Reason #85 An Adopted Mom

How many people get to have special kids with whom they share years of special moments, years? How many people are adopted at work? Who gets to adopt new kids, no paperwork or waiting-period required? At least one lucky person….moi!

I am reminded of last spring when Olivette said “Last year I didn’t do anything.  This year it’s ‘Wohoo!’ I love it!” I loved it too, seeing her excitement and engagement grow. To know it is unlimited and unending.  What a gift!  We have been through so much together, how could we be anything but family, a family of choice? 

What an honor it is to be a “second mom”. I get to have a daughter after all!

Olivette, je t’aime ma puce.

An ever-expanding family….

This is why I teach! 

Reason #84 – Diamonds – Christiane’s chalk talk

“Are you ‘singul’ Madame?” was one of the funniest questions asked last year by a French one student.  I was teaching “singulier and pluriel” to my class and Christian took it to a personal level, giving her own definition of singular.

From one moment to the next in class, Christian is the type of student who is always putting ideas together in new and funny ways. Just the other day she was playing around speaking French with a Texas accent.  Oh the memories!  It took me months to break my Texan students from “Bonjouuuur.” with a Texas twang.

Now silver paint is required from Christian’s sidewalk talk. It fits perfectly, she is sparkly and precious!

Christiane ta personnalité est scintillante!  Ton enthousiasme et participation en classe sont formidable et me donne du bonheur tour les jours ! 

This is why I teach! 

Reason #83 Sidewalk Talking - Cobain to Einstein - Léo

How awesome to get to know my new students and what they think about life is special.  We are just in week 4 and I am learning so much about students by just giving them the space and place to share what inspires them.

I was so excited when Léo told me:  “I wrote 3 quotes, not just one. You have to go down and read them. I wrote my initials.”  I have to find the other one…a mission for Monday! I can’t wait to see what it is. How many teachers can say that they are ready to go on a sidewalk scavenger hunt Monday morning?  At least one!

From Kurt Cobain to Einstein…it is so simple!  Oh the power of simplicity!

We do need to just be ourselves, otherwise we waste who we ARE.

Making mistakes….a sign of growth and courage.  It is so simple.

Why do we complicate our lives and ourselves?

Merci Léo pour vos phrases motivantes.  Beaucoup de personnes seront inspiré par tes pensées, juste comme moi !

Seeing excitement, power, and deep thinking in my students is such a powerful experience. I am so lucky to be inspired every day.

This is why I teach !

Reason #82 – Listening sidealks - Serge

I am experiencing the continued power of chalk. May the sharing begin on a vertical surface….all over our campus! 

“We are doing so many cool things. This is my favorite class now.”  As a teacher those are magical words!  I am so happy to be able to set up students to be excited and enthusiastic about participating.  It is through their participation that our community grows and becomes more and more meaningful! 

As a shy student, I was always afraid to speak up, even participate in class. This was not only in high school, but continued through college.  From this personal experience, seeing kids come out of their shells getting beyond their shyness gives me great joy.  It is so fun to watch Serge speaking up more, so excited and sharing more and more.

What a great smile!  It means everything to me to see happiness on my students’ faces.  What a gift!

Merci Serge pour ton enthousiasme et ton sourire!  Je suis inspiré par tes phrases sur le trottoir !

This is why I teach! 

Reason #81 – Chalk Power

Sidewalks do talk! 

Let's bring out their voices!  What do they have to say to us? 

Opportunities to see what students are really thinking and share with others. Seeing how creative and inspirational they ALL are…

This is why I teach! 

Reason #80 Week 4 – in a nutshell

After another amazing week of school I am experiencing the ever-present challenge of keeping up with the meaningful moments. I have decided to take notes and post them as the start to my blogging discipline.

Samuel

You know the “Adopt a Freshman”?  I want to be adopted.  : )    

Julie

“I said a whole sentence in French yesterday:  <<Montez la tente Mademoiselle.>>  We are ready to go camping now!.

Noël

Taking out his conversation card he commented: “This is stupid”. Just a few minutes later, he was a superstar, participating in conversations, volunteering, going above and beyond to practice.  Friday he asked to go to the WC in French without hesitating. Seeing a shift from dread to joy is why I teach. 

