Pink Cupcakes

Week 3 back in the teaching trenches has just come to an end and the weekend is here! It is always a bit satisfying to wrap up a week and to look back with a smile.  Not that it has not been challenging.  Those who teach know that every new school year is in a way also picking up where you left and creating brand new chapters but now and then we do face doomsday.  The thing is that I have promised myself that I am rather going to focus on the positive things that my job offers me than the ones that cause me nightmares and heart burn.  Oh yes, I already had a few moments that I did wonder why I just do not have a magic wand.

The thing is that I have found out a few weeks ago while doing a little quiz that I have got the tendency to be very pessimistic and believe me this was one of those games that for ones was backed up by scientific number and statistics. I cringed at my result because I only scored 0!  Not proud of that but it did kind of confirmed but I do have the tendency to be very pessimistic and the moment that I feel joy or wish to jump into the air I will find something that will cause rain on my parade.  It is in my genes and that in combination with the media and all the negative news that is spreading like a disease I do have these days that I do wonder if I even should try. 

Many teachers I know are very strict with themselves.  The ‘best’ teachers I had myself were not the ones that always smiles on their face but they managed to stimulate me to dive into some things that at first sight seemed rather boring but once when you dove in and went along with them you entered a total different world.  None of them ever forced me but the ones that made me work hard, giving it an other try, look further, loan an extra book from the library on the subject, gave me some extra time to push the barrier that are the ones that I am now grateful and I am quite sure that they also had those rather gloomy days…we all do!  Still there is a lot to be grateful and within those sunny moments there is so much energy to find that you know that that is what can make the difference. 

So here we go….Over the last 3 weeks I have been so grateful for

-The enthusiasm and eagerness that students demonstrate when they have a lesson of Dutch.  As many of you know is it ‘only’ an one hour subject for the UP students that I teach at my educational hotspot.  Still the sincere outburst of joy when they see my coworker U or me walk in that is so heart warming.  It still can bewilder me and yes it is an energy boost.
-The smiles and great formal and less formal talks I had with my coworkers on each level.  It can still amaze what the impact of good conversation is and how it can influence your work attitude.  Inside a classroom you do end up on your own but it are the other teachers who can so much break or make the overall moral where you try to teach.  Therefor I am so grateful that I did already felt that I have enough ears and shoulders to turn to in case of melt down or outburst of sheer happiness that I wish to share with fellow teachers.
-Those special moments that you find out that teaching does have an impact and that things are not just for the sake of saying and hoping against all odds. That during one of my students I suddenly witnessed some of my younger students picking up trash without having told to so made me feel so happy.  Yes, they had been an assembly about keeping the campus clean and taken care and joined responsibility but that is not a guarantee that the the transfer between the assembly hall and the play ground goes smoothly.
-The very powerful moments that students go beyond that what you hoped for.  It is in these first weeks back that you find out how much did ‘stick’ and how much has ‘vanished’.  Nothing can make me a happier than a student that just can not hold back by calling out ‘we have covered this last year!’.  Yes, the curse of teaching a foreign language for one hour ‘only’ is challenging when when it comes down to getting students to remember words and grammatical structures we one in a long ago past talked and filled in worksheets about.  Spontaneous ‘confessions’ of students are sometimes the ultimate icing on the cake.
-The holiday stories students and parents share with you and what they have managed to with their language knowledge.  That there are positive outcomes of language learning is not something that is scientifically questioned but still I have my doubts that many of my students find the time and place to put their Dutch into practice. When I am told that they have taken their learning outside the classroom and ended up using at a museum, restaurant or summer camp I am very proud of them.
-The work-family balance that is so fragile but you seem to be able to keep up 3 weeks further down the line.  That my time table is very nice mix between loaded and rather light days with enough time to plan and sort out urgent administration and other issues that have landed up in the mailbox is surely something that I am grateful for. 
-The interesting books, articles and stories that I have read so far have proven there is still enough out there in the educational world.  Despite all the negative press and everlasting debate that teaching is rather something for those who can’t are there enough positive vibes going on in the educational orbit.  That I have ‘sacrifice’ some of my ‘free’ time in order to find out more about them is something that I so far have not regretted for a single second.  On the contrary it has given me more energy and contentment.
-The presence of online support that comes sometimes in disguise of a good joke or an extra pat on the shoulders.  I signed up this year for a buddy support the light version but also plan to try out something new closer to home.  So far I can just state that it are those little messages that sometimes can pull me back up. 
-The sweet moments and breaks that students or coworker celebrate with you their birthday and bring along treats or that U brings along one of her amazing baking experiments.  I have say that the gluten free biscuits surely surprised my taste buds.  Also a strawberry dipped in chocolate and chocolates in a box to choose from are only a few of the unexpected delights that have brought some extra happiness into my first three weeks.
-The late summer days that have brightened up some of rather early and painful awakenings and made the transition between facing reality a bit more bearable and smoother. The extra intake of vitamin D is surely a delightful treat. Rain is on the forecast for the days to come but the sunshine we had they can’t take away from me. 
….

I know that there are harder days looming around the corner…all it sometimes takes is one less ‘good’ lesson or a mail that sounds almost like a dead threat to make all the above void.  But there is always light at the end of the tunnel and I have some extra ticks and tips to rely on in case of an emergency. Plus that I have made some promises that I very much wish to keep because in the long run they will make the school year so much more fun and bearable for myself and the ones around me.  In case you do end up with rather the dark sided Stallie than be aware of that one poster that is up on my noticing board, that one can make all trouble go away:’Why yes, a pink cupcake will fix everything!  Works miracles for me, every single time…but foremost I also try to keep in mind that in the end ‘nothing lasts forever we have only have what we remember.’ That is how our brains works and teachers are surely specialist in that!  My students fully agree with that as well...ask them about the pink cupcake poster... ;-)

PS: I love Anggun her voice.  I do prefer her rather in French but this song can make me move around in my kitchen and does also make me focus on what I should remember in order to see the positive side of many things.

Excellence..just excellence....

It is the weekend and just had my traditional cup of George Clooney coffee in my gigantic Stitch mug and just took a glance at the front page of the newspaper.  Also the washing machine is running in full modus, finally managed to make a hair dresser appointment, started to read of the books I put on the reading menu for our upcoming ‘scary’ themed book week at my educational hotspot and I also can not wait to dive into one of the Mindfulness books I wish to read before September comes to an end…. Yeah Stallie is back at work, back at school, back where the magic can take place, back where she feels at her best…back where I am aiming very hard to be the best teacher for every single one of the my students.

As mentioned before I do not believe that perfection exist or at least I rather tend to describe it rather as a mindset not I not master constantly.  It is rather something I not excel at…do not get me wrong. Not that I not aim for excellence and perfection when it comes down my profession.  There are there those moments that I could jump for joy and run through the school building screaming it out that I saw in the eyes of my educational audience what I am after. Sparkling eyes all over the place.  Oh yes, it happens and even more than I will admit. It happened last week already in my first week back out there.  The thing is that most of my victories I tend to celebrate in silence or I will have a small after party in my car with my Spotify favorite list echoing through my car.  Believe me by the time I get home I already have discarded my super hero cape and jump back into my more boring and daily routine. 

