My word of intention for 2024 is time!

I want to be able to prioritize my time in a way that best suits my personality. I know that I need down time at the weekend and after I get home from work. Being over-scheduled makes me super cranky and I don’t feel rested. I know that I need time to sleep in, read my current book, watch telly, and get things done around my house. I need time to be able to shut off from work and rest my brain so that I am ready and recharged for the week ahead.

I want to prioritize time with my family and friends. I feel that sometimes I don’t spend enough time with them and I definitely do not want to have regrets in that department. Building relationships and having fun together and supporting one another is important for a healthy life. I am going to put time into creating social events with family and friends to make more lasting memories.

I want to be able to put the appropriate amount of time into my career. I love what I do, but sometimes I spend too much time at school. I want to be more efficient with my time. When I have a list of things to accomplish such as grading, planning the weeks ahead, or other school related tasks, I need to focus and use my time wisely. I am very good at getting distracted and socializing with my friends. While I said I want to spend more time with my friends, I don’t mean when I have work to get done. I want to be able to leave my classroom at a reasonable hour so I have time at home. Time at home also means time with family and friends whether at my home or theirs.

Prioritizing my time this year is definitely going to be my focus so I can be a better me!

This year has been one for the books! I have had an amazing time! The best kids, the most laughing, and great times with my work family! One of my favourite things about this year is the kids themselves present and past. I feel like I have built stronger relationships with them and gotten to know them better as humans. My school babies are the best. We talk about shared interests, and I like learning about things they do and what they love outside of school. Maintaining past relationships with my school babies is important to me too and so I have been to games and other events to support their passions. I have laughed more this year than in recent memory! The kids are just too funny…they say funny things, they share fun stories, and I genuinely enjoy their company. I look forward to seeing them everyday. My work family is awesome! They are so supportive and I love seeing them everyday. A group of us eat lunch together in my room and we share struggles and support one another but we mostly just laugh and have a good time. We also hang out outside of school and one of my favourite memories is suprising Nichole with going to see Hairspray at Segerstrom for her birthday! It really has been a great year and one I will remember for a long, long time.

This Friday I am getting solar panels installed on the roof of my home. I am rather excited about this as it makes me feel good to know I am using natural resources to generate my own power. It’s also going to save me a lot of money! A random guy, who I now know to be named Chris, came to my door a few months ago and asked me if I would be interested in lowering my electricity bill. Well, as it is just me in my home, I have never qualified in the past as my bill is never high enough. But he shared that there is a new state program and that they have partnered up with SCE to get solar onto as many roofs as possible. I am paying a flat fee every month for the electricity and do not have to buy or lease the panels. They monitor everything and take care of the installation, permits…everything. If a panel starts being silly, they will know and will come out and fix it. I just reap the benefits of banking the power in the cooler months so I can enjoy my AC more in the hotter months. Seems like a win win situation to me! They up the power to their grid and my bill is consistent and I will never exceed my allotment!

At the top of my travel bucket list is Iceland! I have wanted to go for years. There are so many things to see and do. I would love to see the Northern Lights dancing in the sky. Lapland is on my list for that reason too (and I want to meet Santa and his reindeer). 😉 To be able to capture that beauty with my camera would be amazing. I also want to visit the black sand beach. Not just because it has black sand, but because it is covered with chunks of glacier ice. We have definitely never seen something like that here in Orange County. I have heard some of the beaches can be quite dangerous with rogue waves so I will need to be careful while admiring such awesome sights. The final reason I would like to go to Iceland is to learn more about their country’s history and culture. I am not too sure about the food…I have seen some weird stuff on travel shows. But I have seen them bake bread in a dutch oven in the ground. The ground is so hot because of the thermals that they have all over the country. How cool would that be to say you baked bread in the ground without lighting a fire or starting an oven? I can’t wait to go and capture the landscapes and have lots of different adventures.

