"OnE BaD AppLE" (7/30/14)

I know when I've said I'll keep a post "short and sweet" in the past, I haven't always done that. Today, I have to do that because it's a little after 1 am and I have to get up early to teach Jump Start. Hence, I've got to post my song of the day and not blab on about it. :-)

Today, I feel grateful to be back in the mode of school and to have the opportunity to be around such loving, kind kids again. I love seeing my former first graders each day during Jump Start's recess. They mean so much to me. I also love getting to know incoming first graders and helping them to realize that school can be fun and comfortable for them. Without fail, each year, I almost always have students who are so shy and teary-eyed when they come into my classroom. I take pride in knowing that within a day of being around me, I can visibly see their tense, nervous frames relax. I love to goof off with my students and have no plans of stopping that. I feel that incorporating humor into virtually every aspect of life causes it to be much more enjoyable. The students I come into contact with year after year can learn from me, the biggest goofball of all, that it is okay to laugh and it is okay to make mistakes or do embarrassing things. I set the prime example for them to follow after and truly feel that doing so helps them to refrain from feeling like the world is ending if they say or do something embarrassing. I love children, always have and always will. I'm grateful I get to be around Heavenly Father's most precious spirits on a daily basis.

Today, I'm posting "One Bad Apple" by the Osmonds. I love this song and for whatever reason, it makes me think of teaching. It's probably the apple-teacher connection; I don't think that there is much more of a connection besides that. Though this song is really about love and not letting one person ruin other experiences with love in a person's future, I still think it can apply to school/life in general. I liken it to having a bad day- just because something goes wrong or things don't go the way you envisioned does not mean that you can't enjoy the future ahead of you. Tomorrow will come and you'll be given a brand new chance to have the day of your dreams or the worst day ever. It's really a matter of perspective. "One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch" are lyrics which relate to not letting one bad day cause you to never have a good one again. 10 years ago today, I broke the tibia of my right leg, which has a bone disease in it. That was one of the worst days of my life, filled with so much uncertainty and nervousness. However, my future was filled with much brighter days in the days, months, and even years to come. It was in December of 2012 that I had a "day of my dreams" when I learned 8 years and many invasive surgeries later, that my leg had fully healed, a feat that was never guaranteed or even anticipated by my doctors. I experienced my own miracle and am so happy that I got to experience a day like that to remind me of the greatness of life, particularly on the days when life becomes tough or unbearable.