Look for the Helpers

Welcome back, students and staff! During a much quieter than normal Thanksgiving break at my house, over appetizers on Thanksgiving Day, my spouse and I asked our two kids about this past year and what they felt they were most grateful for.  We felt that it was especially important this year to think about all the positive things that happened even in the midst of all the big misses we had.  I was pleasantly surprised to find my kids - who are 9 and 7 respectively - pretty reflective.  They mentioned being grateful for our health and the health of our family members,  time spent outdoors in nature, time spent together as a unit of four, the connections we were able to make with our extended family here in VT during the summer and the early part of the school year, and the ability to connect with family that is far away via zoom and facetime.  (While my son didn't mention video games, and my daughter didn't mention YouTube I am sure they were grateful for these t...

Good Morning Everyone! Each Thanksgiving I read the book, Bear Says Thanks , to my family before we eat.  It is a book that I got for my kids when they were little.  The author of this story writes a number of children's books that my kids liked mainly because they were fun to read with silly voices for each character!  (And yes, I do the voices for the whole family!)  I wish I had thought to record myself reading it to you, but you'll have to settle for this version from Storybook Central with, alas, no cool voices.  🤣🤣  I think the story may be more fitting than ever this year because at the beginning bear is feeling all alone and he is bored, bored, bored - just like many of us are feeling with our quarantine restrictions.  Soon enough though, bear and his friends get creative and cobble together bits of a meal to share.  In normal times, I like this book because it reminds us of the power of friends and the importance of finding little thing...

Happy Monday Students and Staff, I saw this video on Saturday and I knew immediately that I wanted to share it with all of you.  I don't think I can link it directly into my blog, so you'll have to watch it here .     I love so much about this video.  I love Brody's facial expressions and the way he conveys the lyrics as he dances!  I love, Fight Song  by Rachel Platten.  One of her very first lyrics is, "Like a small boat on the ocean, send big waves into motion."  In this video little bossbabybrody, however unintentionally, becomes that like that little boat.  He, (and millions of others too), doesn't hesitate to show the world just how special he is.  At four years old, he sets an amazing example of what it means to speak your truth (or dance it, in this case!).   Before you go getting sad about how hard it is to speak your truth sometimes, I want to acknowledge that middle school is a tough place to do it - not impossi...

We've made it to the end of another week folks and we are ever so close to our Thanksgiving break.  I am proud of each and every one of you for the effort and energy you have put into being successful during thr first third of the school year!  Today I want to mention a little celebration in honor of Transgender Awareness week which was this week.  Trans awareness week is a week when,  " transgender people and their allies take action to bring attention to the community by educating the public about who transgender people are, sharing stories and experiences, and advancing advocacy around the issues of prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affect the transgender community."   I want to acknowledge that once again, our brave little state has helped to lead our county in breaking barriers!  This past election day Winooski voters elected Taylor Small, VT's first openly Transgender Lawmaker!  You can read about her win  here . Congratulat...

Happy Thursday Everyone!   I have all kinds of tidbits for you today... When I read this, it reminds me of how important positive self-talk is.  Think about how you talk to your best friends.  Now think about how you talk to yourself.  Do they match, or are you always more negative in your self-talk than you are when you talk to your friends?  If you don't say, "You're never going to be good at anything," to your friends, don't say it to yourself.  If you don't say, "I hate how you look," to your friends, don't say it to yourself.  If you don't say, "you are so stupid," to your friends, don't say it to yourself!   You feel me?!?  You need to be your own best friend.  Treat yourself with kindness and compassion so that you will have the power, energy, and positive attitude to approach each day on the right foot with hope and the power to be successful!   Instead of reacting negatively towards yourself or others when bad thi...

Happy Wednesday Everyone, Learning how to appreciate the small things and celebrate the little victories is one way I am getting through my days right now.   As my husband and I drove home from dropping our kids off at school today (they have a half-day) I was discussing how much I like Wednesdays this year.  Although I miss being in the building with staff and students, and even though I am still working, it's like a mini mind break during an otherwise crowded week.  I get to sleep a little bit later, I get be see my kids off at the curb at school, I am working in my sweatpants, (and shhhhh, I haven't combed my hair yet!).  I am drinking my tea and writing to all of you.  This is my moment right now... Teaching ourselves to appreciate the times and to make the best out of each moment that we encounter is a valuable skill.  Life moves by quickly and being able to find the silver lining or stay grounded in the right now can help us be more alert to our ...

Happy Tuesday Everyone, I remember seeing this story about David Deutchman a while back, and it was brought back to my attention this morning.  Go ahead and watch first.   Touching right?!? The reason this story came back to me today is that sadly, David, the "ICU Grandpa." passed away this week.  He was 86 years old.  He had a long full, and happy life according to his children.  You can read a bit about his life here .   The reason I wanted to call attention to Mr. Deutchman's story is that I have written many times about giving to others, being of service to others, or volunteering your time.  I've written about how it not only helps others but enriches the life of the giver too.  In the linked article Deutchman's daughter, Susan Lilly states,  “Volunteering absolutely enriched his life,  The most meaningful part was the actual time he spent with these patients and their families. ... “He had a very successful business caree...