why is it that my children were shocked
when i told them that i was born ‘before ranch’ (b.r.)?
shock and awe that i was alive when
cap’n crunch, doritos, $100,00 bars, pop tarts, ding dongs, cool whip, count chocula, and more
came to be
back in the day when food fell into the
quick, easy, greasy, crunchy, sweet, and fun category
and lived to tell.
—
“my mouth doesn’t want to be quiet.”
-greta, age 4
after 3 days of conferences with parents
sharing stories of each child’s gifts
i’m all talked out
but really loved the conversations.
—
“we are all gifted, that is our inheritance.”
-ethel waters
—
photo credit: bbc earth
back in time on a summer’s day
when your parents thought
you and your friends of all ages
were just pedaling around the block for hours
but in that time you really
explored abandoned houses and those still under construction
built your own underground fort
jumped in the mud to see if it was quicksand
left your socks behind
met a new kid
balanced on a a board going over the water to get to the other side
found a golf ball
explored the gravel pit
rolled down a hill backwards
shared snacks that fell in the dirt
had the best day ever
every single day.
—
“keep your children wild, don’t make them grow up too fast.”
– brooke hampton
advice from the kinder to the parents of a classmate’
about how to take care of their new baby.
one so sweet
one filled with adventure
all the others equally from the heart
everyone has their own unique way of approaching parenthood.
“folks, i don’t trust children. they’re here to replace us.”
doing virtual early childhood parent-teacher conferences online
did not feel natural
but i give parents so much credit
some went to elaborate lengths
to find a space and time
where their child wouldn’t find them
so we could openly talk
and share stories
about how their child
touched our hearts this year
we talked to parents
in a closet, in a basement, up in an attic room,
and those who sent their child off on an errand
some waited until their child was asleep at night
but one thing was the same
this was a wonderful group of supportive, think-on-their-feet parents
who kept our connection with their children going
even from a distance
as we all navigated our way through this uncharted territory
and we were so lucky to have them as our teaching and learning partners this year.
—
“in a world where the great technologies enable us to record, replay, cut and paste, zoom in, and delete –
listening is the crucial commitment to keep the heart touchable.”
-mark nepo
—
photo credit: bored panda
“i believe that one defines oneself by reinvention.
to not be like your parents.
to not be like your friends.
to be yourself.
to cut yourself out of stone.’
-henry rollins
—
credits: Chad Knight digital sculpture, right brained, wild child
oh, amy what have you done?
after a bit of an unexplained absence
and when rejoining us outside at her picnic
amy tells us that she was busy inside
setting her mother up with her old iPad
and is already feeling a bit of remorse and worry
that this choice may have created
a life-long need for her tech support
and round-the-clock calls to her
yearning for immediate answers
to the endless questions as to the subtleties and mysteries
contained within the world of apple products.
her brother quickly makes it clear
that he is hands-off
and is not in any way involved in this endeavor.
she speaks openly of her fear
while the only other things we know
that she is afraid of are mascots
though this new level of fear
may have even topped that.
we all reassure her that she is a good daughter for having done this
while at the same time privately harboring
our own personal doubts
about the potential risk/reward factor involved in her choice.
about 3 minutes went by
and this is a picture of amy re-entering her house
after she has been called in
to where her mother sits with her new iPad
and her first ‘question/glitch.’
she looks frightened and unsure of what awaits her inside.
—
“choices are the hinges of destiny.”
-edwin markham
spring conferences begin today-
here’s to all the teachers and parents out there.
—
credits: mark parisi, offthemark.com
today, as i was walking out to meet our parents and children (most of them for the very first time), at our pre-kindergarten orientation, i noticed that one of my sandals suddenly felt very loose. in a twist of perfect universal timing, it was irreparably broken. i experimented with walking in it, but wasn’t able to do so without dramatically dragging my foot along, so i took them both off.
while taking off my sandals i noticed what i thought was a water mark of unknown origin on the side of my shirt, and that i imagined would ‘quickly dry’ but was actually a grease stain of unknown origin, that happened somewhere between my car and my school and which in fact ‘never dried.’
when i lifted my head up from my sandal removal, i noticed that the entire underside of my hair was now dripping wet, and i was breaking out into some sort of a heat rash on the back of my neck, as the temperature had quickly risen into the humid 90ish degree range.
my daughter texted to see how the day was going and when i updated her she replied,”it seems like i’ve had a text like this from you before.” yes, she might very well be right, as we’ve known each other since the moment she was born, and have certainly survived more than one misadventure in our time.
once the families were settled into our room, i presented my part of the orientation barefoot, greasy, sweaty, and rash-y, the parents were chatty and friendly, and the children were excited and happy.
i realized that one of my hopes this year is to show and teach my kinders to see mishaps more as simple misadventures, to take them as they come, while trying to make the best of them. i’m confident they’ll learn this in no time, as children naturally tend to be open, non-judgemental, and willing to let things, go just seeing what happens. and best of all – we have a new vocabulary word:
—
image credit: grammarly.com
I have my glasses on.... 