but she doesn’t plan anything for us to do except update the ________, revise _________ and plan ____________ but all that takes is about 30 minutes.” (I’m intentionally leaving some of the details out because it would make the class too obvious.) And this post isn’t about a particular class, teacher, school or system. It’s about missed opportunities.</span></div>
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I asked my former student, “What do you do the rest of the time?!” Her response was, “I try to finish my homework, I read, play on my phone, and sometimes when she lets us watch a movie and I’m tired, I take a nap.” Seriously?</div>
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At this point in the conversation things shifted a little bit. For both of us. I went into crazy principal mode and she went into justifying mode. I started asking more questions, rapidly, and with intention. She reminded me that she really liked this teacher. “It probably sounds like my teacher is terrible but she’s really not. I just wish she planned stuff for us to do.” UMMMMMMM – DUH!</div>
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I immediately had flashbacks of this precious little 8-year-old face holding my hand and looking up at me with the most beautiful smile you’ve ever seen. And now she was 17, about to graduate high school, granted admission to several colleges and with awards and scholarships. And she had been cheated. Somewhere along the way, she started believing that it is acceptable to sit in class for hours, watch movies, play on your phone, nap, and catch up on homework. Missed opportunities.</div>
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I couldn’t help but think of all the things that teacher could be doing with these students. I’m not even very familiar with the subject matter of the class but oh my gosh, these are young minds about to be released into the world. They could be doing ANYTHING. But to do “nothing”?! No.</div>
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At this point in the conversations, I got curious about a couple of other things so I asked my sweet girl if her principal ever came in the classroom. I mean there are plenty of “sweet” teachers right? But come on, at least someone was aware that a room full of high school students was being dealt a hand of missed opportunities. Her response, “In the last 4 years, I’ve only ever seen our principal in a classroom 1 or 2 times. Our assistant principal has come in probably 4 times in the last 2 years. It’s rare to see him in a classroom though.” Blood boiling.</div>
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Next question: “Do you know your Superintendent’s name? And don’t google it.” To my surprise, she did know his name! Yes! There was SOME hope. Of course I asked, “How do you know his name is ____________?” And here we go, she responded with, “I know his name is ________ because he updates his Twitter and I’ve seen him on the District website.” Oh. My. Gosh. Seriously? This cannot be real. I mean I hadn’t had my morning coffee yet but this was #notadream. If you think I was in crazy principal mode before, I kicked it into high gear at this moment and asked, “Have you ever seen Superintendent _________ at your school or at a school event?”</div>
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“I have seen him at graduation. That’s it.”</div>
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I don’t even know what to say about this. Quite honestly I don’t know very many Superintendents. But the two I’ve worked with over my five years as a principal have a long list of positive attributes. Steve Bolman walked through classrooms with me, knew who my strongest teachers were, what my challenges were, asked me what support I needed, talked to me about how to manage our building, cared about our grounds and facilities. Just last month, <a href="https://twitter.com/garywcallahan">Gary Callahan</a> wore a ridiculous holiday suit to an assembly at Penngrove and pushed a teacher across the stage in Santa’s sled during our staff flash mob. He’s played basketball at recess with kids, taken pictures and made videos with students, and checks in with me frequently to let me know what he feels is working at Penngrove or something different I should consider.</div>
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Additionally, I’m lucky enough to have met some awesome Superintendents through a couple of Voxer groups I belong to and from what I know of them, they are in classrooms, with students, with staff members, building relationships, in the trenches, not for a second forgetting how hard the work is that our teachers do on a daily basis. <a href="https://twitter.com/tonysinanis">Tony Sinanis</a> is a new Assistant Superintendent this year. You’d never know it by his social media feeds though. He’s in classrooms more than some principals I know. In his district, his students know him on a first name basis and parents are wondering who this random guy is who keeps popping up to engage in the learning and teaching taking place. And then there’s <a href="https://twitter.com/joesanfelippofc">Joe Sanfelippo</a> who is running around like a complete nut throwing t-shirts, water bottles, and temporary tattoos at people around the country because he loves his district, schools, students and staff so much. If you ever someone yell #gocrickets, you better duck! </div>
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I certainly didn’t mean to turn this into #suptchat, although I love a good chat, but these leaders I highlighted above are certainly not letting “missed opportunities” define their classrooms, schools, or districts. I happen to know a ton of principals who walk the talk. They dance, learn, and play with their students on a daily basis. They ask questions. They know what’s happening on their campuses. They know their students names. Are any of them perfect? Heck no? Are these Superintendents without flaws? No way. But give me a break, a three-hour high school class where kids are actually “doing nothing”?</div>
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I guess this morning was more of a wakeup call than I wanted. It is completely unacceptable to let students be in your classrooms, schools, and spaces year after year and dish them a plate of missed opportunities.</div>
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Students, advocate for yourselves. Ask your teachers to push you. Invite your principals to learn alongside you. Be in their faces. Don’t allow anyone to dish you missed opportunities. You deserve better.</div>
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Leaders, there is nothing you could do in your office that is more important than spending quality time with students and staff members. I’m speaking to myself here also. I do not have this perfected, but I’ll never stop trying because it’s best for kids.</div>
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Teachers, educators, and everyone in between, I’m begging…don’t let 2017 pass you by and suddenly realize that you’ve been living in a world with too many missed opportunities. You’re better than that.</div>
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To my former student who let me push, prod, and ask a million questions this morning on my drive to the airport, I’m so glad you turned out to be a success story, regardless of the way the education system has failed you. Not everyone is so lucky. I am so proud of you and I promise that as long as I live, you can forever count on me to never settle for missed opportunities.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because I know you're all dying to see our holiday flash mob to "All I Want For Christmas Is You", enjoy!</span></div>
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Any because you probably want to learn more from Tony and Joe, order their latest book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hacking-Leadership-Learning-Teachers-Students/dp/0986104949">Hacking Leadership</a>, which will change any educator's trajectory. </div>
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<br />A special thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/aprilbuege">@AprilBuege</a> who encouraged me to blog again after her sweet message on Twitter yesterday. I needed that.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> </span>mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-80208557894945505442016-07-31T17:04:00.004-07:002016-08-07T17:54:37.659-07:00One for Three.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had three goals for myself this weekend. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#1 Go to the <a href="http://www.thedaileymethod.com/">Dailey Method</a> (my fav place to work out which I RARELY go to!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#2 Blog (I've been storing up a million stories for months now)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#3 Catch up on the Bachelorette before the season finale tomorrow</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I usually have about 10 things I want to accomplish each weekend but I'm tired of disappointing myself so I figured 3 would be safe. WRONG. Seriously, what's wrong with me!?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have all of 20 minutes before I need to get ready for the Adele concert tonight (rough life, I know) and that's not NEARLY long enough for a blog post BUT..... I've gotta just drop some pics in here of how awesome the first two weeks of school have been at <a href="http://twitter.com/pennpanthers">Penngrove</a>. Hopefully I'll squeeze some time in soon to blog about our school theme this year: Power of One, but for now, just know that our year is off to a tremendous start! Energy is high, positivity is out of this world, new and old team members are working together like rockstars, and our students are loving every second. I am beyond lucky to spend my days with the 389 little panthers whom I love to pieces, the incredible staff who go above and beyond on a daily basis, and the parent community who supports us in the best of ways over and over again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2016-17, let's do this! #itsgoingtobegreat #oneforthree #powerofone </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKd0u2vlXs-ll3d06x2hfjI-wPriJCh-QjfTcvrCdbmmDLc1BEF7HDRUCjeFx3rdjYWlr8Shkb9KuvESsye5sGETESYlraj4yR_mrhB3XOtu14XilFBr2zv0_oO_gma1Ww6lLm64ZjSa8/s640/blogger-image--1504672958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKd0u2vlXs-ll3d06x2hfjI-wPriJCh-QjfTcvrCdbmmDLc1BEF7HDRUCjeFx3rdjYWlr8Shkb9KuvESsye5sGETESYlraj4yR_mrhB3XOtu14XilFBr2zv0_oO_gma1Ww6lLm64ZjSa8/s640/blogger-image--1504672958.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Power of One! Team Penn!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozAKJp8YcY-6jIieKTdrIVuSsgMOx9gjAXMM5DkebVHUp7Y8lJQR3ivUZ_HfhruFB4ZhObUiyrYjGnThWwRatohxSs5r_ik324KR2DGFu_9fDizwh40R24LYDTCDwRc7xI5VyFjjAFH8/s640/blogger-image--682517280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozAKJp8YcY-6jIieKTdrIVuSsgMOx9gjAXMM5DkebVHUp7Y8lJQR3ivUZ_HfhruFB4ZhObUiyrYjGnThWwRatohxSs5r_ik324KR2DGFu_9fDizwh40R24LYDTCDwRc7xI5VyFjjAFH8/s640/blogger-image--682517280.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinder team having fun! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZ5c8u-JvYT9weUW-F6sOM9iL5W87YLz__VTiBzt5RdO7x_Bu8_LcjhJhIeUyjBXByZX9F1FEUy4L3foocETU8Kj-w6PO35SepAVvAi-76k_AT6Epng_LzMUC2cntweWnSP7-DnDXkyQ/s640/blogger-image--584688566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZ5c8u-JvYT9weUW-F6sOM9iL5W87YLz__VTiBzt5RdO7x_Bu8_LcjhJhIeUyjBXByZX9F1FEUy4L3foocETU8Kj-w6PO35SepAVvAi-76k_AT6Epng_LzMUC2cntweWnSP7-DnDXkyQ/s640/blogger-image--584688566.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the BFF brings you coffee on day 1!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoDPWh2GpuDw1b_0gsbQWXVSx6bFaO-8vt0dgmVXG9BuXRKI9xYEYVojKlHG9Xr6Mrl1KXTRZpchocBuljyAZYb8nJuM7mUW1dyrTKFISRaTbIqsf1LSHPdctjipNsRup2_rKH3_oGYw/s640/blogger-image-562316185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoDPWh2GpuDw1b_0gsbQWXVSx6bFaO-8vt0dgmVXG9BuXRKI9xYEYVojKlHG9Xr6Mrl1KXTRZpchocBuljyAZYb8nJuM7mUW1dyrTKFISRaTbIqsf1LSHPdctjipNsRup2_rKH3_oGYw/s640/blogger-image-562316185.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Our newly updated outdoor learning area!</td></tr>
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</td></tr>
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<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_phXyabP1yT4v4yYKvu7KmIAHXnwUtb9lIP2TnIdSw8As9Ad5d2NnYlSnhpDMpl-UB-bvFEOmBvPAEkMdwl_VRG8zh-6N-vwP4qEnAD9nF8-M-27_lo9ClQm63CzWV4JMq5HxfKBmaI/s640/blogger-image--1763274398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_phXyabP1yT4v4yYKvu7KmIAHXnwUtb9lIP2TnIdSw8As9Ad5d2NnYlSnhpDMpl-UB-bvFEOmBvPAEkMdwl_VRG8zh-6N-vwP4qEnAD9nF8-M-27_lo9ClQm63CzWV4JMq5HxfKBmaI/s640/blogger-image--1763274398.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome classroom details</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQhtZ_4aUXJpTZQWQC-x6vDB12WoPOv-SvLPcgjhH_hEuMLWqEM3iZrp5B8RjkBuqGF3vH5Ekvr8jhpccz-pDzhUvb3bMv2li1oYQuND2PZOcQbh8Tzlwv8GMQr2X2gxEk6ojZ_5fZow/s640/blogger-image--1094311261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQhtZ_4aUXJpTZQWQC-x6vDB12WoPOv-SvLPcgjhH_hEuMLWqEM3iZrp5B8RjkBuqGF3vH5Ekvr8jhpccz-pDzhUvb3bMv2li1oYQuND2PZOcQbh8Tzlwv8GMQr2X2gxEk6ojZ_5fZow/s640/blogger-image--1094311261.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The night before school starts....</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6qKhme6u2_yAHocn50TQlEl_ihmk5DNtgY8_ZsFFXa8Dao1O1HAON-fX31_WPaTKK1ZgRkvfl9faOWZJeCyO6-o7WNr4lq930k0m9nrEHL8g1UeR4eZ7KfPG09ssPzGrhNJ4DzPkx9M/s640/blogger-image-848757378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6qKhme6u2_yAHocn50TQlEl_ihmk5DNtgY8_ZsFFXa8Dao1O1HAON-fX31_WPaTKK1ZgRkvfl9faOWZJeCyO6-o7WNr4lq930k0m9nrEHL8g1UeR4eZ7KfPG09ssPzGrhNJ4DzPkx9M/s640/blogger-image-848757378.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting the Supt. and Asst. Supt to work delivering lunch buckets w/ my BFF!</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbifBFfdjzWfh9gtwA3LqJ2ycxawHbBeud2ehoktgz6bJG0ASpROC8X83j32EmZiT5Fcl2a87FiJCwLUqV4P1WzS51AIdb1quB8ST7BNz8cy1_sHUlqWbVznmuRHhu0AXUkLgepH0sENs/s1600/blogger-image-643219545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbifBFfdjzWfh9gtwA3LqJ2ycxawHbBeud2ehoktgz6bJG0ASpROC8X83j32EmZiT5Fcl2a87FiJCwLUqV4P1WzS51AIdb1quB8ST7BNz8cy1_sHUlqWbVznmuRHhu0AXUkLgepH0sENs/s640/blogger-image-643219545.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A visit from Jen K.! What?!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlisxumA7ICjgtmLZZA4Q6ynxCADzRUPx7Cid3wKuNSxAJCkSN4m6UCvreW2LTHqQEqKmj6pAALyo6l7X721kq-6OYgkevzqG8cEOW2mA0EIgLM5okd_1n6f6cEW_2v0Cx95ibc3P8Dk/s640/blogger-image-1681071843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlisxumA7ICjgtmLZZA4Q6ynxCADzRUPx7Cid3wKuNSxAJCkSN4m6UCvreW2LTHqQEqKmj6pAALyo6l7X721kq-6OYgkevzqG8cEOW2mA0EIgLM5okd_1n6f6cEW_2v0Cx95ibc3P8Dk/s640/blogger-image-1681071843.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How was your first day Ollie?!</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcXo_Docvc6efkdi4QJnovt1lQcp3_sFwWZ2-xDNqDu6zKJRa9VCzZijBDsOONtHL_kxoEDOl5KRsAjtpmm8Y0li1JmZIfUFsi30033tw7vhyphenhyphenaPbq62cFdD3x-WR0uRSnlhMekiHWsSE/s1600/blogger-image-1305197300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcXo_Docvc6efkdi4QJnovt1lQcp3_sFwWZ2-xDNqDu6zKJRa9VCzZijBDsOONtHL_kxoEDOl5KRsAjtpmm8Y0li1JmZIfUFsi30033tw7vhyphenhyphenaPbq62cFdD3x-WR0uRSnlhMekiHWsSE/s640/blogger-image-1305197300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks Derb! xo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0i6oEx0dc4r_sh_zxCkhrsgm_8W_DtIMu3xBLjBUe0WQnJQZARhEfVY0j0NkB7BZUhtDGCQIMRVoqZiODOLQ10wKQ1Vg5X5COTcV2S39Ittjc6BeU1H4bda5XQyJD8608eKcqmhqA1P8/s640/blogger-image-1085321463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0i6oEx0dc4r_sh_zxCkhrsgm_8W_DtIMu3xBLjBUe0WQnJQZARhEfVY0j0NkB7BZUhtDGCQIMRVoqZiODOLQ10wKQ1Vg5X5COTcV2S39Ittjc6BeU1H4bda5XQyJD8608eKcqmhqA1P8/s640/blogger-image-1085321463.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I brought this sign in because it explains me. I'm happy every hour!" YESSSSSS!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-27ucCr75xeXWx7cGj68L6fM_8pMuEqZVgMAfrCzry0dzYMycdiZqWJR_xh-l2Uyp30Kio3KILpO-LqWkHeaffYDGS0DDDZme_bRYgUp36C0BDfy-UzFO-NCc82b7vMTckYLD3sU5zUw/s640/blogger-image--1851023681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-27ucCr75xeXWx7cGj68L6fM_8pMuEqZVgMAfrCzry0dzYMycdiZqWJR_xh-l2Uyp30Kio3KILpO-LqWkHeaffYDGS0DDDZme_bRYgUp36C0BDfy-UzFO-NCc82b7vMTckYLD3sU5zUw/s640/blogger-image--1851023681.