Go Make Art and Be Moved By the Artistry Around You!

It mystifies me, all the ways that we have found in this world to express ourselves, all the avenues that technology provides for us to share our expressions. Its occurred to me recently, that I’m surrounded by artists. Although many of them don’t embrace or recognize that they are such, I’m convinced. Some of us feel compelled to make, create, and share some form of our craft, and others just do it naturally like breathing out, and only realize they’ve made something beautiful when those of us who are walking behind them, scoop up their exhale and tell them how it moves us. Most of us vacillate between both forms, at times creating art intentionally, other times spilling it out without design.



We’re also all art enthusiasts. In our own way, we revere the expressions of formal and informal art that speak to us, that move us, that call to something inside of us, that resounds a gentle hum somewhere between our hearts and the bones that cage it in. We love and venerate the art, poetry, music, dance, movies, books, fashion, architecture, that speak to us and make us feel something.



When I feel the ache to make something beautiful, at times it frustrates me. I feel incapable of actually giving life to the ideas that swim in my head. I don’t have the talent, the resources, the fortitude to bring my wildest musings to life in some vivid and tangible way that would appeal to the masses. I’m no artist, I tell myself. I’m a thinker, an amatuer philsopher and so instead of taking a paintbrush to canvas (again) just to be excruciatingly disappointed by how vastly incapable my hands are at translating the art in my head, I ponder the why. I explore the call. I find myself thinking of the many art forms that move me.

I consider the books I’ve read that swallow me into the pages and spit me out changed. The films I’ve seen that take me somewhere I’ve been, somewhere I’ve longed to go and make me feel emotions that aren’t mine but are… somehow. The photographs I’ve seen that etch themselves on the inside of my eyelids so that I can still see the way the light dances on the image when I close my eyes hours later. The music I’ve heard that makes my bones ache or heart catch in the opening of my throat, or that makes my shoulders sway and shimmy until the ripples of them wash a smile over my whole face. Art.



Following this line of thinking, I start to see those artists all around me again. The way she wears her clothes and puts herself together, the way he throws out metaphors that so perfectly fit each situation, the way she tells a story with perfectly timed pauses and passion causing an audience of friends to lean into the words to be closer to the action, the way he crafts a perfect cup of coffee each morning. Bedtime story-tellers, Sunday dinner-makers, good-deed-doers, Artists.

I realize then, that what calls and compels me isn’t calling me to create something new. Originality is a broad burden to bear. The call is in me to capture something real, something beautiful, something familiar, something here and somehow make it mine. We all do this in different ways, all of them art. I try to capture the things in this life that leave me wonderstruck, with words. When words fail me I grab my camera and look at my world through a lens of gratitude and awe, hoping my trigger-finger can keep up, relying on chance not craft to help me hold on to the moment somehow.

I wouldn’t want anyone to appraise my work as art. I doubt I could ever be a traditional artist by trade. I don’t need someone to look at what I’ve made and affirm that it’s good. What is good? I create because I was created to do so. I create because I recognize the allure and resplendence of the art that is every moment of this life, every person, every sunbeam and every shadow; It inspires me and it is in my nature to want to hold a piece of beauty in my hand, to translate it, capture it, or explain it in a way that shows how it moves me and then share it in the hopes that it moves you too, and that we keep the art movement flowing together!


~Christine C. Halliday

Original Post: http://almostsortaalways.tumblr.com/post/84025347544/go-make-art-and-be-moved-by-the-art-that-already

Insecurity Is The Root of All Oppression (?)