I love ma wee hoose! My most favourite room is the kitchen. It wasn’t always my favourite because it needed some love and remodeling. I completely gutted it three years ago. We started on March 17th. The only reason I remember the date is because it was St. Patrick’s Day. The cabinets were an orangey wood and the floors were slightly gross in some spots. There was also a tiny wee island that was not super useful. We tore everything out. My mum loves to demo things and went at the cabinets with a mallet. We also opened up the wall between the living room and kitchen. Now my kitchen is beautiful and bright. I added white shaker cabinets and fun countertops with speckles of blueish stone. Some of the bits sparkle when the light hits them. I added wooden shelves with big black brackets that hold my treasured books and knick knacks. I also have two chandeliers over the island. The walls and tile are a pretty light blue with a hint of gray. The sun sets at the back of my house so the kitchen is always filled with sunlight. And when I am baking it is my happy place. I loved designing my kitchen.

The word I choose to focus on for 2022 is kindness. There are many ways to demonstrate kindness…to yourself and to others.

To show kindness to myself I need to allow myself to say no to things I don’t want to do. This is important because if I say yes to everything, I don’t have time to do things that I really need or want to do. I don’t want to over extend myself. I need time at home to vegetate on the sofa in my jammies while watching cheesy Hallmark movies. This helps me energize for other days and events.

It is simple to show kindness to others. Writing notes to show you appreciate them, or buying them small tokens to show you have been thinking about them are just two examples of that. Speaking in a way that is kind instead of annoyed or impatient is something I want to work on. It will lead to more positivity.

Kindness is free! It costs nothing to acknowlege other people by sending a wee email, cutting flowers from your garden, or making a telephone call. It can make their day and fill your bucket up too. And when kindness is shown it can create a domino effect where others recognize it and then do it to others.

My word of intention for 2021 is simplicity. There are a few reasons I am going to focus on this word this year. I am going to keep things simple while still striving to be my best. Keeping things less complicated allows me to focus on what is important. Important people to me are my family and my best friends. Important to me is my work and doing my best for my school babies. Important to me is being a kind person. Important to me is making the right choices so I can do my best to remain safe. Things don’t need to be complicated and can be simple to allow me to focus on what really matters.

I am also going to look for the simple joys in life. The birds in the back garden are a source of simple joy. I can sit for ages and just watch them and laugh at their craziness. I also love trying to get great pictures of them. The roses in my garden have the most amazing aroma and I cut them to bring them into the house…such a sweet and simple smell. Spending time with my nieces and nephews and just enjoying the simplicity of being together. It doesn’t have to be fancy and a lot of money does not need to be spent. I will find the joy in the time we have now because they are growing up and these are memories I will cherish. Even if I only spend five minutes with my parents when I drop off their shopping, I enjoy those five minutes. It’s the simple moments.

Simplicity allows me to focus on the good things that are happening in this new year. The vaccine roll out is a positive event and something to look forward to. It will give us a much more “normal” life again. Some things will still be different, but it will allow for more freedoms. Time with my parents this summer is a good thing and I am looking forward to travelling with them. I am not sure where we are going but it will be somewhere relaxing and beautiful. Being with my students in class and getting to know them is an awesome thing! Figuring out the Knight at the Museum event for my students to participate in is also a good thing and I can’t wait for them to have this experience in the best way possible during this pandemic.

Ultimately the simplicity is to allow me to focus on what really matters.