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome family photo wall coming together!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSCE0UyGuckx1BA4URvpzEULxGYcUbtJwwUP9REEAiA0L_1eD8JtZxlHynHNzzT9x5UdmYrJkmuHCQ_GlptNnq6PvBFpKqk_ecu8ZS0H5t9wnX3PitiesQ-k19HDSpmwABcfnsf_1wZc/s640/blogger-image-939393589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSCE0UyGuckx1BA4URvpzEULxGYcUbtJwwUP9REEAiA0L_1eD8JtZxlHynHNzzT9x5UdmYrJkmuHCQ_GlptNnq6PvBFpKqk_ecu8ZS0H5t9wnX3PitiesQ-k19HDSpmwABcfnsf_1wZc/s640/blogger-image-939393589.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love hanging out w/ our kiddos outside of school #batterup</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHbCdlDs3nH2ugSAvL45EX7ubvrcCP3ve_3I-XnLwTD69tC_VvAKlchVHYbDfYePE5bRCFwhe2I5Jis9FiPbbleX9LEiga9OlAT1TG4xMwGzH01_ssXs3FmfKGoFj0gRdq15o8x5C2AA/s640/blogger-image--901032663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHbCdlDs3nH2ugSAvL45EX7ubvrcCP3ve_3I-XnLwTD69tC_VvAKlchVHYbDfYePE5bRCFwhe2I5Jis9FiPbbleX9LEiga9OlAT1TG4xMwGzH01_ssXs3FmfKGoFj0gRdq15o8x5C2AA/s640/blogger-image--901032663.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Cal Ripken All Stars!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJHMIFhdqZ56t_lxYVOYSsG03GGF3rwWOkESwDsXCgEgVpsxMGb_Y2nIqKo8yHzIIIPvcIATgXC3IQzGvk1F9G54o27C_pdMqZh2Tt0bQAyvVUm9sF1rjlE5eu3n5YhqhX7qa8PHIZLI/s640/blogger-image--614025258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJHMIFhdqZ56t_lxYVOYSsG03GGF3rwWOkESwDsXCgEgVpsxMGb_Y2nIqKo8yHzIIIPvcIATgXC3IQzGvk1F9G54o27C_pdMqZh2Tt0bQAyvVUm9sF1rjlE5eu3n5YhqhX7qa8PHIZLI/s640/blogger-image--614025258.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team building</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipkTxIoqFXTMTbR5V0W3xTwyl51DJItesdSQvBPAv69nQMHOVRB9don3hyksTEAwyXUD09fCzn3DL0f09x8P3NsHx_379xcvN79kaFvjmze_1QVwIEBuP6hf-lijLdWIYtF8j8CwSP8aM/s640/blogger-image--779624532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipkTxIoqFXTMTbR5V0W3xTwyl51DJItesdSQvBPAv69nQMHOVRB9don3hyksTEAwyXUD09fCzn3DL0f09x8P3NsHx_379xcvN79kaFvjmze_1QVwIEBuP6hf-lijLdWIYtF8j8CwSP8aM/s640/blogger-image--779624532.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marshmallow Challenge - school wide!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHElNyaRtCiYyIWhoJbUMtfbaDZkP-6YET7W_KgojrXoZLsNiTIJCOlIWP7tBw0L327LpTCo3wW08kCgpAq5aurutiItI6LcT32bekHFQ99XW05AfTmjN61ltuOdI7-BMZDiQ3w-mL7U/s640/blogger-image-1925808383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHElNyaRtCiYyIWhoJbUMtfbaDZkP-6YET7W_KgojrXoZLsNiTIJCOlIWP7tBw0L327LpTCo3wW08kCgpAq5aurutiItI6LcT32bekHFQ99XW05AfTmjN61ltuOdI7-BMZDiQ3w-mL7U/s640/blogger-image-1925808383.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy birthday celebrations already!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xUJ6qTpAYu0n-YJT-XlocAWXlmcwyaQGuwFWePWNnkFGalH0EXW2zuoeNo1Q6LBIZpmIbWI6YSFsbo_NR0aBF4NYn1n_ARi1xUi_6KIkeX2oDxiOCpNOa7KOmLZIVrGzFu_zWQENOzw/s640/blogger-image--192134221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xUJ6qTpAYu0n-YJT-XlocAWXlmcwyaQGuwFWePWNnkFGalH0EXW2zuoeNo1Q6LBIZpmIbWI6YSFsbo_NR0aBF4NYn1n_ARi1xUi_6KIkeX2oDxiOCpNOa7KOmLZIVrGzFu_zWQENOzw/s640/blogger-image--192134221.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late night karaoke at school...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPb7UcJc4YSKt7dwJ9-SqINthdylKteUJbdT_O2FwGlZRGZw124XOgo7faOVedEh-07XWnNQHU_iJPuWvPqbfEScabf7hsRrB26vhuTRVLrza9YziUebNEdrYoD4xljMDsBoMeHAft7c/s640/blogger-image--1653422324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPb7UcJc4YSKt7dwJ9-SqINthdylKteUJbdT_O2FwGlZRGZw124XOgo7faOVedEh-07XWnNQHU_iJPuWvPqbfEScabf7hsRrB26vhuTRVLrza9YziUebNEdrYoD4xljMDsBoMeHAft7c/s640/blogger-image--1653422324.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaking it up. Roni Habib shared his magic with Team Penn!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRP1lUJLB7sG5lgpym_A3p3Mxu0lmBRHtqgGXV1isYDS4tT1z0jsDINMZHdJPrEqPo_QilJFxOQPCkduXXujKmgK5FPT8eO-784le0IpegYqUngTpW8fiaTQCFO6ZWbq_WTkUvHDkP8A/s1600/blogger-image--386564202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRP1lUJLB7sG5lgpym_A3p3Mxu0lmBRHtqgGXV1isYDS4tT1z0jsDINMZHdJPrEqPo_QilJFxOQPCkduXXujKmgK5FPT8eO-784le0IpegYqUngTpW8fiaTQCFO6ZWbq_WTkUvHDkP8A/s640/blogger-image--386564202.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mindfulness, Happiness, Play.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGDoXfIFdamu91cz1emWqKXu7iEi04CeKk2GJ6rDXzU69eoQyJEZpYbaCZ9mYyu6GPWMoZYVVJmnv9nKzMyVcwcaCNe1I6g_mGMwc7PG_qrQnjEnC9kKC5Q7F7Js-i1_ZsxyQ8Rr12as/s640/blogger-image--1278191075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGDoXfIFdamu91cz1emWqKXu7iEi04CeKk2GJ6rDXzU69eoQyJEZpYbaCZ9mYyu6GPWMoZYVVJmnv9nKzMyVcwcaCNe1I6g_mGMwc7PG_qrQnjEnC9kKC5Q7F7Js-i1_ZsxyQ8Rr12as/s640/blogger-image--1278191075.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet moment with Mrs. Law</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhAggEwCslCCH5eYE7KGr3vBb_ry7eTRcbmPtyM-zrwTEB6AKhbBvi3-A5RTwI0X3y7hereFMSgwT9WbqPllxnvGZJLxzgoT5ata8OOzCSpzNaaTLA8Eb3pq0BI6EOH_hXdPZfnX2R5g/s640/blogger-image-15111836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhAggEwCslCCH5eYE7KGr3vBb_ry7eTRcbmPtyM-zrwTEB6AKhbBvi3-A5RTwI0X3y7hereFMSgwT9WbqPllxnvGZJLxzgoT5ata8OOzCSpzNaaTLA8Eb3pq0BI6EOH_hXdPZfnX2R5g/s640/blogger-image-15111836.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New rugs!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Hm3nequqb-tyq1Weg28Nv11jLu_jbEFfN_nkhWLBNOy2vX5-dm6gVxl80d6BAThwO515OdFSc4ObhQn3xpPMHv0dl35DAuw5JLxRHKlglkVRgOlBob6kNIUEgpXzMbiPQfQIXMrGrzk/s640/blogger-image--1043103192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Hm3nequqb-tyq1Weg28Nv11jLu_jbEFfN_nkhWLBNOy2vX5-dm6gVxl80d6BAThwO515OdFSc4ObhQn3xpPMHv0dl35DAuw5JLxRHKlglkVRgOlBob6kNIUEgpXzMbiPQfQIXMrGrzk/s640/blogger-image--1043103192.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surprise visit from mom!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotqzOP9HbYqqgdQEFiHkry-oILUTlVBUzcCLX17jp77amGmwn1ByCefji-gpBnVm51_OVjpgZCM7DvermkWvQCV-6UyuxbBsOXmsvioB9knds6SG0f5MAkTsXJGBvqvbMrP_X9cnwwlw/s640/blogger-image-897354740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotqzOP9HbYqqgdQEFiHkry-oILUTlVBUzcCLX17jp77amGmwn1ByCefji-gpBnVm51_OVjpgZCM7DvermkWvQCV-6UyuxbBsOXmsvioB9knds6SG0f5MAkTsXJGBvqvbMrP_X9cnwwlw/s640/blogger-image-897354740.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stealing my teacher's kids :) Look at that shirt....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkF1-vOx0xLWMSf634ZtlqffDFXM_4aOAv90Yz9UDsT3_LEv1D36gYNN6Efw2VHciTYWACPp-DYuZTVOZMAnhdgEBFacMndMvIXEmdgDpi7yl9P9HRQWSUFo24x5rThySyqr7yx1yLkJE/s640/blogger-image--721822981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkF1-vOx0xLWMSf634ZtlqffDFXM_4aOAv90Yz9UDsT3_LEv1D36gYNN6Efw2VHciTYWACPp-DYuZTVOZMAnhdgEBFacMndMvIXEmdgDpi7yl9P9HRQWSUFo24x5rThySyqr7yx1yLkJE/s640/blogger-image--721822981.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having fun launching the Fadeji 2016 Campaign!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzMudpymisbi0-rIkm4eJ8svZxlbg9BqdsUWraxDsInWiUBOpDMiWdCA0EYZBSGnRKLI_vQ3vP_U4tQmpRK5igbacaBFCktELq_W2kAoIrqHu5JqAK0ma4EJxrtrgHo7qGwamvXbiNLY/s640/blogger-image--1025934020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzMudpymisbi0-rIkm4eJ8svZxlbg9BqdsUWraxDsInWiUBOpDMiWdCA0EYZBSGnRKLI_vQ3vP_U4tQmpRK5igbacaBFCktELq_W2kAoIrqHu5JqAK0ma4EJxrtrgHo7qGwamvXbiNLY/s640/blogger-image--1025934020.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at the skirt on this little one! SO awesome!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdc8wya3Gr4hFM3VKsoFKUm6W0qhEgyNwSFl5FzyG39TD_lvVF3lrCVaiJvn-4xdKzIeRzGOkMjnRVWaK5LLAGvzdgDp04UrZqnaukHirRYu7H7qKQ9aoQ0vBzimeJcEJy2xw-0mL910s/s640/blogger-image--383968632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdc8wya3Gr4hFM3VKsoFKUm6W0qhEgyNwSFl5FzyG39TD_lvVF3lrCVaiJvn-4xdKzIeRzGOkMjnRVWaK5LLAGvzdgDp04UrZqnaukHirRYu7H7qKQ9aoQ0vBzimeJcEJy2xw-0mL910s/s640/blogger-image--383968632.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super grateful to this team for helping me with the crazy parking lot!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zfN0OT-tK8dz6tFMnxv2d3HFZ2WdAJG3Ud6i6CRN19tyB3-UBFZWyVb27v0qh0rz1b7H0Nt9v1UWW3bKUPsbj6YNJ-jzNLECcIhKDOXZY2KlQ8TKfF0guJCA-qmV7TYJqNm69ZsSMpI/s640/blogger-image--2139094878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zfN0OT-tK8dz6tFMnxv2d3HFZ2WdAJG3Ud6i6CRN19tyB3-UBFZWyVb27v0qh0rz1b7H0Nt9v1UWW3bKUPsbj6YNJ-jzNLECcIhKDOXZY2KlQ8TKfF0guJCA-qmV7TYJqNm69ZsSMpI/s640/blogger-image--2139094878.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snuck in a little PD time to help this awesome admin team in Placerville get up and rolling for the 16/17 school year!<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">And super late to the concert now.....Hello......get it?! Ha! So lame. Alright weekend almost over, one for three, I'll take it. </span></div>
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-3643403681001068152016-02-19T02:12:00.002-08:002016-02-19T02:12:48.420-08:00Emotions.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was searching for a really deep title for this post. Like way too deep. And then I Googled, "song titles with emotion in the title" and there it was. Mariah Carey. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrJEFrth27Q">"Emotions"</a>. 1991. Oh man, I loved 1991. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">been awhile since I pulled one of these nights. I'm totally going to regret this when my alarm goes off at 5:30am tomorrow. Like REALLY regret it. Ugh. "These nights" mean I get home from a long day and realize that I can't sleep until I get my email under control because it's weighing me down like the box of Thin Mints I ate last week. Seriously, email is a huge problem for me. I just can't conquer it. Drives me crazy. Tonight I did okay though. I went from 288 emails to 56 in about two hours so that rocks. I'll sleep well if I ever get there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This past Sunday when the world was celebrating Valentine's Day - I was having a mini life crisis. Through a series of circumstances I came to a few realizations about myself, about this job that I've given my whole heart to, about the people around me who keep me grounded and about what I need in order to be my best self. It was a really hard day. I don't have those very often, maybe only a once or twice a year, so when I experience them, it's pretty intense. Emotions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My "resting happy place" is being crazy busy, doing a million things at once and pouring into others as much as possible. For some reason, I feel like I could give, give, give for a lifetime and never run dry of that energy. Sunday was a different story. For the first time in awhile I realized even my superhero size reservoir of love had dried up. And on Valentine's Day?! Come on Fadeji. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much like roller coaster ride, this school year has hit me with turns, loops and upside down moments that I wasn't expecting. The highs have been so incredibly high. Heights I have never experienced before. And the lows, although super short-lived thankfully, have been pretty dang low. I have a somewhat high tolerance (or maybe threshold is a better word) for these twists and turns. But I guess even for me, these unexpected emotions can build up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the past couple months, I've probably had more conversations with CPS (Child Protective Services) and local law enforcement agencies than in the previous three years as a principal combined. It's heartbreaking. Yet, I find myself hugging my students a little tighter, leaning into my friends a little harder, and letting the tears fall a little easier. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the best parts of this year has been reconnecting with some of my former students who helped shape me into the teacher and leader I want so desperately to be. Dillan, who was in my 2nd grade class and is now an 8th grader, comes to Penngrove most Fridays to volunteer in classrooms. She is a natural with our students and watching her build relationships with them is so neat. And it's full of emotions to watch that unfold.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnW5N-yX7_mFrdPaPBTnQE9fHK5bh7aXlsvT6Aag9RHeK1_0JqRnXayHUOhGS4XheC0p250dd8hs_BNCcrNr0C7vCU4FIl687kD9cEXmwrQe46mXidUS2cNgbo3H4QgESqpTlyqauL7A/s1600/IMG_7083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnW5N-yX7_mFrdPaPBTnQE9fHK5bh7aXlsvT6Aag9RHeK1_0JqRnXayHUOhGS4XheC0p250dd8hs_BNCcrNr0C7vCU4FIl687kD9cEXmwrQe46mXidUS2cNgbo3H4QgESqpTlyqauL7A/s400/IMG_7083.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dill leads a 5th grade math intervention group</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVY8iS_zRfCfYDbHmhEHlB4WqgX8Dy8BNfTKE00H-O8WLjgUj2NbjKdsXY7HgxieE5gDe0GL0gBo5QMOuKHwFZ5Bv-n5gV_gBU46naNGxhCN9TvFq-DnJhc3EiacJ_Khk6NTxMNZOMXI/s1600/IMG_7061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVY8iS_zRfCfYDbHmhEHlB4WqgX8Dy8BNfTKE00H-O8WLjgUj2NbjKdsXY7HgxieE5gDe0GL0gBo5QMOuKHwFZ5Bv-n5gV_gBU46naNGxhCN9TvFq-DnJhc3EiacJ_Khk6NTxMNZOMXI/s320/IMG_7061.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dill and me grabbing a latte!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguC1m8Bv5Z5I9wWrbaOwLEhhNjUFyy9AXSAME3uXYqbYo5_Fp_q-O9sW5bsBdOHJ_cY9aGg7Y_Oo6KfLD9uT5U_81fC7HEAzQ3XikoQYtjThdOeuZ0dPcZwTuwH0vEOKvlq_mVAalzBZM/s1600/IMG_7511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguC1m8Bv5Z5I9wWrbaOwLEhhNjUFyy9AXSAME3uXYqbYo5_Fp_q-O9sW5bsBdOHJ_cY9aGg7Y_Oo6KfLD9uT5U_81fC7HEAzQ3XikoQYtjThdOeuZ0dPcZwTuwH0vEOKvlq_mVAalzBZM/s320/IMG_7511.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then there is Sarwah. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I met Sarwah in 2007 when she was in my 3rd grade class in Mobile, Alabama. There was something about her that struck me back then. Something that told me we would be in each other's lives for a long time. Looking back on it now, I can see little hints of why and how we would still be so connected all these years later, and it makes me smile that I somehow lucked out with her on my attendance sheet 9 years ago. This past summer, Sarwah tragically and suddenly lost her dad. Since then, the two of us have been in pretty constant communication. Sarwah spent all of last week with me here in Cali - soaking up the rays with her BFF who tagged along for the ride. The three of us laughed, cried, shared, dreamt, hugged, the list goes on. One night as I was tucking Sarwah in, I told her that if my whole career and life path was intended only so that our lives would intersect, it would be more than worth it and I would choose that path a million times over. Serious emotions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today at work, as that dang email InBox filled up, I ignored it. The school newsletter went out a week late, I forgot to sign up for a meeting with my new Superintendent, I didn't return all my phone calls. I'm resting in the fact that I simply can't do it all every day. You know what I did do though? I spent every second I could with my students. Today, I must have high-fived or hugged at least 200 kids, some of whom need a whole lot more than I can give them. But I'll never stop trying. I won't slow down. And my reservoir is completely filled up again. My game face is on. And that's a dangerous combination for this girl. Especially when Mariah is playing. Roller coasters? Love 'em. Bring it. </span>mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-91825874668705299782016-01-14T13:22:00.000-08:002016-01-16T10:15:25.561-08:00Unexpected Gifts<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let the fun begin!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For about a year now, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/billselak" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Bill Selak</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and I have been talking about him coming to visit Penngrove. I LOVE
having visitors on campus. There is just something incredibly meaningful about
connecting the numerous conversations that take place via Twitter, Voxer, etc.,
with a good old fashion visit. I’ve had the opportunity for some of the
educators whom I admire the most to visit my campus over the past couple of years.