After all that is part of what I do consider teaching a never ending story that will call constantly for action and reflection.  It then not also surprises me that at the beginning of a new academic year many people consider themselves educational expersts.  By the time that I am preparing my first lesson plan I have already read or heard  hundreds of opinions about what is going well or not going well in the educational world.  It is like in middle of august many educational specialist suddenly snap out of their hibernating status to spread their gospel of education and I wonder how in the world I am going to please all of them or going to make it work what they consider good or excellent education.

Still, I am one of these people who has to put into the action what many have a very outspoken opinion about.  So then it is not such a big of a surprise that I still experience that the educational reality is so much different than an opinion of an educational specialist, parent or minister of eduation.   It is never perfect and it will be constantly questioned by many....excellence seems the be then the last word that I do think of.

Is it then a surprise that I then every year over and over again do wonder…wonder if I made the right decisions about teaching and learning?  Oh yes, I have ‘screwed’ up and still do when I teach and try to let every single of students in my care learn.  The perfection I strive for in my classroom sometimes does not resembles anything that I did plan out on paper.  That in the month of August I then tend to become a restless educational soul who then goes through an existential crises is not unexpected. Yes, I have had those moments that I reflected out loud about pursuing an other career. One of these life questioning conversations even took place at an airport in an other continent.  This is all is to me the proof I constantly question myself and my teaching and learning that I offer...and it is not always a smooth going exercise.  Believe me...sometimes it is a very grim place to travel to.

Yes, I am worried about the status of our national and global educational environment.  There are many people around me who worry about the minds and skills of our future work force.  The list of these outspoken concerns is long and I am not going to dive into them at this point. You can find them by Googling them and there are official reports written about them.  Feel free to do so because that is what I also did and will keep doing. The thing is that I already have doven back into the educational pool/reality where the temperature can be sometimes sub zero and where I sometimes am afraid to go under.   Not that I am alone ‘swimming ‘around in that deep water.  Every year I meet up there with a very big force that works like a magnet and manages to keep me afloat. Now and then I  might be in doubt if I am ready to get closer and collide with those other forces.  In general it will click with these others but once in a while it will sometimes make me go back under before I can find back the right direction. 

The thing is that I need other people in order to be the ‘excellent’ teacher I wish to be.  Oh yes, I feel so blessed that I had so many great examples to learn from.  I am still grateful for that and one of those things that I do like so much about my job is that I can constantly learn from others, including from my students.

September is together with June the most challenging month when it comes down to my job.  Yes, I already look forward to October in a way.  Still it is also the month in which I am given the opportunity to start with a clean sheet, put in to actions some to the ideas I came up with the past months and is also the moment that I try to be more in synch with many other teachers and reconnect.  A very exciting moment but but it also can make me feel a bit less secure. Hey, I am not perfect. 

That we this week were asked to reflect about the word ‘excellence’ when it comes down to learning and teaching first made me go totaly silent.  I stared at the blank sheet and yes I was relieved that we were allowed to think this over for a few days.  The thing is that I could not hold back and that that I already in the car did start to question my own son what he did think that excellence in learning and teaching means to him.  He was able to give a very clear answer and it did match what I did expect him to answer. But A is now a teenager and that is also when their brain starts to work differently and so he wondered why I did ask him.  ‘Oh, it is something I am asked to think about not that I do not always am very sure about..so I wanted your help.’  A looked at me but said nothing. Not sure that is was positive but it seemed that he was wondering if had not ever done before….

Oh yes, that is the thing…constantly and that is the thing with many of us who have signed up for education with their full heart and soul that we never ever stop reflecting.  It is like a mindset that is contagious. Especially when you are willingly to think outside the box. Believe me I am surrounded by so many excellence that my head keeps spinning.  In September it is always as if I walk into force field where I am dragged into and been given the opportunity to dive into full on and learn, teach, share, reflect, listen, adopt, create, feedback, assess, observe, talk, dream, collaborate and many more action verbs.  The most confrontational aspect of that thinking exercise is that I wish that I had more time to manage of all of these things that I deeply care about when it comes down to excellence in combination with teaching and learning.

So yes, I have decided to share what my mindset is when it comes down to these words. Please beware these are my personal selected words…my feelings…and I do not expect all of you to agree with me. It is just that you then can travel along more fully informaed with me while I try to ‘survive’ an other school year.  Oh yes, I epect to collide and disagree with some of my coworkers. That is okay as long as at the end of the day I can still feel in sync with my own moral teaching compass. 

Here we go…..

Excellence in teaching is

-having the opportunity to access Extraordinary staff who always is openminded and resourceful
-having the opportunity to not just Xerox teaching styles, resources, curriculum, teaching plans, etc…but tailor them so they fit best for our students and constantly review, modify and adopt
-having the opportunity to be Creative in our ways of teaching and how we can teach
-having the opportunity to Experiment with different teaching styles and methods
-having the opportunity to be a Life long learner in a professional and academic environment
-having the opportunity to Listen and to be listened to when it comes down to teaching
-having the opportunity to Expand your knowledge by attending CPDs that your teaching can benefit with from directly or in some ways indirectly
-having the opportunity to develop and share New resources and methods of teaching in an openminded and professional environment
-having the opportunity to Collaborate with professionals, specialists and coworkers in a trustworthy manner
-having the opportunity to Extend your teaching in order to open up new opportunities for you as teacher and students to put your teaching into good practice beyond the classroom.

…….

Excellence in learning is..

-having access to extraordinary resources and facilities that stimulate and inspiring the learning.
-having the freedom to be creative in many ways across the curriculum that is offered
-having the opportunity to demonstrate our learning not only in the classroom but also outside the classroom
-having the opportunity to celebrate the outcome of your learning and feeling confident to excel further
-having the opportunity to extend your knowledge and skills inside and outside the classroom
-having the opportunity to be part of a learning community that stimulates togetherness and mutual respect
-having the opportunity to share your knowledge, culture and values in a openminded environment
-having the opportunity to try out many ways of learning that stimulates and facilitates the learning process
-having the opportunity to use your individual talent at full potential within and outside the classroom
-having the opportunity to make decisions about your own learning in a trustworthy, openminded and respectful learning environment
-having the opportunity to call in for help in case you feel there is a need for it
-having the opportunity to express your opinion and give feedback about your learning and the teaching
-the opportunity to inquire in order to expand your knowledge and skills

…….


Hopefully you noticed those little dots below…and do you know what they mean….

Hereby I also wish all teachers, students, educational supporting staff, parents and caregivers an unforgettable academic year. Hopefully it lives up to your expectations of ‘excellence’.

