Look for the Helpers

Happy Friday Everyone!   I watched a movie the last couple of mornings while I was in my basement exercising before school...I know, I know, I watch way too much TV, but at least I was exercising at the same time, right!?!  Anyway, the movie was called, The Map of All the Tiny Perfect Things ...I don't want to spoil the movie if you decide to watch it, but it centers on the idea that mixed in with all the broken parts of life, there are many, many, tiny perfect things that happen too. The movie reminds the watcher that if we focus only on the negative, we might miss the tiny and perfect.  It's those perfect things that get us through - tide us over - when the hard parts seem to want to take over.     So what kinds of tiny perfect things do I mean?   Think... A flower growing through a crack on a sidewalk, belting out, and nailing, the lyrics of a favorite song,  a perfectly shaped cloud in the sky, looking at just the right place at...

It's Thursday People, and obviously, it's late!   It's been a day...all good, just busy, and I haven't had time to get a post out until now, but I am not going to break the streak of days getting something fun and inspirational out to you all, so here's a little fun...   I love Nathan W. Pyle comics!  Wouldn't it be funny if we played the floor is lava at school!  If Dona just said over the speaker, the floor is lava one day!  I bet the teachers would all wonder what was going on as kids hopped up on desks and chairs.  😂 And something serious too... That's what I've got today, folks!  See you all tomorrow!   Go be awesome! Mrs. Hempey

Happy Wednesday Everyone, I had this idea for my blog today about finding the balance point, and I find it a bit ironic that I am posting it on a Wednesday...on our balance point of the week.  Two days down, two more to go.    I am going to get brave here and post a video of myself doing something that I am not yet good at, something I think I look a little wonky doing,  and something that, at 44 years young, I may realistically never master, but I think the video is a good metaphor for life.  Soooooooo...have a look... So for those of you that don't bike - and let's be clear, I am nothing special on my bike, I simply enjoy riding - I want to explain what is happening here.  I mentioned in an earlier post that my family and I have been watching mountain biking videos a lot recently.  We learned about these manual trainers.  A manual is when you pop up and ride on your back wheel for a short distance.  The trainer, the wooden support you see i...

Happy Tuesday at Home! I've seen this clip pop up on my social media before, but when I ran across it again this past weekend, I felt like I couldn't not share it!   What a little sweetie!  And I love his message, which was originally sung by Bob Marley in, Three Little Birds .   In his song, Don't Worry Be Happy , Bobby McFerrin also reminds us not to worry, but to be happy! Yes, I know, many of you will say, "well, it's just not that simple, Mrs. Hempey!"  And I don't disagree.  It's not like we have a magic wand that we can wish away all of our troubles with (even though I ask kids the magic wand question a lot - "if you had a magic wand, what would you like to be different?")  But it is worth reminding yourself when you have a problem, that those problems need to be put into perspective and can often times be improved if we practice having a positive frame.   Here are some examples:   You get a low score on an assessment......

Happy Monday Everyone! This is the last week in the roll-up to mid-winter break, and often times we're really digging deep this week.  Perseverance may be needed to get to the other side of the week.  But have no fear...I, of course, have just what you need to get inspired today.  Have a look at how incredibly nimble and determined the IBEX is.   One of the things I like about the ibex story is that it's their natural instincts and abilities that take over in the face of this sheer climb and great danger.  It's a good reminder to us all that we often need to trust our instincts more and trust our natural abilities.  (I am not suggesting you go scale a dam!  😂) Sometimes, we all worry so much about whether or not we can do something, that we give up before we even try.  As long as the "thing" we want to do or accomplish is a healthy risk, try to take the "what ifs" out, and just trust your gut and your skills.  Generally, our fears of fa...

Happy Friday Everyone! Sunday is Valentine's day, so I thought I'd give you a little setlist of a few songs that were popular when I was your age...  How about Simple Minds, "Don't You (Forget About Me)" Ahhhh, those ill-fitting clothes, those days were the best - or at least the most comfortable! Or maybe you prefer a little Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald?  Here is, "On My Own."  The hair was so big!! And here is a personal fav...Pat Benatar's "We Belong" The waterfall...and the choir - my word...you can't make this stuff up!  So fun! I loved Richard Marx!  He's up next with, "Right Here Waiting." This video dates itself right from the start with the pay-phone call! Here's the song that started this little trip down (the '80s) memory lane.  I heard it last night as I was going to sleep... Cindy Lauper's record was one of the first three records I owned...the others were Michael Jackson's, "Thrille...

Happy Thursday Everyone!   We've made it over the hump for the week, and after Friday, we have just one week until vacation, so let's continue to work together to get through this last "dark" part of the year.  I feel like once we return from the February break in March, the days are getting longer and warmer, and the promise of spring just around the corner lifts the spirits!  Until then you can keep reading my blog for a daily dose of feel good!  Today I wanted to talk about this idea... I both like and dislike this sentiment.  I wish that the word "faults" had not been used.  I wish the quote said, "when you appreciate your... challenges or differences, or the things that make you feel different ...they lose their power over you."   I mean what is a fault exactly?   If a fault is that you are negative, or shy, or too exuberant - you can choose to do something about these things if you wish, but they are not "faults" that you are ...

Happy Wednesday Everyone! This month, as we celebrate Black History Month, we've discussed the why.  Why do we set aside a special month to celebrate and honor black Americans?  Do you remember what Woodson wrote? he said  that historically, "textbooks ignored or distorted black history with ugly racial stereotypes. This omission and distortion left both black and white children unaware of the tremendous contributions of African people to America and world civilizations across time.” To my way of thinking, it wasn't just textbooks that ignored the contributions of these deserving Americans. Textbooks are inanimate objects - they can't write themselves. People wrote those books. People ignored the voices and contributions that African Americans made to our history and we understand now that those contributions can no longer be ignored or misrepresented. I was thinking about our celebration of black history month as I read to my daughter last night.  We have be...

