Respectful

I am embarrassed to admit how long it has been since I wrote anything on this blog. School started, grad school started, life in general….where do I begin?!?!

We have a new president-elect and while he was not my choice, I must respect this. I have such a hard time with people who are unaccepting of others, and while Mr. Trump may be able to change his persona while in office – it is his supporters (and I will preface this with not all of them…) who are so closed minded that scare me. I live in a bubble, a town where so many of us are accepting of one another. Where same sex marriage, interracial couples, people of all races and religions live together in what seems like peaceful harmony. This election has truly shown me how naive I really am. I was unaffected by the world around me. Impervious of what so many others in America believe.

In just these three days, on television and online, I am already seeing so many signs of hatred. Swastikas painted on buildings. White people yelling obscenities to people of color. When I read a story about several white girls telling a group of hispanic people to “move to the back of the bus, Trump is president now,” I cried. We are moving backwards and this cannot happen. I fear for my LGBTQ friends. I fear for marriage equality. I fear for  immigrants. I fear for my children but am hopeful that Dave and I have raised them to follow their hearts and continue do good things and be the amazing young men that they have shown us that they are.

Anti-Trump protestors aren’t making things better either. Since when does violence fix anything?  Go out and do something good instead. Make a change. Do something that brings people together not draws them further apart.

When I woke up Wednesday morning and saw the results I cried. NOT because Hillary Clinton lost, but because I didn’t know how I was going to go to school that day and face my students.

While I tried to keep politics out of my diverse classroom filled with five and six year old students, many of them couldn’t help but repeat what they were hearing at home and on television. One boy told me, “Donald Trump makes fun of handicapped people!” A little girl said, “He doesn’t think girls are as good as boys.” When little boy innocently said with a sigh of relief, “Donald Trump hates black people…phew…sure am glad I am brown” I had to hold back tears.

I didn’t know what to say to them. A friend of mine told me “We have a lot of work to do. It is hard work fighting evil and it is our responsibility to fight harder.”

My class and I focused kindness that day. We created Kindness Superheroes. We thought of ways that love wins over hate. There was little talk of politics. Just about how to make the world a better place. We decided that we will continue to make good choices and focus on doing good for others.  They know that they can be the difference and I have faith that they truly can.

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Graduation Day

This afternoon, DJ graduates from high-school!

How did that happen?  This really makes college seem real. Maybe that’s why I can’t sleep. My mind is racing, my heart is pounding. I can remember the day he was born as if it was yesterday and now…. Graduation?!?!

When DJ started school with Mrs. Lerner, one of the most amazing kindergarten teachers I have ever met, I never expected that this day would come so quickly! He walked into that kindergarten classroom with a backpack bigger than him, giving me a nervous little wave before heading into the room. I thought that was a difficult day! What was I thinking!!??

When people tell you “it goes so fast….” they aren’t kidding! Time flew! Thirteen years of school over in the blink of an eye.  Where are those days when he’d sit curled up on my lap reading his favorite book, Freight Train, by Donald Crews, over and over again. We read that book so many times, I can still recite that book word for word!

I am going through a range of emotions.  The last few months have been building up to this. Awards ceremonies, scholarships, so many events telling us this day was upon us! I  know that he has grown into an intelligent, capable, talented person, I am having trouble writing the words, “young man,” but that is what he is. An eighteen year adult!  He’s isn’t a kid anymore! Will my little boy be able to manage without us there to guide him everyday?

All of his “firsts” have happened with us along side of him. First words, first steps, first day of school, getting his driver’s license… the list goes on and on.  Now all of those firsts are going to be experienced without us there. Is he ready? Are we?

Of course he is. He has proven that to us this year, becoming more and more independent. He is ready to move on. Ready for the next chapter of his life. I am so proud of him and I know that he is going to find even more independence when he is on his own.

We can’t predict the future and what it holds for our children. I can only hope that he is happy, does his best, makes a difference, and winds up doing what he loves.

To all of my friends who have children graduating today, congratulations! They are ready. I think we have done a pretty good job! ❤

It Really Isn’t Hard

I have a day off today.  Tomorrow too.  It is the NJEA Teachers’ Convention and despite the fact that I would love to be in Atlantic City taking advantage of the classes offered, this year, we just could not swing the cost.  What some people don’t realize is, while the classes offered are free, the hotel, food and gas money is not.  That, along with child care for many people, is a big reason why so many of us in Northern New Jersey can’t take part in this convention. 