P.S.:  For this entry I have picked out a song by Johnny Hates Jazz that one day my Spotify selected for me and I do think that in education I do feel like these lyrics say.  'Our hearts go round and round like the seasons' and we have so many moments that we can decide to cooperate or just walk by. It is up to us...teaching and learning is one of the most valuable&adventureous walks we take in our life.
The other one is a clip of Stitch because Stallie the teacher sometimes feels like this rather 'crazy' Disney character but the message that in teaching and learning family I do no want leave anyone behind. In my teaching and learning gospel that is perhaps the one I believe very strong in and try to teach by...no matter what, when or how!!! 

Found & Lost Abroad.

Peaches in Austin…peaches will never ever taste as good again as when I had my first peach on sunny day in Austin last July.  You were not there with me when I did bite in that one piece of fruit my dear friend H had just handed me over.  You will never be able to share that experience with me because it was one of those taste experiences that went beyond.  It was like a collision of so many emotions and my taste buds were on fire.  I can only describe it as fireworks were going of in my mouth but also in my brain.  Desperately I wanted to hold on to that sensation.  Sweetness, and smoothness were two words that I will for ever link up with that heavenly snack moment.  But I even wish to top it with the following more in depth words that even reflect so much better the intense moment I experienced while sitting on a high chair in an cozy air conditioned kitchen:’succulent luscious and mushy’!  

I guess you must wonder if all the rest of my holiday abroad was as good as that or even better…hmmm…hard to say.  A mango is not a peach, and pancakes in NYC are not the same as a breakfast taco in Austin, a mojito is not a Texan Mule and a swimming pool is not a walk in the park.  Just to give you an idea how different my two vacation spots were.  And that is just the top of the ice berg. Because there is more than meets the eye when I travel to the States.  For me that nation brings together so many things, places, food, art, architecture, landscapes, landmarks and foremost people I love.  It is a bit like coming home when the plane comes to a total stand still. 

It also not the average holiday that I end up having when getting into a cab or shuttle bus. Also I can’t hide my American accent that I inherited after being 11 months an exchange student. It still lingers around in my sub conscience.  Strangely did it took me over 48h that I seem to speak the English the average American understood. Guess  that the job related Britishness has crept under my nails and now has also taken over how I pronounce certain words or have a slightly adopted vocabulary.   There was even a moment of panic when I did try to order two bottles of still water and that the waiter gave me a blank face.  With temperatures and humidity on the rise in the Big Apple you do wish to able to order a bottle of refreshing water asap.  Thanks to my speedy and helpful niece I did manage to get my hands on them. Believe me at that exact moment I was feeling desperate and about to lose it all together.  

It are these extra ordinary journeys to the US that make me go beyond in many ways.  Oh yes, I do need to push a few snooze buttons when I see the skyline of NYC looming up. Even when the limo-driver points out that he never gets enough of it I do know that I will not walk in there anymore as a first time traveller. I have been on top of the World Trade Center two months before it came down. It will remain one of the most intense experience I ever had in my life due to me having to push myself due to being afraid of heights.  N who was there with me, knows that what I remember of that trip is not the height or the impressive buildings.  She was there with me and I am very sure that she is one of the few people who understands what that nation does do to me.  Nobody will ever take that away from me either but I am still happy that I was there together with N.  I then strangely had predicted that she would one day would live in the US.  Guess who now lives there and who has to settle for Facebook updates and Instagram posts? Time zones do interfer with long distance friendships.

The other reason that traveling through the country of stars and stripes is also a bit extra ordinary is also linked up with the fact that some of my in laws and very close friends live there.  Yes, I know what it feels like to be picked up by a limo service or what a great sensations race through my brain when a car picks me up at arrivals with cheerful people in it. It then feels like I arrived home…those car trips are so much more fun.  Plus believe me that getting on a train in the morning  that  heads into Central Station instead of walking out your hotel lobby in Mahattan is so much different.   We do now more leave the city around rush hour and head to a suburb where a total different great experience awaits.

Or wandering around in Central Park is a bit different when you have parked your car just a block away from it. Or when you manage to give them a local zip code while shopping with your niece at the so girlie and amazing fun American Girl Store.  Also instead of having dinner at one of the thousands restaurants your tour guide book raves about  you end up in a local very classy and glamorous taco restaurant where the locals dine is so much more intense. Or ending up unexpectedly in that coffee bar that is linked to a certain book you read this year and wondered when you would ever end up in that coffee bar.  Not that I will ever get used to the humidity and the unpleasant temperatures that come along with summers in the Big Apple but the homemade pancakes and lemonade at Bubby’s make up for that.  Or getting two scoops of gelato at the EatItaly at the Flat Iron building and then walk back to Central Station knowing that you are about to blend in with the regular ones. These are just a few of these exceptional intense moments that I had down town in NYC this time.

I walk now through the city in a total different manner than the first time when I landed there. Most due to now having the privilege to hang out with locals. Who also sometimes wish us not to go into those places we are tempted to walk into but rather pay attention to those places, things, monuments that are a bit off the touristy route or walking into something you are sure is considered a ‘tourist trap’.  Believe me I had the best of time in restaurants, bars, museums and such that from the outside looked rather a bit dodgy when I stood outside.  You know how challenging it is for the capricorn to let others decide and just going with the flow? 

Well traveling to the US is nowadays exactly that.  I will never ever forget what it was like when I walked into that spa my friend H dropped me off.  Or how my son started to dance with his cousin in the Adidas store on Fifth Avenue.  Yes, there are sometimes down sides as well because my son has so far not seen the skyline of NYC at night.  We tend to leave the city that never sleeps at rush hour and board a train with hundreds of suits and briefcases.  That we go in depth with locals means that you sometimes have settle for those moments that you do not know what is up next.  They are the best tour guides and that the same time you do wonder how well they really know you. So it is give and take and I have to say that it sometimes challenges you but it is so well worth it.

This trip I found out that my US family and friends know me so well. They have given me a holiday that went beyond any tour guide.  Numerous moments I just was amazed by what insight information they had and how to please me and make me the happiest bunny hopping around on the planet.  Especially when I for once not feel tempted to check out beforehand where they are about to take us or me.  I can assure you that walking into the lobby of the Fairmount hotel in Austin was so insane and when I saw the bar I was about to loose it all together.  Or when they drove me to the Presidential Library of LB Johnson.  People who know me personal know what the effect of an library is when your name is Stallie.  That moment you walk into the big hall where you for the first time get to see the archives behind glass I can only describe as being ‘beyond’. 