Whether it’s a quick check-in, or an all day adventure, there is just something
about my friends being at Penn that is extremely humbling, exciting, and
encouraging. Last week, having Bill at Penngrove was absolutely full of
unexpected gifts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I was busy doing the
morning assembly, meeting with our amazing PTA President, and prepping for the
Penn News, Bill was en route in the pouring rain for what would be a three-hour
drive for him. Yikes. I had the Panther VP (Video Production) Crew in my office
when Bill arrived and they had been anticipating his arrival maybe more so than
I had!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1863476861"></span><span id="goog_1863476862"></span>As we toured around campus,
I told Bill from the get go, “If you see anything that needs immediate fixing,
or that I’m doing that could be done in a more efficient, better way, please
tell me immediately so you don’t forget!” And there began a day of learning,
ideas, dreaming, and sharing. After being on campus only two hours, walking and
talking as we were in and out of 14 classrooms, Bill gave me a bazillion
unexpected gifts. I’ll share just a few that stuck out to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mr. Selak teaches 5th graders about www.photosforclass.com</span></td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Boomerang
App which takes awesome video</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A shortcut in
Gmail to compose an email (I still haven’t finished this one)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The chance to
watch him teach students about </span><a href="http://www.photosforclass.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.photosforclass.com</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
and then, a student he was working with taught the entire class about it!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A brand new
theme song for our PennNews recorded via Garage Band on my laptop (which I
didn’t even have installed on my Mac prior to Bill’s arrival)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lighting
lesson in our green room</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tons of advice
and thoughts about EdCamp and Unconferences</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coffee tips
(milk goes first people)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A reminder
about all the loose hanging cords that need to be tidied up all over campus</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A
thought-provoking conversation about computer labs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An addition to
my Amazon shopping cart with a new mic</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Raspberry STEM
knowledge</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my fav
Selak fun fact: he doesn’t like pickles (which came with his roast beef
sandwich), which totally rocked for me because it was all I ate for lunch!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Encouragement
that spray painted sidewalks are awesome!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being able to
observe a student who has been having a really difficult year, tour Bill around
his 1</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> grade classroom like he was the king of the school.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Silly banter in
the hallway as students approached Bill asking, “Are you really famous?” (the
answer we gave them: “Heck yah! EduFamous!”)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Google
Hangout with <a href="https://twitter.com/8Amber8?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Amber Teamann</a> who I have wanted to “meet” FOREVER!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tons of support
and encouragement as we hosted our first ever unconference with teachers from 5
different elementary schools in our district</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A little
periscope action during a random dance party in the middle of the raffle at our afternoon
PD.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mr. Selak gets a tour from a 1st grader</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Multi-tasking! Bill gives <a href="https://twitter.com/8Amber8?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Amber Teamann</a> a tour of my office<br />via GHO while I schedule rainy day recess and chat w/ <a href="http://twitter.com/mrsolufs" target="_blank">Mrs. Olufs</a>!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A special interview after a lighting lesson.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right?!?!?! Our education
community is just so incredibly giving. Giving of their time, resources,
energy, ideas, and sacrifices for the benefit of our students. I would have
LOVED to have had Bill at Penngrove for an entire school day so we could really
dive deeper. We didn't get to quite a few “big topics” I had been looking
forward to talking about. However, in just a few short hours, Bill left me with
so many unexpected gifts that I wasn’t expecting in the first place and that I will definitely
cherish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://twitter.com/joesanfelippofc" target="_blank">Joe</a> doing his thing: telling stories.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know this blog post is
about Bill’s visit last week and the specifics that took place but really, I
think that his visit was a culmination of the gratitude that I’ve felt for so
long towards those who have come to Penngrove and given a piece of themselves
to our students and staff. One of my favorite days last school year was when
I sat on the carpet in Room 3 watching my favorite Superintendent in the whole world,
share a story with a group of six year olds. To be given the gift of watching a
friend whom I look up to in so many ways interact with the students I do life
with every day…was absolutely life changing. Thanks Sanfelippo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As educators, we invest our
lives in our students at our own schools, in our own cities, in our own
districts, in our own counties and in our own states. But when we take the time
to visit other schools, to discover what others are doing, to provide feedback
and suggestions along the way, we have the power to leave unexpected gifts
everywhere we go. And that my friends, is a gift you can’t wrap, ship, buy, or
earn. It’s the gift of time. The gift of friendship. The gift of belief in one
another. It’s exactly what we all need a little more of these days. Give. Risk. Learn. Trust.</span><span style="font-family: Futura;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgrHBaqJVxYjrv2QREpTW5tUQapjhz2VlpOEpDIOPRJEiOL_2AEMvxZifyra9ILITEDehxX4P-46WuaN7ZN0XdA5MdC7qcc_Z-f8MIqoGHp_hLHrGzdgwTfeCkovTz3MieFVCHpGzAAE/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgrHBaqJVxYjrv2QREpTW5tUQapjhz2VlpOEpDIOPRJEiOL_2AEMvxZifyra9ILITEDehxX4P-46WuaN7ZN0XdA5MdC7qcc_Z-f8MIqoGHp_hLHrGzdgwTfeCkovTz3MieFVCHpGzAAE/s640/FullSizeRender+%252813%2529.jpg" width="574" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/jkloczko">Jen</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ucdjoe">Joe</a> came to hang out during the first few days of school this year. So meaningful.</td></tr>
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-12116766948536163872015-11-25T14:46:00.002-08:002015-11-25T14:46:31.041-08:00The Power of Movement<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a leader, I find myself constantly moving. Actually, it probably has nothing to do with being a leader, I think it's more about who I am as a person. <br /><br />"You're always on the go, Amy." <br />"Are you ever home?"<br />"When do you stop?"<br />"I was going to call you, but I figured you were off doing something fun."<br />"I cannot keep up with you! Don't you get tired?"<br /><br />These are common questions and comments that I hear on a fairly regular basis. Moving. It is a part of who I am, and for me, it's the only way I know how to function. I love being on the go, surrounded by people who fuel me, and sharing positive energy with others.<br /><br />I've spent the last three days at Skywalker Ranch participating in an incredible learning opportunity with 80 other administrators. CUE Rockstar Admin. Holy cow - what a journey. <br /><br /><b> Move Alone. </b></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> Some attendees are here with a team, and others appeared to be lone rangers until they quickly made new friends. For me, I'm getting to live the best of both worlds. One of my closest principal friends, <a href="https://twitter.com/chaugen">@chaugen</a>, who I "principal" with in Petaluma is on faculty at Rockstar, but for the majority of the time, I've been able to float around as a lone ranger. I'm rarely alone, so this has allowed me to really quiet myself, reflect more than usual, and realize the power of movement. <br /><br /><b> Moving Closer to Leaders Who Make Me Better</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cS5_-vz7k7oqdeHOv-0UBnsGcr3Cggl6IlXkgxFxDfraldGPXZjMF3ZVBqZXj4_Ata6GuAjsnfpmlUJJ3b3ePb1KKJueACWtpn0CK4IbgOC8It9DJE5Zkgryfxwy4_8rQ2VXkBlvZIU/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252811%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cS5_-vz7k7oqdeHOv-0UBnsGcr3Cggl6IlXkgxFxDfraldGPXZjMF3ZVBqZXj4_Ata6GuAjsnfpmlUJJ3b3ePb1KKJueACWtpn0CK4IbgOC8It9DJE5Zkgryfxwy4_8rQ2VXkBlvZIU/s400/FullSizeRender+%252811%2529.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Todd Sandwich! YES! </span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: start;" /><a href="https://twitter.com/PrincipalUMS" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: start;">@PrincipalUMS</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"> & </span><a href="https://twitter.com/tsschmidty" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: start;">@tsschmidty</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"> </span></td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although I had to beg these two for a "Todd Sandwich" picture, I can't get enough of being in the presence of leaders who make me better. Just knowing that we're all in this together, despite the fact that we rarely get the chance to spend time together, is rejuvenating. The little bits of wisdom, the new ideas, the reminder that we're making strides in the right direction because it's "good for kids" is more than enough to fill my bucket. Besides the dynamic faculty at Rockstar, the small but mighty list of attendees is also an incredibly talented and passionate group of educators. <br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Move Out of Comfort Zones</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In each of the 7 sessions I've attended, the lead learner has expected me to move out of my comfort zone. In fact, sometimes we were even told explicitly, "All I care about is that you do something out of your comfort zone." In thinking about this, although it can feel uncomfortable for a few moments, I think it's SO critical that as educators we constantly force ourselves to feel this level of discomfort. We do it to our students ALL the time. We expect them to learn something new, try something hard, persevere, and too often as educators, I don't think we acknowledge how hard that can feel. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkApW6Tfm8aAZD8uOxxBAaS_gxE3wJHPIU6IJx3bjqzQ2D7pOxRfffuYeBmDB6_GRBObjedxvQr5JLpTgybfhnG4PLtj3u8dhnsT9W5meIdXM1wyTtiSsCQHE3lfbUHMPjqQiRMxKp7s/s1600/IMG_2425.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkApW6Tfm8aAZD8uOxxBAaS_gxE3wJHPIU6IJx3bjqzQ2D7pOxRfffuYeBmDB6_GRBObjedxvQr5JLpTgybfhnG4PLtj3u8dhnsT9W5meIdXM1wyTtiSsCQHE3lfbUHMPjqQiRMxKp7s/s400/IMG_2425.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Me w/ </span><a href="https://twitter.com/bribriggs" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Brian Briggs</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/LisaTeachesTech" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Lisa DeLapo</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">, & </span><a href="https://twitter.com/chaugen" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Catina Haugen</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> Stop Moving</b></span></div>
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<br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yep, I would bet money on the fact that most of us should probably do this more often. Even me. It's been fun to watch so many of my busy friends find little corners in random rooms, sit down, and just soak up the scenery here at Big Rock Ranch. Being "on the go" doesn't always serve me well if I don't take the time to stop from time to time and reflect. A goal for myself after this experience will be to stop moving from time to time and reflect on my practice.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDHW0dQWSrHrnbqaqGK1J92FiIyBqUckag6gNrvwU_C-Myci-oK_Ye50mTgb693FpwApXbos-CWGqU1dyzXTB5AljeqoRm35rd6e80F8bObAhzbh-OrM1LsbyO0KRxWRKvSO0TAU8xj4/s1600/IMG_2453.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDHW0dQWSrHrnbqaqGK1J92FiIyBqUckag6gNrvwU_C-Myci-oK_Ye50mTgb693FpwApXbos-CWGqU1dyzXTB5AljeqoRm35rd6e80F8bObAhzbh-OrM1LsbyO0KRxWRKvSO0TAU8xj4/s320/IMG_2453.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">
View from a boat ride a group of us took after the </div>
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event to soak it all in.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> My Fav: Moving for Fun! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enter Jennifer Kloczko! Oh my goodness, girl! On Saturday, Jen showed up to inspire us all and set the tone for day 3. Let me just say that she ROCKED it. Literally. With her stereo on wheels in tow, her disco ball attached to the top, and a super fun movement activity from Go Noodle, Jen had the whole theater of educators (except for Todd Feinberg - lame!) dancing, smiling, and singing! What a great reminder that movement is all around us. </span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alone. Together. In new places. Just for fun. Movement: it's powerful.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">My Sparkle Sis, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/jkloczko" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: start;">@jkloczko</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">. xo </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">One of my new fav principal friends, <a href="https://twitter.com/PrincipalTallen">Tracey Allen</a>!<br /></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fav tweet from the event: </span></b><br />
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Uh oh! It's Koo Koo Kangaroo Roo at <a href="https://twitter.com/CUERockStar">@CUERockStar</a>! Way 2 go <a href="https://twitter.com/jkloczko">@jkloczko</a> getting the blood flowing on Day 3 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/eduawesome?src=hash">#eduawesome</a> <a href="https://t.co/HyFVTAod9i">pic.twitter.com/HyFVTAod9i</a></div>
— Rick Rubino (@GUSDSUPT) <a href="https://twitter.com/GUSDSUPT/status/668118080761958400">November 21, 2015</a></blockquote>
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-91969303714354284392015-09-19T15:53:00.002-07:002015-09-19T15:53:39.992-07:00We're Really Not That Techy*** This post is co-written with <a href="https://twitter.com/awelcome" target="_blank">Adam Welcome</a>, Elementary Principal at <a href="https://twitter.com/montairschool" target="_blank">Montair Elementary</a>!<br />
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It’s inevitable, between both of us, we probably hear it on a weekly basis.<br />
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Someone is passing out a big binder to everyone in the group. - “Sorry about the binder and all the paper, we know you’re techy.”<i> (Who can't carry a binder around all day, we need something that’s accessible from our phone during the day) </i><br />
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Document camera won’t project during back to school professional development. - “Adam/Amy can probably help, they’re techy.” <i>(Check the power cord and VGI cable, start problem solving) </i><br />
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Other Principals or Directors - “What’s that Twitter thing you do, I should do that, but you’re techy. I’m just not there yet. Can you help me set it up?” - Two weeks later you see that person at a meeting, you’re looking at your phone and they chuckle as they ask. - “Are you Tweeting?” <i>(We’re connecting our school with the world to develop awesome learning experiences for them!) </i><br />
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Most of the time, we brush it off. Smile. Laugh. Turn our head the other way. But every now and then, when the stars are aligned just right, those words, “Oh that’s right, you’re techy”..... they almost rub us the wrong way. In fact, lately, we can’t help but wonder if people are really picking up what we’re putting down.<br />
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Do you know which group of people never call us techy? The kids! Why? Because this is the world they know, and it’s not about the tech, it’s about mindset and being relevant.<br />
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Here's a glimpse into their world, it's OUR world as well!<br />
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Kids are techy. Kids are relevant. Kids speak the language. Kids see the possibilities. </div>
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They want us to be! They need us to be! They deserve us to be! It’s the world they live in and whether we like it or not, it’s the world WE live in too! </div>
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Instead of calling us “techy”, we really wish people would just call us RELEVANT! We didn’t know how to do all these things either when we got started. But we saw a need, a way to connect, a reason to learn, and we took action. </div>
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- Embedding a Google Calendar on your school website - just copy/paste the code from Google, no big deal. </div>
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- A Twitter account for your school to tell your story, all you need to do is create an account and start Tweeting! See all the magic that can happen. </div>
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- Creating podcasts with students, choose from a plethora of app options in iTunes and just start recording. </div>
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- Troubleshooting a projector or TV with an issue - pick up the remote and start problem solving! </div>
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- Just last week in a Foundation meeting we were talking about our fundraising goal for the year. How about a thermometer on our website to show our status and what we need to achieve? All you do is Google ‘fundraising thermometer widget’ and with two easy clicks and typing our financial goals, it’s ready to embed! This doesn’t mean I’m techy, it means I know how to search, that’s a relevant skill all people should have! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9dMo1w0D5JPxTtplMIr6zrGbq8L9fMIMZnNHZCGaLcxRkKj1-5-EHh65x1_jy4ftdOgeZClrmEpAbVpU_degkYel6ZUidzk1QhDlkUk-3F3CfR5FqYJCgED8DfPnSQGYcV2n0B9moZYv/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-09-07+at+6.13.04+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9dMo1w0D5JPxTtplMIr6zrGbq8L9fMIMZnNHZCGaLcxRkKj1-5-EHh65x1_jy4ftdOgeZClrmEpAbVpU_degkYel6ZUidzk1QhDlkUk-3F3CfR5FqYJCgED8DfPnSQGYcV2n0B9moZYv/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-09-07+at+6.13.04+AM.png" width="199" /></a></div>
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- Working on collaborative docs with other administrators and teachers to streamline communication, just create one! </div>
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- Responding to student blogs so they see there is an engaged and connected audience, just search #comments4kids and get to responding! </div>
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- Handing your smartphone or device over to students so they can teach you new things, be vulnerable! </div>
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- Need to create a space to share documents with a parent group, a Google Drive folder that’s open to everyone. Our 3rd-5th graders know how to do that, so should you! If you don’t, go to <a href="https://support.google.com/drive?vid=1-635772506252872515-3630067673#topic=14940" target="_blank">Google Drive Help</a>, there’s a short video to teach you how. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LrY1zHx5S6h4TpMnVA8vmhXscJ60sYxglLOswVoT0Zi25qmB_p0iE_stlgZyLXMohN8gwj9cTakCnSk0hg-3EGB2lpUMfotVHe56aZSU9-IUG8LN6dxJjh_avC-_HCxAgfRBA-XFr42Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-09-07+at+6.13.11+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LrY1zHx5S6h4TpMnVA8vmhXscJ60sYxglLOswVoT0Zi25qmB_p0iE_stlgZyLXMohN8gwj9cTakCnSk0hg-3EGB2lpUMfotVHe56aZSU9-IUG8LN6dxJjh_avC-_HCxAgfRBA-XFr42Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-09-07+at+6.13.11+AM.png" /></a></div>
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- Watching a YouTube video on how to make a form to use during walkthroughs in order to provide meaningful and timely feedback...ready, set, go! </div>
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- Add some ideas here please! </div>
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We owe it to our students to be relevant with the means by which they learn and can connect. When we were kids in school, it was a different game. It’s time that leaders and teachers start making a shift in order to make sure they’re ready to play. </div>
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Learn the skills and get in the game. You can’t coach your team from the locker room, get on the ground floor. Get engaged. Get your hands dirty. Speak a new language. Take some risks. Feel uncomfortable and push yourself. </div>
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Our kids deserve us to be on top of relevant ideas.