I once had a blog called "Having it all SOME of the time" I say once had, even though it's still in existence because I don't write anything over there anymore. Why? Because I don't have time. These days I don't blog about the deep questions of life, the aha moments of my day or the parables swimming around in my subconscious unless I'm surrounded by elementary school kids and modeling some part the writing process. Why not? I just don't. I could make time for that again, but I make time for other things instead, because all of life is a series of moments and all of living is deciding (intentionally or unintentionally) which moments you're going to invest yourself in.
I'm prompted to write today thanks to another stirring blog post by a teacher-kindred Pernille Ripp. Pernille wonders, as many of us in Education do, "Where Are All of the Female Leaders?" and reading her words this morning has me stopping (intentionally) to reflect. I have to start by saying, that when I paused to think of it, although I am inspired by a very diverse group of leaders, I could definitely spotlight MANY who are women. Hooray! When I looked closer though, I realized that among that diverse group of leaders I admire, the women were more likely to be leading digitally (through blogging, vlogging etc) than the men, and when I looked even closer, the ones from that subgroup who were in established leadership positions (verses the ones that I view as "leaders" because they are leading, inspiring, and instituting change from their teaching positions) were, more often, men. This is not necessarily an accurate study of leadership, of course my random group of leaders in my PLN doesn't necessarily speak to our culture as a whole, and yet, I'm compelled this morning to consider the questions that come up when I read Pernille's post and consider my own limited experience. I should also say, that in my school, there are more women than men in administrative roles- I have no aspirations of being an administrator, but if I was interested and qualified that would be an option for me. I don't think looking and finding women-leaders really gets at the heart of what's being asked here though, and again this is my own take, based on my own experience and observation, but in reading about the guilt and questions that women in leadership face, I'm coming to this conclusion:

We are our own worst enemy.
We are our own worst oppressors.
We sort of know it, and sort of don't mean to be.


In my adult-life, I get asked the "how do you do it all?" question ALL the time. Not quite daily, but often. At EVERY birthday party I throw or attend or help plan, at school events where I work or where I attend as a parent, on Facebook (Curse you facebook for making it look like we're having it all!) at conferences, and on and on. Do you know what I realized this morning though? I have NEVER been asked this question by a man. Not once. Not ever. Why? I've also noticed that women seldom measure themselves against men, even men in their same stage of life or career path. Are we conditioned to believe that we can not compete with men or do we just feel more comfortable pitting ourselves against one another? Speaking from my own experience, I've never once had a man tell me that I couldn't do something because I had a husband and children to attend to or because I was a woman, but I've had quite a few women try to.

Back to the "How do you do it all?" question: I've asked the question of friends and mentors too. I know I have. In examining my motivation, I'm looking for the glittery unicorn that they must be hiding. The magic answer that once I know it, will give ME more time and less guilt to pursue my own fancies and ambitions. I never get it, just like I've never been able to give it to anyone else. The truth is always about balance and support and something else that has to give. I try to follow the question up with praise because I know from being on the other side, that what felt like an accolade can start to feel like condemnation in a split second. When "How DO you do it all?" gets followed up by "Doesn't your husband get upset?" or "I just couldn't bear to attend a conference and not be home to tuck my kids in for 3 nights in a row! (gasp!)" Often a comment like that one would be followed up by the commenter adding (soothingly) "But I'm just too sentimental!" which of course has me walking away wondering if they think that I am not.

For years I'd heard and read about how teachers struggle to trust one another, to share with one another, struggle to trade ideas, build each other up, promote one another in school. "Why?" I asked. "Female-dominated profession and women don't trust each other" was an actual answer I received. I read that the answer to this quandary was in finding a PLN through social media of like-minded educators who aren't threatened by one another but care so deeply about the profession that they are willing to share it all, and bear it all to further the cause! Hooray! I joined twitter and found this to be so! Hooray again..but...then I started reading about how so many of the women I admired via the interwebs were not well received in their OWN districts, their OWN schools where they actually had the power and dare-I-say-it RESPONSIBILITY to effect the most influence and change. How could this be? How could someone who seems so delightful and open on the internet be struggling to "make friends and influence people" where they actually live and work and share? Why is it easier to share ideas with the twitterverse than the woman next door? Why is it easier to follow a stranger than a friend?

Women, have you ever been in a group of other women who are praising one woman in particular on all the ways she seemingly "has it all" and follows it up by chiding (jokingly, of course) I just HATE her! I have NEVER understood this. How is it acceptable to substitute the word HATE for the word admire? It makes me wonder if we as women are so uncomfortable admiring one another that we've developed some crippling habits to our own success. Have we forgotten that we NEED each other or do we know it, and it terrifies us?

