Look for the Helpers

Happy Friday Everyone! Yesterday I talked a bit about habits and today I want to start by sharing one I do each morning.  Every day when I get up, I ask my Alexa device, "Alexa, what's the question of the day?"  For those that have an Alexa, this is a fun skill that you should try.  Each morning I get a different question from several different categories...arts and entertainment, history, science, or literature.  I love challenging my brain each morning with quirky questions.  I'd say I get about 75% of the questions correct, and usually, when I don't get them correct, it's because I didn't go with my first instinct or I've narrowed it down to two logical choices and I just pick incorrectly. This morning the first question was a literature question.  It was a question about who ordered the Trojan Horse to be placed outside the gates of Troy during the end of the Trojan War.  The answer was Odysseus.  Got that one right!  Thanks, Mr. Varracho...

Happy Thursday, I started reading a new book last year.  It was a book recommended to me by a fellow educator family member.  I am only on page seven, but it already as me thinking about ideas to share with you. For sure this school year has been unprecedented and certainly, kids have continued to learn valuable information from desks (or kitchen tables, or couches, or beds) at home.  Clearly, however, the same opportunities that have existed in past years did not exist these last 9 weeks.  There were no hands-on science experiences, trips to Boston, group projects, trips to the Flynn Theater, and no orienteering around the school property.  There was no Velocity group or Girls on the Run and no reminders not to run in the hallway or pick up the lunch table because it's the right thing to do! Just because these opportunities didn't exist, however, doesn't mean that you weren't learning valuable things while quarantined at home, but there was certainly more ...

Well, I can't say good Wednesday morning anymore, 'cause it's already afternoon!!  It has taken me a long time to get underway with my blog today because it's been one big tech issue after another.   I couldn't make my first call - the individual had to call me...   I couldn't get my own kiddo logged on to her nine o'clock meeting from anything but my computer so I was left working with my thumbs on my cell phone... I got kicked off a student call and couldn't even restart my computer...  :( I tried to cue up a video to share with you all, nothing too earth-shattering, but just something to make you smile, but I couldn't get it to stop buffering and can do nothing besides simply  share the link ...enjoy! I have felt like every time I have tried to sit down and start my blog today, someone needs help with math, or someone is hungry, or someone is pestering their sibling.  It's been one of those kinds of days!    But despite all of that fr...

Happy Tuesday, Yes, that's right, it's not Monday.  It's a great way to start a week when we can start on a Tuesday!   Before I get long-winded, watch this quick clip... With only 13, yes count 'em, 13 days of school left, we all (students and teachers alike) are going to need all the support we can get to make it to the end.  This year has been long...this year has been weird...this year has been hard...this year has been oh so different, but we've made it this far and I know we can make it to the end.   While we finish it off, let's support each other, let's encourage each other, and let's help out a friend when they are in need of a little push.  If your buddy isn't showing up to class meets, text them, and encourage them to come.  If you friend says they aren't doing any more school work, encourage them to check in with a teacher to make a plan for success.  If your friend seems sad or our of sorts, email them and try to plan a socially ...

Happy Friday!   The long weekend is here, the weather is beautiful, and though the options for socializing with those outside your family are still a bit limited, I hope you and those close to you can plan to spend some fun time together this weekend!  Hopefully you can enjoy a campfire or do some grilling!  Have a burger or a dog, and enjoy your freedoms this Memorial Day weekend. This week I came across this funny cartoon... I giggled because hey, who doesn't think cats are funny - all sharp and soft at the same time!   Storytime...I used to have a cat named Theo when I was a kid.  I swear he thought he was a dog.  He would follow us around our neighborhood, walking with us to the pool, hanging out on the grass while we swam, and then walking back with us when we were finally soggy and tired!  He would sit on the hoods of neighbor's cars, sunning himself in the summer or warming up on a toasty car hood in the winter.   He would re...

Happy Thursday Everyone! Yesterday evening, my husband and I took our kids up to Cochrans to ride their new pump track.  We had gone to look at it the night before, so I knew what to expect, and though I was interested in trying it out, I was nervous too!  It seemed tight to me with lots of little whoops,  rolls, and berms crammed into a smallish space.   When we got there, we played in the parking lot on a bridge and a teeter-totter for a little while, and then we headed up to the pump track.  My son jumped right into it.  He's still a newish biker, but enjoys it and is interested in getting better, so he didn't have any hesitation.  My daughter took it slow as she is new to trail riding, but she was game.  I, on the other hand, was a different story.  Here I was, bike at the ready, and I felt nervous about dropping into this track.  I was especially rattled by three very experienced looking riders already taking turns with my son....