René F

Showing initiative by making up work during lunch is so nice for me to see, students who are motivated and really care.  He wants to go to CNM and get caught up on all classes. He was so focused and positive. Learning about students and their goals helps me see them in a new light, a more meaningful one. They are all so amazing.

Yves

How nice it was to chat with him when he checked in to see about make up work after coming in late to class. He is happy to be staying in French. I am so happy as well, especially after I refused to sign his transfer form.

Marty

wall connection – Yes we did learn each others’ names. Learning about him wanting his

son to coach football was exciting and special. To see his enthusiasm while talking about his son going back to school it was inspiring to see a father’s pride.

Bruno

Another wall connection. He stopped to help me with the hose as I was getting it to wash off the wall. He introduced himself as Sue’s husband. He shared how had great conversations with kids at the Wall. He was surprised at how meaningful they were since it is his first time working with HS students. “It’s good to be here.”

Isabelle

“Just imagine that you wanted to write something on the sidewalk to inspire someone.  What would you want to share?  Just pretend.” She wanted to put it where all could see it. She was so excited to write again on Friday.  Watching Isabelle go from not wanting to participate to writing “Ton coeura vivra toujours” all over campus, even putting it in English too is why I teach.

Léo

How awesome to get to know new students and what they think about life.  “I wrote 3 quotes, not just one. You have to go down and read them. I put my initials on them”

Bruno

Giving students the opportunity to choose a new identity really does work, every time!  After two weeks of class, a student who came in week two who was sitting with another new student, told me “We need French names.”  I had forgotten that I had so many students add to my classes that I ran out of name pages.  Once I gave them the list, it was fun to watch them choose their favorites and reflect on the ones they wanted based on how they sounded.  So curious and enthusiastic Bruno is constantly asking how to say things and practicing everything I say.  He is even teaching himself Russian at home.  To see such motivation and interest…this is why I teach.

Mr. Landis

The activities director came in and started talking to my class in French.  He stopped by to tell us about the power outage and then say that so many kids were coming to him about our “Adopt a Freshman” project that he wanted more information!  Yeah!  Our strategy to get everyone curious is working!

In the end, he came up with “…Mon petit chou” which made my class laugh because it is a conversational expression that my class learned last year.  How many languages use “my little cream puff/cabbage” as a term of endearment?  And people wonder why I love French so much!

Keep practicing Mr. L and your three years of high school French will come flooding back!

Beautiful girl on the stairs

Stand strong.

Turn tears into freedom from uncertainty

Break from the past and those who may not appreciate you for ALL that you ARE.

Create the space for people to come into your life who really SEE you and your beauty and intelligence.

You are amazing!

Come talk to me!

Olivette

What an honor to be a “second mom”. I get to have a daughter after all!

Je t’aime ma puce.

Reason #79 Justice for all?

It was a  Friday unlike any other....so filled with memorable moments..

"I just came to visit you."  As he was sitting on Georgette, la giraffe Alain shared about his weekend. He seemed heavy-hearted which is unusual for him.  How lucky I am to have known him since his first day of Freshman year. After two years he is a special person in our class family.

I got a lesson in birthday parties which are completely the opposite from ones I experienced as a kid. How can there be 90 kids and 15 families invited? Sounds like fun to me!  I always wanted big parties but had to wait until an adult to throw them for myself.  Maybe after 15 or so a change would be exciting!  How funny it was to hear his excitement about going to Family Dollar, buying a bunch of snacks and spending his whole birthday watching Netflix.  It reinforced the fact that my son is not the only teenager to experience such joy from this type of day.

I could relate to his sharing his mom’s insistence that he have a big party.  What a struggle that is to give up, a heart-wrenching one that I experienced last year when my son did not want a party.  He said that “maybe in six months, I will celebrate my half birthday.”  Really? What is that about?  Needless to say it never happened and the days of fun party games, cool bug Rice Crispy treats, and anthill cakes are over.  It is the end of an era, a very fun one.  Another lesson in appreciate every moment because they truly do not continue forever.  When I suggested that birthday funds be used to go to France, he commented "I can’t leave the country.  There is this “situation” with family, not my immediate, maybe if I marry an American and I could...one day…maybe"   When I was in high school the obstacle I had in realizing my dream of going to France was money. That was so hard for me.  It is heart-breaking to hear that some obstacles are more difficult to surmount, seemingly impossible.