My conclusion is insecurity. None of us want to admit that we are insecure, but all of us are. Even the most confident Men or Women have their insecurities and wrestle with some notion that they should be or could be more. The danger as I see it though is when we stack our insecurities up against the strengths of the people we should be admiring and learning from. When we measure ourselves against and compare ourselves to others it can make us feel small. When we feel small, we do small things. These small things are beneath us, thinking or saying things that make us feel better about ourselves by assuming flaws in the woman we know who appears to be kicking butt and taking names in work and life.
I'm not enough of an Anthropologist (I only dabble in Anthropology & when there's a sale Anthropologie)to know if this is a "woman thing" or a "human thing" but I do believe it's oppressive, counter-productive and it's the wrong thing.

In recent years I have come to terms with my own insecurities (PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS AS OWNED AND CONQUERED, just acknowledged and faced) and made it my personal mission to not allow those demons to get in the way of anyone's pursuits. Mine or anyone else's. If you're in my building and doing amazing things for kids I'm going to tell you and I'm going to toot your horn to the masses, because I've come to realize that affirmation matters, that kindness is a boomerang and that a win for education, kids, or women is something that I"m always going to be proud to be a part of. I was also raised in a family and community of strong women who stuck together, built one another up, and were not threatened by but were inspired and motivated by the women beside them. I want to build that for my daughter. I want her to grow up learning to rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn and LEARN FROM those who soar!

If we want to see more women in leadership, we have to allow ourselves to be lead by our peers. We have to be honest with one another which means we have to trust one another. We have to allow ourselves to admire each other's strengths without the need to uncover each other's weaknesses. We have to stop ourselves from trying to place our own guilt and insecurities on others and instead to rally behind one another, support and affirm one another, celebrate, embrace, respect and grow in our differences.

KindnessInspiresKindness #ThankATeacher

In honor of upcoming Teacher Appreciation Day, here is a glimpse back at my first ever official Project #ThankATeacher ! This year's #ThankATeacher project is already in the works! #TeachersMatter #TeachersRock #TeacherAppreciation

Getting Started As A Connected Classroom

There are three main reasons I believe in the power of becoming a connected classroom:

1. To connect my students (who live at our school and away from their families) with their families back home. It is so important for me to give the parents and sponsors a window into their child's learning, experiences, growth and exciting moments! My goal is for my students' families to feel that my twitter and Instagram accounts give them access to our classroom community and to their child. At any given moment of the school day, a parent can check in, catch up, and be reassured by the updates we have posted. I have had parents tell me that this accessibility has helped them to keep their student enrolled in our school, and so for me, this is reason enough to keep tweeting & posting from our classroom!

2. To make experts, and other learners accessible to my students. The beauty of social media is the way it breaks down walls and brings us all together. Through social media we have engaged with artists, authors, politicians, organizations, celebrities, athletes, and other students and teachers around the globe! These are opportunities for connectivity that none of us would have otherwise had and they provide unique insights, answers, and learning experiences for my second graders!

3. To share what we are doing with the educational community. As someone who believes that inspiration is cyclical, I have been motivated, encouraged, and inspired by the glimpses that social media has given me into other classrooms. It's only right that I should share in turn, and hope to motivate, encourage or inspire others!

