Clean

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Clean. That word brings two thoughts to my mind when I hear it. One, the work of cleaning, and two, the secure and comforting feeling that comes when you know that you are in a clean space.

Right now, ensuring spaces are clean is on the top of most people’s “to-do” lists. In fact, today, I’m cleaning my house while thinking about how I can set up my first grade classroom in a way that will ensure its ease of cleaning when we do get to go back to school this fall.

This line of thinking about cleaning makes me consider what I need to eliminate to decrease distraction and frustration and what I can add to increase effectiveness and joy.  Matt Foster gives further insight to these thoughts on his blog here.

What do I need to eliminate? = >distraction >frustration

What could I add? = <effectiveness <joy

Ever thinking about my classroom, this year, more than ever, it seems that what I have in the room must be only what is absolutely essential. A clean classroom, one that is sanitary, free of distractions and frustration, with a super-sized infusion joy is a MUST.

Students and families need the security and comfort that comes from a truly clean and safe learning space led by highly effective teachers who infuse their students’ learning experiences with joy.

Praying for a clean start to the 2020-2021 school year! Nehemiah 8:10 “The Joy of the Lord is my strength.” 

But I Got Nothin’ Done!

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Working toward completion of a tedious checklist of coursework requirements, I often feel “unaccomplished” when another day passes with limited checkboxes that get marked complete. As is the case this Saturday when I set out with the must-do goal of getting one of those boxes checked off…TODAY. However, I was afforded the pleasure of assisting my teenage daughter host a few hours of time with her friends working on a project for a dear friend who needs some encouragement. Which also means I could do a teeny-tiny bit of eavesdropping on their teenage conversational giggle-fests.  Which also means I didn’t get my must-do checkboxes marked while acting as”facilitator of relationship-building and project-development skills.” Hmmm…maybe I did get something done after all. Might even add that as a skill on my resume’!  Here’s hoping you get somethin’ done today, too! 🙂

Be Strong and Courageous

I can’t say I know how it feels as a person of color or could even begin to fathom the kind of racial injustice men and women of color experience. All I can share is this story: I live and teach in a small, rural community where we all pretty much look the same except for a very few number of people, including a child of my friend. This child gets harassed for looking different more than they tell anyone. This child’s family chose to live and raise their family in our little town because, like me, they know it to be a loving, safe place for their children to grow up. In many respects, and for most of us here, our community is exactly that. But, for a child of color, VERY LITTLE has changed in 35 years. 35 years ago, I had one friend in elementary school here that didn’t look like me. We, as friends all stood up for our friend back then at school when hateful words and actions were flung their way, which was probably at least once a week. But after we lost touch, this person suffered that kind of treatment their whole life, while we all just carried on with ours. I pray ALL of our eyes are opened to the racial injustice in our country and, although we don’t like to admit it, the racial injustice in our own communities, no matter how small or how few people of color live there. I pray we are ALL are strong and courageous to do something personally about it. Call people out for what they say or do. It’s NOT okay. We are all image-bearers of Christ. Not some of us, ALL OF US.

Inspiration on the Sidewalk

Inspiration on the Sidewalk

Written by Telena Haneline
Inspired by Lesa Haneline

A couple of weeks ago my youngest, Lesa, 8, asked to go play outside. Of course, I said, yes, and watched her as she walked out the back door. She shouted she was going to play on the sidewalk out front and I said I would be looking out the window while I sat working at my desk. I watched her as she concentrated intensely while drawing with her sidewalk chalk. A wave of gratitude washed over me as I thanked God for the joy of living in our small town where my 8-year-old feels safe to draw pictures to her heart’s content on a Sunday afternoon. That was a great feeling in that moment, no doubt, but that’s not the end of this story.

The next morning, we overslept and were in a rush to get to school…I would like to say that is an uncommon occurrence, but alas, we are often in a rush to get most places. In our rush up the sidewalk as I was grumbling in my mind about being late, I looked at the artwork and read the words my daughter had written the day before. I had noticed her drawing and working intensely, but I had not taken the time to go out to take a look at her drawings before the sun went down. What I saw tremendously blessed my heart that morning, even more so than the joy of watching her the day before.

What her inspired 8-year-old hands had written on the sidewalk were these messages:
“You have a big heart”
“You are extraordinary”
“You have the power of kindness”
“Let your imagination grow”
“Pursue your dreams”
“Love and care”
and…
“Sometimes life is hard but make the most of it.”