The parents in our communities should expect us to be!
Our colleagues we work with should be a sponge for what we’re trying to do, rather than a source of pushback or negative comments. </div>
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The next time you hear someone say, “You’re techy.” Be observant. Is that person really being techy? Or perhaps just relevant? </div>
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Don’t speak the chalkboard language of eras past and be this guy, it won’t end up well for your students and you won't have as much fun!</div>
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Adam and me at the <a href="http://www.naesp.org/" target="_blank">NAESP</a> conference in Long Beach, CA this summer!<br />
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-37949070946800359582015-08-15T00:01:00.002-07:002015-08-15T00:07:24.520-07:00Communication & Leadership?! Be #Fearless<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This past Wednesday, our school had our annual Back to School BBQ at the local community park. What an incredible event! Our PTA and Penn Staff must have fed at least 350 people over the course of two hours. After working the "family photo booth" and a 13 hour work day, I made my way back to my office to clean up a few things. About that time, I received a text from one of my teachers letting me know that she needed to skip out of our professional development a little early on Friday due to a Taylor Swift concert she was attending with a couple friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, I know, that I had a choice in that moment. I could have said, "Sounds fun! Be sure to report your absence in our new sub system, Aesop." Or I probably could have said, "Oh wow, you're going to miss out on so much. Hopefully your team can catch you up but that's a real bummer that you have to take personal necessity time." However, that's not what I said at all. In fact, lucky for you, Ms. J gave me permission to share our text thread. My initial response was, "What?! You're just now figuring this out?! Well, have fun! :) Thanks for coming to part of the day!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>For reading ease: Ms. J is in grey, I'm in blue. And in case you're not a Taylor Swift fan (shame on you), every word with a # in front of it, is the name of a T. Swift song.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuWsFptqkcpNu75Z7KTMuVp2Zh1yvBKXHuelIDcxvikIVb_nxD5ACKd5dao4u2lIr6lrgjP-kulEvaU58BR8CtUGFfGeKAEd7a2dKWcIl9Rlq0ogtFE0tomKVZHpHfg2emypuiaXcZTI/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuWsFptqkcpNu75Z7KTMuVp2Zh1yvBKXHuelIDcxvikIVb_nxD5ACKd5dao4u2lIr6lrgjP-kulEvaU58BR8CtUGFfGeKAEd7a2dKWcIl9Rlq0ogtFE0tomKVZHpHfg2emypuiaXcZTI/s640/FullSizeRender+%25288%2529.jpg" width="410" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZv5zHIvbE9q1bOfLlVejMWMCvKdkaKkqM692WZXj1QP3WMLeZ6q5dtNFby2o0bYNMZP4nO9Hi3N3TVknaKZsjGd6tDlC_JKxTQWL3nVQlZwczijTsiHTXsrZ3By5E6LyO_fDqVcUdDo/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZv5zHIvbE9q1bOfLlVejMWMCvKdkaKkqM692WZXj1QP3WMLeZ6q5dtNFby2o0bYNMZP4nO9Hi3N3TVknaKZsjGd6tDlC_JKxTQWL3nVQlZwczijTsiHTXsrZ3By5E6LyO_fDqVcUdDo/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25289%2529.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that's how I roll. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this fun banter with <a href="http://twitter.com/msjanuleski" target="_blank">Ms. J</a> and was totally laughing out loud to myself at 9pm as I Googled "names of Taylor Swift songs", this text exchange really got me thinking on the drive home. If you're not a principal who recognizes the value in being human, having fun, laughing, playing with your staff, and having a little flexibility for crying out loud, what happens when the really hard work comes? How do you handle the challenging moments that test you and shake you to your core? When you need a favor? When you're late. When you drop the ball on something, because you will. What happens when you have to execute a difficult conversation? Who does your staff turn to when they need a hug? A laugh? A cry? Where do they go for advice? Who has the power to encourage, motivate, inspire and build up? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a LOT of things I don't get right as a principal. But I can tell you that I will always work my hardest to maintain the types of relationships I have with Ms. J, the type of relationship I strive to have with each one of my incredible colleagues at <a href="http://twitter.com/pennpanthers" target="_blank">@PennPanthers</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you have to text with a teacher late at night in hashtags and Taylor Swift songs? No. Should you try it? Maybe. Do you need to be #fearless in your communication and leadership? Yes. Definitely. Absolutely. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-91307271344749439192015-08-03T09:07:00.001-07:002015-08-03T09:07:38.385-07:00A Weekend Reflection<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The following post was shared with the staff <a href="http://twitter.com/pennpanthers" target="_blank">@pennpanthers </a>as a part of the Week at a Glance I send out on Sundays full of nuts and bolts, important dates & reminders. However, it felt worthy of sharing with a wider audience as we gear up for a new school year. My hope for all of us in 2015-16 is to maintain a sense of gratitude and pride for the work we do, each and every day. Our students need us.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>~Amy</i></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">A weekend reflection...</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This weekend I was privileged enough to attend the B'not Mitzvah (Bat Mitzvah for twins) for Emma Lauter, a student who was in my 2nd grade class 6 years ago. When Emma's mom emailed me a couple months ago to remind me that I hadn't RSVP'd yet, she informed me that each of her girls only invited one teacher, and Emma had chosen ME! You can imagine my excitement and of course I said yes right away. Lucky for me, Emma's twin sister, Abby, also invited her 2nd grade teacher, Jan Bishop. Some of you have probably met Jan but she and I taught 2nd grade on the same team for three years before I came to Penngrove. Jan is one of those teaching partners who makes you want to be a better teacher and person. She was always sharing, always asking great questions, always giving me suggestions on how to improve, and always impressed me with the way she knew her students SO well. Almost TOO well to the point where during some lunch time breaks, I would temporarily zone out while she updated me on everyone's latest fluency score or big breakthrough in class. Jan was the teacher who taught science to my students because she knew I couldn't stand silkworms, and she was the one who offered to plan and execute all of our million field trips with tenacity and grace when I was new to the area and had no clue what I was doing. Seriously, this woman was (and still is!) amazing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Jan and I giggled in our seats and waved hello to former students, the B'not Mitzvah began. Emma and Abby's mom (Jen) started off the service with a warm welcome and introduction to the crowd of 100. As Jen continued on, I couldn't help but reflect on the year she had faced when the girls were in 2nd grade. Breast cancer invaded the lives of their family, and with strength and bravery, Jen battled and won that horrid disease while Jan and I worked our butts off to make sure things didn't fall apart for the girls at school or at home. Just as any of you would do. And here we were, 6 years later, celebrating these beautiful girls, and watching a healthy Jen laugh and cry about the journey of her daughters' childhood. Jen referenced 2nd grade several times in her speech which made me feel proud and excited, and then she did something that totally took my breath away. Jen shared with the crowd, a very specific quote that Jan had said when they first met right before the school year started. In reference to a recent trip the family had taken, Jan said, "Wow, you and your husband are weaving such an intricate and beautiful tapestry of life experiences together for your girls. What a gift." It wasn't so much the quote that stood out to me as I sat there with tears in my eyes, but it was the fact that 6 years later, this beautiful mother was sharing with 100 people, a quote that her child's teacher had shared roughly 2,190 days earlier. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps Jan remembers that conversation with Jen, perhaps she has no recollection, but what resonated with me is the depth at which students and families remember the things that we say, the facial expressions we display, the gentle touches we give, and always, the way we make them feel in our presence. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year, may we keep those things at the forefront of our minds in all we do, each and every day. </span></div>
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-79960961699104286922015-04-21T23:33:00.001-07:002015-04-21T23:33:49.955-07:00Bursting. Overwhelmed. Full.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">BURSTING! </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That moment when you get in the car and are so excited to unbutton your jeans because you're just bursting at the seam. I mean, that's never happened to me before but I've heard that every now and then it's possible. I imagine that when my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/curtrees">Curt Rees</a> wears his jean shorts from the 80s, he feels that way frequently. Back to bursting - HOLY COW! Over the past week, my mind is absolutely bursting at the seam! Things are overflowing all over the place. Phone messages are stacking up, lists of student names to follow up with spill onto every surface of my office, kindergarten registration paperwork pours in by the dozen, a "to do" list that should be laminated, big dreams that need to be pursued. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everything just feels to be bursting right now. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bursting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>OVERWHELMED.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That moment when I say to myself, "I wish I had a secretary" and realize that, "Oh wait, I do!" but there is MORE work than even the two of us can do together. (Not to mention that she has been out for over a week with a minor medical issue and I realize how MUCH I need her!) Overwhelmed with big things. Our 1:1 deployment, new active learning environments and 21st century furniture, teachers changing grade levels, hiring, my desire to be everywhere for every one 24/7 and knowing that I can't. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Honestly, that's a big one for me. I remember two weeks ago sitting on the swing talking with a 5th grader who needed a little extra TLC. I was trying to give her my full attention but the demands were pouring in on my phone which I totally ignored.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"So and so really needs to see you."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"A construction truck is blocking the parking entrance, can you go talk to them?"</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Bryan grabbed Hilary's hair...again."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Mrs. Jameson wants you to swing by for a quick technology question. When should I tell her you'll be there?"</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In those moments, I'm already hard enough on myself. Wondering how I can possibly do it all. Wanting SO badly to be there for everyone at the perfect moment. Taking a deep breath when I realize that I simply cannot meet all of the expectations, especially my own. And then a hard conversation with a parent. <i>"I haven't seen you much lately. What's your vision and mission for the school in the coming year?" </i>I'm fairly certain that the sound of my breath leaving my body was audible. I can't imagine how I haven't been seen! Or perhaps it's because I'm quietly reading with a 4th grader outside on a bench, hiding in a supply closet to answer an important email, or hugging a teacher as she shares a personal challenge. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who knows. Overwhelmed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>FULL.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the real struggles I share above, there's a feeling that overcomes both the "bursting" and the "overwhelmed." That feeling is "full." Full of admiration for the dedication our staff pours out on our students daily. Full of respect for parents who take the time to question things like mission and vision, and point out things that may be difficult to hear. Full of complete humility that I have the opportunity to hug and support so many people in my profession. Full of new ideas and intentional reflection thanks to the Lead 3 Conference I attended last week. Full of amazing things to look forward to in the coming days, weeks, and months. Full of laughter thanks to friends who keep me on my toes and check on me constantly. Full of a consuming love that is a result of the people I do this work alongside. A love that won't loosen its grip on me because when I'm bursting, when I'm overwhelmed, my guard comes down just a little more. I find myself full. And being full trumps bursting and overwhelmed any day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Full. I'll take it. </span></div>
mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-32393917716339173942015-04-11T19:03:00.000-07:002015-04-11T19:03:28.465-07:00Just a Saturday Morning<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Usually, weekends are packed at the Fadeji household. Travels, friends, meetings, errands, left over work from the week, church stuff, laundry, and of course my least fav: the dreaded Costco run. However, it's only 10:43am and I'm already loving the mellow feel of this April 11/12 weekend! I feel like I've been on a marathon streak for the past couple months and somehow, accidentally I'm sure, this weekend is pretty open. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This morning, as I played on Twitter, I saw a quote by <a href="http://twitter.com/marcandangel" target="_blank">Marc & Angel</a> that stood out to me. "The best gift you can give someone you love is the purity of your full attention. Do so today." Sometimes (often) I can use a big reality check with that one. I'm sure I'm not alone in realizing that one of my greatest strengths is often times my greatest weakness as well. I am SO drawn to people, so in awe of the inspiring and wonderful things my friends and loved ones are a part of, so in need of constant connection, and always looking to the next thing where I can drench myself in all of the above. It sometimes take me a Saturday morning at home, alone with a huge laundry pile and a sink full of dishes to just stop and slow down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last night I had the pleasure of meeting up in the city (or San Fran as <a href="http://twitter.com/curtrees" target="_blank">Curt Rees</a> likes to call it) with friends. We laughed, ate way too much food, and enjoyed the gorgeous night. We even got to show Rafranz Davis the SF Bay and look up the definition of a bay for her. (my definition was WAY off!) Friday night with Ashley, Karl, Elana, and Rafranz was a great way to end a long week. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Where is the cheese?" asks Rafranz. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrh_8H2C_Im7xzVNWAydQaEyS3BioxIFur7xEVglXIrTnRW70SQhKORpylLeqCeMD6KIWKBrxnKmHPEhdaP-7igzHJPoAV1bEBz1hD4Vhie3PealxgbcXV9aElLwQZZ9plVrcdKd_6Js/s1600/IMG_1773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrh_8H2C_Im7xzVNWAydQaEyS3BioxIFur7xEVglXIrTnRW70SQhKORpylLeqCeMD6KIWKBrxnKmHPEhdaP-7igzHJPoAV1bEBz1hD4Vhie3PealxgbcXV9aElLwQZZ9plVrcdKd_6Js/s1600/IMG_1773.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"What exactly is a bay?" Great Q!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKZpEHcmLQ_YIyRM_21YfAh86OkmAKAcVYaBDCTf4mMVIqryVukCrFrWzJNp0qzfK6ROzT5wwtN4ZsMBoLAlOn4EKx-3bltaDWIlwH713ElObHNP2qKUqQFYmXPsuPn481U27s1Slj-E/s1600/IMG_1780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKZpEHcmLQ_YIyRM_21YfAh86OkmAKAcVYaBDCTf4mMVIqryVukCrFrWzJNp0qzfK6ROzT5wwtN4ZsMBoLAlOn4EKx-3bltaDWIlwH713ElObHNP2qKUqQFYmXPsuPn481U27s1Slj-E/s1600/IMG_1780.JPG" height="225" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great dinner crew at Patxi's SF</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0jCObzCATzxauYuHwpxLb2AlPQXf3c3SIlArLyBjro-swY5Kpr3FI-U3KtfixO3OnhQjjsQwI3927jnEBmR-qPLwwhwwCUOX7yc59g0r3U80G9yC4tRZxyN9p7GIg6EQa-2sk_7yfQo/s1600/IMG_1771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0jCObzCATzxauYuHwpxLb2AlPQXf3c3SIlArLyBjro-swY5Kpr3FI-U3KtfixO3OnhQjjsQwI3927jnEBmR-qPLwwhwwCUOX7yc59g0r3U80G9yC4tRZxyN9p7GIg6EQa-2sk_7yfQo/s1600/IMG_1771.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Techlandia in the house!</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(SIDE NOTE: Who knows how to help me w/ the formatting of pictures in Blogger?! Are you kidding me?! This looks awful and I've played with it for like 30 minutes!)</span></i><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I shift into the groove of Saturday morning, I am reflecting on what a calm quiet morning looks like for me:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An early wake-up call to GHO with <a href="https://twitter.com/joesanfelippofc" target="_blank">Joe Sanfelippo</a> and a group of aspiring administrators in Wisconsin. #gocrickets #fadejibonus</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A chat with my mom and dad who just wanted to check in. And side note: SO funny. I was telling my parents how I'll be in Chico (where they live) in September joining educators and the EdTech Team for a <a href="http://gafesummit.com/" target="_blank">GAFE Summit</a>. My mom of course was asking if she needs to buy a ticket to come hear me speak and then my dad chimes in with, "I've heard you talk for the past 31 years, but I never thought I would have to PAY for it." Good point Dad. I'll sneak you in the back door.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few loads of laundry and a ton of dishes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Catching up on Voxer, especially listening to my #LeadWild crew, a group of that motivates me daily in all that I do.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Texting with a few close friends - some encouragement given, some advice needed, some "just because I'm thinking of you" moments...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A 20 minute phone call with one of my teachers who helped me sort through some thoughts and shifts for the 15-16 school year. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Planning with a group of friends for our afternoon hike/walk later today thanks to their persistence on an early birthday celebration.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is quiet for me. This is my version of peaceful. Relaxation at it's best. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In just a bit, I'll be packing a cooler, hopping in the car, and heading to Tennessee Valley with the hubs and a group of friends. It's a gorgeous day, this walk is absolutely breathtaking and at the end, the Pacific Ocean is just waiting for you! While I'm there, I plan to remember what I read earlier from Marc & Angel. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The best gift you can give someone you love is the purity of your full attention. Do so today."</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There you have it, just a Saturday morning. </span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-91894289217233524842015-03-27T20:50:00.000-07:002015-03-28T09:43:36.247-07:00Old Places. New Faces. Forever Spaces.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have this ridiculous addiction to people and places that
somehow translates to the fact that on each of my school “breaks” I spend at
least a few days traipsing around school campuses causing a raucous. (I had to look that word up to make sure I
spelled it right. Yes! That’s it! Synonyms: wild, noisy, rowdy, unruly,
boisterous)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday, I visited Hidden Valley Elementary School in San
Anselmo, CA. I used to teach at Hidden Valley “back in the day” when it was
called Brookside Upper. It’s a gorgeous campus tucked in the quaintest of
neighborhoods and spread out over a lovely rolling hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this particular school visit, I wasn’t
alone, as two of my closest teaching friends, Ashley and Ashley (yep, “the
Ashleys”) were just as excited to visit this old place we poured our lives into