Yes, there are also the simple moments that have given me so much joy.  Like having a home made smoothie that your niece has prepared with great eager or when you end up reading a bedtime story to two cutie pies who sit on your lap in their bedroom.  It is when you find out the recipe of the barbecue sauce the father of your friend prepares with you before putting it on a chicken you just bought in Wholefoods where it all started for that supermarket chain.  Also when you sip from the homemade cold-brew handed over in a Yeti-cup that keeps your drink so much longer cooler than you ever imagined. It happens when you are instructed to do outlet shopping on a very tight shedule and then decide that you are going to buy that one bag you have set your mind on for years.  It is when you drive into cities and passing by places that you know from books, movies or songs but have only seen from one point of view.  It is the deeper sensation that runs through your veins when your friend takes you to Bookpeople, an independent bookseller in Austin, where you can get your hands on a signed by the author copy of that book that is on your want-to-read list.  It happens when you are offered a Texan Mule that is prepared by a local who tells you that he has been in Dilsen Stokkem, Belgium. And it happens when you have a great chat about life while cooling down in the pool and realizing that you are blessed a thousands time more than you imagined. 

One of the most magical moments was one evening when my sis in law parked her car in front of the house and I suddenly saw of the first time fire flies.  Yes, I had never seen them before and a part of me even wondered if they still existed or were a by product of fantasy authors.  I stood there in the wet grass wearing my blue ballerinas and felt so light and happy.   ‘Are those fireflies?’, I asked my niece.  ‘Oh, yes there are many around.’, she answered and ran towards the porch of the house.  My son then wondered:’So when are the raccoons coming out?’  I guess that he was more after the action animals than me.  Also did my other significant not manage to ‘kill’ the moment when he told me that they also just fly around in Belgium.  Well, my first encounter with them was in the States and it was a perfect moment that nobody will ever be able to take away from me.

What I do also find out while trying to write a blog entry about my travels is that I never ever manage to recreate the atmosphere you are after.   I have tried before to write stories about places that I have been to.  Spots close by or at the end of the world where my blood streams faster, where I manage to come to rest, where my mind just stops racing, where I have found that one missing piece that I was after to make sense of what I am doing or thinking, where my body feels in synch with her heart, where a smile of a total stranger is the ultimate boost shake, where you come to terms with what you have instead what you are longing for, where you embrace hope once again and that against all odds (the States is momentarily the best place ever to so),where my taste buds go into a certain modus that I can only describe as ‘full on’, where background music intensifies sitting in a waiting area,  where picking out your newest acquisition for your charm bracelet stands for so much then just the amount it costs, where singing along in a Sunday church gives you goosebumps and even makes your cry…I could go on and on but it is rather a mission impossible to reenact by the means of words what I have been experiencing.  Every Summer I need to come to terms that I have been there on my own that even the people closest to me and who might be present are not even getting close to what I am sensing and experiencing.

The closest I got to finding the most fitting words for this experience I came across in ‘Tell Me Three Things’ by Jullie Buxbaum, one of the 3 books that I managed to read in between all the fun and joy:
“Perfect days are for people with small, realizable dreams.  Or maybe for all of us, they just happen in retrospect; they’re only now perfect because they contain something irrevocably and irretrievably lost.”

So yes, I had 13 perfect days abroad that have brought me so much more than I could even imagine while booking my flights, filling in my ESTA online document or when packing.  Not all of them were with joy…some of them made me realize that it might be a while before I will be back to write the next chapter of a guidebook that I do not have a clue where it will take me to.

I also wish to thank my great in laws L&L and their awesome daughter/niece A, my closest American friend H, her cool husband J and cutie pie daughters G and L, H her lovely parents who all have spoiled me to bits. It is highly appreciated and believe me you all gave me an energy boost that I will not easily find in a container of vitamins.  Thank you of the bottom of my heart for having created those moments that I can only describe as being ‘perfect memories’ of something that I now have ‘lost’ knowing that I can not wait for the next time we meet up again for an other round of ‘found’. 

Hoping that all of you are having/had such an intense and incredible fun Summer as I did and that if you are still about to book or board your well deserved break away then I wish you an unforgettable ‘found&lost’-time.  Just do not forget to take along your phone/camera & charger so that you will have some ‘proof’ of these intense and joyful moments to look during a rainy, cold and dark day.

P.S.: These two songs are connected with my trip.  The first one I even get to hear preform life by Taylor Swift in a mega stadium while I was fighting jetlag and at times did think that this all was not happening. Thank you L for taking to that concert of a life time!  The second one is a song that my friend H loved playing in the car while we drove though the Austin landscape, one kind of a landscape that enables to make me breath more easily. That I have to let go many at these kind of trips is something I will never get used to! Missing you already heaps! 

Heartfelt

There are those days that

sunlight reflects all your emotions
the sky is as blue as the water at the shore of Bora Bora
the bottled smell of roses and deep musk leave behind a trail in the air
hands on your shoulders linger around a little bit longer
smiles send little jolts of energy through your body and mind
high stemmed glasses are filled up with stars
you do not need many words to say what you wish to say
fashionable heels on your pedicured feet and precious cufflinks pricked into white shirts lighten up your mood
something old, new, borrowed and blue collide
white doves fly over and evoke only silence, the silence you long for
the word ‘yes’ brings back fond memories and creates new shiny ones
bitter and sweet flavors leave behind intense sensations
white table linnen and starched napkins add some more style
black ink on white paper creates a bond beyond words
hair pins and nail polish are added to the fashionable cocktail
striking a pose in the evening sun makes you jump for joy
a kiss leaves behind a tingling imprint on your heart
tears are for once the most intense and unconditional reflection of your fondest memories
butterflies inside and outside fly by
the cheers of children and giggling of babies add an extra dimension
a ring stands for never-ending when it comes down to love, faith and hope
a walk on cobbled stones leads to more joyful moments
candles in church and on tables in the moonlight flicker to remind you of the preciousness of life
lipstick and eyeliner that are considered waterproof don’t live up to their expectations
friends and family are joined together in order to create new and everlasting memories
looking over your shoulders you do once more to reconfirm the present and jump into the deep
the waning crescent and bright stars on your way home announce the next chapter you are longing for…longing for what you have chosen for to have, to hold and to embrace.

Summer days as such describe exactly what you wish to hold on to…no matter what.



Congrats to my little sis, her husband C and their 'jillybean' J.



PS: That the Red Devils came in third in Russia that day only intensified all of the above. Memorable & joyful days they do exist…we just need to be reminded of those once in a while.  I did pick a very cheesy song to go along with this one. But in way this is to express how happy I am for my sister who is in many ways my opposite.  Twilight was that evening unforgettable beautiful as well...

Summerschool

Twenty years…yesterday I wrapped up twenty years in education.  Yes, there were tears and smiles involved in saying goodbye, letting go, decluttering and evaluating the previous 10 months.  By now I know so well and that I still not get myself under control when it comes down to moving on and detaching myself when it comes down to my job description.  It is what it is…people move on and surely in education.  Not just the young people you get the privilege to work with but also the professionals you work with.  Last night when I drove home I suddenly was completely overwhelmed by one of these sensations that I can very hard put into words.  But yes, it is the feeling that I signed up for I graduated from teaching college. This is what I was after… and yesterday it hit me right between the eyes and it was mind-blowing.