In the rush of the morning, my child’s heart-work laid out there on the sidewalk as an encouragement to all nearly caused me to mess up my make-up.

The world needs more inspiration and kindness. We must model that for our children, even as they model it for us, too.  If there is such a thing as “kindness wisdom,” I’m certain all children, including my own sweet Lesa, are born with it in abundance.

Core Beliefs

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I believe that God is in control and that He has a unique and special purpose appointed to each and every human being on Earth.

I believe that kids need love, crave independence, must have safety and security, possess unique gifts and talents, thrive on routine, grow with challenges, deserve equal opportunity, and aim to please the adults in their lives.

I believe that thoughtful planning with strategic feedback will produce meaningful instruction.

I believe we all need each other.

Teaching With Integrity

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This past week I heard the phrase, “teaching with integrity.” I’ve let those words settle in with me over the last several days. I thought about my teachers growing up that I could say “taught with integrity.” What makes those teachers stand out? Well, I think it boils down to the way they made me feel about me. I had full trust in them and their opinions, so much so that I trusted their opinions regarding my abilities, which were all certainly better than the opinions I held about those abilities. Mrs. Carter, Mr. Gordon, Dr. Hatch, Mrs. Higginbotham, Mrs. Reynolds…they all made me feel like I was capable of doing whatever they asked of me. They expected me to do what they asked, and they set a high standard of performance and behavior. They never made me feel like I was “less than,” in fact, they made me believe in myself in ways that surprised me. They were all interested in my life, what I liked/disliked, and how I felt about their class. They were curious about what my dreams and aspirations were-they asked me about what I wanted to be when I grew up. They invested their time in building a relationship with me. They were positive. They pushed me. They made me better. They didn’t have to, but they did.

in·teg·ri·ty: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

What’s Going On?

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Do you ever just look around and think, “What’s going on?” What is REALLY going on? Are the things you are choosing to engage in making an impact? Are the conversations you are having with students and colleagues building capacity or diminishing it? Are the activities you are engaging in have an eternal impact or are they simply temporal?

This week I have had the joy of being in the moment with my students, witnessing their precious personalities shine right before my eyes. I’ve had some crucial conversations  that will have a lasting impact. I’m grateful that God has allowed me to live this week with my eyes wide open to the beauty of all that is going on in my classroom. It feels like magic getting to spend this precious time in my students’ lives with them. It is an honor and a privilege to see what’s really going on in their incredible minds and hearts as they learn and grow.

 

Plan and Prepare

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Plan and prepare, prepare and plan. Plan your work, work your plan, right?  Teachers know that planning is crucial to success. It’s great to have a plan, but it’s really important to be prepared for an unexpected result.

I enjoy planning and preparing for a lesson. It excites me to consider the amazing outcomes that will happen due to careful and deliberate plans. BUT…what happens when my plans don’t roll out as I dreamed? How do I prepare my heart and mind for that? How do I respond? What do my students see when this happens?

Do they see someone who has grit, that perseveres to problem-solve through the unexpected outcome to the plan? Do they see joy that comes in working hard through a difficult situation?

Happy people plan actions, they don’t plan results. -Dennis Waitly

 

 

What Giving Looks Like

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What does giving look like? If you are a teacher, look in the mirror. It’s you.

I’m blessed to work alongside some of the most generous and giving people in the world. They show me what giving looks like every school day.

Here’s a short list of what teachers give to students, parents, and colleagues without a second thought:

• Encouragement
• Time
• Money
• Energy
• Insight
• Snacks
• Smiles
• Supplies (seriously, where do all the pencils go?)

These things are not merely wanted, they are desperately needed. So teachers give. Endlessly. Tirelessly. Without hesitation. That’s what giving looks like.

 

 

 

Focus

“What we focus on grows.” -Robin S. Sharma 

That quote came to me from the interior of my new glasses case last December. After a lifetime of 20/20 vision, glasses were a new addition to my life last year. I can’t say with certainty exactly when I realized that I needed a tool to help me gain clarity for the loss of focus in the distance space of my vision, but the improvement I experienced was immediate and remarkable.

It’s true that what we focus on grows. So, what are you focusing on? In the scope of our daily work in educating students, I hope your answer begins and ends with students.  They need us. They need us to be focused. They need us to be focused on what is most impactful. They need us to be focused on what is most impactful during the time we spend with them. In a world of distractions, what we focus on grows.