A few thoughts...

This past Thursday and Friday I had the opportunity to go back up to Park City for session 2 of 5 of the Alpine Associates. This time we talked about Equal Access to Knowledge. I just had a few thoughts as I reflected: 

1. I LOVE where I work at. It is by far the most challenging thing I have EVER done. I get frustrated and I sometimes wonder why I went into education. But then I see a kid smile, I watch it finally click, I hear a kid say, "Miss Peterson, do I have to go home? Can I stay here with you?", or I find a note scribbled on a home work that says "I love Miss Peterson." It's these moments that make it all worth it. 

2. I LOVE where  I work at. When other teachers hear that I work at Geneva, the response I ALWAYS get is, "Oh, I'm so sorry. How do you deal with all those ESL kids?" I get so disappointed that these other teachers don't see how wonderful it is to work at a Title-1 school. I love the diversity I encounter on a daily basis. Yes, I have been yelled at (twice now!) for not speaking Spanish, but in the long run that doesn't matter. What matters is that even though these kids may not speak perfect English, they bring to the table a willingness to learn and an insatiable hunger to be taught. Stereotypes will always be around, and before I taught here I had a ton. Before this week I still had lots of stereotypes. These past two days has really caused me to reflect on what I believe and how what I believe impacts my teaching. 

Here are some thoughts not related to my conference: 

3. I have been reading Tuesday's With Morrie by Mitch Albom. My friend Becca let me borrow it, and she has marked it all up. This is good for me because Becca has highlighted all the "ah-ha" moments. Here are a few of my favorite lines from the book. 

• "So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they are doing things they think are important. This is because they are chasing the wrong things. The way to get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others..." pg. 43
  
• "We all need teachers in our lives" pg. 65
• "Most of us walk around as if we were sleepwalking. We don't experience the world fully because we are half asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to." pg. 83

It has given me a good chance to reflect on my life. I love my life and where I am at right now, but worry that I am doing good things, but there are better things. This talk is amazing: Good, Better, Best.  I am still not finished with the book, although it is a good quick read. I recommend it to all. A good reflection on life and living.