The water of the loch sparkles in the summer sunlight.  The sun might be shining, but it is still cold and in the low 60s.  The rock I always sit on has beckoned me over and I plonk myself down forgetting that rocks are hard.  The lapping of the waves around the shores of the mainland and the wee island is instantly soothing.  It drowns out the tourist buses’ roaring engines and the cacophony of the people bouncing excitedly towards the castle entrance.  Eilean Donan Castle is one of the top tourist destinations when visiting Scotland so there are always many different languages being spoken.  An argument breaks out about whether to visit the tea room for a delicious snack and cup of tea first or to go into the castle for the tour.  I did the tour years ago so now I just sit and enjoy the view of the rolling green hills while I eat a treat from the cafe.  One of my favourite treats is called a tiffin.  To get to the castle, you must cross a bridge that has three arches.  There is a perfect little curve to stand in for a photograph with the castle behind you.  The castle is not massive but has an impact on the scenery around it.  There is a big tower house surrounded by smaller buildings that are connected to it.  Inside, from what I remember, the rooms are decorated as they would have been during the 1700s and there are even “people” going about their daily jobs.  Some of their static faces are a little creepy!  The kitchen “people” are the creepiest! There are three lochs that meet where the castle sits in this large body of sea water: Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh.  Because it is a sea loch, the tide goes in and out and the saltiness of the seaweed assails your nostrils.  Seagulls come in from the Atlantic Ocean and make a racket.  They are scavenging for anything they can find to eat.  Sometimes it is a snack from an unsuspecting tourist.  When the chilly breeze kicks up, the Saltire snaps in the wind.  The background of the flag is blue and has a diagonal white cross on it, like an X.  It represents St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. Bagpipers sometimes stand at the edge of the loch and play traditional tunes.  Some people say bagpipes wail, but I love the sound of home.  I can sit on this rock for hours and just soak it all in.  It is truly beautiful!

PS…the picture that I took of this castle is at the top of my blog! 🙂

I am not going to lie…I am one of the least adventurous people I know.  I have the fears of injury, of doing badly, the unknown, and letting myself and others down.  My dad calls me a wuss! LOL!

There have been many times I have been afraid.  Going in for surgery, my first surgery, at the age of thirty-five was terrifying.  I didn’t know what to expect when I woke up from the anaesthesia.  But now I know, and know that I could do it again if I needed to.  I don’t want to…but know that I can.  Yes, it was painful but I know I am strong enough to get through it.  Going in for my second wee surgery at the dermatologist wasn’t as bad as the first time because I knew exactly what was going to happen.  See…it is that fear of the unknown that I am not comfortable with.  Knowledge makes me more comfortable and I understand that I can handle it.

FOMO is not enough to get me to do certain things.  At Christmas, my sister and nieces were here.  The girls wanted to go ice-skating.  I was terrified of falling and breaking my wrist or something else.  So I sat and enjoyed watching them skate in circles.  Well, sort of skate.  As it was their first time they mostly held on to things and were pulled along. LOL!  The fear was great enough for me to miss out on that experience with them but I would rather watch and enjoy than have a cast on my arm.  So in this case, I was perfectly happy for the fear to make that decision for me.

I have moved schools many times, as a student and as a teacher.  The fear has always been that I won’t make new friends.  But that has never been the case.  I have always found new friends.  But it is terrifying going into a new school, not knowing the procedures, wondering how you will fit in, if you will ever find your group of people.  It doesn’t matter if you are a kid or an old lady like me…the fear stays the same.  Even if you have moved a few times, and you know that you will make friends, for some reason this doesn’t help me the next time it happens.  Usually experience helps you understand things and that should make you feel better.  I don’t know why it is this way for me.  Is it that way for any of you?

This spring break was one for the books.  The history books!  Our country, as well as the rest of the world, is dealing with a pandemic, a cornoavirus called Covid-19.  This has caused our world here in California to go into a social distancing, stay at home situation.  By staying at home, we can all help to flatten the curve so that hospitals can help those who are ill and also have other health problems in addition to the virus.  If they get too busy then they can’t help everyone and that is not OK!  The curve refers to the about the amount of sick people versus the capacity of the hospitals.  We need to keep the sick people numbers below the hospital capacity.  This way everyone can be treated in the way that they need.  It has been interesting watching the public response to “stay at home”.  For some this has meant they stockpiled toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and paper towels.  Then it moved on to clearing all the shelves in the supermarket so nobody could get the basics like eggs, milk, potatoes, bread, canned soup and veg, etc.  I am hopeful that the hoarding will stop as I feel that it is very selfish of people to clean out things so that others cannot get what they need.  Stay at home just means to stay at home, but you can still go to the store when you need to get items.  For me, staying at home has not been hard as I am quite the homebody.  I am content to go into the garden and enjoy the sunshine and pull a few weeds and work on other things.  When it heats up next week I will be working outside on my laptop and enjoying the weather.  It is hard not seeing my friends, but we have been texting and talking on the phone.  It is also hard not seeing my parents as much.  I am struggling with not being able to see them as they are in a different household and I don’t want to spread anything to them.  I have seen them a few times but I am thinking that is going to have to stop even though we kept out distance.  That would be awful to give them the virus!  Anyway…we will do the best we can and get through this grand adventure by supporting one another and making the best of the weirdest situation I think all of us have ever experienced!