So how to get started? I started my Connected Classroom Journey on twitter. At the onset, I was just a consumer, reading and following and taking it all in. Once I realized the power that connection could provide to my teaching and classroom, I made a goal to "tweet" something we were doing once a week. Soon the goal became once a day, and now on most days we tweet semi-consistently, providing a pretty clear picture of what's happening in room 36! Here are my top tips for you if you're just getting started:

1. Open a twitter account. If you don't know how, this will help.


2. Limit your consumerism to prevent overload! The number one reason I've heard from people who don't like twitter is that it is overwhelming! I get this. I have actually taken to limiting how often I allow myself to scan my Home Feed. I suggest doing the same, and limiting who you follow at first, to tweeters whose content you find really interesting and inspiring. Once you've watched some other educators doing the twitter thing, you'll feel more ready to jump in yourself! Remember that "comparison is the thief of joy" and try not to compare your social media presence or your classroom to anyone else's. You're only getting and giving a glimpse, try to keep that in perspective! :)

3. Set a goal. Will you tweet once a week? Once a day? Every other? Set a goal and make it happen. Make it fun!

4. Interact with some other people. Reply to articles, tweets or pictures that interest you or your students. Give kudos, tweet to authors when you're reading their books, celebrities when your students mention them in class, policy makers when there is a cause you believe in. Many times you won't hear back, but when you do, it's very exciting for you AND your students!

5. My number one tip is to get your students involved in the process! Every student in my class knows how to take a photo, video, hyperlapse, and form a tweet. They earn "photog of the moment" status through good behavior and hard work throughout the day, and if they have the device in their possession, they are free to play photo journalists to their hearts content. This provides me with plenty of material to use in our posts, and takes the pressure off me to teach AND capture the moments! My students don't post without me over their shoulder, but they have become experts at capturing moments in our classroom for us to share via social media (or just laugh about at home later). Warning: Enabling student photographers will result in endless supply of unflattering, mouth-open pictures of the teacher, but that's what the delete button is for! ;)

Which platform?

I utilize Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for different reasons. I've found that Twitter is best for connecting, and providing a window into our classroom. Facebook has its place for massive picture uploads, closed groups and secure sharing, but Instagram is quickly becoming my favorite spot for finding visual inspiration, creative ideas, and a newsfeed that can't be hijacked by people who I don't follow tagging themselves in things with people who I do follow. (A blog on how I use Instagram instructionally to come!)

A final thought:
In my humble opinion, it seems for some educators, this whole "Connected Educator" movement is getting out of hand. I recently received a PM from a teacher in another state that said "Thank you for following me on Twitter and Instagram even though you have a combined following of almost 1,000 people and my combined following is 24."
She was intending to be funny, but the sentiment beneath the statement is one I've heard before and find a bit disheartening and even silly. If you're a "teacher rockstar" I hope your biggest fans are the students you serve, their parents, and the professionals you teach alongside every day. If the rest of the world doesn't discover you and embrace your "rockstar" status via social media, it's probably because you spent more of your time being an amazing teacher than on promoting yourself, and that makes you a real rockstar in my book. I absolutely believe in connecting with other educators, sharing my learning and learning from others around the country and the globe. I have learned a ton from my Professional Learning Network on Twitter & Instagram especially, but I am mindful to invest the most of my "networking" energy to connect with the educators who I can get the real picture of, and the most consistent inspiration from, the ones in my own school building who pour into me and allow me to pour back. Connection matters, and there are no shortage of inspiring presences on all social media platforms. However, I'd offer this thought: If you're only connecting with "teacher rockstars" with huge followings from other schools, and neglecting the ones busting their butts down the hall, you're missing out! Do both if you can, but when you have to choose, I urge you to choose real live teachers who are pouring into the same population of students that you are. Those relationships are real and tangible and vulnerable and valuable too! *end of social media rant.

I Am Garry Gilliam: Teaching The POWER of Possibility in the Classroom.