 .

How do I respond to a situation like this?  It is so unfair.  “I try to not let it get me down, but sometimes it is hard.”

How can it be that such an amazing, hard-working, focused young person suffer consequences for things beyond his control?   In addition, I was shocked to hear about the amount of money involved to make things possible in the future, $800 here, $1,500 there. 

"It is hard because I can’t follow my dream even though this is the “Land of Opportunity”.  I would feel safer knowing he was on the streets working as a police officer, protecting the innocent, maybe even working with the DEA.

If everyone had the chance to experience this conversation as I did they would see kids in his situation differently because they would see him, not just an issue. And people worry about test scores?  Really?  How can we help?   What can we do to help young people just like him achieve their dreams, once that will add goodness to our world?

In the end all I could do was share with him how much I respect him for all his efforts and being so present despite the obstacles that loom above.  Moved to tears, yet again and now, my heart will continue to be touched in unimaginable ways. 

...tu es formidable! Merci pour partager ta vision, ta passion, tes rêves. Je ferai n’importe quoi pour t’aider à accomplir tes rêves. Pourrais-je t’adopter?  : )   Sois courageux mon chou!

For the opportunities to be inspired by the strength of young people who are facing things so much more difficult than me, thank you for sharing. 

This is why I teach! 

#78 Table dancing in the courtyard.

To be continued….

#77 Back to the wall – where we belong

We are back to our Community Wall experience. How can a few (dozen) cans of chalkboard paint and some chalk create such a powerful experience of community? I guess it is really it is the actual sharing of thoughts and hearts.

I was taking in the chalk the second day on my way to class when a student ran up to me in a hurry and asked if he could have some chalk to write. I stopped and he got some chalk and ran over to the wall. When he ran back to me and put the chalk back, he said “Now I feel like I belong at Highland.” I can’t add anything to that.

To the student who took the time and effort to share, thank you. Welcome to our community, where you do belong!

This is why I teach! 

#76 Back to the action and excitement

It has been a few months now since I have sat down to share. How does time go by so quickly? At the same time, how does so much happens? Life is an interesting experience.

I took the summer off from writing which is ironic because I had more time to write then that I did for months.  Now that I am back in school, I can’t wait to start writing again.  The moments I want to share are growing and growing.  There were three from just today, at least!  

Remember the lists of moments from the Spring that I had yet to share?  Well, guess what, they are still waiting, patiently.   That is a cool thing about special moments, they stay with us forever.  Will I ever get caught up?  Who knows?  What does it mean to be behind anyway?

One thing I do know is that I am so fortunate to have so many wonderful moments in every day, so many moments that make my life a beautiful experience.

Can we add a few hours to each day?  Please?

To all the wonderful people in my world, thank you for who you are and all you contribute to my life.

This is why I teach! 

#75 Who us?

What a unique opportunity I have to work with such amazing kids!  Calling them kids seems strange, but young adults, adolescents, teenagers just don’t fit.  Maybe that is because I think of them as “my kids”.  They are such an important part of my world and they really are a part of my family.   I am always so amazed at how they step up and rise to the occasion, even when it requires them to go way, way out of their comfort zones. They do listen to me, they hear me and that makes me feel good. 

Marielle stepped up and motivated everyone to move from The Wall to the Lecture Hall. Then she stepped up again and asked everyone to move closer to the stage.  She didn’t hesitate so much the second time.  She has a very good teacher voice!  I was impressed. Everyone listened quite quickly!

Lisette, Thérèse, Aline, and Madeleine also stepped right up when I told them that everyone had to go onto the stage and read why people in our community feel like they don’t have a voice, and why the do.  The look of horror on their faces is hard to describe.  They were relieved when I started talking to explain a little more of my story about my finding a voice.  They were also sadly disappointed when I didn’t forget that they all had to come up to the stage.  They did awesome!  Just like I knew they would!