 Happy Tuesday Everyone! As all of you loyal readers know, I love quotes, sayings, inspirational moments, and little tidbits that remind us that we're okay...that we're making it...that though the struggle is real, we're strong enough to survive what life throws our way!   The following poem is called, " Autobiography in Five Short Chapters ," by Portia Nelson.  It is a poem that was given to me in college, and I have held on to this piece of paper since then (23 years, wow!).  Some years it hangs on the wall in my office, and some years it stays tucked away only to be retrieved when I (or someone else) needs a reminder that life is full of potholes sometimes.  Take a moment to read this poem again... Essentially it's saying that everywhere we walk in life we will encounter challenges.   Sometimes the challenges will be big ones...ones that seem insurmountable and often times these challenges are not of our own making.  But Nelson reminds us ...

Happy Monday Everyone, I hope you are all feeling rested despite the Super Bowl festivities last night...okay, so there probably weren't too many actual festivities...if you were following COVID guidance and restrictions, you were like me and in my pajamas snuggling on the couch with my family while we watched the game.  After a full day of skiing yesterday, I was out of energy by half-time, and I think I was asleep before the mid-game show was over.  I was rooting for the Chiefs, so I suppose I am glad I fell asleep early!   Speaking of sports, I wanted to highlight some athletes today as we continue to learn about notable figures in our Black History Month!   I am sure you know many of these names, but are you familiar with why they are important?   Jackie Robinson, was the first Black American to play major league baseball in the modern era.   Jesse Owens,  was a four-time Olympic gold medal athlete who also set three world reco...

Happy Friday Everyone! Mr. Drake has been highlighting African American musicians with our morning music this week, and today's "guest" was Aretha Franklin.  Besides being a singer, Franklin was a songwriter, pianist, actress, and civil rights, activist.  Franklin died in 2018 but her body of work remains iconic.  One of her most famous songs is, R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Have a listen... Franklin is asking for RESPECT for who she is and what she does, which is really what we all want right?  We want to be respected for who we are, what we do, what we bring to the world and the unique ways that we walk through the world.  I ask you all to keep in mind that the best way to get RESPECT is to give RESPECT.  It's pretty easy to move through the world with a negative frame letting ourselves think the worst about other people, their intentions, and their actions, but I encourage you to remember that everyone is fighting a battle that you have no idea about.   Your...

Happy Thursday Students and Staff, Yesterday, in my question of the day, I asked kids about their favorite "oldies" music.   As I read the responses, I realized that we have lots of Beatles lovers out there!  I also really enjoy listening to the Beatles!  In their heyday, they were before my time, but my son and I enjoy listening to them together in the evenings, so I was happy, yesterday, to take a little Beatles tour through of some of their greatest hits with the intention of adding one into my blog today (as promised).   Considering our other running theme of Black History Month, I thought that the song, Come Together , which was created as a political rally cry in 1969, was a good choice.  I am sure you've heard it before, but have a listen again...who doesn't love the funky mellow feel of this song... Come together could be the rallying cry of 2021 too!  If we keep in mind that we are all more alike than we are different and that coming toge...

Happy Wednesday Everyone!   My blog post today is inspired by my drive to my kid's school this morning.  In our school district, the kiddos have a half-day on Wednesdays so I drive them in before getting to work back here at home.  For some reason, today, I didn't really feel like listening to my usual - National Public Radio (NPR), which by the way is a great way to start your day with a little knowledge of the world...but I digress...today I decided to rock it out to the oldies station!   Now when I was a kid, my mom drove us to school every day because she worked at my school.  We always listened to oldies on the radio on the drive to school!  It probably wasn't cool to be into oldies when I was 12 or14 (which was about 30 years ago) but I loved all the old music my mom loved, and I loved hearing her tell stories about her childhood and growing up years that the music sometimes evoked.  Now when I turn on the oldies station, it's music tha...

Good Tuesday Morning Everyone!   Yesterday, I mentioned that there are ways for you to get involved in some local school board initiatives by lending your voice to the discussions around possibly renaming Thatcher Brook Primary School and Raising the Black Lives Matter Flag on the HUUSD campuses.  I hope that you will consider becoming respectfully engaged in this process because your voice matters.  Your voice could matter today, but also for lots of tomorrows.   Check out this story about civil rights trailblazers from Wichita, Kansas, and remember what Mr. John Lewis, another civil rights and sit-in participant, said:     It's sometimes hard to understand how our actions now impact our futures, and possibly the lives of others, but it is important to consider.  It's important not to pressure yourself to be perfect - to always get it right, but it is important to consider, when you are out in the world, whether your, beliefs, actions...

Good Morning Students and Staff, I wanted to give a nod to the start of Black History Month today.  February marks a time set aside to celebrate the important contributions that people of color have made to our American history and culture.  Each day during Black History Month, I will highlight one individual that I think you should know about, but I challenge you to seek out those who have made significant contributions as well.  As I mentioned in my question of the day today, you should make it a point this month (and, well always) to make sure that what you read, watch, and listen to is filled with diversity.  In order to make sure the voices and life experiences of BIPOC (Black Indigenous, People of Color) are heard, we need to learn about them through storytelling, art, cultural events, and history.  Making our school, community, and state a more welcoming and inclusive place for all starts with each of you.  Our school district has made a commitment t...