Yesterday’s post was pretty down, and with good reason.  Our district ship is dead in the water, with the sharks closing in on all sides, smelling blood in the water (dramatic much??).

However, I went home last night, and enjoy just relaxing with my family.  We didn’t do much of anything, but we talked, and we came to the conclusion that regardless of our school’s situation, we like it here.  My daughters have great friends, I love the fact we have our own little land we can plant and have a few animals on.  This kind of atmosphere just isn’t found anywhere.

So, I went to school today and sure enough, it started dragging on me again: people in the high school end are down, people in our end our down, kids are talking about open enrolling out. Blah.  Tonight, I found myself in the middle of a fifth grade chat (#5thchat) and it was about interactive white boards (IWB).  Awesome teachers, these fifth grade teacher are, and their passion about sharing, about smiling behind that screen just lightened my load greatly.  Plus, I just got an IWB hung up in my room and I know very little about it, so I’m taking web sites as fast as possible!

Suddenly, it strikes me: I have a job.  No, I’ll probably not be teaching fifth grade next year (which makes me sad) but I’ll be teaching.  And I still have fifth graders yet this year, so why not make this the best quarter and a third possible?  Why not show these fifth graders things they’ve never seen?  Let them experience some virtual field trips, a mystery Skype, and teach them as well, why not?  Why not be that rock that I’ve been so many times in my life for those who need that shoulder, that stability, to help them prepare for whatever the unknown is?  I feel as though a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, as though a purpose as been rediscovered in my own life.

I’m not a positive person, but by gosh, I can be one for those who need it!  Why not?  What is there to lose in being the positive one, the one who listens?  I’m not perfect by any means, but being the more quiet one on staff, I’ve earned that trust of many of my co-worker, the ability to listen.  Why not use that to help them?

Ask yourself that same question?  Why not? What’s stopping you from whatever it is that’s holding you down or back?  Is it worth it or is it time to just say, why not?

Cross posted to: http://teachercast.net/blog/ An awesome blog in itself! 🙂