This is a picture of my backyard. I absolutely love trees. I grew up in Southwest Kansas where trees were at a premium. As a child, I spent a lot of time outside during the summers in the wind and blazing sun. While I loved the heat, I greatly welcomed the opportunity to step into the shade anytime I had the chance! The shade represented relief and protection (i.e., relief from the heat and protection from the sun’s rays). I love every single tree there is from the scraggly

I’m not sure I think much about my motives until my actions are called into question or I experience some type of conflict in my life. If you have been an educator very long, you have probably experienced a time when a parent, colleague, administrator, or even student accused you of being unfair, playing favorites, or having a hidden agenda. Accusations of this nature are hard to swallow because they strike at the core of who we are—our motives. I’ve been reading Paul’s lett

It has been two years since I wrote this blog. Little did I know at the time how interrupted Harper’s school experience would be. In addition, our sweet Ellie is starting preschool, so my wish list has grown a bit! So many educators resonated with my original blog. I decided it might be a good time to revisit and revise. For those of you who have children or grandchildren, your desires may be similar to mine. If you are a teacher without children of your own, I hope this w

It’s Back to School! Educators and parents alike are enthusiastic! It has been fun to see all of the beginning of the year pictures, from kindergartners on their first day of school to seniors ready to take on the world. Social media is loaded with brightly decorated classrooms and welcome signs as hopes are high for a new and different kind of school year. Everything feels fresh given our hiatus from in-person learning, and there seems to be a skip in everyone’s step. Fres

Wasn’t the Olympics exciting to watch? The celebrations, the personal accomplishments, and even the defeats kept us on the edge of our seats as we cheered on our favorites from the comforts of our own homes. We all know, but probably don’t fully understand, the level of sacrifice, commitment, and hard work it takes to be an Olympic athlete. Words like purposeful , consistent, and focused emerged as athletes were interviewed after their performances. Their “Olympic mentality

Milestones aren’t something we often think about until we experience them. As I approach a major milestone in my life, thoughts have been whirling about in my head. What is a milestone anyway? I suppose the answer is a bit subjective. We each face different challenges in our lives. A major milestone for me, such as a big birthday (hint, hint), may not be a milestone for someone else. Webster defines milestone as “ a significant point in development .” I think most would agree

August is here, and the rat race has begun as we gear up for a new school year, a year after a worldwide pandemic! The thought of it makes my heart beat a little faster. Educators are being bombarded by the inevitable reality of learning loss and increased achievement gaps for some of our most vulnerable students. It’s no one’s fault. It is impossible to experience a year of remote learning, simultaneous teaching, disrupted school schedules, health or family-related stress, a

I’ve been thinking a great deal lately about the concept of “victory.” I’m not sure why. Maybe it is because we just finished our third “Victory Week” in our Victorious Educators’ Facebook group. It was a fun time to engage with each other on the topic of vacation time! However, I have to wonder…is there more to my preoccupation with “victory?” Is the Holy Spirit trying to teach me something? Why does the question— What does it really mean to live victoriously? —continue to

Have you wondered about God’s will for your life specifically? How exactly does He direct the lives of those who love Him? In the Old Testament we have several examples of God giving very clear directions to those who served him (e.g., Noah’s ark specifications, Joshua’s war details, Abraham being told he’d have Isaac, the Israelites movements). Just look at Numbers 9:15-23 . A visual directive was given to the Israelites to show them when to stay and when to move! “Whene

When I first started teaching, I didn’t know what I was doing. I thought I did…until the end of my first day with students! I realized pretty quickly I had much to learn. If it weren’t for the teacher manuals, I would have died on the vine. I know I am dating myself here, but state standards, grade level assessments, the internet, and Pinterest didn’t exist! My only resource was the teacher manual, and I followed it religiously. Looking back now, I realize this was probably

July 4 – a day of fireworks, barbeques, swim parties, and celebrations. For many, it is a day off from work to relax and enjoy time with family. Most of us (me included) don’t give a second thought to what Independence Day is all about. Like you, I studied it in school; however, that was a long time ago, and my memory isn’t serving me well these days regarding random historical facts! I decided to do a little digging. There is much I could say about this holiday, but I know i

Sometimes God uses the unexpected to reignite our passion and remind us of our calling. This past week my husband and I decided to take a road trip for our vacation this summer. It seemed easier than flying. We are fans of the show Home Town on HGTV. We thought it would be fun to visit Laurel, Mississippi, as well as explore other parts of Mississippi. It was a relaxing week as we biked the Longleaf Trace trail, floated on the Pearl River, and toured historic areas. On our

Faith. So many sermons, quotes, phrases, mantras – even songs – are about having faith. · Just have faith. · Faith over fear. · Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. · Faith of a mustard seed. · Even the musician, George Michael, sang, “You gotta have faith…” I am quite confident many of you have heard countless reminders that when something doesn’t turn out the way you want it, you should demonstrate faith. Well, it has been my exper

I’ve been a bit grumpy lately. I think it started with the speeding ticket. I was on my way home from the airport driving on a busy Dallas interstate. I really wasn’t paying too much attention as cars passed me like I was standing still. You can imagine my shock to see flashing lights in my rear-view mirror! Nevertheless, I was guilty as charged. No excuse. It brought to mind a saying I heard from grandmother growing up. “ It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing; you wil

There is something special about summer. My mind automatically envisions swimming pools full of children, smoking charcoal grills, picnics, jet skis careening across lakes, fireflies, sunburns, and (if you are an educator) projects. I approach summer as a time to take on tasks I would never have time to do during the year (e.g., painting the entry way with stripes). Summer represents freedom – freedom to set my own schedule, try new recipes, forego makeup, go to Walmart multi

All Shook Up , a hit recorded by Elvis Presley in the 50s, could be our theme song for the 2021 school year! The pandemic put everyone on shaky ground, and fear gripped many of us. Who could have predicted our educational lives would be turned upside down over night? It wasn’t just COVID that created uncertainty. We were also shook up by racial unrest AND natural disasters like hurricanes and tornados! I’m sure we all would have rather been shook up by love (like Elvis) than

As the end of May approaches, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter! This past school year represents one long, dark tunnel for educators. Many have felt like passengers on a runaway train, holding on tightly as unexpected twists and turns emerged throughout the year. The pandemic forced us all into survival mode. At one point there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel, which makes navigating the journey strenuous and difficult. However, here we all

Having been a building and district level administrator for fourteen years and married to my husband who was a superintendent for sixteen years, I am quite familiar with the criticism associated with administrators. One of the most common complaints I’ve heard regarding leaders is “they don’t walk the talk.” It is disheartening to hear teachers become so disenfranchised because their leaders are strong on lip service and weak on action. I’m not trying to be overly critical of

The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him…Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves.

As I reflected on Jackie’s blog on April 25 , “Building a Spiritual Family , ” my heart swelled with thanksgiving for the beautiful people God has placed in my path as an educator. From my first year of teaching and still to this day, God has provided me with colleagues, and even supervisors, that loved and served God. I was hired for my first year of teaching by a Christian principal to work in a public school. We saw our work as our calling. As an early career teacher, I