A Tough Decision

Sitting in the mailbox waiting for the mailman to collect and deliver is an application to St. Bernard Academy. 

I know this might surprise some of you, BUT I LOVE school and learning. I love almost everything about school. I love to see student work displayed in the halls. I love the smiles and hugs of children. I love that I have to tell kids to "walk in the hall" as they are so excited to get to the library. I love helping  students find books that change their lives. I love when a student finally gets something after lots of hard work. I love how the laminating machine makes decorations shiny and last for a long time. I love the scissors, glue, and markers. I love to create bulletin boards that show off how smart the students are. I love all the misspelled love notes children give teachers that teachers proudly display on the wall by their desks. I love exploring, inquiring, and learning alongside students. I LOVE school and learning. 

I even love public schools. I work in lots of great schools alongside great teachers every week. Yet, some parts of public schools hurt my soul. I know that is way dramatic, but it is so true. Why can't all schools be fabulous? Why does policy trump learning? Why do we take the joy of learning away from kids? They are KIDS-- school should be awesome! School should not be about a testing. Testing is a cheap trick -- most of the kids that pass would probably pass without a teacher, and the kids that don't pass -- fight like hell and still fail -- then they quit fighting and schools/policymakers get all bent out of shape. 

So all this being said, we made a tough decision this week. Kat will change schools to where the focus is on learning to live productively and living to learn. She will be challenged, and she will grow. I will continue to advocate for and work in public schools. I will continue to work alongside teachers who navigate the rocky terrain in and around policy and their personal teaching/learning beliefs. 

Two words: Hip Surgery

I need to write. There are times when I despise writing and there are times when I need to write. Why, you might ask? Writing seems to be cathartic for me. I am able to pour words onto a page and think things through without having to talk to anyone.

But why do I need to write today?

2 words: hip surgery (the link is a video---ignore the "lesion" part--the surgeon doesn't think he will have to deal with the bone, but he won't know for sure until he is able to see it.)

On Friday, a hip specialist will remove the torn labrum from inside the ball and socket joint of my hip. In a nutshell--this is going to suck. I will be on crutches for 4 weeks. Therefore, we sprung for some fancy, ergonomic crutches.

Won't I look really cool? The downside to the whole thing is that I won't be able to run for 6 months. Yep, you heard right---6 months. And then only for 1 minute at a time for up to 10 minutes, which is probably all I will be able to run after sitting for so long. Sigh. 

The good news: 

The hip is not broken--though maybe I wish there was a break… don't breaks heal faster? There is 0 sign of any kind of arthritis. The hip joint looks "incredibly healthy" except for the tear. So this really is just an injury. I will be back to running by my birthday (June), I will run the Women's half marathon is September, and I will run the Nashville Full Marathon in November, 2014. 

Poster at Litton

The more you read,
the more you know.

The more you know,
the smarter you grow.

The smarter you grow,
the stronger your voice,

when speaking your mind 
or making a choice.