So I have taken myself the liberty to say a few things that I found out about teaching over the last two decades. 

Teaching is coming to terms that there will never be enough time.
Teaching is giving up your control now and then.
Teaching is dreaming that the best is yet to come.
Teaching is relying on technology and coffee machine.
Teaching is coming up with a plan D within seconds.
Teaching is wishing that you could do so much more for all involved.
Teaching is putting into action what you preach.
Teaching is never ever wishing to give up.
Teaching is empowering the young& less young minds.
Teaching is lifelong learning.
Teaching is believing that there is more than only one road to bring all to the final destination.
Teaching is dancing, singing and acting to get your point and message across.
Teaching is reflecting and assessing the past and aiming for a better future.
Teaching is putting things in the right perspective after reading between the lines.
Teaching is sleepless nights in order to have careless days.
Teaching is listening to everyone at any time of the day.
Teaching is exploring and going on great adventures.
Teaching is caring about those tiny little details that perhaps nobody might notice.
Teaching is picking up the broken pieces and putting them back together.  Endless times.
Teaching is giving others wings while you need be grounded.
………
TEACHING IS EVERYTHING AND NOTHING AT THE SAME TIME.

Some of these you for sure will be able to understand and others might be rather puzzling.  There might be even a few that you already have come across in other lists of certain jobs. That is okay and as I said this is my personal experience. 

Six years ago I said goodbye to a very special place to move on to an other special spot.  Both of them have given me so much.  Yes, there have been tears and very deep going & fierce emotions. This lady here has got a very outspoken opinion about what teaching can and should be about. It thanks to very diverse group of students and outspoken motivated and passionate colleagues that I do believe that education is the key to success.  Not that is easy to get by.

It still involves a lot of work and seeing past many hurdles in order to get done what you aiming for.  Oh yes, I have been challenged many times.  Not only by students but also by coworkers, mentors,  line managers, coordinators, heads, board members, pedagogical advisors, parents, psychologist, the government and last but not least also by society.

Nope I have not got a degree in magic potions or carry a magic want into my teaching habitat.  Not that I would mind to have sometimes some special forces to get through a rainy and rather gloomy day when nothing seems to work. 

That I have been given this school year to go on two major CPDs surely has given me a professional boost.  The first one was the four day leadership course that I did embark on with rather a big doses of skepticism. Not that I did question the course itself but rather me being one of the participants.  That I had to sacrifice one of my weekends due it made even a bit more challenging.

In the end I have to state that it for sure has given me a few insights on how leadership can work inside and outside a classroom.  That being an leader and being led are in a very close relationship and that friction is never far away.  I not only walked out of the building feeling rather refreshed but also wiser.  I have promised myself a few things while being on that course.  Some of these promises I am already trying to put into action.  It won’t be easy to keep all of them up at the same time.  Plus that I strongly believe that leading is also about empowering others.  So I am expected to have good days and some rather stormy days heading my way when it will come to this. 

But then the content of the second CPD ‘Mindfullness in schools’ conference, that I got to attend with my cool coworker U in the city that I will never grown tired of London,  might save myself and I.  Not that this will be a walk through the park either.  Mindfulness is surely not a novelty anymore but it does involve a lot of practice and hard work when it comes down to integrating successfully into a school.  Momentarily I am staring at my stack of Summer reads and some of them are mindfulness books.  I even also purchased and downloaded  the Budhify app on my phone.  If I wish to be the mindfulness teacher that I envision myself to be I will also have to make some promises with myself on that part.

The thing is that in a way I never have felt so refreshed at the end of a school year due to these two professional development opportunities.  Yes, I am planning to enjoy my well deserved Summer holiday.   I can’t wait to meet up with some of my friends and family and make so happy and intense memories that will add up to the mindfulness and ‘dolce far niente’ cocktail that I do hope to bottle up and get out in case of emergency in the school year ahead. 

So yes, I am very grateful for so many people and things that have happened to me over the 20 years.  Most of all I am very happy that I had the pleasure to have been taught by and also worked with some great teachers myself. People that have given me all that I now hope to pass on to the children that I get the privileged to teach and have under my care.  The imprint they left behind on my heart and mind is stronger than any education related study or regulations that I need to put into action. 

To wrap up this entry I opted to for using a song out of movie also the Y6 opted for to sing a song from  in their great annual production.  This is year it was that one song that so many know from that one movie called ‘The Greatest Showman’.  From now on there will be two songs that now stands for so much more than part of a major motion picture. One you will find at the bottom of this blong entry.  Those amazing students I will surely miss now that they move on to their secondary school but the song surely will make my heart beat faster and remind me of all those promises I have made myself. A teacher might now an then be also a showman but then I will be reminded as well of the words by the character P.T. Barnum says:’For years, I chased their cheers.’  When it comes down to leading I do not wish to chase for cheers of others but rather for matters. 

Have yourself all a great Summer.  Aim high when it comes down to making memories and hug the ones you love, live within the moment, fill up a high stemmed glass with champagne to celebrate, read a book that you always wanted to do, dance whenever you feel like it, book that spa treatment that your body screams for, call that one friend that you have not seen for a long time for an impromptu luncheon, do not forget to pack your passport or the sun protection when traveling abroad, wander through a museum that you have postponed to visit, look first yourself before putting a picture on Instagram,  sing under the shower,  look up in the sky once in a while and first of all remember rule #6 that I so much believe in: Do not take yourself so serious….because when it comes down to life lessons we only get one teacher and that is life itself and that is the greatest show on earth.  Embrace it, make it worth and share the wealth with others…and then it might end up being even beyond that.  Summer school can be the best preparation for the real thing...

http://www.jmlalonde.com/quotes-leadership-lessons-greatest-showman/

Borderline

I have been trying very hard to come up with a piece that describes what goes on in my mind and heart when I read and watch what is going on in the US but also beyond when it comes down to immigration. So much stories made the press that made me swallow or even tear up.  The list is rather long and there is not a lot that I can tell myself to find the silver lining within these news reports.  There is not such a thing when it comes down to humans who try to find a new safe home.  They are all humans who are looking for a place where they can live in liberty and peace without having to look constantly over their shoulder.   Also places where they will be able to give their children the opportunities they have never been given themselves/  No, I can’t picture what it is like to live in countries where there is constant war going, where there is hunger or economic turmoil.  I can't...honestly I am not an expert in that field.

So no, I do not feel that connected to most of these people who put everything at stake in order to reach Europe or any other nation that they consider the promised land. Sorry. Now do not get me wrong here.  I just can’t claim that I do feel what many must feel like when they pack up some of their belongings an leave the country where they were born and have tried to make living and raise a family.  But then that is not what I wish to point out by writing this.     Still, I do have enough humanity running through my veins to feel at least a few things when it comes down to all the stories that I come across on my Twitter feed or hear & see about in the press.