Good Morning Everyone!   Congratulations on making it to mid-week!  These days we take all the victories we can.  :)   Today I wanted to talk a little bit about closure.  In the field of counseling, we sometimes call it "termination."  When counselors and clients - in this case, you and me - have helping relationships, it's important to bring closure to those relationships in healthy ways.  Talking about closure allows people to explore their thoughts and feelings around the ending of a relationship well in advance of that ending.  It's not good to have a quick end to a relationship thus being left holding lots of unresolved feelings of loss.  One of the reasons school dismissal has been so hard - none of us got proper closure!  :(   The need for closure is not just reserved for counseling relationships.  Right now, teachers, administrators, and school counselors are all trying to find good ways to get closure wi...

Happy Tuesday everyone!  It's a beautiful day out there.  I took my first meeting outside, and it made me feel happy and relaxed.  It started my day with a smile, so I wanted to pass that smile along.   Here are a few things that might make you smile:       Here are some memes...   We all know this video... And this... And this Coca Cola commercial...  I love this song about smiling... Check out this list of  51 Things that will make you Smile  from Tiny Buddha.   Be Well Everyone! Mrs. Hempey

Good Monday Morning Everyone, I've been thinking about what I wanted to write this morning, and I've had lots of swirling thoughts with seemingly no good way of connecting them until I saw this video.   I have heard this song hundreds of times and it's always a good reminder of what we should aspire to as humans, but in listening to it deeply today, one line really stood out to me.  The lyric was, "make a little space, make it a better place."  It is first sung at 1:03 by an 11-year-old girl that could be any of you.   This line really resonated with me because for the past few days I have been thinking about and feeling proud of the little things we do to take care of each other and have been conversely saddened by the many ways in which we sometimes tear each other down.   Today, I wanted to convey the message that it costs us nothing to be kind.  I've probably said it before, but because I've been really feelin' the love of my friends late...

Happy Friday Everyone!   I hope you remember this as we move into the weekend and this last month of school... I am with you with this blog...its like Mrs. Hempey in your pocket.  Remember that I care.  Please reach out if you need me.   Mrs. Hempey PS - Here is my daughter's Pieces Of My Heart assignment...I hope you did yours!  ;)

Happy Thursday Everyone!   I've been talking a lot lately about finding your people, being part of a "nation," and seeing and being seen.  It dawned on me this morning when asking my question of the day in Google Classroom (are you an introvert or an extrovert?) that before you can truly belong with anyone else, you need to belong to yourself.   I will sometimes ask students how they would describe themselves, and I often get, "I don't know," as an answer.  This always feels a bit frustrating to me at the outset, but then I have to remind myself that it's normal for middle schoolers to not really be sure about who they are and what they stand for.  It's hard because brain development in adolescence (the developmental period you are in) keeps you looking outward or to others to figure out what you "like."  In adolescence it's important to fit in, so kids tend to like whatever their friends like and tend to push their own ideas and belief...

Happy Wednesday!   Remember a few days ago when we talked about our "nations" and our need for human connections?  Don't remember it...read it here .  In that blog post, I touched on the understanding that people need people.  As a species, we need connections from birth to death in order to live fulfilling happy lives.  Today I wanted to share a story that I read which supports this understanding and takes it a step even further.  The story talks about the idea of being seen.    Check it out here .  Just read it...it's not very long...go ahead... read it!   Okay, now that your smiling and feeling all warm and fuzzy, I'll remind you that the author quotes a friend who says, " We all just want to be seen, known and loved."   S ometimes, even when we are a part of a nation, we can go through times in our lives where we feel unseen, and this is when loneliness, anxiety, and depression can creep in.  The point of my blog...

Happy Tuesday Everyone! I wanted to post a couple of stories that I've seen lately. Watch them first, and then I'll post my thoughts after the clips.   and now watch this one... What makes people like this kid and this bus driver do things for others when there is no real gain for them?   One could argue that they did it for the fame or for public recognition, but it's hard to know what good deeds will get recognized and which ones won't.   So how could they have known that what they did and what they regularly do would be seen by others?  I think that the answer is that they didn't know.   From that, we can conclude that these humans simply have good hearts!  The kid and his dad seem to be YouTubers, so one might argue that this was staged, and maybe it was, but the kid genuinely seemed to have a lightbulb moment where he realized that there was a better way to "spend" the money.  Also, his dad seemed truly stunned that his child d...