Not many people would believe that I was actually very shy in high school.  I always dreaded the teacher calling on me to respond to a question. I was always afraid of making a mistake, or sounding silly.  In college, I was so freaked out by Speech class that I waited until the summer before my senior year to take it.  Yes. I did know I wanted to be a teacher.  Yes.  I knew that being a teacher meant talking in front of people. None of that mattered; I was just shy.

Pierre mentioned tonight that he was thankful that he has overcome his shyness.  One day in class we talked about this.  How can it be easier to talk about philosophy and metaphysics and not be able to carry on more personal conversations? I guess it comes back to being vulnerable.  Yes.  That is it.  How proud I was to see him up on stage sharing that reality about himself.  It reminded me of myself and I know that others could relate as well.  That is the power of sharing from the heart.

I can so relate to my kids who struggled to get up and speak out in front of our community tonight.  Maybe that is why it was so important to me that they do it.  I know they can step out and speak up. Maybe I can help encourage that courage.  What a great word – encourage!    

Tonight a friend who has not seen me “in action” with my kids before asked one of them “Is she always like this?” He meant jumping up and down with excitement and enthusiasm…and talking fast!  Chantal confirmed it and my friend wasn’t so surprised.  Chantal continued to say that it is a nice change from her other classes.  I told my friend that I just can’t help it. He often reminds me to breathe, a necessary reminder that I do appreciate.  What is ironic is that there still are situations where I am hesitant and struggle to share with enthusiasm. Breaking out of shell is not an easy task.

So, to my “Who us….get up and talk?” crowd.  I am so, so proud of you for stepping up and using your voices to share with everyone.  It made a difference for us to hear you say out loud peoples’ ideas about having voices.  You made a difference.  Have courage!  You are awesome!

For ALL my kids who went out of their comfort zones tonight to stretch and grow….

This is why I teach.

#74 A one-of-a-kind shirt by Séraphine

Ma chère Séraphine, thank you for making my t-shirt and one for Alexis as well!  Having one made by you makes it so much more special.  It means so much to me that you wanted to make sure that I had a t-shirt too and took the time to create one for me!  I will always remember that!  Your enthusiasm and energy Is so amazing and makes me more excited; I know some people don’t think that is possible, but it is!  I always enjoy our talk and appreciate all you share. 

One thing that I will always remember you sharing with the class was the day when you said “Madame, why do we écrivez so much in here?”  I can still hear your voice saying that and it makes me smile. I guess that it had an impact because I did have you write less.  Bravo in using your voice in a way that made the whole class laugh and get out of writing a 5 sentence paragraph!

Merci Séraphine pour ton enthousiasme et énergie, en classe et en dehors.  Tu es toujours de bonne humeur et c’est amusant de te regarder quand tu parles avec Alain ! Tu me fais rire et sourire.

For a one-of-a-kind t-shirt made with love….

This is why I teach! 

#73 Elisabeth, the painting elf

Tonight at our community event, I put up a picture of our handprints on the wall and it was powerful, just like it is powerful when I look at them when I am out at the wall. They are our handprints, representing us as individuals, yet they also represent us as a community. It is difficult to find my handprints. I actually wouldn’t know where they were if it weren’t for a video that the kids took.  The thing is really that it doesn’t matter where mine are.  More importantly they are with everyone else’s.  I am just a part of a greater community.  We are all connected, side-by-side on this crazy journey.  How awesome it is to not be alone. I can be myself yet be a part of the community, not lost within it.

Ok, now for the funny story. The day we were “finishing” the Wall, it was time for hand prints.  This was so exciting, like more exciting that you might anticipate.  But, then again, that describes each and every part of this project!  We needed someone to paint hands.  Elisabeth volunteered and painted everyone’s hands with chalkboard paint.  Feeling the paint on my hands was interesting because it made me feel more connected to the project somehow.  Seeing how excited Elisabeth was to paint everyone’s hands was also fun.  The most fun part came when she started jumping into every painted hand photo that we were taking.  It was funny at the time, but even funnier when we went back and looked at the pictures.  Having pictures of this experience is so special. I am able to appreciate things that I didn’t notice at the time they were happening.

