Today was a day about finding the happy going into next week. Since Christmas, our class has been different: rude, disrespectful to each other, to us, and other teachers, apathetic, and just plain ornery. Now, this certainly is not the entire class, but the tenor of the class has changed.

#theendoftheyearattitudecameearly

So, we’ve had the kids write down their “big rocks”, those things they should focus their time on. It’s something just to remind them what’s important. I’ve also done this as well for the last three months, just to be able to focus myself a little bit too. My big rocks for this week:

  1. Family: My daughters will be home this weekend, so we’ll be planning and awaiting their return.
  2. Health: I’ve lost 10 pounds since Christmas because I’ve been making better choices with my eating habits, exercising, and getting better sleep.
  3. Finding happy: I’ve been looking for the things that bring me happiness, delight, and joy.

Today, I looked through my pictures from this past weekend.

Wandering around Ames this weekend, going to Reiman Gardens, visiting their butterfly conservatory, I found happiness and joy in all of it. Today, taking a walk with my wife in warmth late in the afternoon, sitting down and eating together, that brought me happiness. Lastly, I also got a three-mile run in, so the shower and bed, they will bring me happiness as well.

As we start this week, it’s a tough time to be a teacher. Spring is coming and so are the behaviors that come with it. Covid-19 is in Iowa, in the county where my daughter lives, and I’m sure there’s virus talk in most schools right now. In the midst of challenging times, take time to find things that bring you joy. Find your happy and share it with your students. 

It may be the very thing THEY need after a long weekend.