Immigration is an old tale and it comes in many forms and shapes. I guess that when Hollywood casted Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman for the main parts in ‘Far&Away’  it seemed to have been about a race and putting a lot at stake for the perfect spot.  Being an Outlander fan who momentarily is reading part 5 that takes place in the former colonies of the nation where tea and wine gums come from I seem to find out once more that colonisation did come along with lots of downsides as well. You don't need to tell a Belgian who does not ignore the history of her own nation. History tells tales for the future to learn from we seem to forget easily when it comes down to the past.

Ever since 9/11 immigration started to come with an even more bitter after taste. Suddenly the enemy was amongst us but it seemed that at a certain point he/she had been let in by us.  Society seemed not to be able to hold up the promises that were made to many.   Instead it seemed to have forsaken all the values we believe in when it comes down to pursue happiness and peace.  There seems to be more and more 'us and them' in social and political debates. People who cross nowadays borders without passports or the right documents fill us up rather with negative sounding words that make me rather feel down and in danger.  Fear is becoming the moral compass that many nations have selected as their upper most priority to create a safe home. No,  Europe and the VS both do not seem to get into balance when it comes down to immigration.


Every day I do find something out there to read and analyze that tells me that lots is at stake.  That these human beings on the run do not have anything to offer or that just want to profit from those social services and rights that we so hard to have to work for in order to keep them up and running.  I get that…I do. In most nations lots of issues are going on that surely cause many concerns.  No, I do not have got the answers how to ‘fix’ this crisis.   Also I do not wish to sugar coat it. It is what it is and it won’t get easier soon we are told over and over. For over a decade I already hope that there will be enough sane politicians who will dare to come up with a system that works for all involved. Not that I expect that they will be able to keep everybody happy. That is an utopia and according to some I even live in a nation that is exactly that.   And many have already expressed very clearly what they think about that.  The word 'hellhole' must ring a bell when it comes down to my nation.  

Oh yes, I do wish to preserve my own nation’s heritage, languages and some its very fragile cultural treasures and customs.  Stallie is proud to be who she is and that is in the first place connected with the ground on which she lives or lived at.  All the nations that I ended up for a short or longer time have formed me but I am rooted within my nation.  Here is where I live the prosperous live I am aiming for on a daily basis.   Nope my nation is not perfect, far from but at least I can be the person who I wish to be and that without constantly having to fear for my life and I still have been given enough options to express my opinion about many things.  Oh yes, terrorism is looming around many corners of my capital and jumping on the metro or walking into our international airport can for some of us be now rather a traumatic experience since that one day in March about 2 years ago.  It has left deep scars and it will never feel the same again. That is reality and I am trying to give it the place inside of my own busy mind it deserves but even that is a challenge.

Now I do not wish to dive further into the complexity of immigration. I do try to find out for myself where I am on the spectrum when it comes down to this without having to choose one particular side.  More than once I have pointed out that I do not like the word polarization and that I do not believe in just black or white in most crucial debates.  The analytic brain is having a blast momentarily when it comes down to figuring out where I do stand on many issues.  So also when it comes down to this but this week something happened that surely grounded me. 

So here we go…DON’T TOUCH THE CHILDREN….they are not be toyed around with, they are not ransom, they are not be used as a kind of bargain, they are not the ones that should be blamed, they are not to be treated as a statistic, they are not the embodiment of fear and anger that comes along with destruction, they are not just tiny humans that are copy&paste of their parents…THEY ARE NOT…. I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT. They are so much more...

Yes, when I did find out what was going on at the Mexican border with the US my body filled up with anger, sadness, frustration, doubt and fear. Suddenly a certain feeling kicked back in. That one feeling that I so strongly had experienced when I had given birth to my son A.  All my mother instincts were going into overdrive and believe me that I do not consider that a pretty sight.  It goes very deep and there are perhaps only a few who can follow me there.

When I read how parents where separated of their children I did feel so numb.  Because that is what I felt like when they took A away from me when I gave birth to him.  The moment that so many of women look forward when they are pregnant and long for, the first skin to skin contact with their child, I never got to experience.  It was then that something inside of me broke…something that once in a while makes me feel less secure when it comes down to motherhood.

Oh yes, I did try to sugarcoat it with many words that other people try to point out to be.  That it had not been my fault that I had gotten ill during my pregnancy and that those things do happen.  The thing is that what I went through I was not able to put into words but I had no clue what it had to feel like. I had nothing to compare it to.  It was my first birth and that they took my premature baby away from my point of view vital in oder to let him survive.  I lay there in a sedative status and I had no clue what to feel like.  Believe me it was one of the most intense moments of my life but I had never been so ‘empty’ at the same time.  My mind&heart kicked into survival modus and I just went on.

I felt totally out of place in the NICU and even when the nurses tried to stimulate to touch A I felt not comfortable.  The sterile environment and the clinical language I picked up made me feel rather useless and out of place.  On top of that  I was constantly in pain and did I question my own motherhood.  The fear and the anger that were racing through my body seemed to make me feel even more disconnected with my son.   Plus I was so convinced that so much still could go wrong. One infection could be one too many.   Now I do not wish to go further into this rather traumatic experience. If you have been longer out here with me or even know me personal then you know that all did end well. 

A was discharged six weeks after his first breath and I tried to start putting together the puzzle pieces to feel connected with my child.  I did imagine that we would be able to just pick up where we had left.  That the joyful moment when he moved in with us we would make up for 'lost' bounding time. Well, that was much harder than I imagined. First of all I did not know what bounding had to feel like.  When other young mothers told me what they felt and experienced I felt totally out of place.  My silence was communicating doubt within myself.  When young parents talked about fear and being pulled apart of their young born I even sometimes wondered why they did feel that way.  In a way I even envied them.  I still do. If I see my own sister in action with her 9 months daughter I even feel a bit down because I seem to have missed out on something that goes very deep.

Still, when it comes down to hand over you children to strangers I am an expert. I have done it numerous times and in the first place to let him survive.  My options were limited and very simple.   Still, the emotional out come of that act I have deeply underestimated. It is only years later that I can see clearly and express what I felt like and sometimes feel like.   That I might have needed more help in order to be the parent I wished to be for my child was something that I did not seem to be able to ask for.   But I know for sure  that  the parent-child bound is so essential. It is the biggest jump start you can give a child. It is the beginning of life…it connects and is not only a skin to skin act but emotional one. It is where humanity connects and is passed over to the next generation in order to let go but to feel grounded and safe.

So when I then look at the images of children who ended up in cages and are pulled away from their parents I do feel nauseous.  If you then find an expert to ‘testify’ that it can’t hurt a child to be taken away from their parents then I do get in overdrive.  It are our parents who raise us, who guide us and in our childhood years try to teach in combination with school us the essentials in order to be human.  Not that all child-parent stories are success stories.  Far from that but trying to justify this act is one of the most horrid acts when it comes down to mental healthcare of the young minds but also of the generation that now is calling the shots.