As I went through the pictures to pull some for our book, I started seeing the hand pictures and one after the other, there is Elisabeth.  The best thing is that the joy on her face is so awesome.  There is this special light that shines in her smile and it is just fun! I don’t know how she jumped into each of those photos and has the look down in each and every one.  Now, the experience was fun to begin with, but her energy just added something even more special and one more aspect we can laugh about and enjoy. Gallery of hand pictures...

Merci Elisabeth pour ton enthousiasme et travail comme notre Elfe de peinture.  Tu es si rigolo et ton énergie est fantastique !  Ton sourire est comme un rayon de soleil.

Having the opportunity to have my hands painted by an elf and put my handprints on a wall…

This is why I teach!  

#72 Listening to little voices

Sometimes we never know that just not saying “No.” to someone’s crazy idea is a gift. Stepping back and allowing someone to create something you may not understand takes trust.  When people come to you excited about a project they have in mind, give them the gift of freedom by not stopping them.  You don’t have to jump up and down with excitement or join the movement. Simply watch and see what happens.  Enthusiasm can create things beyond our imaginations.  You never know what miracles may come about and you can take credit for listening to the little voice that says “Just let her do it.”

Being given the freedom to pursue my dreams and visions…

That is why I teach. 

#71 Is there anyone out there?

Sometimes when I am writing I just wonder to myself “Is there anyone out there reading these?” This whole online journaling is quite the interesting experience. I have kept journals all my life, but they have only been for me. They are the story of my life, yet I have kept it to myself.

What an exciting and scary adventure this is in sharing my voice, my ideas, my emotions, everything about me. The additional element in this experience is that I am not just telling my story anymore. I get to tell everyone’s story. And everyone gets to read it, right away, with the push of a “publish” button.  This is both awesome and scary.  I don’t want to get things “wrong”. But how could I if I am sharing me and my perspective?  Well, the answer is that I can’t.  Honesty is a powerful thing. 

When we allow ourselves to “Be 100”, thank my kids for teaching me that one, we no longer have to be afraid. We get to celebrate our perspective, our story and the story of the people in our lives, the people who are so important. We are “right” when we are ourselves.

I found out yesterday that I have a special person in my life who has ready every, yes every, one of my posts!  Now I feel loved and heard.  Being vulnerable has its rewards, great ones at that.    

To my one reader who has read every one of my posts…..your reward is that you get two!  : )

 

Merci Vanessa. Tu es formidable!  Bises.

Knowing that I am heard and that others want to hear my voice…

This is why I teach! 

Reason # 70 Chocolate pretzels and slurpees

I tell my students certain things, make certain requests.  One is that it is frustrating when students turn in work the day grades are due to be submitted officially.  Do they listen to me?  Oh, I wish.  With all that has been going on at school with our project on top of our normal activities, I admit that grading has not been at the top of my list.  So, I was working to get caught up on grading the day grades were due.   We were in the computer lab when I hear this sweet voice say “Miss are you doing grades?” My first thought…..Here we go. When I looked up, there is Vanessa with this big smile, knowing that this is the question I dread the most at this point in time.  Now could I refuse the request so politely and nicely asked with that smile.  I needn’t answer.  I can say that it cost a chocolate pretzel, one of my favorite treats, especially with toffee. 

Later the next week, we were working on The Wall in the hot sun, well at least most of us to finish it up before the news crew came.  I looked to a table in the courtyard and see my group of girls all visiting.  I had some questions for them and what did I see on the table but big slurpees!  Now, did they have an extra?  Sadly I realized they did not.  Who was the first one to jump up and offer to get me one?  Yes, it was Vanessa.  Now this time it did cost me a dollar, but well worth it.  Slurpees in the sunshine, nice.

Tweeting is a strange new experience.  I still don’t totally understand how it works, but I am making efforts with this new technology even though having 8 followers still makes me a little sad.  Vanessa asked me to tweet her a picture of what she wrote on the wall.  When I did, she tweeted a <<Merci.>> with a little smiley face…why do those always make me happy?  It is the little things, really it is. Now this was special as it was, to hear back immediately that she got the photo and made her happy. When she got to class and shared that it almost made her cry, well that almost made me cry.  This wall experience keeps doing this.