A little guidance from Jack this afternoon!   It's been a busy day for me here in rainy Richmond, and it's been tough trying to collect my thoughts, so I thought I'd just share a couple of things I came across recently to inspire you this Monday.   Stay Brave everyone!   Mrs. Hempey

This cover of the Foo Fighters’  Times Like These  was recorded and filmed by artists from their own homes.  I think it encompasses how I felt about seeing all of you out along our Honk and Wave route yesterday.   "It's time like these you learn to love again!"   It's was so awesome to see you all...my heart was happy to see the smiles, waves, posters, bells and horns, bikes, hula-hoops, and community love!  It's times like these that we remember just how much we all need each other.  We are all important connected parts of this community - kids, teachers, staff members, parents, and younger siblings.  I even felt the love from community members out on their porches and lawns who didn't have kids with them!  Thank you all for making my afternoon yesterday so special!  Thank you for being there, thank you for you smiles, and thank you for being you!   Have a great weekend despite the predicted rainy forecast! Be Well, ...

Happy Thursday! This past winter both of my kids were playing basketball on real teams in our Mount Mansfield School District.  Sebastian was playing at the 3/4 level and Breccan was playing at the 1/2 level, and I was coaching at both levels, so we were starting to feel pretty connected to MMU basketball.  Add to this that my nephew was on the varsity basketball team at MMU and it felt like we were at the high school gym a lot watching both the boys and girls teams play.  We really started to think of ourselves as a small part of the Cougar Nation.   Fast forward to this past week, when my same nephew ran into health complications, my sister wrote something thanking all the people in Cougar Nation for supporting them as a family.  It got me thinking about the many "nations" that we are a part of.  These are the groups of people that we are connected to.  Those which support us and encourage us, and those from which we draw pride and can claim ow...

Happy Wednesday, I have not watched it yet, but there is a new 8 part mini-series on ESPN which examines the life and career of one of my childhood icons, Michael Jordan.  My husband and I got discussing it this morning.  We were thinking about how, during this historic period where there are no major (or minor for that matter) sports to report on, it was unique to have this mini-series available to bring attention to the historic nature of sports and Jordan's career.  I have discussed Michael Jordan's greatness with my husband many times before as we constantly banter about our lists of basketball's all-time greats, favorites, and game-changers.   My list of all-time favorite basketball players includes many from my childhood like Jordan, Larry Bird (The Legend), and many of his Celtics teammates like Ainge, Johnson, Parrish, McHale, and Walton.  Then it includes others like Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Isaiah Thomas, Clyde Drexler,...

Good Tuesday Morning Everyone! This week is national teacher appreciation week, so I want to give a shout out to all my teacher colleagues who are reading this blog post today!  To say that you are amazing at what you do is an understatement!  I have been so blown away by the amazing creativity, energy, thought, and problem-solving that has gone into making school-at-home work over the last six weeks.   I am sure many of you have read the words from Ken Buck below but just in case, please enjoy...   I love how Buck says, "Apollo 13'ed" it.!  Students, do you know what this reference means?  I am not sure how many of you have watched the movie Apollo 13, (maybe you've seen it your science classes or on teams)  Either way, here is the clip Buck is referring to when he says that teachers Apollo 13ed it.  Teachers have had no choice but to make it work.   Just like those scientists depicted in the movie, wherein that moment the choice w...

May the 4th Be With You! Happy Monday everyone.  For all you Star Wars fans out there, I hope you are enjoying May the 4th Day!  I've been watching the new Star Wars spin-off series the Mandolorian the past couple of weeks, and though I have to admit I am not really a big star wars geek, I do appreciate the movies and am enjoying the Mandolorian.  It occurred to me as I was thinking about May the 4th that like other movies that inspire us, see my post from April 28th , Star Wars is no different.   I started thinking about the lessons from the Mandolorian.  I don't want to ruin it for anyone that hasn't watched yet, but the biggest take away for me so far is that that the Mandolorian has honor, a good heart, and a strong sense of justice.  He is not willing to compromise these values.  He is 100% willing to stand up for what he knows to be right even if it isn't the easy path for himself.  As I thought about what Mandolorian teaches us, I real...

We've Made it to Frid-YAY! I've been thinking about "The Way" over the past 24 hours.  What do you mean by "The Way" you ask?  I think of it as the way we think our lives are supposed to go, or the way we assume our lives are going to turn out.  Putting thought into "The Way" is good and healthy as it helps us set goals, find a starting point, and step out in a particular direction, but it's also important that we stay flexible with The Way.  If we can't stay flexible, what happens when things don't turn out as we'd expected?  What happens if The Way needs to change because of circumstance or necessity? How can we balance The Way we feel our lives should go with the ability to adapt and change to the many curveballs in life?  If I had the definitive answer to this question, I'd be rich, (or maybe just famous!).  Regardless of the fact that I don't have all the answers, I think that it's an important question to inves...