For the record, I have never met Seattle Seahawks Lineman, Garry Gilliam. I was not his teacher when he walked the halls of the Milton Hershey School, because for most of his school career, I was still in school myself. In 2009 when he graduated though, I was sitting in the audience as a staff member, having landed my dream teaching job in the elementary school a few years earlier. I would love to tell you that I remember the Garry Gilliam moment, or that when his name was called I got chills of some kind, but that would be misleading. The truth is that I have sat through every high school graduation since 2005 with bated breath, watching kids who I don't know personally, walk across a stage into a life of possibility. I'm required by my contract to attend this event, but I'd go even if I wasn't, because a Milton Hershey School graduation is a powerful experience even when you don't know the students personally. I am sure that in 2009, I watched the way I always do with hope and optimism and a bit of a daydream that one day, each student that has walked through MY classroom door would be walking that stage too, bursting with hope, jumbling fear and excitement, some with tears, some with swagger, most with trepidation and all glowing with POSSIBILITY to do what they will with their one wild and precious life.
I believe in the mission of my school. I believe in what we are doing here. We offer hope and opportunity to kids who need and deserve it. Then we teach them to pursue their dreams with tenacity, grit, and HOPE. We empower them with knowledge and work habits, and a healthy respect for hard work and some swagger in the face of adversity. We tell them that many, many others have paved the way before them. We believe in them, we love them. We open all the doors that we can and then step back and hope and pray and encourage as they decide how they'll walk on through. It is both fulfilling and draining, it is exciting and nerve-wracking, and it matters, everyday it matters.
Garry Gilliam is not the first successful MHS Alumni. He won't be the last. When you're part of our community you get to see our success stories every day. They are the beacon that keep us working hard and pouring out love when we feel spent or depleted by the failures that are also inevitable. Our current president, Pete Gurt is one such beacon. He was a Milt and for as long as I've been a part of the MHS community (10 years, woot woot), he has been an agent of change and empowerment on multiple levels and serves as a constant reminder to our students that they can be just like him if they work like he did, if they care like he does. He dreamed as an elementary schooler of being the president, and he is.

In our Elementary School building we have several Alumni heroes who came back to give back. They once walked these halls as hopeful youngsters and now serve as living inspiration to generations of kids. We have house parents who grew up in student homes and came back to pour their lives into the lives of our students. We have alumni who are successful business men and women, doctors, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, politicians, performing artists, and on and on. Whenever I can connect with alumni who are living their dream, I bring this to the attention of my students. I want them to have as many examples as possible of kids who stood in their shoes and grew up to make a footprint of influence. I want them to see that the hard work, the sacrifice of being away from family, the dreaming big, pays off.
A famous football player, on his way to the SuperBowl stirs up ALOT of excitement with the elementary school crowd. He's famous, he's a hero, he's just SO cool! What's more, he's a Milt who comes back! He visits his family here and remembers us even now that he's made it big. When I realized that our reading story this week about jellyfish wasn't drumming up near as much excitement as the Seattle SeaHawks, I knew that I should just go with the football flow. It was easy, we talked about Garry, about the hardships he had to overcome and the grit he had to apply to make his dreams a reality. The enthusiasm was contagious. Here we had another living example of one of our own, overcoming obstacles and achieving his dreams. I decided to put my camera on (as I often do) one day to capture some of the conversations about him, and it turned into a tribute video to send him so he would know that we are rooting for him, and for us to look back on and remember that we too, can be whatever we want to be as long as we never quit! I had no idea it would become so widespread, and the 2nd graders are giddy over it!

Today I'll be actually paying attention to the Super Bowl for the first time in...well...ever. I'll be cheering for Garry Gilliam and the SeaHawks because he's family. I'll be rooting for them to win, but even if they don't they already have, by inspiring a group of the most capable and lovable 7 year olds that anything is possible and that dreams can come true. Next Saturday I'll be having brunch with my first 4th grade class who will graduate next year teeming with the same hope and opportunity as Garry, Denise, Chris, Pete, Anna, Sterling, Doug, Terry, Jason and so many others who have taken the "much" they have been given, and exceeded our expectations!

My #OneLittleWord for 2015 - WONDERSTRUCK

I spent some time this holiday break looking at how far we’ve already come and it hit me, like lighting, that this is where my focus for 2015 should be.

The first time I heard of the idea to choose one word to define your year, in place of (or in summary of) a list of resolutions, was from my friend Maria who has been doing this for years. I loved it immediately (and not just because it came from my inspiring friend although that certainly didn’t hurt) and adopted the practice myself. I have had a defining word for a few years now. My words have ranged from “Boundaries” to “Intentionality” and many lovely, inspiring, motivating words in between.