My name is Susan Mary.

My first name means lily or rose. When my mum was growing up she had a doll that said “mama” when you turned it upside down and the right side up. She always had on a pretty blue dress and I played with it when I was a little girl when at my granny and granda’s house in Biggar, Scotland. This doll was named Susie and that is what I am named after. I now have this doll but she no longer speaks.

My middle name is the same as my mum’s and my godmother’s. My godmother is my mum’s cousin. We all get this middle name from my granny who was named Mary. Everyone called her Maisie. She was lovely. We used to colour when I would visit and so now when I see a collection of coloured pencils, I think of her. I flashback straight to about the age of five or six. When we would colour in the flowers, we would make each petal a different colour. We also scrapbooked with the paper people that had the paper clothing with the tabs.

My students are typing feverishly and I thought I would join in.  Each year I choose a word to live intentionally by.  It is better than a resolution because I never can keep those…except the resolution to never make resolutions.  I can manage that! 🙂

My word this year is appreciation.

I want to focus on appreciating even the tiniest little things.  I may have officially turned into an old lady, but just watching the hummingbirds buzzing and fighting in the garden gives me joy and I appreciate their craziness.

I want to appreciate my friends more and make more time to be with them outside of work.  I think I do an OK job of this already, but I want to do it more.  It is important to cultivate those relationships and share experiences with people who are close to you.  It is great to just be together and learn more about each other, appreciate what each person brings to the friendship and make awesome memories!

I already appreciate my family, but want to appreciate them more.  My mum and dad are amazing and supportive in everything I do.  I want a new kitchen…they are there!  I want bookcases (because my precious books have been trapped in boxes for over a year) and we go to the shops to get them over winter break.  Even the tiniest little thing like a new door stop…Dad will install it and I appreciate that.  I appreciate that we are making memories together that I treasure.  I will be doing more of this and showing my appreciation in the ways that I can.  I will get Mum more of her favourite flowers because then I can show that I appreciate everything she does for me.  I am grateful to have two very loving and wonderful parents!

A lot of people go through life and don’t see things that other people do.  Here at Hewes everyone has different responsibilities and roles.  There are some adjunct duties others don’t want to do but somebody takes them on.  I want to recognize this and appreciate these people more.  A simple thank you or note of gratitude goes a long way.  Showing appreciation also makes you have a more positive outlook on life because you are choosing to not focus on the negative and drag people down.  You are building people up and not only does it make them feel good but it makes you feel good too!

Appreciate is my word for 2020!

This picture is one of my favourite selfies. Owen is also one of my most favourite people in the world. He is a crazy twelve year old who I got to meet for the first time when he was just a few hours old and he stole my heart. He belongs to my best friends Debs and Pete. At the age of twelve he is one of the nicest, kindest, and best kids I have ever met, and I know quite a few in my line of work. He is also entrepreneurial as he has started his own car washing business. I am super proud of him for this. Over the years we have done many fun things together: mini golf, movies, baking, basketball games, trick-or-treating at Halloween and just hanging out at home shooting hoops and chilling watching game shows on TV. One of my most favourite memories is the day we were at the wee park near their home and he started walking for the first time. I have also kept most of the notes and pictures he has written to me. Two of them are in my wallet at all times.

We always take selfies at most occasions so we have quite the collection over the twelve year period.  It is weird to think that he is now the same age and in the same grade as I was when I moved here from Scotland. I am the luckiest Auntie Soos to have this Owen in my life.

I have just been granted three wishes by a weird blue alien! What to choose, what to choose?