together for years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A number of things struck me on this visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The campus looked wonderful. Colorful
benches, brightly painted doors, smiling staff members, a knock your socks off
kinda dress on the principal (a definite must) and the memories that came
flooding back with each turn of a corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Despite the upgrades, the changes, and the tons of new faces, there was
something different about this visit, and those forever spaces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUsCbhS_-2i5eTvB4oopC0g80LU99nCVzuZlG6xYPeSfSAZ4cFySSQ6i6rFMmeZCP4HhvoS4bX0dWu66_Ew2Rkv9fOUU4DLpAp2lkRrPBXDc26K4DGAzTQeTUjPYyljEfy26L_iC3qAJM/s1600/IMG_0972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUsCbhS_-2i5eTvB4oopC0g80LU99nCVzuZlG6xYPeSfSAZ4cFySSQ6i6rFMmeZCP4HhvoS4bX0dWu66_Ew2Rkv9fOUU4DLpAp2lkRrPBXDc26K4DGAzTQeTUjPYyljEfy26L_iC3qAJM/s1600/IMG_0972.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There they were. The table where I sat and cried with one of
my students as he had a complete meltdown. The tree where another student stood
for about 30 minutes because I forgot I sent him outside to take a “quick
break”. Room 21 where I went for my daily laugh, vent, and inspiration. The top
of the cabinets in the staff room<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-
cluttered with bowls and trays – I must have reorganized and sorted that stuff
at least 10 times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The music room turned
classroom where I used to hide out with my students and our 5<sup>th</sup>
grade buddies when we needed a change of scenery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scent of the office bathrooms – yes, the
same orange mist air freshener! Old Places. New Faces. Forever Spaces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s been almost three years since I stepped out of Room 22
as a 2<sup>nd</sup> grade teacher and into my office at Penngrove as an
elementary principal. A little quick math will clue you into the fact that the
current 5<sup>th</sup> graders at Hidden Valley are also the group that was my
last class of 2<sup>nd</sup> graders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Knowing this would be the final time I could cause a huge raucous on
campus, I took full advantage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank God
Mr. Brandt was only doing agendas with his class because when the Ashleys and I
walked in – oh boy! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Mrs. Fadeji!!!!!!!!!!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Oh my gosh, I forgot what you looked like!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Are you coming back to teach here?!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Do you remember when…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went around the room and greeted each of my past students
one by one. I wanted so badly to pick each of them up in my arms, swing them
around, and tell them they still mattered to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in fear of making the others feel
neglected, worrying that Mr. Brandt would kick me out momentarily, or the
honest truth which was that I worried I might totally lose my composure, I
opted for some side hugs, ruffled hair, and back rubs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t leave Mr. Brandt’s room without
making sure we sang happy birthday to Jimmy (he glared at me the whole time),
reminding Jake and his entire class of the nickname I gave him: Jakey Poo, and
of course, numerous photo ops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NS2TkNd1niW9ZSvIN3xvBaKZs2bSGDaunjrdWbJ68DX4q6W-WUOE_q9UzL2LL3wrQJBwp6NfR5YBa-9hd9QQDGNF610cKEAyS45ryzltndgzRASXGawSOb7cOjwJv4w3D0Ncd0yrVCM/s1600/IMG_0966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NS2TkNd1niW9ZSvIN3xvBaKZs2bSGDaunjrdWbJ68DX4q6W-WUOE_q9UzL2LL3wrQJBwp6NfR5YBa-9hd9QQDGNF610cKEAyS45ryzltndgzRASXGawSOb7cOjwJv4w3D0Ncd0yrVCM/s1600/IMG_0966.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I swung by the other two 5<sup>th</sup> grade classrooms a
little more politely and made sure all my students knew I would do my very best
to make it to their 5<sup>th</sup> grade promotion in June.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The highlight of the stop in Mrs. Leader’s
room was that I was a little nervous to pop in, in the first place. I respect
Mrs. Leader immensely and think she is a wonderful teacher. However, she isn’t
exactly the “let me just pop in and totally destroy your class for 5 minutes”
type. So I quietly opened the door and was relieved that there were only about
7 kids in the room finishing up a test. Mrs. Leader had a student at her desk
asking a question and when I saw that it was Ava, I knew I was doomed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSSNhr-3WUD4M4p2ZFY9cKFjL5Uee7wJ61U9heqlMNrn_6J-ZH0allTYIlKPrXc0etvGoCGX7xJ3lYt4sdzchD2bph-G8F1H9eUhG2reHKMMTJjd2auofh5D93hGCjjqQnvWe_HDG81Y/s1600/IMG_0975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSSNhr-3WUD4M4p2ZFY9cKFjL5Uee7wJ61U9heqlMNrn_6J-ZH0allTYIlKPrXc0etvGoCGX7xJ3lYt4sdzchD2bph-G8F1H9eUhG2reHKMMTJjd2auofh5D93hGCjjqQnvWe_HDG81Y/s1600/IMG_0975.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In all my years of teaching, Ava was one of the most
enthusiastic students I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. Emotion,
laughter, and drama, just pour out of her being! I love this child to the ends
of the earth and back. And there was Ava, in all her glory. I wish I had it on
film. Ava stopped listening to Mrs. Leader completely (ehhhhhh cringing inside)
and declared at the TOP of her voice:
“OH MY GOSH! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?
I THINK I AM HALUCIATING! THIS CANNOT BE REAL! I HAVE DEFINITELY LOST MY
MIND! I’M SEEING A VISION OF MRS. FADEJI STANDING IN OUR CLASSROOM! BEST. DAY.
EVER!” After a huge hug, I made sure Ava finished her conversation with Mrs.
Leader (who kindly notified me that Ava needed to finish a test), snapped a
selfie or two w/ my little drama queen and scurried out of the room. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whew! What a visit. What an emotional roller coaster. Of
course I loved chatting with some of my favorite old colleagues, spending time
at Teresa’s desk, chatting with Tim (the rockin’ custodian) ,and just being at
Hidden Valley. But the one thing that will stay with me always was the love
that I felt for old places, new faces, forever spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-83697844861190418652015-02-08T21:46:00.000-08:002015-02-08T22:15:13.336-08:00The Night Ms. J Rapped #gamechanger<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You learn a lot from attending your own school's talent show. I live and breathe my elementary school principal life. Sometimes, it can be overwhelming. At times, I feel like the demands of the job are crushing and nearly impossible for any one person to excel in all aspects of the role. But most days...most days are wonderful. Those days are full of sweet students, a love for learning, passionate educators, sacrificial parents, and little moments of beauty all weaved together. However, every now and then, a day, night, or moment comes along that simply takes my breath away. I'm not trying to be dramatic, or captivate you with my intro. I'm being completely serious. I live for those days, for those moments, where I have to remind myself to take my next breath because my senses are just so completely overwhelmed with joy, love, and happiness, that I don't even know where to turn.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1fxdk7KkHjRLfaOedIn2kiuL2eo-HowKj_ampDYity_XMW1SVxZLwIjOrygbJHAumkqbBHB8-ksRJ625vUwNqZWmVNGMj-QgWN9EEqSKqX7AT4NL7WQjwccvhSdvnWmjs8po_3hJmmI/s1600/IMG_7492.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1fxdk7KkHjRLfaOedIn2kiuL2eo-HowKj_ampDYity_XMW1SVxZLwIjOrygbJHAumkqbBHB8-ksRJ625vUwNqZWmVNGMj-QgWN9EEqSKqX7AT4NL7WQjwccvhSdvnWmjs8po_3hJmmI/s1600/IMG_7492.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enter the Penngrove Talent Show 2015. With 27 incredible acts, our Talent Show was full of singing, dancing, roller skating, instrument playing, etc.! Unfortunately, I had to miss most of the first half due to the elaborate costumes that <a href="https://twitter.com/ohsposato" target="_blank">one of our teachers</a> ever so creatively invented for the surprise staff act. It took our 11 staff members who participated, about 30 minutes to get dressed. We don't mess around <a href="http://twitter.com/pennpanthers" target="_blank">@pennpanthers</a>. When the music started, our stage was transformed into a scene right out of Frozen. Yep, that's right, we danced and sang to "Let It Go" because, well frankly, we're cool like that. Just THIS moment alone was exciting! It was the end result of many hours of planning and practice from people who showed up early to school, gave up their lunch breaks, and stayed late in the afternoons to practice our groovy moves. And we're adults for crying out loud! Imagine the time, effort and energy that went into EACH of the 27 acts we boasted. It's just incredible. In case you're wondering, our Frozen act was a hit, and I'm sure there is still some silly string in my hair but you can <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2G5sJ9YGbw" target="_blank">watch for yourselves here</a> and be sure to fast forward to 0:55 because the intro is long. If you ever need to hire a consultant for your staff talent show act, Mrs. Sposato is the woman to ask!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I watched the second half of the show, I noticed that each time a new student or group of children took the stage, I had this crazy intense feeling of being nervous and SO proud all at once. I'm not a parent yet (although I field this question weekly) but after knowing most of these kids for a couple of years, I certainly got a taste of what it probably feels like to be a proud mom. At one point, when a couple of 2nd grade girls were singing, I leaned over to our office manager and said, "We really do have the best jobs ever." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Up until this point of the night, I felt things were pretty magical. The community vibe was at an all time high. I didn't have my program handy (a 5 year old was sitting on my feet which I loved and I didn't want to move her to see what act we were on) but I had no idea we were nearing the end of the show. Two of the most beautiful 6th grade girls you'll ever meet, Greer and Lily, were dancing and singing to Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off" and then there was a pause....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then a voice....WHAT?! Out from the wings comes <a href="https://twitter.com/msjanuleski" target="_blank">Ms. J</a> (one of our 6th grade teachers), straight up RAPPING to T. Swift with her students by her side. And it gets better! Out come ALL of the 6th grade girls dressed in matching adorable tutus, accompanied by our other rockstar 6th grade teacher, <a href="https://twitter.com/mrsnewman014" target="_blank">Mrs. Newman</a>, and the lucky emcee of the night, Kieran. (yes, the only boy on the stage with all this girl power) At this point, Ms. J said she saw me stand up and start cheering but I have no memory of doing so. It was THAT moment. That moment when I can't breathe. I was caught up in being SO impressed with Ms. J's rapping skills, so moved by the look on Greer and Lily's faces that their teacher was performing with them, and EVERYTHING that dance stood for, that I was overwhelmed beyond explanation. Teamwork. Compassion. Relationships. Fun. Respect. Empathy. Kindness. Inclusion. Family. Laughter. Community. Celebration. Excitement. Honor. Admiration. Love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What Ms. J and Mrs. Newman did tonight with their students just happened to be an outward example of the things so many teachers at Penngrove and other schools around the world do on a daily basis. It looks different for each educator. For some, it's that quiet touch, the long hug, the modification of an assignment, a call home, a special "job", the thoughtful planning of an activity, the moving of a seat. But tonight...tonight at Penngrove Elementary's Talent Show, it was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LiErLM59mI" target="_blank">the night Ms. J Rapped</a> and let me tell you, it was a #gamechanger. Tonight I was reminded that if I look hard enough when I get back to school on Tuesday, I'll find a school full of people who know what it means to Give. Risk. Learn. Trust. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>* A HUGE thank you to three very special parents who made this talent show not only possible but amazing: Kelly J., Renee D-C, and Paul K. And to Mrs. Sposato who made our staff act so off the hook, you're a real gem! #glitter And to our videographer, you are the best YouTube uploader ever! #itwasnteventuesday</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ms. J gets DOWN with her students! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Staff Act - Let It Go! #beststaffever</span></div>
mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-75263362003740037742014-11-11T17:49:00.002-08:002014-11-11T17:51:16.421-08:00Calling On A Hero Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Veteran's Day is just one of those holidays that I want to cling to for way longer than 24 hours. Standing at the parade in downtown Petaluma today, I said to my girlfriends, "I'm going to re-post my blog from last Veteran's Day later on" but then I realized, I had more to say than just a re-post. Funny how that happens. I haven't blogged since September. Not sure what the funk has been about but within the past 24 hours, I've had 3 ideas come to me that I just can't wait to get out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, I spent a lot of time missing my grandpa and being thankful for the friendship I made with Mr. Bell when I lived back in Mobile, Alabama (read more about him below). Recently, we lost my grandma also and it feels a bit like losing my grandpa all over again. I think when he passed away in 2006, I shifted all of my love for him onto my grandma. And now, that generation has come to an end. The circle of life. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuruNDpmkWfWBWInacOLrknbWCDhu4CFTo2tMrP4rc77GvUFhiU59LHjV6xjatr5FV-a9P0-FzfPBJQ3JM8iShKj1GN0euSZvY3UNs32UaXtQExFYqrlis7F7ZAftcYe-NPYiYWdPnQo/s1600/parade2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuruNDpmkWfWBWInacOLrknbWCDhu4CFTo2tMrP4rc77GvUFhiU59LHjV6xjatr5FV-a9P0-FzfPBJQ3JM8iShKj1GN0euSZvY3UNs32UaXtQExFYqrlis7F7ZAftcYe-NPYiYWdPnQo/s320/parade2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud of our PHS Band!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's strange to think that the images and concept of "war" way back when (WW II days are especially on my mind) are so different than the images and concepts we have of war today. I'm not at all trying to get political here so let's not go there. All I'm saying is that weapons were different, boundaries were different, training was different, technologies were different, tactics, strategy, and power were different. It's hard to believe that soon, all of the WW II vets will have passed away and those stories will become second and third hand stories. Despite all the differences of war "then" and "now" - I can't help but see a lot of similarities too. Respect. Honor. Love. Freedom. Pride. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjch4uBikkT6F2VJVuAcH60bB_LEYkX2nr6GbtNX6l-HPeJSH8XV0eplwZO_2JGOMyKvSYyo35MapZ4NzfS27DgI8gtLG318_0osdDgLQH4cd3g3RbMUWkW9d0UtX_2aCKRqDzoaHnSINA/s1600/parade3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjch4uBikkT6F2VJVuAcH60bB_LEYkX2nr6GbtNX6l-HPeJSH8XV0eplwZO_2JGOMyKvSYyo35MapZ4NzfS27DgI8gtLG318_0osdDgLQH4cd3g3RbMUWkW9d0UtX_2aCKRqDzoaHnSINA/s320/parade3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honored.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Veteran's Day Parade was incredible today in Petaluma. It lasted over an HOUR and I didn't want it to end. There were so many groups of people represented in the parade that serve people in one way or another. Besides every military branch you can think of, there were emergency response crews, city council members, the American Red Cross. My personal favorites were the veterans who waved at the crowds and nodded in appreciation. Some of THEM were even mouthing the words, "thank you." As helicopters and jets flew overhead, the overwhelming sensation of gratitude just took over all of my senses. One second I was whistling, then I was clapping, next I would be waving my flag, and in between all of those came smiles, cheers, and even a few tears. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping others all the time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So fascinating.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was just another fan in the crowd but I had at least ten moments where I felt like a veteran looked me right in the eyes and smiled and nodded at me. The American spirit was alive. It was strong. There was a gentleman a few people away from me who was probably in his late 20s. He stood for the entire parade (so did a lot of us but this guy had a comfy chair he could have been sitting in). He must have been in the service also because so many veterans looked at him and just KNEW he was a fellow hero serving his country. It was incredible to watch their unspoken interactions over and over again. I was honored to be standing so close to him, and to witness the unspoken love. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here I thought sleeping in, having lunch with girlfriends, getting a massage, or resting under a blanket on the couch was going to the best part of my day. Boy was I wrong. Waving that flag, watching children look at heroes with awe, hugging friends, seeing some of my students, getting a wink from a 90 year old man who had a sparkle in his eye like my grandpa used to, those are the things that will stick with me forever. Happy Veteran's Day. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following blog post was written exactly a year ago on November 11, 2013. Not only is it one of my fav posts but I also love how much chatter started about my totally incredible Hutchens Elementary School uniform. :) YES! </span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr. & Mrs. Bell</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo taken: November 16, 2007</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It had been a long day of teaching. One of those days where you feel a little defeated and beat up when the kids all walk out the door. One of those days where bus duty feels like a huge punishment, and you "supervise" by pretending you don't see the kids hiding behind the benches throwing erasers at one another. Mrs. Ramey had apparently had a similar day to mine because I remember walking into her classroom after bus duty and feeling relieved when she gave me a look that said, "Please tell me we aren't still going." </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ramey was one of my very best teaching friends when I lived in Mobile, Alabama. She was one of those teachers who was never too busy to answer my endless questions. Her precision to detail and OCD tendencies (as she herself would admit) coupled with my big picture views and lofty goals were a dynamite combination! We were a killer 3rd grade team, Ramey and me. On this particular fall day, Ramey and I had planned to drive downtown to a museum that was featuring a new photography gallery depicting the story of World War II. After a quick debate on if we should still go or not, Ramey and I grabbed our after school snack of Diet Dr. Peppers and Cheeze-Its, and headed for the museum. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The World War II photographs were breathtaking. I stood in awe of the countless pictures of young men who had picked up and left everything they knew to serve and protect our country. A part of me kept an eye out for a picture of my grandfather, Charles M. Barnett, who had passed away a year earlier. I didn't see grandpa in any of those pictures, but I felt him with me in that museum. I remember feeling so proud that he had served our country, came home to raise a family, and then spent his life as an educator sharing his knowledge of photography with his students and investing in their lives until his own passing. Standing in that museum that day, I could smell my grandpa's "dark room" where he spent hours upon hours developing pictures years earlier, but where us grand kids had thought it was cool to just hang out and be kids together.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I was lost in my own personal thoughts, Ramey called me over to a photograph that had clearly captured her attention. Together, we read the story of Maurice Bell, a seaman on the USS Indianapolis who survived 4 days and 5 nights in shark infested waters, waiting to be rescued after a Japanese torpedo sank the USS Indianapolis in the middle of a 1945 July night. We were moved to tears, touched by his story. One of only 317 men who survived out of approximately 1,200 men on board, Mr. Bell's story was beyond comprehension for even Ramey who grew up in a military household of bravery and tradition. And then we saw it..."Maurice Bell currently resides in Mobile, Alabama with his wife Lois." It was as if Ramey and I knew immediately that Mr. Bell was going to change our lives, and our students' lives with his story and his honor. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two weeks later, Maurice Bell, the sweetest old man your eyes had ever seen, sat in my 3rd grade classroom with my twenty students. He shared his story with a room full of eight year olds. A room full of students who didn't know or understand war. A room full of students who couldn't understand what it was like to hear their friends being taken one by one into the dark waters by sharks. A room full of students who didn't understand why their teacher was misty-eyed. However what I saw that day, was that Mr. Bell also shared his story with a room full of students who suddenly didn't care when recess was or what was for lunch. Students who ran up to him after his talk and hugged him asking for his autograph. Students whose eyes glistened with pride when Mr. Bell let them wear his seaman's cap and when he crouched for a picture with them. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I saw that day, was a hero. A real live hero. In my classroom. With my students. I felt so proud that Veterans Day week. Proud of the fact that Ramey and I had sucked up our bad day, and gone to learn and experience something special together. Proud that we did something about it by calling up a stranger and inviting him to connect with our students. Proud that those little eight year old lives would forever have the experience of meeting Mr. Bell and his lovely wife, Lois. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Written with much love in the memory of Grandpa Chuck and Maurice Bell, two heroes I think about often.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Read and watch more about Maurice Bell's story from PBS <a href="http://www.pbs.org/thewar/detail_5278.htm">here</a>.</i></span><br />
