Sharpen the Saw

I promise this isn't a school post, but it's got some school background so stick with me! Schools all over the U.S. have adopted the Leader in Me program, which is based on Sean Covey's book Seven Habits of Happy Kids. Sean's book is based on his dad, Steven Covey's book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. They are the same habits, but one in adult language and one in kid language. 

Okay, here we go:

These are the seven habits:

1. Be Proactive

2. Begin with the End in Mind

3. Put first things first

4. Think Win-Win

5.Seek first to understand, then to be understood

6. Synergize

7. Sharpen the Saw

I LOVE these habits. I think I usually do pretty good about being proactive, trying to understand others, and most of the rest of them. However, as my class went over the last habit, "Sharpen the Saw," on Monday, I realized I have a problem. Habit 7 is the habit of self-renewal. The students had three questions to answer: 

1. What are some things you like to do to sharpen the saw?

Okay, that's easy. I want to answer these questions here for myself. I like to sing, play piano, write, and paint (or make crafts... whatever). I also like to read and cook. I'm starting to sew, not very good yet. I also like to spend quality time with all my people. Okay. That's enough.

2. What is something new you would like to try?

OH. MY. WORD. This is where I had a problem. This is where I need serious help. I cannot think of a single thing I would like to try. Is that bad? All the kids were saying, "I'd like to try playing golf" or "I'd like to play an instrument." And I couldn't think of a single thing I would like to try. Okay. I hate sports, don't want to try any of those. I have pretty much tried all the food I care to try, I know how to play piano. I've tried to play other instruments... It's probably not going to happen. What else is there? I know there are the big things: Ride in a hot air balloon, Hike to a waterfall, and Skydive (I don't want to skydive), but I'm talking about trying something in my everyday life. I'm coming up with nothing. How am I supposed to sharpen my saw without trying new things?

Oh, here's one. Could getting married count as trying something new? Hahaha I don't think so because it's not really something you try, it's something you do. Period.

Anyways. Someone, help me. 

3. What is something you could do better?

So simple: manage my time better. Obviously. I'm blogging while I should be doing homework.

A Lot to Learn

I have been very blessed in my time as a pre-service teacher to do my field work in what have to be some of the greatest schools ever... or have I? In just two hours on a Thursday morning, I was reminded of what a good school really is. Previously, and now as well in Block II, I have been placed in schools where the students come from well-off families, whose parents work in places like law-firms and doctor's offices (and their not the secretaries... or the janitors). I was impressed when the parents were all at the morning assemblies to take pictures of their kids every day and I was impressed when every student in a kindergarten classroom could read, and some of them were on their first chapter books. I don't want to belittle those kinds of schools at all, but when parental involvement is so strong, it makes things A LOT easier. 

I say all this to say, those schools are tremendous, and the students are brilliant, but they have a lot to learn. Let me explain. I am in two schools this semester, and they are as different from one another as dark is from light. The first school is brand new. I am in a fifth grade classroom and the students use big words that I didn't know until high school. They are amazing. They don't make a peep while the teacher is talking and they say "yes ma'am" and "no sir." My first day blew me away. However, something else that struck me on the first day. This brand new school also has a brand new playground donated by the PTO. It's one of the nicest playgrounds I've ever seen; I know the parents donated thousands of dollars so that their students would have somewhere to have recess when school began, but on the day I was there, the students sat on the sidewalks and played with their iPhones and Nintendo DS instead of the playground. I was almost angry. Mostly because when I was in school, our playground consisted of two seesaws, a few swings, and a basketball court. We played with pine cones and jump ropes. I couldn't help but think that these students, as smart as they are, still have a lot to learn. 

The school I was in on Thursday morning was a completely different story. The students were rambunctious, I didn't see any parents, and in the first grade class I observed, the three kids that were supposed to read to me, couldn't read. In my classroom, there were only four white kids. FOUR! The school was so diverse it was unbelievable. Many of the kids couldn't speak English that well, English is their second language. For the first time in my field experience, I really felt needed. It was so refreshing. I can't help but think that we all have a lot to learn when it comes to determining what makes a great school.

I am NOT a goat farmer

Over the weekend, my family got two goats. According to my dad, that means we are now goat farmers.

On Saturday, my sisters, my mom and I went to visit mine and Joseph's brand new niece (she is perfect). My dad stayed home to work on the electric fence where we keep the goats, so I should have seen this coming. Joseph and I went to an antique store and mama and the girls headed on home. On my way home, I received a quite urgent phone call that I needed to pick up two goat collars and some goat feed... apparently something had been going on at home. While I was out, this is what I missed (as told according to my mom):

My dad went with my two youngest sisters to pick up the goats that we had been preparing for. Apparently, we weren't quite ready for the goats, but you know, we got them anyways. So Christina held a goat and Jessica held a goat (they brought them home in the van). When they got back to the house, daddy put the goats in the electric fence, and they ran right out. Who cares if you get electrocuted?! It's freedom! So there goes my dad, running after the goats, sweat dripping off of his nose. Rebekah runs after the goats, not really intending to catch one. Christina runs after the goats, probably intending to catch one, but not quite sure how. Jessica... runs and screams when she gets near a goat... but she wasn't scared ;) Mama stood on the porch.

When Joseph and I got to the house with the collars, my dad had tied the goats to a tree with a rope. Literally as soon as I got out of the truck one of the goats jumped straight up in the air and passed out. Why? Who knows? It's a dumb goat. We (okay, not me) finally got the goats settled in and went in for the night. We sat around the table with Grandmama and Grandad and talked about their goat stories, we discussed goat names. We acted like goat farmers. All the goat farmers got their showers and all that good stuff, until my dad went to check on the animals only to find they had escaped once again. Jessica ran into the house, "the goats got out!" she said. We all kept talking, then it hit us. We sat in silence. Joseph laughed. Then we all got up like we were going to do something about it. Okay, they did do something about it. Mama and I sat on the porch. It was ridiculous.

When I got in the van to go to church on Sunday I got goat hair all over me. I am not a goat farmer.

Daddy said on Monday that he posted on facebook that I was a goat farmer. I am not a goat farmer.

Here I am, blogging about goats. Maybe I am a goat farmer.