A Mentor or Teacher Who Invested In My Development

I have been blessed to learn under some truly talented individuals.  I've had leaders and peers who have pushed me beyond my limits - and who insisted I always bring my "A" Game.  But when I think about a mentor who had a huge impact on me both professionally and personally, it would have to be my student teaching cooperating teacher, Jessica Sziksai.

I ended up in Jessica's classroom at A.C. Reynolds High School by the hand of God.  Seriously!  She was the teacher I needed right when I needed her.  I was a senior at UNC Asheville, ready to take the teaching world by storm.  I was full of ideas and inspiration, but I had no clue how the world (or schools) really worked.  Jessica taught me how to "do school": how to manage the paper load while still giving students meaningful feedback, how to be kind and firm with students who pushed the limits, how to function on a larger faculty.

But more than that, Jessica taught me the importance of being present in your life.  She impressed upon me the importance of telling people how much they mean to you, of being thankful for small blessings that happen, of recognizing grace when you encounter it.  She taught me how to be a peaceful person - and while I'm still cultivating those lessons nearly 20 years later, she planted the seeds.

I will always be grateful to Jessica for investing in me at that pivotal time in my life.  She made me, not only the teacher, but the person I am today.

A Song, Book or Movie that Lifts My Spirits

I've written about several different songs that I identify with.  From the soaring "Defying Gravity" from Wicked to the hopeful "Heaven When We're Home" by the Wailin' Jennys there are a few songs that I can put on that - when applied en masse - can usually pull me out of a slump.

There are plenty of books that I enjoy escaping into - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, Bossypants by Tina Fey, Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  While they range from riotously funny to downright heartwrenching - they don't necessarily lift my spirits.

But there is something that I can count on - no matter how black my mood is, no matter how big a pity party I am throwing, no matter how low I feel - to raise my spirits every time: A little trip to Pawnee, Indiana.  There is something about the TV show Parks and Recreation that makes me happy to be alive.  It could be the array of eccentric characters who are apologetically themselves.

It could be the snappy writing and the editing that makes you feel like you're hanging out with these characters.  But, I actually think it's the unbridled optimism of the main character, Leslie Knope, that I love so much.  Leslie is an unabashed overachiever.

She's enthusiastic about her job and her community and her friends.

I just feel such a connection to her.

I too am super chill all the time - just like this.

The fact that she is played hilariously by Amy Poehler is just icing on the cake.  The show isn't as densely packed with jokes as my other absolute favorite - 30 Rock - but it has something wide-eyed and hopeful about it that the more snarky 30 Rock doesn't.

So anytime my spirits need a little lift, I just take a little vacation to  Pawnee - where the children are morbidly obese, the raccoons run rampant, and the waffles are plentiful!

Noticing Grace: Work That Gives Me Purpose

T.S. Eliot said "April is the cruellest month," but I think that October this year gave it a run for its money.  Last month kicked my butt.  But, as I said in a Facebook post today... The joke is on October, because it's gone, and I am still here.  It's November!  Hallelujah!!

I've noticed the past few years that friends have used the month of November to go all sorts of neat things: grow mustaches, write novels. and most importantly, give thanks.  When I saw my dear friend SarahWolf post this, I knew I had to jump on board.

I was reading an article recently that suggests that talking about your problems can actually exacerbate them.  Instead, it suggested focusing on the good things in your life as an alternative.  I happen to think that balance is key, but I've been doing a lot of dwelling lately, so I say: BRING ON THE GRATITUDE!!

Today's prompt is work that gives me purpose.

I've been a teacher for 18 years.  There have been many ups and downs in that time.  There were days where I felt like the queen of the world, and days when I could barely drag myself home after the last bell.  I've seen students accomplishing amazing feats - get scholarships, speak out to change the world, become teachers themselves.  I've seen students who left this world far too soon.  There were kids who made me smile every single day.  There were kids who I still actively avoid if I see them at the mall.  I've worked with some of the most unbelievably inspiring professionals.  Many of them have become life-long friends.  We've labored side by side doing some ridiculous things because we all believe in the importance of the work we do.

Being a teacher - first of students, and now of adults - has given me a very strong sense of purpose.  My efforts change lives.  And even when the pay is bad, the work load is unbearable, and the level of respect I get from my political leaders is pretty low, I can't imagine doing anything else.  I am a teacher - down to my bones.  And that gives me purpose.