Hope

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all. " Emily Dickinson

Alexandra Dau, Bird, 2013
Check out her blog here.

Oh, the joy and excitement of the new school year! Unfortunately, we may also feel trepidation, fear, and anxiety. I have learned that the few short weeks between the old and new contain a key. It is up to me to decide if my key opens the door full of hope or the door of hopelessness. I have chosen hope for this upcoming school year. 

 

I have chosen rest and family and movies and my front porch swing.  I have chosen friends and walks and a glass of wine. I have chosen Twitter chats and  professional development and building my Profession Learning Network. I already feel refreshed and excited. But I have not always chosen hope.

 

Some summers were filled with hopelessness... which begets hopelessness. The memories and the weariness of the previous year filled my thoughts day after day. Yes, I spent time with family and friends, took walks through the park, and spent time swinging on my porch swing. But the weariness lingered.  Hope was deferred.  So what is the difference?  What is the key to hope?

 

The key is choice.  Choosing what we want and clinging to it and working toward it. When I choose hope the lens of my life changes. Every activity, every moment is full of purpose and pushes me towards my goal. Moments shared with my family bring me life, walks through my little town cause me to breathe easier, holding hands with my husband fills me with peace. My heart is lifted and hope fills my every cell. It is not how I fill my time but why I fill my time and for what purpose.  My goal is hope. Hope for now and the future. Hope for goodness and peace and purpose.

 

Rest. I actually feel rested. That in itself brings me joy. However, I have been confronted with another challenge - with the hope comes a feeling of being overwhelmed.  How can I accomplish all I want to this upcoming year? How can I apply all I have learned? How can I make this the best school year for my precious students? Fortunately, the following video was shared with me during some professional development this summer:

 



 

One degree.  Water is just hot water at 212 degrees. When heated one degree more (213 degrees) it boils.  It produces steam. "AND STEAM CAN POWER A LOCOMOTIVE!" How powerful! This truth has filled me with even more hope and has helped relieve those feelings of being overwhelmed. Yes, I have learned a lot. Yes, I am responsible to do my very best. And I will.  I will choose that ONE DEGREE that will revolutionize my classroom. I will strive for excellence by one degree.  Once I have applied and attained that one degree of difference - I will move on to the next degree!

 

I choose hope. I choose one degree. I know I am unlocking a year of excitement and accomplishment for me and my students!