This year, was a year of great change for me, and also a year of awakenings. I have learned a lot about myself personally and professionally over the past few years, and in 2014, so much of what I’ve learned about myself has been tested and proven..to me! There is a deep contentment that comes from walking through fires and finding yourself as sure as ever on the other side of the flames.

Personally and Professionally: I know who I am. I know who I’m not, and I know who I’m striving to be.

Although I am a wonderer by nature, a questioner, an examiner, an imaginer and reflector, I have come to learn that some things CAN be figured out to a point of contentment. Once this occurs, you can start searching for answers to other questions of life instead. I’ve also learned that life is very cyclical at the core-- Lessons you’ve learned once can be forgotten or neglected and will assuredly come back around to be learned again, or at least, in my experience this is how it goes with the REALLY important life lessons. Such is the dichotomy of the flux of this life against the deep-down constancy of us. Reflection of this nature is how I eventually came to my word for this year: Wonderstruck!

I’ll confess, the runner up was “balance” which might make my friends and family giggle because living a “balanced” life has been my mantra since my early twenties. I’m sure I’m not alone in this, because anyone with strong ties to family, friends, and community, multiple passions and pursuits, high expectations of themselves and endless interests increasing with just about every interaction (with people or the world), is apt to struggle with striking the perfect balance and not getting too engrossed in any one aspect at cost of neglecting the others. Nevertheless, as I rolled it around in my mouth, BALANCE didn’t seem like my #onelittleword . I haven’t lost my sense of balance. I know that with a little intentionality I’m able to restore balance to my universe pretty quickly when things get off kilter. I kept digging deeper and that’s when it hit me - like lighting! What I was missing in the last year, what I need to be intentional about in this new year, is something I thought was ingrained enough into the fiber of who I am to never be lost. It’s something I’ve become known for and proud of but distracted from along the way- living Wonderstruck!

What does it mean to live Wonderstruck?

When I’m living Wonderstruck, I’m taking in the world around me with my eyes wide open. I’m slowing down enough to really SEE and appreciate the moments taking place. I’m letting myself get swept away in all that is precious and unique and inspiring and sacred about my world. When I’m living Wonderstruck, the snowfall looks like glitter and the metaphors dance across my brain as I take in the sight. Soon I’m wondering more about snow, and snowflakes, and precipitation in general and thinking of quotes I’ve heard or read about these things. Driving in my car through the glittery white squall, I’m pretending that my car is the starship enterprise and shouting “Take us to warp, Mr. Sulu!” (yes out loud, and even if my kiddos aren’t in the back seat to play along!) I’m falling down the rabbit hole and allowing it to happen with a smile.
When I’m living Wonderstruck I stop at least ten times a day to exclaim (out loud or just in my head) This is awesome! I’m so happy to be right here, right now! How did I ever grow to be so lucky, so blessed? When I’m living Wonderstruck, I’m endlessly fascinated by people who are different from me, I marvel at the differences, I contemplate them, and then they lead me to connective fibers that make us the same, and tumble me into empathy and understanding, and growth and inspiration. When I’m living wonderstruck, the world is my classroom and each person, each experience is my teacher. It overwhelms me and fills me with gratitude, and my heart is content.

What does Wonderstruck look like in my classroom?

In getting back to and freeing myself up again to be Wonderstruck-Me 2015, I hope to encourage and model a sense of wonder and gratitude and a love of learning for learning’s sake for the students I am so fortunate to serve. When I’m letting Wonderstruck-Me loose in my classroom, I am acutely attentive to the details of my students as individuals. They fascinate me, puzzle me, and enchant me. I am overwhelmed by the realization of the idiosynchrosis that set each of my individual students apart. I am so in tune to these idiosynchrosis that differentiating becomes second nature to me, not just differentiating for their academic ability levels but also for their specific interests, learning styles, behaviors, personalities and the needs of the whole-child.
Wonderstruck me is not afraid of student-directed classroom time. She empowers her students with choice and ownership in various aspects of their learning. She is content-guided and standards-driven but comfortable following student inquiry towards new and exciting learning that wasn’t necessarily in the textbook that day. Wonderstruck me is patient, with my students, but also with myself. I reflect more honestly on what went well and where there is room for improvement or refinement, and I’m not threatened by criticism but motivated and encouraged by the potential for professional growth. Wonderstruck-Me feels that she is always exactly where she’s supposed to be and feels compelled to make the most, get the most, and appreciate the MOST of every situation.