 

This is a difficult time in the year when seniors are graduating. They are super excited and while I am also excited for them, it is a time of mixed feelings.  I don’t like knowing that they won’t be in my class next year. I get used to being with them every day and life just isn’t the same when they move on to life beyond high school.  Letting go….another lesson of the classroom: a challenging one.  

Ma chère Vanessa, mon cheerleader future à UNM. Merci pout ton sourire et ton enthousiasme.  Tu es un rayon de soleil dans la classe et tu vas me manquer beaucoup !

Knowing that sharing the little things really does make a difference....

This is why I teach! 

Reason #69 I get to make YouTube videos!

Reason #68 What’s an Instagram?

Do the brains of young people just naturally adapt to the additional technology that just pops up out of nowhere? 

I am thankful that my students have happily volunteered to share our project through the social media of their choice!  They jumped at the opportunity to be in charge and I had no idea that there was an Instagram?  The cool thing I that I don’t need to know what they are. I have surrounded myself with perfectly capable and excited people who love all this technology and know how to use it efficiently.

Now, what does it mean when I send a Tweet to a student and they respond within seconds? If only they would do their homework as quickly!  No. I gave that one up a long time ago!   Next idea, I will teach them all the texting abbreviations in French and give them extra credit for using them in their tweets, tumbles, and updates.  First Simon’s Cat, now this! 

See this expertise in action. Join, like, follow, tweet, and tumble so you, too, can experience the inspiration and evolution of the Wall.

 

Facebook – Highland French Project

Tumblr – We all have a voice

Twitter – @highlandfrench

Instagram – weallhaveavoice_hhs

The opportunity for a world-wide community experience of inspiration…

 

That is why I teach!

Reason #67 The reality of changing the world

We really were on the news today!  There is evidence that we are changing the world!

I did miss the first live broadcast, however. It is Spring Break and I just couldn’t get up to catch the 4:30 am show.  Yeah for video on demand!  Now we can share it with everyone else too!

I actually had to plug my television back into the cable box since I don’t watch it anymore. I know, may sound lame, but that is how I found the Ted talk by Candy Chang that was the inspiration for this whole project!  Ideas worth sharing!

After watching the first hour and a half of news in over a year and experiencing the sad stories, I am so happy that my kids have created this inspirational reality.  It has already made such a difference at our community. So many people are now gathering, talking, laughing, sharing things they would not otherwise share.   

It is now their story but there will never be an ending, ever. This will go on far beyond our wildest imaginations.  How cool is that?   

Tweeting, Tumblring, Facebooking, and Instagramming along the way to the reality of our story being in the world has been surreal.  It is really out there now.

We have been carrying on thought-provoking conversations for months about sharing one’s voice, impacting other people, loving others, transforming the lives of other people, and believing in one self and others. We have watched French films, Ted talks, written personal reactions, talked with others in our community about their ideas. This project has evolved and is constantly moving and growing. It has been fascinating to sit back and watch it transform and make a difference for us all.

Watching my students share their voices with news was exciting. They have worked so hard and have such strong beliefs about this project.  I am thrilled they were able to share their voices and connect with an even wider community.  It was also fun to write with them and put chalk handprints on the wall together.  The day before it was chalkboard paint handprints!  They laughing and sharing reflects the spirit of the project…I am sure that will continue!   

Here is the link to the report:  Highland Students Cover Walls with Hopes,Dreams

They have started a revolution and it is going to go on and on and on…..what a beautiful thing!  Passing on inspiration! 

I am so happy that the news saw this inspiration, this desire for positivity and connection. The school district felt it as well…even in a tweet!!!  That must be pretty powerful to get the attention of our district in one tweet!  Yeah for our team!

Thank you to the news team for sharing the heart of our story and joining us as we all share our voices!  You have given us a gift in spreading our message even farther.  

Merci mille fois!  May you have a beautiful family, get to tailgate at a UT Austin game, and speak at a college graduation!!  May you produce DocuArt   May you live in your mother’s homeland – Italy. 

Meeting amazing people and sharing inspiring dreams…

This is why I teach!