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-57990662283158554832014-09-04T23:04:00.000-07:002014-09-04T23:04:31.644-07:00Love the Most? #reflectiveteacher Day 4<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My small contribution to the <a href="http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/reflective-teaching-30-day-blogging-challenge-teachers/">Reflecting Teaching: A 30 Day Blogging Challenge for Teachers.</a></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do I love the <b>most</b>? That's going to be a problem for me. There are a million things in life I love. Mint chip ice cream, glitter, a new set of colorful flair pens, fire pits, inspirational videos, red wine, teachers who tweet, down comforters, books, hammocks, sleep, singing in my car, 5 year olds, the list goes on. But what do I love the most about "teaching"? Well, that's easy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a hard time when educators talk about making connections and having meaningful relationships with students because it feels <b>SO</b> obvious to me. Sadly though, having these intentional relationships with students is not as frequent as one might think. I had to take a #caedchat sabbatical about a year ago because it felt super "trendy" to say things along the lines of, "Invest in the lives of your students" and I found myself getting a little agitated that those words even had to be stated. Thankfully, I've been able to take a step back and remind myself that even the most dedicated, loving, hard-working educator has to make a conscious effort to set aside quality time for students. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was teaching, one of the things I loved most about my job was taking my students on field trips. I know field trips can be a challenge. Driver insurance paperwork, car groups, bus reservations, the fear of losing a child, money, gift shops, rule breaking chaperones (yah, you know who you are), the list goes on! For me, field trips were just such a huge gift. A time to step away from the daily routines and to really spend quality time with my students, their parents, and my teammates. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I transitioned from being a classroom teacher to a site principal, I promised myself a lot of things. I promised myself that I would never get too far away from my students and that I would always make spending quality time with them a top priority. Those special moments are just priceless. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday, I spent the day with one of our 4th grade classes, our two 4th grade teachers, and about 15 parent volunteers at the <a href="http://www.fortross.org/" target="_blank">Fort Ross Historic State Park</a> on the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Honestly, the day was perfect. It was full of quality time. That's what I always loved most about teaching, and being a principal has made me appreciate those moments even more. I could write about Fort Ross for hours. The lessons learned, the personalities that shined, the struggles that were overcome, the relationships that were solidified. It was a magical day. For me it was a reminder of the importance of quality time. And that's what I love the most about teaching, about being a principal, and about life. Time is a gift. How are you using yours?</span></div>
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-91754611032205604712014-09-02T22:45:00.000-07:002014-09-02T22:51:27.759-07:00New Tech This Year. #reflectiveteacher Day 2<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>My small contribution to the <a href="http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/reflective-teaching-30-day-blogging-challenge-teachers/">Reflecting Teaching: A 30 Day Blogging Challenge for Teachers.</a></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hold me accountable: My Nexus 7 and Feedly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year, I have a new toy thanks to the amazing Google for Education team and the Google Teacher Academy. Meet my Nexus 7.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel like I should name this bad boy. Any suggestions? Having a Nexus 7 feels super glamorous I just have to say. Being that I have plenty of devices, this just feels excessive. In my house currently, I have an iPad given to me by my last 2nd grade class, a Chromebook, a huge Dell laptop, a MacBook Air, and a MacBook Pro, I mean it's kind of ridiculous. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I love about this Nexus is that I don't know anything about it. It will be my first Android device in YEARS. Learning about my Nexus is going to push me to be curious, patient, and well, patient. (Not my strong suit.) I am sure there are all sorts of great things I'll learn to do on my Nexus but what I'm most excited to do is finally set up my Feedly account just the way I want it. I love reading and I love writing but I dream about the day when I can sit on my couch in the evenings and scan through new blog posts, articles, and other topics of interest on Feedly. Yes, I realize I could do this on my other devices but for some reason, my Nexus is just screaming, "Feedly!" to me! And there you have it. Those are my tech integration goals of the year. Simple, but hearty. If you read yesterday's post, guess what?! I asked lots of questions today! SCORE!</span></div>
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-75524959680781945792014-09-02T01:03:00.001-07:002014-09-04T23:10:13.775-07:00Asking: My Goal for the Year #reflectiveteacher Day 1<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>My small contribution to the <a href="http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/reflective-teaching-30-day-blogging-challenge-teachers/" target="_blank">Reflecting Teaching: A 30 Day Blogging Challenge for Teachers.</a> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, addiction has never been something I've struggled with, well - until I became a connected educator. I've always known that I was a "people person" and I grew up having others comment on my "outgoing personality" and "extroverted tendencies." However, this past year I've come to realize that I'm pretty much addicted to a certain type of human being and no matter how hard I try, I just can't kick it. Since I've never been addicted to anything other than energetic, passionate, forward-thinking, exhausting, inspiring, thoughtful educators, I guess I shouldn't complain but every now and then, these "friends" of mine, can get me in some real trouble. Enter Kenneth Durham, also known as the famous <a href="https://twitter.com/PrincipalDurham" target="_blank">@PrincipalDurham</a>.</span></div>
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Durham and I are only one month shy of our one year anniversary of being official #edubuddies (I wonder if he has a gift picked out for me yet?) but in that year, we've supported each other through a number of every day admin duties and roles. Whether I've needed a reminder to get out of my office, had a question about discipline, or just needed a good laugh about life as an administrator, Durham has been a pretty solid source. And that's where I find myself in trouble. </div>
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In a recent Voxer chat, Durham posed the question to our group asking if we were going to participate in the <a href="http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/reflective-teaching-30-day-blogging-challenge-teachers/" target="_blank">"Reflective Teaching: 30 Day Blogging Challenge for Teachers."</a> Now let's just be honest, who has time for one more challenge, daily duty, blah blah blah right?! Clicking the link to the blogging challenge was my first mistake.<a href="http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/reflective-teaching-30-day-blogging-challenge-teachers/" target="_blank"> Don't do it....I'm serious, don't do it.</a> But now it's too late. I read the challenge, I read <a href="http://kdurham.com/site/2014/09/01/service-goal-for-this-year-reflectiveteacher-day-1/" target="_blank">Durham's post about "service"</a> and I got all "Fadeji" on myself. The thing I like about this challenge is to me, it feels more about accountability and responsibility, rather than just another item on my checklist. I <b>should be</b> reflective and I should be reflective <b>daily</b>. In a way, I'm sure I am, but for me, right now, I think some intentionality behind my reflection with the support of some of my closest #edubuddies feels pretty darn good. </div>
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So what is my goal for the year? <b>Asking.</b> This year, my goal is to ask more questions. I plan to ask easy questions, hard questions, silly questions, and deep questions. I want to ask all kinds of things to my students, our staff, and the larger community that I serve. Asking means I'll be doing a lot of listening and we all could use a little more of that in our lives. </div>
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I bought a shirt yesterday that says, "Take less. Give more." It's funny, I was in a rush and bought the shirt thinking it said, "Talk less. Give more." I was pretty pumped to wear it to a staff meeting and challenge our teachers to do just that but once I took it out of the bag, I realized that I liked "Take less. Give more" a whole lot better any way. If I could add another line, I might add, "Ask hard." This year, I'm going to think harder about asking questions. We'll see how it goes. I did a little exercise with a colleague last week thanks to the coaching of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Multiplier-Effect-Tapping-Schools/dp/1452271895" target="_blank">Liz Wiseman, author of The Multiplier Effect</a>. My colleague and I had to converse for FOUR minutes and Partner A could ONLY ask questions of Partner B. It was hard! Level two was asking deeper, more meaningful questions, and let me just tell you, "asking" is an art to be practiced! </div>
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As I wrap this up, I'm looking forward to all bonuses that will come with asking questions this year. Hopefully, I will know a lot more about the things and people around me. With luck, I'll feel be even more connected to our thriving school culture. I'll have a lot more answers when people need to ask me questions. And finally, I'll be doing a lot of listening and reflecting along the way. Perhaps I'll even Talk less. Take less. Give More. And Ask Hard. </div>
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</span>mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-33518236703360521302014-08-30T10:34:00.000-07:002014-08-30T10:34:53.921-07:00Sometimes, it's the Little Things.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Writing my school newsletter can sometimes be a real hardship. During the week, I constantly find myself struggling with time management, work/life balance, and the never-ending battle of wrestling with my "to do" list. Thankfully, our PTA is AMAZING at Penngrove and they alternate weeks with me for our school newsletter. One week I write it, and the next week they write it. Love that! A week and a half ago, I got really lucky because I actually had something fun to write about - balls at recess! Yep, that's right. Because I chose to write this particular newsletter in a blog format, I thought I'd post it here too just for fun. It's a reminder to us all about the little things. <br /><br />Taken from the August 20, 2014 <a href="http://penngroveelementary.org/NewsCalendar/PenngroveConnection/tabid/163/EntryId/78/Penngrove-Connection-8-20-14.aspx">Penngrove Connection</a>. </span><div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">A note from Principal Fadeji...</span></b><br />*Disclaimer: I love blogging and this newsletter will likely feel more like a blog post than an informative newsletter. Enjoy!<br /><br />Dear Families,<br /><br />Elementary school life is full of twists and turns. If you've spent any time volunteering in our classrooms, you know that at any given time, you might find yourself instructing a group of children, cleaning up a bloody nose, sharpening pencils, prepping for the next lesson, the list goes on. As educators, we often find ourselves being a jack of all trades. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I have definitely thought a time or two to myself, "Ummm.....I didn't learn this when I went to school to become a teacher OR a principal! Now what?!" This week however, I was reminded of the little things.<br /><br />At our last staff meeting, we spent time hearing presentations about school safety, the district practice of "shared decision making" and Mrs. Mainaris led us through a mini lesson on a program called Socrative. Sounds riveting right?! And there we were with 2 minutes to spare and I threw out the crazy question, "Anything else we need to talk about or discuss?" I can't remember who brought it up, but a teacher said, "Yes, can we talk about recess and the ball problem? It's seriously getting out of control." Inside, I started laughing, "Oh GREAT! We get to talk about basketballs and footballs AGAIN!" However, the discussion that followed was informative, collaborative, and full of problem solving. We came up with some ideas, some new things to try, and reminded each other of some helpful procedures for our students. And then, we all left the room.<br /></span><a href="http://penngroveelementary.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=P_cSIJOJ1Lk%253d&portalid=0" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://penngroveelementary.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=P_cSIJOJ1Lk%253d&portalid=0" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />As the principal, I added "solve the ball problem" to my "to do" list and moved on. The next thing I knew, it was Monday afternoon and I was meeting with our Leadership Team which consists of a grade level leader from each team. You'll never guess what came up AGAIN! Yep! That's right, the ball problem! It's not that I had pushed this agenda item to the back burner, or that I had even forgotten, but quite honestly, sometimes something like "solving the ball problem" just can't be my #1 priority. Although on Monday afternoon, thanks to our Leadership Team, we made it our #1 priority.<br /><br /><a href="http://penngroveelementary.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=P_cSIJOJ1Lk%253d&portalid=0"><span style="color: black;"></span></a>This ball situation got so complex that (some of you may be about to laugh) but I actually reached out to some other principals and educators whom I admire, to ask them how they handle balls at recess. Even as grown adults, we were all laughing together on our Voxer channel (you should Google that) due to the fact that we were having such a thoughtful conversation about recess balls of ALL things!<br /><br />You see sometimes, things that can appear to us adults as the "little things" are really the things that matter most to our children. The need to feel safe, secure, valued, and loved is within all of us. As a principal, if a seven year old little girl wants to play 4 square, I want her to know right where to go, just what equipment to get, and where to return it when she's done. I want a 12 year old boy to get all his energy out playing football if that's what works best for him and I don't want him doing math at 9:30 am wondering if he's going to get the football at recess. Sometimes the "little things" to us, aren't really so little for students.<br /><br />That's just one of the many things I love about Penngrove. Even when there are so many BIG things looming over us. Change, new curriculum, technology, schedules, meetings, student incidents that require a considerable amount of time and energy - our staff is never too busy to stop and talk about the "little things." <br /><br />As an adult, that's an important reminder for each of us. I hope you enjoy the rest of the week watching for the "little things" that often are not as little as they appear.<br /><br />Amy</span></div>
mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-30749960557635689622014-07-29T21:48:00.000-07:002014-07-29T21:48:40.631-07:00A Reminder.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've had lots of reminders lately. Reminders about students, reminders about personalities, reminders that it takes effort to stay on top of my game. I've been reminded (kindly) about things I've forgotten, been reminded by the looks of those I care about that they need me, reminded that it's time for this or time for that. Reminders are constant it seems. Don't you find yourself saying, "Remind me to ..." or "Hey, don't let me forget to..." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday, one of our newest Penngrove teachers reminded me that I hadn't blogged in awhile. I loved that. I appreciated that she noticed, and it made me want to do better. A reminder. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tonight I am reminded of several things. It's the eve before I begin the journey known as #GTAMTV. For those of you who aren't familiar with the hashtag, #GTAMTV is the <a href="http://www.google.com/edu/programs/google-teacher-academy/" target="_blank">Google Teacher Academy</a> in Mountain View, CA. Here I sit, in my hotel room with my colleague and buddy, Catina Haugen, and I'm reminded of a feeling I once knew so well when I was in school. There are so many unknowns and if I'm quiet and still for long enough, they wash over me. Where will my classroom be? Will my classmates like me? What time should I leave to get there on time? What should I wear? Will my teacher be nice? Will I know what to do? What if I don't "get" something? How will I know I did something right? Am I going to fit in? If I get confused, should I ask for help? These are all reminders. Reminders that we shouldn't take for granted as educators. Not this school year, or ever. I'm a 31 year old principal, who needs assurance, comfort, friendship, love, warmth, and security. And I can't help but be reminded of the magnitude at which my students must crave those exact things. I am reminded.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Additionally, I am still struggling personally with the fact that I am a part of this cohort of incredible educators from around the globe. I know quite a few people who applied to be a part of this group. People who inspire me, who make me better at my job, people who I want to learn from each and every day, but people who aren't with us this time around. I'm reminded that we don't always get what we want in life. And it feels hard when we don't see the whole picture in the moment. There will be many things I reach for, opportunities I strive to accomplish, that just won't work out for me. This week, I'm grateful that this experience is real, but I am reminded that it won't always be so easy. In that, I find reality, hope, and trust. I'm reminded that each opportunity is a gift.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, I am reminded about the journey I have been on for the past year. A year ago, I had just attended my first Google Summit. I was starting my second year as a principal and wasn't exactly sure what CUE, GTA, GAFE, G+ and all of this even stood for. (I might be slightly exaggerating but barely.) Tonight, I am reminded of the people who have invested in me over the past twelve months. Those who invited me to events, asked me to present, encouraged me to lead my teachers with reckless abandon, those who approved of risk taking along the way. And I can't help but be so full of love for each of those moments in time that added up to this evening before #GTAMTV. </span></div>
