What legacy will you leave when you die? Make it a good one.

Steve Jobs, though gone, will never be forgotten. He’s left his indelible imprint on our daily lives in the way we communicate and connect with the world around us. How many of us can say we’ve been as influential?

One of my favorite posters I keep in my classroom talks about making footprints on the world. Wherever you go, you always leave a footprint. Make it a good one. Usually I use it to talk about leaving the environment in better condition than we found it but it holds true for our daily lives as well. Each day we come into contact with people, we have to chance to leave a lasting impression. Sometimes we’re tired, cranky, and overwhelmed with our own problems and rather than help a stranger, we choose to do nothing, or worse, we lash out and share out anger.

I teach. It’s who I am. I have 37 fragile 5th grade souls that I am expected to nurture each day. They have cranky days. I have cranky days. But the lessons I choose to teach them, go far beyond reading, writing, and math. How I respond to their mistakes, might leave an indelible impression on their hearts that lasts a lifetime.

So do I always respond with a smile? HECK NO! If nothing else, I want my students to learn to act responsibly, even when they don’t want to. I hold them accountable for their actions. Every action. And that means consequences and lots of apology notes and community service.

I want them to think for themselves, not just raise their hands and wait for the teacher to give them the answer or explain how to do the problem. Really think.

And I want them to love whatever they do. I teach with passion, every day. I discipline with passion, every day. I include them in our successes and failures and share with them the things I am passionate about: writing, photography, and dancing. I do all this knowing that my students, and the lives they will lead, will be my legacy.

So whatever you do with your life, be it teaching, writing, or taking fantastic photographs, you will leave a legacy of some sort. Make it a good one.

Summer Woes

It’s mid-summer already and the panic is beginning to set in. On crap! Summer break is almost over! While parents are thrilled to death with the impending return of school, teachers everywhere are rushing about trying to finish everything on their summer To-Do list. Who knew that 8 weeks could be so short? Here is what my summer list looks like:

• Keep the house clean every single day – no excuses
• Exercise for 1 hour each day
• Lose 10 pounds by the end of summer
• Finish editing my completed manuscript
• Catch an agent’s eye
• Write the first 3 chapters of my current work in progress
• Plan for next school year
• Have a work party to plan for next school year

So how much of this list did I manage to accomplish?

• Keep the house clean every single day – no excuses - The house only managed to get clean after my darling hubby planned a b-day party for me. It stayed clean for 1 day.
• Exercise for 1 hour each day - Does hula dancing for 1 ½ hours a week count?
• Lose 10 pounds by the end of summer - Nope – They’re still there, viciously hanging around my body, refusing the budge.
• Finish editing my completed manuscript - Still editing but making progress.
• Catch an agent’s eye - Still waiting. All I’m hearing from my query letters is a whole orchestra of crickets.
• Write the first 3 chapters of my current work in progress - I’ve managed to squeak out half of a couple scenes. Neither scene is finished but hey, it’s a start!
• Plan for next school year - Not so much.
• Have a work party to plan for next school year - We wound up spending more time drinking mimosas than we did planning but damn, who knew a mimosa would taste so great?

So how about you? What were your summer plans and did you manage to accomplish anything?