I decided instead to make this a productive, charitable day instead.  My day started getting up an hour later than on a normal work day!! Yippee 7am! I spent two hours writing narratives (5 out of 23) for report cards, updating my classroom website and doing some lesson planning.

I loaded up my car with all of the candy donations from school and neighbors and headed over to a Barre class.  A morning exercise class is a luxury to me!  While there, the owner, Lydia and I discussed her next monthly charitable endeavor.  She chooses one per month to promote. This month, we are hoping to gather donations for the local animal shelter.  Upon leaving there, I collected more candy that had been dropped of to her studio, as well as a bag of food that someone had left for the food pantry.

I headed to a thrift shop that I keep reading about.  The Op-Shop. My friend Eebie works there and she posts photos and comments about the great finds there, and knowing how much I love a good deal, Dave encouraged me to go check it out.  All proceeds go to the church that it is affiliated with, so no matter what I found, it would be a win-win situation! I hit the jackpot!  Sweaters, a suede skirt.  I have a new wardrobe for the winter.  When I left, I was even able to donate a bag of clothing that has been in my car.  I had been keeping it there hoping to put it into one of those clothing boxes found in parking lots, but this worked out even better.

Then, it was off to the orthodontist who was going to take all of that candy!  They had a $25 limit, but I brought them nearly 50 pounds of candy thanks to all of the donations.  Along with the $25, they offered another donation to Rent Party after hearing that I would be donating the proceeds to them.

On my way home, I had two more stops to make.  The first was to the food pantry to drop off that bag of food and the second to another neighbor who is collecting Halloween Costumes that will be shared at the school she teaches where many of the students are underprivileged and not able to afford to buy new costumes.  Those costumes were also passed along to me and I was happy to find a place that can make good use of them.

Now, I am home.  About to weed through my closet and drawers to find clothes that I can donate before filling them up with my new treasures from today.  It came full circle.  Such a positive, giving day and sooooo incredibly easy.  All of this done in less than 3 hours. It barely cost me a thing and in the end, so many people are benefiting.

I don’t post this to make people say, “Great job Claire” but to show how easy it really is.  It doesn’t have to cost a lot to make a difference.

Inspire Others

Our annual 100th Day Food Drive was a success!

Our students and teachers had been collecting food since the beginning of February.  Today, we gathered it and lined it all up in the hallway outside of my classroom.  I lost count but there were close to 2000 items.  It makes me so proud to live and work in such a great community.

Our school is a K-5 school and I know that the older students understand why we do these food drives, but when my five and six year old students see that number of bags and the amount of food, the looks on their face is priceless.  The best part is that they realize why we are doing this.  We talk about how there are people in our own neighborhoods who cannot afford things as simple as food and it doesn’t take a lot of effort to make a difference.  Even at such a young age, they are demonstrating a social responsibility and helping others.

The bags I purchased yesterday worked out even better than I thought they would.  We stuffed them as much as we could.  At the end of the day, close to 150 bags and boxes of food were packed and ready to go.  I am so grateful to the teachers, students and parents who helped to pack up cars and deliver the food.  It would  have never have gotten done without their help. I am especially grateful to one former dad, Chris, who still comes back and helps us out every year even though his daughters no longer attend our school and to my husband Dave who comes and helps with all of my “projects” all of the time.

I don’t do these projects to get praise and accolades from others.  I do it to raise awareness.  If we, as parents and teachers, can begin to instil empathy in children at a young age, perhaps we can inspire them to continue to make contributions to society as they grow.

Another Random Act of Kindness

Early this evening, my sister shared this story with me and I decided to put it away for a later blog.

Then, I sat down to do school work, write lesson plans for a substitute so that I could go to a workshop tomorrow and begin my report cards.  By the time I sat down to write tonight, I was exhausted and stumped for something to write about.   As I said to Dave, “I honestly think I have nothing to write about,” another friend shared the same story as my sister, so I took it as a sign to share it tonight instead of waiting.  It spotlights a woman, who is going through a tough time and is treated with a random act of kindness from a stranger.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=9302645

It doesn’t always have to be something big that will make someone’s day.  Even the littlest gesture at just the right time, could turn someone’s day around.