What angers me as well is that there are enough people out there who will believe that this is a necessary act.   I just stared at my screen when I picked up on what a radiologist told in front of a Fox News camera.  The scary part of such interviews is that people like her are used to form the moral compass that many will tend to use to go on when they might be questioned in a debate or conversation in the supermarket.  ‘Hey, once they are reunited they will be fine. They will pick up where they left.  After all they have been fed, been given clothes and schooling. It is almost if they have been on summer camp.’  EXCUSE ME?  Come again….. YOU DO NOT HAVE GOT A CLUE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING, DO YOU?  Are you an expert in this field?  Have you been there out with them when they tried to push their limits and cross borders?  Have you ever experienced what it feels like when they take away your children and that you don't know where they are taken?   I don’t think so.  Neither was I and I can only try to imagine what it must be like when you embark on such journey, not knowing if it will even end well.

Personal I do think that there are only losers when it comes down in these kind of stories.  There is nothing to sugarcoat it with. Sorry for using the word sugarcoat more than once in this entry, but according to me it is a word that covers best what many try to do momentarily. You can not draw a silver lining around pictures of children who are distressed and crying.  The ones who do not show these emotions might still experience them but try to hide them.  That we at this stage in human history consider them 'statistics' and try to talk ‘sense’ into our heads by coming up with ‘excuses’ why this is 'necessary' and 'essential' I honestly refuse to accept as the truth. I have been spending some time across the border while I left my child behind not knowing when I would meet up with him in my arms to believe otherwise.

Daily children are pulled away from the parents.  In some cases it might be essential due to the circumstances and the child might even be in danger. There are children who become orphans due to many reasons and there are also stories of young people who have decided that they need to get away from their parents in order to survive.   There are millions of street children who live out there on the streets trying to make it through the day.   Yes, there are parents who have lost their child while being on the run for war, climate change, regime change, economic crises, hunger and many more reasons that make parents to jump into the unknown and embark a boat or climb into a truck.  But pulling them apart while crossing a border...I am not sure if this is a vital neccesisity to safeguard our values, morals, society and nation.

That I love teaching so passionately is connected with those feelings and my own personal story when it comes down to parenthood. I can never ever replace a parent and that should never be an aim when you work with children.  Day in day out I feel privileged to be given the opportunity to work with children.  I don’t take them for granted. I try to see them as strong individuals who will hopeful find one day their spot in society that hopefully will add something to humanity. They teach me daily a few things themselves.  Unconditionaly and without a hidden agenda.  I feel blessed but it also makes me fully aware that there are so many young people who are not given these opportunties and can't thrive and use thier talents at full potential. 

My biggest fear is that that we are heading for a time in which we describe  ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ as a superb series or book but not dare to look closer and identity the real symptoms our own societies suffer from.  Atwood did write this gripping tale in the seventies when I was learing to ride a bike and blew out careless my birthday candles.  I was 18 years old when I read it in the US as part of the American Literature course I took in high school. The story made me feeling uncomfortable and surely not smiling. There are no silver linings in that novel.  Children are ripped apart of their parents and society considers that as justified in order to maintain law&order.  I don’t think I need to go deeper into this make you see what the parallels are with what we are witnessing today.

So I consider parental bounding essential in raising a child.  Not that there are guarantees that the relationship will remain flawless but stating that it does not harm or has got any consequences when you take the parent out of the picture is in my humble opinion pure nonsense.  I would have rather used a different kind of word to describe what I mean but I try to stay polite. 

Plus it is not that now that Mr President has put a gigantic signature on a document that these children will easily be reunited with their parents.  In the US there is no procedure at hand for these kind of situations.  Now I am not saying that my own nation has got everything sorted when it comes down to children’s rights.  We are not doing everything 100% perfect and it is not because you have signed the Universal Children’s Right convention that you automatically can be considered child friendly on all levels.

Still…taking away children from their parents you can’t justify even when you start to quote the bible.  Nope sorry…that is one bridge too far for me.  I just refuse to consider this a normal, justified act…I don’t.  There are many things that we are supposed to consider as the 'new normal' due to the polarization that is going on in many political and social debates. Still I refuse to give in when it comes down to finding out both sides of the medal before judging many. Picking sides I never liked to do anyway.  After all I was one of the kids at school that nobody was likely to choose on their team. But when it comes down children’s right and their welfare I will always pick their side.   I might be spending quite some time on the borderline when it comes down to many things but when it comes down to children I know when to cross the border…and I will alway join them!  After all they are the future.  We are going to be judged by them…let that sink in…

BS!?

I have solemnly swore to myself that I will stay blog-wise away from the 45th president of the US till 2024.  Yes, I still predict T to win again in 2020.  The signs are there and honestly I do think that there are enough States out there who are very content & even thrilled with the way things are going down there.  No, I am not a citizen myself and so in a way I don’t think that I am impartial enough to give my balanced opinion about how the White House is running the federal government.   Still, I have got a very emotional relationship with that gigantic nation that has also shaped me as individual.   Having spend there a year myself and having been back already numerous times to visit friends and now also family I do think that I have a deeper insight into a nation that even starts to make less and less sense to many of us.

Not that there is no resistance at work and there are still enough voices out there who do try to point out why many disagree with what is happening.  Education and health care are just two of the things that will always make me wonder why they are so differently to our system but believe me in the mindset of many Americans social security is not the holly grail they are after.  In the land where many wish to have total freedom about their personal assets and wealth you are not always very willingly to invest into a system that will not automatically guarantee personal benefits.  Governmental decisions are considered in many cases a way in which a citizen might feel he/she might loose something he or she is not willingly to give up.  

Freedom remains a very hot topic in the US. It is that one word that has shaped the nation. So many adventurous souls have found there what they could not find anymore in Europe or other remote places.   It became the place where also many people found the liberty to worship their faith without the fear of being persecuted.  Plus that nation has granted over the centuries so many people opportunities to chase after their dreams.  

So yes, I still love that country. I wear my class ring still with gratitude and fond memories at heart and at touch down in any American city it does feel like homecoming.  Even the most imposing border control officer can not make me crumble. It is part of ‘the game’…and even the insane tipping (or at least when you are used to Belgium) I do with a gigantic smile and gratitude. Customer care is here also a total different ballgame and the weeks after a trip across the ocean I will always be a bit more annoyed how so many sales assistants do not seem to care or give you the cold shoulder.   Plus that I will always love to attend a church service in the States.   What I always find in a church I have not found anymore in my own nation.   Traveling to the US is being able to change gears and activate a certain personal modus that can make me feel so much more alive. 