People always say they want to win millions in the lottery. I would just like to win enough to pay off my mortgage and take some amazing trips. I would want to keep working because I really love my profession. I think I would ask for $500,000…that would be my first wish.

The first wish was all about me, so I shall be more selfless with my second wish. I wish for there to be healthcare for everyone regardless of financial status. Coming from the UK and being able to go to the doctor and dentist whenever I needed and my parents didn’t pay anything out of pocket. They just paid their taxes each month and it was all included. I have family that have had to have big surgeries and extensive treatments. Knowing that they could just focus on their health was a massive relief. Here, if I get sick and lose my job I also lose coverage and that is scary. So…health coverage for everyone!

Hmmmm…a third wish? I think my third wish is going to be all about me again. I want to be able to travel instantly to the location of my choice. Harry Potteresque style is what I want…to apparate! No flights, no security screening, no crazy ticket prices. How awesome would that be? I could get home to Scotland in a jiffy and be able to attend family events and special occasions.

When I was seven years old I was a flower girl for the first and only time in my life. My aunt was getting married and she asked myself, my wee sister Sallie, and the only girl cousin we have (Patricia) to be in her bridal party.   She did not have any bridesmaids, just the three of us. The rules for bridal parties in Scotland are slightly different than in America. There does not have to be an adult as a bridesmaid. The wee posy of flowers that I held contained a lot of freesia. This has always been one of my mum’s favourite flowers. They smell delicious. I now have them growing in my garden too. Every time I catch a whiff of these perfumed blossoms, I travel back to 1982 and my aunt’s wedding day. I even still have some of the flowers because I have a flower press and saved some of the blooms from the wee posy. I looked at them not that long ago. The smell has gone but they still retain their colour.

One of my favourite moments of that wedding day was when we were all dancing. I ran across the dance floor and leapt into the arms of Jim, the best man. I don’t remember the song that was playing, but do remember that he swung me around. I never saw Jim again, and only remember that he was tall and had curly dark blond hair.

At the end of the night, when Aunt Isobel and Uncle Ian were leaving the party to head off on their honeymoon, we all stood outside and threw confetti at them. My sister missed it and she was in tears because she desperately wanted to throw the confetti. She was only five. After my aunt and uncle returned from their trip, we recreated the moment so Sallie could throw the confetti and we did it as they walked out the front door of their farmhouse. What a mess…confetti was blowing everywhere. I wonder if the cows and sheep enjoyed it as much as we did. 🙂

Hi! My name is Miss Moffat. I am a teacher and I LOVE my job. It is a new school year and I have 110 school babies this year. I am excited to introduce them to everything that we learn about in seventh grade.

This summer was a nice and relaxing one. I was able to finish my kitchen remodel and it looks amazing. My dad did most of the work and made the vision in my head come to life. He also built me a new surround and mantle for my fireplace. It has been fun making remodeling memories with him and my mum.

I was also able to visit my sister and her family who live up in San Jose. My sister is named Sallie and she has two wee girls named Isla and Oona. They are eight and five years old. Oona will be six in December. Her birthday is three days after my Dad’s. We went on a hike through some redwoods and found a grove called Twisted Grove. Here’s the picture:

I have lots of favourite things. Blue is my favourite colour, Audis are my favourite car. My favourite flavour of ice-cream is raspberry ripple, but you can’t buy it here which is very sad. I eat it a lot when I travel home to Scotland.

designed by Kristen DeLap

The word I choose as my goal for 2019 is patience.  I chose this word because I need to have more of it…in many aspects of my life.  I need to have patience at home, with myself, and at work (school).  I have so many projects that I want to do around my new house…but I have to have patience and know that they will all get done eventually.  I just don’t want to wait too long because I am excited to get it done so I can enjoy it…especially my new kitchen!  I need to have patience with myself and recognize that it is ok to be frustrated.  Talking to friends and venting will help relieve the frustration and then I can figure things out.  Finally, at work…I need to have patience with my school babies and remember what it was like to be their age.  I need to have patience with figuring out the best way to teach them so they can be their best moving forward in their school career.