So I hope, that people who are reading this that know me, are thinking…”Christine, What are you talking about? This is totally YOU! Shouldn’t you choose “Frugality or “Simplify” as your mantra word for 2015 instead of something you’ve already got a grip on?” (wink wink, hint hint) In fact, when I hashed this out for a few of my closest, that was indeed the reaction! Others might be thinking “What you’ve just described is not sustainable, its fine in small doses but nobody can operate like that ALL the time.” Both of these reactions are correct. I hope that most people in my life haven’t noticed my deviation from Wonderstruck-Me, I hardly noticed it myself, but I can honestly say that I haven’t been as much that version of myself as I’d like to be. With a very difficult classroom community last year and a move from an intermediate grade to a primary grade this year, I put “WONDERSTRUCK” on hold for “Determined” and “Improve” and “Adjust” and “Keep Up”. I let Wonderstruck-Me slip away while trying so hard to be good at this job, to know my new material as well as I knew the old, to measure up against my own standards and the world-class teachers who’ve inspired me and work beside me along the way. All of these, are also noble teacher-pursuits, but in directing my attention to them so intensely, I lost a bit of the BALANCE, stopped taking as much time for being WONDERSTRUCK, focussed so hard on being GOOD enough that I neglected the thing that has the most potential to make me GREAT.
Perhaps, in the season of extreme change, the shift I described was a necessary adjustment, but now that I’m settled in and all read-up, I’m ready to start FEELING my way through the world again. I’m ready to trust my instincts a little more, to trust my students a little more, to intentionally slow down and take in the possibilty and magic of my corner of the world. I want to stop trying so hard to make magic happen and instead take the time to notice that it’s already happening, with or without my consent, ready or not! There's beauty in that, there's freedom in that, there's success in that, there's learning in that, for all of us!

My New Year's Toast For YOU!

May every beautiful moment last longer than the rest and etch itself to your memory.

May you learn something new at every turn.

May every hard lesson to be learned, be cushioned by a soft place to fall.

May each encounter leave you more whole and more grateful.

May every struggle tumble you head first into the strength to overcome it.

May you embrace those who need to be encircled and know how to let go of those who aren’t meant for you to hold.

May you be loved beyond your comprehension, may you have the courage to feel and accept it, and to love in return.

May your quietest prayers be answered in the loudest ways.

May you see God in every good and perfect thing.

May you find the will to say all the words that need to take life outside of your mouth. May you find the wisdom to bite your tongue and swallow back the words that taste bitter.

May you be surrounded by people who are worthy of your trust and admiration. May you be a person to be trusted and admired.

May you dream big things YET be content in the small things.

May you see opportunities to be kind, and take them to the next level.

May you be told often and emphatically that you matter…and may you believe it all the way.

May you compare yourself and your life only against your own hopes, ideals, and reality and no one else’s.

May you accept yourself as you are but not be complacent about becoming your best version.

May you revel in moments of solitude but never find yourself lonely.

May you laugh and dance and sing with reckless abandon whenever you find cause. May you find cause frequently.

May you feel, see, smell, taste, hear and really KNOW happiness in all of its simple and complicated forms.

May you delight in your own weirdness, and be unapologetic in your uncommonality.

May you feel simultaneously big and small when you stand at the ocean’s shore, or under a star-filled sky, or walking down a tree-lined street, or watching your children sleep, or sitting on the floor of your closet surrounded by shoes and memories…May you be okay with the significance and insignificance of you.

-C.C.H