Okay it is also linked with the intense relationships I have over there.  That there now also very close people have moved down there makes it of course a bit more personal as well. But still, there are some things that I will never ever get my head around.  Not that this also not happens while being at home.  One look at the newspaper and I need to run to the chocolate counter of the local supermarket to find some comfort.  Once more I have to calm myself down by using the mantra ‘Nobody is perfect’ and honestly I don’t think is there is one nation that has got it all covered.  Everywhere there are cracks to be found.

Yesterday I did decide to compose a tweet after trying to put the ‘18th’ shooting in a school in 47 days in the States. Yes, I first did think that these numbers were fake news but in one way they are not. You will even find a recent news article that will tell you that this is not a correct number and that some of these shooting did not involve any school children and have not caused any harm.  One of them took place on the roof of an empty closed down school.  So even the statistics are under fire when it comes down to getting a point across.  Let it sink in, 18 in less than 2 months!  Yes, I did predict shortly after that the president would mention rather the mental status of the nation than the fire gun involved in this drama.   That there were other more courageous politicians who once again did demand to change the legislation when it comes down to carry a gun was also predictable.  Also the calls for prayers for all involved and the gratitude for those who were first responders were not a surprise. 

There are so many people who will now make statements why this has happened again.   Numbers and statistics are showing up once again and believe me even my nation is not doing so well either when it comes down crime. We have our own problems to tackle and those also involve some irrational issues.  Belgium is surreal and many Belgians are aware of it and will not agree with what their government when it comes down to following the law.  In case you were wondering if we ever had shootings taking place inside of a school…not that I can think of but a few years ago did a certain individual walk into a day care center and did kill with a knife 2 babies and a day care nurse.  A very dark day in our national history. 

Can you imagine that you suddenly get a phone call at work from the police telling that your baby has died by a stabbing in a nursery? Unthinkable but it did happen.  It happened in Belgium and it did certainly took away a certain feeling of security.  The person who did commit these crimes has got mental problems.  These seemed to have been ignored and even his parents at the time had tried to point out that they were aware that something was not okay with their son.  Despite all the warning signs it still happened…and so we needed action. 

Suddenly did many day care centers had to change into fortified safe houses. Security became a major concern. In some cases you might not even know what there is a day care center when you walk or ride by.  All for security reasons. There are still people out there who are able to commit crimes and we can all get our hands on a sharp knife. But at least we have taken action towards to keep nurseries safer.  Not that this comparison is a suitable one. Still it is action undertaken by individuals who care, deeply care about the safety and wellbeing of others.

Already some parents and students have expressed their opinions.  Some of them have done it very fiercely and with a lot of conviction.  On top of that I also have read also some news articles who also put in question what these ‘victims’ say now openly.   We are even at the point that many will already shake (including elected officials) their heads and say that is won’t make any difference and they are even blaming other officials that this has happened on their watch.  Sorry but to use the words of one student that is BS. We all need to start somewhere. 

So if then  high school students suddenly say that time is up and something needs to change who are we then to say that they do not get their head around government.  These are children who go to school, are educated and take exams, write assignments about many subjects.  I think they will get their information somewhere and not only from googling it.  Plus in the States there is the subject American Government that you can take in high school.  From personal experience they very well explain how their government works and laws are made.  One of my best teachers at the time in the States was exactly my AG teacher.  He made me very much aware how politics and government works and he even made me reflect about how my own government functions.  I have not stopped being a critical thinker ever since. 

Over all I do personal think that when students and teachers speak up and when a community starts to express their feelings and thoughts about what they think is necessary should that then be ignored?  Personal freedom involves also a sense of security.  Safeguarded not only by a document written a few centuries ago.   If a certain group of people starts to question the situation then I do think that the politicians that have been voted into office have got the obligation to listen to their constituents.  Not only to those that have donated freely to their campaign fund.  And it is not that because the majority of school children does not have the right to vote yet that they do not matter.  That is actually BS!!!!  


From a personal experience I do know how the voice and the mind of a teenager can ‘change’ through out puberty but there is also something else that I more and more become aware being a teacher.  It are these minds that we help to form and that we get to invest in.  Not only parents raise children.  It does take a whole village to raise a child….if you then assume that these young minds will remain silent through out their whole teenage period then you must be living on Mars.  I keep saying that I as a teacher are the witness of amazing things that can happen in a classroom. It makes me heart jump. Yes chances are like that I would jump in front of a bullet to safe guard all my students because. Not that this part of my job description but honestly when my school goes into practice lockdown modus even then I for a split second become very much aware that I might end up doing the unthinkable. Why because if it is going to happen I might end up do things that I have never ever done before in order to save a life, any life. No matter what.  There have been teenagers and teachers inside that school that have done the unthinkable.  Even standing against a door to make sure that the shooter would not easily get access into the classroom.   I have a child myself who goes to school and I trust the teachers completely that educate A.

That mental issues are a bigger issue is also not a surprise.  All around the world do many, young and old, feel the pressure mentally weighing on them.  Many call out for help and therapy sessions are now also part of a teenage routine.  Yes, there are still people who will not find the help they are after or what that they do not find the right people who can help them due to many reasons.  It might take sometimes very scary things before people can/wish to see what is going on inside the brain of someone and even then.

My GP and in-house doc and my father have already numerous times pointed out that medicine is not an exact science.  Oh yes, when we are a patient we so much hope that a doctor will help out and get us back on the road to recovery as fast as possible  Well, psychology and psychiatry are in a sense more challenging then amputating a leg or arm. Not that that later action will not also affect mentally the patient.

It is a scary world out there and it will remain that. But that that there are people who try very hard to come up with ways to prevent bad things from happening is surely a blessing.  No,believe me that day care centers had to start to invest in high tech security measures was not done light hearted. People can still get their hands on knives and even guns.  That has not changed but at least many are trying to prevent that it will happen again.

Nope, the US does wish to have a ban on guns….that would be ten bridges too far.  Still if you listen very carefully then you hear very clearly that these youngsters wish to be taken serious and that they call for a government that is willingly to admit that there is more to be done than just send over their thoughts and prayers or visiting for a photo opportunity.  ‘No, a ban on guns won’t prevent bad things of happening.’, is a very lame excuse not to do something. There are so many ways to try to make society a safer place where the younger generation feels safer and more taken care of.    I don’t wish to see the US changing again into wild far West as much as I like the music of Enrico Morricone.  

The millennials are told to be a lot that many of us wonder to what the world has come to. But when I hear the students speak up (even the young ones) I am still hopeful.  The potential, the dreams, the aspiration, the courage, the creativity, the endurance, the faith, the strength to make a difference in the future is still out there even if when politicians, science and media is telling them that they might end up facing a very dark future.  Who are we to deny them a safe world in which they can become the individuals and the society they wish to be?  If you dare to call this BS then you take a good look into the mirror and then try to come up with at least one or two names who have granted you opportunities and kept you safe.  If your mind remains blank then give it an other shot. Aim right between the eyes because the answer is in front of you.  You do not even need a gun to understand this…honestly you do not…many children understand this.  And this is not BS….