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-91495578725251981542014-07-07T07:05:00.000-07:002014-07-07T07:05:57.660-07:00And So It Begins...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those of you who don't know me well, I am not really much of a morning person. I mean by the time most people actually see me in the morning, I am just fine. Energetic and smiling actually. But that's after I've hit "snooze" on my alarm about 6 times, have had my cup of coffee, listened to some music to pump me up, and have made about 3 "to do" lists. Last night as I drifted off to sleep, I prayed that I would wake up right on time this morning, at 5:30am. I asked for energy, strength, and excitement to just pull me out of bed BEFORE or as my 5:30am alarm was going off. I think I've only woken up before my alarm about seven times in my entire life time, however at 5:28am today my prayers were answered. Even Mr. Fadeji was graced by my presence this morning as he agreed that he was witnessing a straight up miracle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here I am, early morning on a Monday, super excited to start back to work. Since my school is on a year round schedule, we have a pretty short summer (I know, poor us...) which means that today, I start back to work, next Monday, our staff starts back to work and Wednesday, our hallways and classrooms will once again be filled with the wonder of children's voices, laughter, and love. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've wanted to blog almost all "summer" but like with everything, we all need a break now and then and I decided to practice what I preach by slowing down and giving myself enough down time over the past two weeks to relax and rejuvenate. After doing the dishes this morning and throwing a load of laundry in the washing machine from our weekend getaway with my family up to Tahoe (6 hour drive home yesterday - solid), I opted for a quick work sesh on my laptop. And then I saw my neat little stash of goodies waiting for me on the dining room table. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The book:</b> Yes, I finally read Mindset by Carol Dweck this summer. Although I was already familiar with the "fixed mindset" and the "growth mindset" through other avenues, it served as a great reminder for how I want to lead. It made me want to coach the many people I work with and care about into working towards a growth mindset and also challenged my thinking about how to help students become aware of this mindset. This year, I hope to tackle the "right kind of praise" with my staff. I hope I never hear, "You're so smart" again, but I will, and we will all learn together. Seeing this book reminded me that, I can and should read more often.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The coffee:</b> Well let's just be serious, nothing would have gotten done this morning without that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The laptop:</b> It's not the laptop I noticed, although the teal cover is one of my favorite principal accessories, but instead, it's the two cards on top of my laptop. Unfortunately, those are sympathy cards that I needed to write. It was a summer of loss for many people, and honestly, there are always people around us experiencing a season of loss. The cards reminded me to never be too busy to stop, take time, and write a note. They also reminded me that so often, we have no clue what those around us are going through. Yes, we all know this - but do we change our behaviors because of it? We should. Each day this coming year, I hope to be more caring, more compassionate, and more forgiving. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The nail polish: </b>This summer, I was out to coffee with an educator whom I admire deeply. This woman honestly models a lot of things for me that I treasure daily. As we were sipping our lattes, talking about real world issues, I couldn't help but be distracted by her perfect, red, gel manicure. And that's when I told myself, this year - I was going to be a little more polished than in the past. Both personally and professionally. So today, before I step back into work, you can bet your bottom dollar that this girl will have a brand spankin' new coat of "Dream On" and "Taupeless Beach" to serve as a reminder that we all could use a little polishing now and then.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Hot pink post-it notes: </b>You should see what my office looks like.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNISJvp8I_3leNyfh3Dp7TNpZX2NBudURPCkSN-YoVypFLjQRVTvbbzOu7wdEgGYxfwzVhEGQ053IBfDfy2rzpYVKBnEVomofB4nmrgxv2UhclTsOdjfBSTUaLO9B2xMiy12UK1-s7Ok/s1600/photo+(35).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNISJvp8I_3leNyfh3Dp7TNpZX2NBudURPCkSN-YoVypFLjQRVTvbbzOu7wdEgGYxfwzVhEGQ053IBfDfy2rzpYVKBnEVomofB4nmrgxv2UhclTsOdjfBSTUaLO9B2xMiy12UK1-s7Ok/s1600/photo+(35).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The dying plant in the background:</b> I almost moved this plant because at first, I thought it made the picture look really tacky but then I laughed (yes, out loud in my kitchen, alone at 5:49am) because it represents something really important and worth remembering. First of all, I clearly cannot take care of any plant. My office staff knows that if they don't take care of the plants in our office, they will die immediately. I thought SURELY that at home this "summer" I could handle ONE plant right?! WRONG. This plant represents something really powerful for me. I am not good at taking care of plants. In fact, there are many things I'm not good at but part of knowing myself is to find my strengths, use them and then draw on the strengths of those around me to make a dynamic team. On the surface level, we all know things we are good at and things we aren't. However, this year, I hope to dig a little deeper and really identify my weaknesses, my strengths and to make time to coach those around me to do the same. Can you imagine? I'm super excited for this venture and I can hardly wait to start reading Strengths Finder by Tom Rath. (given to me by the mysterious lady with the amazing red nails) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And there you have it - I'm back at it. Back to school, back to blogging, back to "work" where I find great joy on a daily basis. Back to being in classrooms as much as I possibly can. Back to four square games with seven year olds. Back to trying my best to make sure my staff knows how much I value and appreciate them. Back to late nights and early mornings. Back to all of it. 2014-15 watch out.....it's going to be a magical year.</span>mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-14503190930966437482014-05-18T22:18:00.000-07:002014-05-18T22:18:18.907-07:00Student Teachers, Full Calendars & Closed Doors<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember my very first staff meeting as the new principal at Penngrove. We were brainstorming our "hopes and dreams" for the year and I was writing as quickly as I could smiling along the way as staff members called out various topics, scenarios, and ideas. I remember a teacher earnestly sharing that she would really love to see student teachers return to the Penngrove campus. This teacher shared with the group that at one point in time, there had been many student teachers at Penngrove but due to university supervisors wanting more "concentrated sites," Penngrove had lost connection with the nearby colleges. I couldn't help but notice the many heads nodding in agreement as this teacher shared the value of having student teachers in the classroom and around campus and I thought to myself, "Easy! That's a quick fix!" </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Later that week, I made a couple phone calls to Sonoma State and Dominican University, took a deep breath, and hoped for the best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twenty-two months later, we have to practically turn student teachers away from our campus. Currently, we have nine student teachers at Penngrove and last Tuesday, I had the privilege and honor of meeting with four new incoming student teachers for Fall 2014. Let me back up for a quick second. I have to admit that when I glanced at my Tuesday calendar and saw "meet w/ student teacher advisor from SSU" for an HOUR and a HALF, I thought that Nicole, my invaluable office manager, must have made a typo. What could I possibly have to talk to the SSU advisor about for that length of time?! It probably didn't help that by 10am, I was on the verge of tears due to a number of circumstances beyond my control including finding out some really heartbreaking news about several of my students. Most days, I find myself being so strong for our students, for our staff, for our community. But there are days where I could almost crumple to the ground in a sob when certain things come to light in unfortunate ways. Back to the meeting. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here I was, meeting with Jane, the SSU student teacher advisor. Jane confirmed that we were indeed meeting for an hour and a half. 15 minutes to prep, an hour to interview/get to know the new student teachers, and 15 minutes to debrief. I tried to not look too disappointed or irritated but then I decided to just come clean with Jane. Jane is a retired principal so she totally "gets" it. She knows that feeling when the pull of needing to be in 10 places at once weighs you down. Jane "gets" that long meetings and returning phone calls aren't always at the top of the priority list, and she certainly "gets" that student teachers can take up a lot of time and energy that isn't always easy. I took a couple of honest moments with Jane, venting about my morning, asking her to excuse my disheveled behavior and letting her overhear me beg Nicole to order a latte and a breakfast sandwich from down the street. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And there they were. Four bright-eyed, youthful faces with eager spirits and smiles that would light up even the darkest of rooms. As I invited them into my office, Jane and I welcomed them one by one. We sat around my conference table sharing and learning about one another. I learned that Daniela enjoys creative writing. She has worked at quite a few schools but she wants more experience with creating lesson plans and classroom management. I discovered that Jayme is an animal lover who attended Penngrove as an elementary student! I listened intently as Jeff shared with us that teaching runs in his family and despite his attempt so curb his interests in teaching, he was finally succumbing to his strong desire to inspire curiosity in his students, which he feels is the key to happiness. I heard Katie share about her love for music and traveling, yet admit that she needs to gain the confidence to know that she IS a real adult now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I sat there listening to these student teachers, it took all of my strength to fight back the tears that had tried so hard to escape earlier that morning. I couldn't help but to see right into their hearts. I couldn't help but to feel the honest and genuine excitement that they possessed just to be able to work with students. I sat there feeling so incredibly fortunate to be the principal of a school where we value student teachers. A school where we want to soak up that youthful desire to inspire and generate curiosity in students. And how lucky am I to have SO many talented, dedicated, loving teachers who are willing to be mentor teachers to this new generation of educators? After Daniela, Jayme, Jeff, and Katie left my office, Jane and I discussed where we thought each student teacher would flourish. We placed each of them in a wonderful "home" and Jane and I parted ways. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUw9k2N9gtWaR_HR6dLSJ-ljrbcLTanzBBSi2p8DjkRNF-ml3D68-KYaFPBVx6ENZ8vmBCickrzv4E4KC-U39E8IPJXw4XqwODbI-wnWJvDQj33aqMQrABFdiYJszVHD6jw8OKfBpi74c/s1600/locked_door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUw9k2N9gtWaR_HR6dLSJ-ljrbcLTanzBBSi2p8DjkRNF-ml3D68-KYaFPBVx6ENZ8vmBCickrzv4E4KC-U39E8IPJXw4XqwODbI-wnWJvDQj33aqMQrABFdiYJszVHD6jw8OKfBpi74c/s1600/locked_door.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then I did something I don't do often enough. I closed and locked my office door. I sat at my desk with my eyes closed, and I reflected for just a quiet minute or two. I reminded myself that each and every meeting on my calendar has the ability to be impactful and powerful in its own way. I allowed myself to feel guilty for having a bad attitude about the hour and a half meeting. I forgave myself for scarfing down a breakfast sandwich in front of these young, impressionable minds. And I let a single tear fall. A tear that represented heartache, grief, and challenge. And then the second and final tear. The tear that represented new life, gratitude, excitement, devotion, vulnerability, and joy. </span>mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-19605043887934830002014-04-30T23:52:00.001-07:002014-05-01T00:02:20.571-07:00April's Identity Crisis<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My months are all messed up these days. It feels more like November than April to me. Usually in November, people are extra thankful, the word “grateful” gets thrown around a lot more frequently, and generally speaking, people seem to be genuinely more patient with one another. I attribute this to my favorite holiday of the year (besides Cinco de Mayo of course), Thanksgiving. However, on both a professional and personal note, April has been all about gratitude and thanks - and I kind of love that.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5yJYtvdYrsHfbtFh4JcwLoZGzsw5ie9eRVpI1mBUIFOLIRxpN8cebMRJUxmVs4hdVZK95YFFdx3_edaMMcOQ8HuiLFcJTHbp-vSpotCxQDbHqmh1_D0qRzcMAC5parb8tK-HvaulmKI/s1600/Fred-Allen.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5yJYtvdYrsHfbtFh4JcwLoZGzsw5ie9eRVpI1mBUIFOLIRxpN8cebMRJUxmVs4hdVZK95YFFdx3_edaMMcOQ8HuiLFcJTHbp-vSpotCxQDbHqmh1_D0qRzcMAC5parb8tK-HvaulmKI/s1600/Fred-Allen.png" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fred is our custodian at Penngrove Elementary and Fred is simply the BEST! A few months ago, I was at school WAY too late after a PTA meeting.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I went to turn off my computer, an email caught my eye, “Last chance for CSEY Nominations” - I didn’t even know what CSEY stood for but for some reason, I opened the email.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While skimming the email, I learned that there were only 24 hours left to nominate any classified employee who demonstrated outstanding service to his/her community.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fred immediately came to mind. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be honest, I get SO many emails on a daily basis and I really struggle with keeping up on them. In fact, I see opportunities like this all the time where I think, “Oh this would be great to participate in, be a part of, experiment with, etc….” and it pains me that I cannot personally add more hours to the day in order to make all of these possibilities a reality. Back to my late night office sesh. On top of already being super late to get home (my husband now knows that, “I’m leaving in 10 minutes” could mean any number of ridiculous things), I was leaving the very next morning at 6am for a conference and I hadn’t even started packing. #typical As tempting as it was to head home, I knew that I had to stay, and complete the nomination packet for Fred. After all, Fred is the best custodian ever. It’s a darn good thing I did stay late because guess what?! The selection committee chose Fred to be THE finalist and winner of Sonoma County’s Classified Employee of the Year! Curious why? <a href="https://audioboo.fm/boos/2112403-fred" target="_blank">Listen to one of our 6th grade students tell you about Fred. </a></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s moments like these where I feel grateful to work with the people I do, and thankful that I make time to recognize the hard work of those around me. In case you’re wondering, I didn’t even forget anything when I finally got home to pack. And, my husband is still speaking to me. Score!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This past Wednesday, during our “staff time,” I threw out a bunch of notecards on a table.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each box of cards was different and unique.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some were glittery, others were loaded with bright colors, some had printing, others cursive.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But all these cards had one thing in common: a message of thanks. My only instruction to the staff: "Take the next 5 - 10 minutes to thank someone you have really been meaning to thank.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It could be school related, or it could be totally personal, but take some time to share your gratitude."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh the joy!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some teachers looked at me like, “Really?!” and another one exclaimed, “Had I known, I could have brought my list from my wedding shower this past weekend!”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slow your roll <a href="https://twitter.com/MsONeil7" target="_blank">@MsONeil7</a> :) At the end of the 10 minutes, I had to really pry the thank you cards out of everyone’s hands.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had just assumed that each person would write one thank you note but they were going buck wild!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After our staff meeting, one of our team members came up and said, “That was the coolest idea. Thank you for that.” As he walked away, I thought I caught a glimpse of a card that said, ‘Mama” and I couldn’t help but smile. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even I received an unexpected thank you note from one of our 4th grade teachers. Lucky me. Sometimes it's not the gesture of writing the card, or the words themselves, but it's the person behind the words that really make an impact. In particular, the thank you card pictured here is quite possibly the most meaningful card I have received all school year. Honest moment here: in the back of my mind, I've always thought Ms. Barrell and I had a solid working relationship. She is helpful, full of great ideas, she speaks her mind, she is adventurous, she is always eager to share "cool things" that her students are doing, and we've even had some fun "personal" conversations. However, deep down, a piece of me has always been curious to know what Marianne thinks about me. About my leadership style. About how our school culture is shaping up. About how I barge into her room from time to time to ask her for advice. As a principal, I tell students all the time not to worry about what others think of them. But after reflecting on this pivotal moment, maybe I should reconsider that "talk." Because on this day, in this instance, it totally mattered to me what Marianne thought and I finally got the answer that I had been looking for. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Wednesday, April 16th, much to my SURPRISE, the staff and students at Penngrove organized “Principal’s Day” and let me tell you - they went ALL out. Does “Principal’s Day” even exist? I’m not quite sure but I’ll take it! Not only did the whole school serenade me with their rendition of “You Are My Sunshine” at our morning assembly, but they decorated the entire school with bright colored signs laden with glitter and paint that showed their creativity and love. I was speechless! Upon returning to my office, I found a HUGE box full of “sunshine” (crazy good gifts that were all themed and yellow and orange), a latte and pastry on my desk, and a variety of special guests and visitors that made the day extra special. Maybe some day I will figure out a way to properly thank <a href="https://twitter.com/MrsLaw10" target="_blank">@MrsLaw10</a> who spearheaded this touching day, but for now, all I can do is smile and hold back the tears.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Personally, it can be a challenge for me to be the person on the receiving end of so much gratitude but in the spirit of “Give. Risk. Learn. Trust.” I allowed myself to be put to the test, to soak it all up, and to be present in the moment. What a day. </span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With April being full of so much emotion, gratitude, and excitement, I can only imagine what May has in store for our school, our team, and our continued love affair with the art of giving, risking, learning, and trusting together. Happy May.</span></span></div>
