Life

… and sometimes.

/ Bryce / Leave a comment

I’ve been busy on the site, at work and sleeping. So many things have been going on at school and the hardest is losing my teaching partner, Lindsey. She is realising her dream job at weeks end and I am truly happy over the moon, but it is bittersweet.

The solution to her leaving is adding half her students to my class and the other half to our other teaching partner who has been self-contained all year (nightmare and to top that – she’s a first year teacher!).

My anxiety had been relatively under control this school year; however, it’s upped itself with this coming change and I’m hoping I survive it.I tend to have a myriad of responses to “life-changing” events at work — I tend to get very quiet and put my head down to move forward.

I’d say my overwhelming response this time has been to go into survival mode. I’ve counted the days left (yep, it’s way too early for that, but …) of the school year and I’ve made it perfect clear that I’m going to do my best — going from 19 students to 28 — with this major change.

What, exactly, does that mean? It means: I cannot do more than I’ve been doing (which is actually above and beyond) and I will not compromise my peace of mind because of these changes.

I’m sure that sounds selfish; however, if you are or have ever been a classroom teacher to 10 and 11-year-olds … you definitely get it. And whether people like it or not – it is what it is and sometimes, you have to take care of yourself.

How have I been doing that? Working on my site, contemplating how to journal more everyday, sleeping a little more than usual, playing with my puppies above what I normally do, trying new recipes and watching shows that make me laugh … Schitt$ Creek, The Golden Girls, Will & Grace and New Girl.

And … breathing.

Cough. Cough.

/ Bryce / Leave a comment

Uggghhh. No work this past week on the site. Pollen has been a beast in Tampa Bay – it’s been 20+ years since it has been this high they say. On a scale of 10 – its been averaging 8.5 and that means — if you’re unfaithful with your allergy meds (it’s me, yeah – it’s me) you’re screwed. But here we are, a week later, and I’m sorta kinda feeling better. Maybe? Yes, you’re bored with this … let’s move on to what I did – when I wasn’t guiding 10-11 year-olds all week in search of knowledge in reading and writing …

So, I finally finished S2 of The White Lotus. And :::gulp::: OMG. I never expected the ending and no, I’m not going to ruin it if you’re still watching it, but be prepared. I was happy to for Jennifer Coolidge to win the Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress for her role as Tanya McQuoid – who was the only character that transitioned from S1. At times, I had flashbacks to Legally Blonde – because she seemed to be Paulette, at times … but in this series and especially in the last episode – she went from being this dippy blonde to figuring it all out … Arrivederci.

So, I started – a while back – watching My Life is Murder – a murder mystery comedy drama — that hails from New Zealand with characters from NZ and Australia. I picked it back up during my recoup. I don’t binge series anymore because it ended up making me not wanting to watch anything in the future, but there are exceptions to that rule with Schitt$ Creek being one of them (and if you’ve not watched it — get to Hulu and watch!). Lucy Lawless plays Alexa Crowe – a retired, but not really retired detective who helps Detective Harry Henare review cases that are often ruled one way, but there are lingering doubts. I think what appeals to me is how they’ve woven the personal lives of the characters, with their every day problems and the good moments, into the show with a touch of comedic relief. Most murder mysteries don’t have that element. It’s a good watch if you’re into murder mysteries!

What makes a good leader? I think Simon Sinek says it better than I could ever say it, “Leadership is a choice, it is not a rank. I know many people at the senior most levels of organizations who are absolutely not leaders. They are authorities and we do what they say because they have authority over us, but we would not follow them. And I know many people who are at the bottom of organizations, who have no authority and they are absolutely leaders. And this is because they have chosen to look after the person to the left of them and they have chosen to look after the person to the right of them. This is what a leader is.”

And, that’s about all I have to scribble about today … hope your Saturday is everything you want or need it to be –