I will try to achieve these goals and here’s how!  I will appreciate all the work my mum and dad do around my house to help me and know that they help me so much because they love me.  And that the jobs will get done and we will enjoy doing them together in my new wee house!  I am going to mediate more…do some breathing exercises to help me with my frustration and give myself more patience.  And finally, I am going to listen to what my school babies say before forming an answer and make sure I clarify what they need before I jump in with an answer.  Also, I need to take smaller bites out of work so that I can do each piece well and allow myself to take my time in figuring out the best lessons for my students.

What would your word be???

Hi everyone!

It’s a new year in R-5!  I am excited for this year to begin and to get to know my students.  They are all feverishly typing their first blog post to introduce themselves to you all.  I hope you will read their blogs and leave comments on their posts.  This can start a fun conversation and you may learn something about the writer!

Remember, when you comment, please do not use any last names as we are striving for safety in our internet use.

Thank you!

Everyone is very quick to judge what is wrong with their looks.  I decided today that we would focus on what we love about our looks.  If you change your mindset to focus on the good, then the bad falls to the background and is not such a focus in your life.

The three things I love about my appearance are my eyes, my freckles and my hands.

I get many compliments on my eyes.  Since getting contact lenses they are no longer hidden behind my glasses.  The lenses always made them look smaller than they actually are.  So now they are more prominent and, I think, detract from my unfavourable nose.  They are very blue and sometimes change depending on the colour of clothes that I am wearing.  My mum always dressed me in blue when I was a wee girl because it matched my eyes.

I also really like my freckles.  Though they used to be something I was called names for.  And as I have gotten older, they have faded a little, but they are still all over the place!  It makes me a little more unique as there are not many folks in Orange County with the same complexion as me.

Finally, I love my hands.  There are a few reasons.  They are quite strong and I am proud of that.  Also, they are Moffat hands…I love seeing my hands that are like my Grampa’s and my uncles’.  And my fingernails have these ridges.  My granny used to have these ridges on her nails so every time I look at my nails I see the same ridges and it reminds me of her which makes me happy.

So I asked my students to write about their three wishes and they were not allowed to wish for more wishes (LOL!).  I have been thinking about it since I assigned it as I wasn’t sure what I would choose.  My students were incredibly thoughtful in their posts (you can check them out by clicking any of the blue links on the right) and some were quite extravagant.  Lots of fun to read!

After much pondering I have decided that I would like to win some money.  This would be my first wish.  Not millions and billions, just enough to cover a mortgage for a modest house for me.  It would be nice to have a home that was completely paid for without worrying about possibly not being able to afford it.  Plus, a nice wee house would get me out of my condo where I am so over sharing walls! 🙂  Though I do love my cozy wee condo, listening to and dealing with neighbours who are so close has become very old after eighteen years!

My second wish would be for my health to always be good.  While I only deal with allergies and a cold or flu very rarely, it would be nice to know that I would never get ill.  I am happy with growing older, because that is life and life would get very boring if it never ended, but to not deal with aches, pains and illness…that would be fantastic!  I could travel and explore and not worry about my health.

I would wish for my final wish that everyone could get along, and stop all the craziness going on in the world right now.  No barriers based on race, religion, or sexual orientation.  Recognize everyone just as a human.  Support one another, help one another and just be kind.  It is amazing how far a little kindness can go!

What would you wish for?

  Our world is filled with excess.  I have travelled extensively and I see it a lot in many places.  The place I see it the most is here in Orange County.  Everyone always wants the best and the most recent.  Because of this, we create a lot of waste.  It makes me sad that some people measure their happiness by what they have.  I know that I am very lucky…I have a lovely home, I am able to remodel, I can travel, I have my dream car, I can get everything I need when I need it, etc…but at no point have I ever measured my success or worth by the things I have.  I have worked hard to earn the money to be able to have all the stuff that I do have.  But if there was a fire, the only thing I would truly care about are my travel mementos and photographs that cannot be replaced.  I know somebody who would rather spend $1000 on a purse, but I would rather spend that $1000 to travel and gain life experience.  My worth is based on what type of person I am and by the good people I surround myself with.