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-75540528398879439982014-04-03T21:57:00.000-07:002014-04-04T23:07:36.800-07:00Surprise Visits. So Much More.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was just another ordinary day. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was April Fool's Day which always has me a little nervous at what could or could not happen on campus, but April 1st was just another morning. I had driven to work around 7:30am, resisting the urge to check emails, text messages or Twitter. That's something that I struggle with often on my drive. It's the only 25 minutes a day where I have complete solitude and quiet. Sometimes it feels like the perfect time to "catch up" or "connect" but I really try hard to enjoy the scenery, belt out a few songs, and stay safe. On this particular morning, I talked to a few colleagues on my drive, got to school, and did our morning announcements before beginning my "office day". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It wasn't long before my lovely Office Manager said, "Mrs. Fadeji, you have a special guest here!" and low and behold, in walked <a href="https://twitter.com/EduTrace" target="_blank">@EduTrace</a>!!! Now, let me tell you a little about @EduTrace, also known as Tracy Walker. Last year, when I was new to Twitter, I started following Tracy because she seemed like a fabulous teacher! We occasionally conversed about different hot topics and favorited each others posts from time to time. I immediately loved her wit, her spunky personality, and the way she cared about her students. We finally met face to face at EdCamp Sonoma (there is another one coming up April 12th! Details <a href="http://edcampsonoma.org/" target="_blank">here</a>) last year and I am pretty positive that I almost took her to the floor with my enthusiastic hug upon first sight! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Months later, I now consider Tracy a dear friend who I treasure deeply. We just connected from day one, and I always look forward to any time I get to spend with her. I've been trying to convince her to bring her children to Penngrove, but the year round schedule and distance from her house makes it nearly impossible. Selfishly, I just want more of the Walker Clan! Is this an ode to @EduTrace you may be asking, no, not really. What I want to depict is the special nature of her visit. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Special April Fool's names on our coffees!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tracy has two toddlers. She gets one week off for Spring Break. Her parents are in town visiting. I am SURE she had a list of things to do, people to see, places to visit. But what did she do on her Tuesday morning? She surprised me with a venti vanilla latte and visited classrooms with me for a good thirty minutes. She talked to students, she posed for pictures, she connected with teachers. It was the best 30 minutes of my day. A precious moment in life when a teacher, whom I admire, took time on her vacation to come give me a hug and scope out my school...just because. It's moments like these that I am grateful for Twitter, for EdCamps, for all of the many educators who work so hard to facilitate professional connections. Without these avenues for building a PLN, I may never have met Tracy. The thought of that alone is difficult, as she challenges me to be a better administrator with her thought-provoking questions, and her innate desire to always be learning more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I survived April Fool's without anything surprising, wild, scary, or troublesome happening at school. Except for of course, a selfless and sacrificial visit from one of the most lovely people I have met in the past year. Thanks for stopping by for a surprise visit @EduTrace. To me, your visit was: So Much More.</span></div>
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-72905871435021557812014-03-30T13:56:00.000-07:002014-03-30T13:56:54.759-07:00Lovin' Learning. Lovin' CUE.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow, a blog post about #CUE14, original Fadeji.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But that’s what we are supposed to do right?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As lead learners, aren’t we supposed to </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">give</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ourselves opportunities to take </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">risks</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">learn</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> new things, and </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">trust</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> that we will reflect on our learning in order to improve our skill set?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Yes, we are! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(And yes, I also realize that it is totally dorky how I just worked those four verbs into the intro of this post. #wordsmith #easilyamused)</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I probably should have waited to read any #CUE14 blog posts until after I wrote my own, because now all I can think about are the powerful the words from two posts I read earlier this week. (<a href="http://www.fishing4tech.com/2/post/2014/03/students-please-stand-up-your-voice-needs-to-be-heard.html" target="_blank">Students Stand Up</a> and <a href="http://cashleywilliams.blogspot.ca/2014/03/reflections-and-goals-from-cue14.html" target="_blank">Reflections & Goal<u>s</u></a>) I’ve been reflecting on these blogs since Sunday night and thought I may just skip out on my own personal #CUE14 reflections all together. Not so fast.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karl & Diane's Stop Teaching Session</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Favorite sessions:</b></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chrome is the New Black with <a href="https://twitter.com/mhammons" target="_blank">Mark Hammons</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/CAshleywilliams" target="_blank">@CAshleyWilliams</a> and I even got a </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">shout out!) </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stop Teaching & Start Learning with <a href="https://twitter.com/LS_Karl" target="_blank">Karl LS</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/Dowbiggin" target="_blank">Diane Main</a> - what a way to mix it up team! #packedhouse </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Using High-Tech Tools to Create a Culture of Literary Nerds with <a href="https://twitter.com/MeganRoseEllis" target="_blank">Megan Ellis</a> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Can’t wait to see it again May 10th at the NBCUE Event in Petaluma, CA! <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/cuenorthbay/" target="_blank">Registration info here</a>!)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Improve Your Digital Workflow with Google Docs and Drive with</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://twitter.com/lhighfill" target="_blank">Lisa Highfill</a> (I mostly love that Lisa just couldn’t stay on docs and drive. She is beyond measure!)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rock the Blogosphere! with <a href="https://twitter.com/jkloczko" target="_blank">Jennifer Kloczko</a> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Finally we met! I have so many new ideas after her </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sesh!) </span></li>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>People I missed the most:</b></span></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23petk12&src=typd&f=realtime" target="_blank">#petk12</a> crew</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23teamnorthbay&src=typd" target="_blank">#TeamNorthBay</a></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/mikerides" target="_blank">Mike Taylor</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/jenny_derby" target="_blank">Jenny Derby</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/PrincipalDurham" target="_blank">Kenneth Durham</a></span></li>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/Jstevens009" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">John Stevens</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ucdjoe" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Joe Wood</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/jkloczko" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Jennifer Kloczko</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/davidtedu" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">David Theirault</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MsVictoriaOlson" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Victoria Olson</a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Special Moments:</b></div>
<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr21UzUQZ_sf_0WbhmrLp6GtkZ7Uk7DFzH0cECNfBkI6D5dYixP-T42c2FvEId-mCfx3selK-diKCRSsqRO5BkW5Z4AzjKx92qBqlbwhQlzD9Y4dPO82hFO6328ff3GvAA7IY7zkToiq4/s1600/photo+2+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr21UzUQZ_sf_0WbhmrLp6GtkZ7Uk7DFzH0cECNfBkI6D5dYixP-T42c2FvEId-mCfx3selK-diKCRSsqRO5BkW5Z4AzjKx92qBqlbwhQlzD9Y4dPO82hFO6328ff3GvAA7IY7zkToiq4/s1600/photo+2+(1).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Feeling like I was #16again a million times but certainly when I got to ride in a friend’s </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mustang in the dessert evening. #sanmiguel</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being a part of the <a href="http://www.eduwin.org/" target="_blank">#EduWin</a> celebration and honoring <a href="https://twitter.com/ikeraya" target="_blank">Isaac Raya</a> from Petaluma! Keep </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">your eye on <a href="http://www.eduwin.org/">www.eduwin.org</a>, it’s going to explode this coming year!</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/CAedchat" target="_blank">#CAEdChat</a> Meet Up on Friday night @ the pool. So many great educators wanting to </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">connect, to visit, to share. What a group! Felt so lucky to hang with this crew! </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hanging with Ben and the <a href="https://twitter.com/ClassDojo" target="_blank">@ClassDojo</a> crew! I am crossing my fingers they come visit </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">us at Penngrove this spring! <a href="https://twitter.com/MsONeil7" target="_blank">@MsONeil7</a> will go bonkers! #EduCelebrities </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spending time with the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/cuenorthbay/" target="_blank">NBCUE</a> Crew. Fireside dinners #imelt, PoolsidePD, staying up LATE </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">night, morning walks, and all with people who I cherish and push me to be a better </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">leader. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Getting a new nickname “FoDayzG” from <a href="https://twitter.com/Dowbiggin" target="_blank">Diane Main</a> (which feels like I won the lottery </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">just so you know!)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being interviewed by <a href="https://twitter.com/mhammons" target="_blank">@mhammons</a> and the tweet that followed by <a href="https://twitter.com/CAshleywilliams" target="_blank">@CAshleywilliams</a> </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goodbye hugs from <a href="https://twitter.com/MsVictoriaOlson" target="_blank">@MsVictoriaOlson</a> #missyoualready</span></li>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How I Fell Head Over Heels For CUE:</b></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>It’s hard to believe that just one year ago, I was a total CUE Newbie. Last March when I attended CUE Palm Springs for the first time, I had never even heard of CUE. I was so inspired by the things I learned and the people who were involved in CUE that I quickly found myself plugged into our local affiliate (<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/cuenorthbay/" target="_blank">North Bay CUE</a>). Two months later, I attended the Connect U NBCUE event in Napa with seven teachers from my school where I was able to witness a small group of people supporting local educators to make huge shifts and changes in practice and teaching. Before I knew it, I was presenting at the September NBCUE Marin event and enjoying life as an NBCUE “Member at Large.” October brought FallCUE to Napa, November through February was filled with numerous joint collaborative PDParties, Techie Tuesdays, and planning meetings for upcoming events continued. And now, one year later, I consider it a highlight of my professional career to be a North Bay CUE board member, working with an incredibly talented and generous team to provide exciting PD opportunities to educators across our region. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last Wednesday, I took advantage of the fact that <a href="http://cue.org/" target="_blank">CUE</a> was scheduled during my spring break and I caught some 90 degree Palm Springs rays. As I lounged by the pool at the Renaissance (everybody loves a little <a href="https://twitter.com/poolsidePD" target="_blank">#PoolsidePD</a> right?), munched on a burger, and chatted casually with CUE's Executive Director, <a href="https://twitter.com/techmaverick" target="_blank">Mike Lawrence</a>, I couldn't help but reflect on the past year and all that had occurred. Plenty of fun times, some challenging times, tons of exciting times, and the occasional down right difficult time that shook me to my core. Despite all of these moments, what stood out to me the most is that CUE is a group of inclusive, wonderful people who are doing their best to keep up with the fast-paced changes in education. Poolside chats w/ #EduCelebs, elevator rides with @DigitalRoberto, being able to crack jokes, make new friendships, be myself, and enjoy life without worrying about formalities and rank, are all things that I love about CUE. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you aren't plugged into your local CUE Affiliate, I encourage you to do so! What are you waiting for? Get on it! </span></div>
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280526152752593086.post-88211739175404353082014-03-26T20:13:00.000-07:002014-03-26T20:16:19.923-07:00Can't Help But To Help, Can't Help But To Be Real.<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Educators are some of the most helpful people you will ever meet. Wouldn’t you agree? I mean, I can think of about 10 educators off the top of my head who have gone above and beyond in the past week just for the sake of being helpful. It’s one of the things that I love most about working in this profession. Additionally, I constantly observe educators who are “real.” Real people, doing every day life in real ways. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the past two months, mailing in my paperwork for my admin credential to be "cleared" has been hanging over my head.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of those things that I just couldn’t cross off my “to do” list.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite several reminders from my colleagues, I was still stressing that I wouldn’t get everything in on time since I misplaced my completion certificates.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, I did</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">find my certificates but then, all of the sudden, as if an angel sent me a personal email, I received a shared Google Doc from </span><a href="https://twitter.com/SheilaGarvey2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Sheila Garvey</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, one of my principal friends.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sheila, who was going through the same process to clear her admin credential, took the time to create a Google Doc with step by step instructions on how to complete the process, and then she shared it with our team.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This wasn’t just any step-by-step instruction doc, this was legit.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sheila embedded links, forms, payment information, the whole nine yards all in 16 steps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sheila’s effort and time got me thinking about how so many educators with such ease, step into a helper role just because it feels like the right thing to do. And for that, I was so grateful to have Sheila as a friend, colleague, and fellow admin credential holder.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then there are the "real" moments in life where I realize I work with a some very real people. This past weekend, as I enjoyed a pedicure with my girlfriend, Jenny, (yes, the same Jenny that I referenced in my last post) I was given the opportunity to realize just how “real” most educators are. Here Jenny and I were in a little nail salon on Third Street in San Rafael, feeling super guilty for sneaking in an hour of relaxation during our weekend. I mean let’s be real, Sunday afternoons are for grading papers, planning for the week, and responding to work emails right? I had to practically beg Jenny to break away from grading and report cards just to get a pedicure with me. In fact, I asked her if we could do a little shopping as well but her response was, “I wish I could, friend, but I just have WAY too much to prep for the week.” </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And there we were, two educators, having a “real” moment together. Jenny sat grading papers and giggling as Tom tried his best not to tickle her feet too much with his pampering. I sat using the Sched App on my phone to plan my sessions for the upcoming CUE Conference in Palm Springs. I don’t at all want to come across as judgmental because I really try my best not to judge others but during this particular afternoon, I couldn’t help but overhear some of the other conversations in the nail salon. And quite frankly, I was bothered.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I can’t wait to get botox again tomorrow. I just need it so badly.”</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Oh my gosh, it’s SO great to be here! I haven’t had a pedicure in TWO weeks!”</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Where is your dad this week?” “Oh, he’s on vacation with his girlfriend until April 29th. I think they are in Morocco this time.”</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Cut that nail shorter, I said I like it short.”</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ehhhhh…..I sunk down in my chair, turned up the massage button, and breathed in the smell of acetone masked by lavender bath salts. I sat there thinking. I am so grateful that someone taught me along the way (my parents, teachers, family friends, my husband) what really matters in life. I’m so glad I don’t feel the world owes me a pedicure every two weeks (although that would be heavenly). I’m blessed that I view wrinkles as a sign of life, beauty, love, laughter, and sunshine. I’m thrilled that my dad isn’t riding a camel in the dessert for months on end, and I sure as heck am proud of the fact that no matter how important I may one day think I am, or how wealthy I may find myself in the distant future (doubtful, but who knows), I feel certain that I will always speak with kindness, compassion, and heartfelt words to those around me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It would be naive of me to think that “helpers” and “real people” are only found in education, for we all know many people who fit this mold in a variety of locations, positions, and life stages. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But for me, I love that I get to surround myself daily with those who can’t help but to help, and can’t help but to be real. Sheila and Jenny, keep it real girls.</span></div>
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mrsfadejihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01480991912002862267noreply@blogger.com1