This image also made me think of Salva from A Long Walk to Water.  He described the toys that he would make with his brothers.  They would create cows out of materials found in nature and then would play with those.  They don’t have a store to go to and be able to buy things.  It is the simple things in life!

So, I have this nasty habit of making resolutions and then breaking them.  I always say I am going to do my dishes before I go to bed (they are always piled up).  I always look at the clothes on the floor (clean after doing the laundry and so there are piles waiting to be put away) or the ones stacked on the chair near my bed and I tell myself that it only takes a minute to put them away, but what a chore it is!  Ironing…that doesn’t exist in my house! 🙂 Exercising…everyone always says they are going to exercise in the new year.  The ads all over the magazines and TV tell us that is what we are supposed to do…a new beginning, and so a new you!  I am no different.  But I never do a very good job at it.  So, therefore, I just don’t make resolutions.  The only resolution that I have ever made that I don’t break is that I don’t make resolutions.  It is the safest route to take so that I feel as though I have accomplished something rather than being disappointed at my not meeting my own simple goals.

Those people who make and keep resolutions must have better willpower than I do!

In the book Wonder the middle school director, Mr. Tushman, asks, “How do you measure kindness?”  I find this to be an interesting question.  It is not something I put a lot of thought into on a regular basis because life gets so busy.  But when you take the time to stop and think it leads to all sorts of ideas.  Do you measure kindness in the way somebody makes you feel when they do something nice for you?  Do you measure kindness on a scale?  I measure kindness in the way I feel when I am kind and when I receive kindness.  I have so many friends and family members who have done lovely things for me that I try to reciprocate as often as possible.  It can be such a simple thing too…just a wee note in a card or a kind word.  Those actually mean the most to me.  They don’t have to cost any money but it is the amount of thought or feeling that somebody puts into it.

One day I was at the gas station putting gas into my car.  I was standing at the pump minding my own business.  I was dressed for work (I was a secretary for a district manager at Farmers Insurance at the time)…just a simple pencil skirt and top.  This woman walks up to me, goes out of her way, to tell me how pretty I look.  It made me feel amazing.  It was such a simple kindness that boosted my confidence.

I think people think that it is difficult to be kind, that they have to make a special effort.  But you don’t.  It is one of the easiest gifts to give.  Pay somebody a compliment, help somebody pick up something they dropped, hold the door for somebody, write a wee note to somebody that you appreciate, just smile at somebody.  It doesn’t take much but it means the world to the person who receives it.

I can tell already it is going to be a very good year!

I am excited for the students to start blogging.  Every Wednesday the students will write to a wee prompt or have a free write experience.  You will notice a difference in their writing from the beginning of the year to the end as their stamina will be built and they will be able to write more content.  I like having the students write freely without going through the writing process sometimes as it allows them just to write and see where their brain takes them.

When we join the Global Read Aloud at the beginning of October, I will also be having students respond to questions in their blog so that I can attach our classroom blog to my Twitter feed and get the students a wider audience for their writing.  It will be exciting to see where this experience takes us and what worldly connections we will make.

In the spring, when the students are working on their 20% Project, they will be blogging their weekly progress.  This is for me to monitor and for you to interact with them.  It’s an exciting time!

I encourage you to leave comments and have a dialogue about what they have written.  If you do leave a comment, please do not include a last name.  We want to keep identifiers to a minimum…good internet safety. 🙂

Here we goooooo!!!!

A massive thank you to all who are leaving comments on my student blogs.  It is so appreciated and the kids love getting them!  Keep ’em coming!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to this year’s blogs by my amazing students. We will be doing quick writes here, sharing our thoughts, and later in the year blogging our 20% Project experience.

Check back weekly to read your student’s writing (and maybe some others) and leave some comments. An authentic audience for our writing is the best! What a way to connect with one another!

Thank you, in advance, for participating in this experience!!!

Miss Moffat 🙂