Life Reflections

As I meander along in the boat, I watch the scenery and contemplate life. Long ago, I did some soul searching, and it paid off. I found a fulfilling career. I also did some spiritual soul searching and have been comfortable with my personal beliefs and myself for most of my adult life. Now I'm searching for something else, something beyond all that. I'm trying to figure out what I want with the rest of my life.

I made some choices early on that I'll always have to live with. Haven't we all? My early choices have finally come full circle. This has allowed one chapter of my life to end. Now, I find myself at a new beginning, wondering what it is I want for the next chapter. I don't want to make the same mistakes, that's for sure! But I also don't have to worry about that because that's one of the wonderful things about life: experience and introspection allow us to change, hopefully for the better.

After spending four days with family in the deep north woods and after much reflection, I think I can put into words what it is I want. I want to be surrounded by family and friends, by people I enjoy spending time with and who enjoy spending time with me. If you're one of the people I've expressed an interest in wanting to spend time with, or if you're someone who has spent time with me around a campfire, sharing a meal, going for long walks, hanging out with our children, or just getting out in the community and participating in whatever event happens to be the choice of the day, then you are one of the people I am thankful to have in my life.

Yes, still juggling!

As I pause to reflect on my life, I realize it is still a juggling act of tossing items into the air, catching them as they fall, and periodically, dropping one here or there. I'd like to think I can do everything, but I know that's not true. It's more important to learn to prioritize and occasionally, let some items fall to the side. It doesn't mean I won't pick them up again later because often, that's exactly what I do.

Ball number one has been in the air since October 25. It is something from my personal life that I'd rather not share with the world. Suffice it to say, it is over for most practical reasons, and I'm relieved about that. That's one ball I can toss aside.

Ball number two: Moving day! Make that days...have come and gone. I cleaned out the old place, cleaned up the new place and moved in record time. I have a few boxes yet to unpack, but nothing major, and all of the rooms have been set up and prepared for regular use. Ball number two can also be tossed aside.

Ball number three: Promote for author Tracy Lawson's book release blog tour. I just finished preparing my post for Ms. Lawson today. Stop by this Friday to see her author spotlight on my official author website: http://slwallace.com/ Be sure to sign up for the Rafflecopter giveaway too.

Ball number four: Home projects! I'm looking forward to tossing these balls into the air because staining my new furniture to a nice golden hue and building my daughter an art center will be so much fun and rewarding. In case you have a young child who loves art and an old crib with a drop down side, here's an idea for you! (This image just got me started, and my imagination took it from there. I'll write about and share my own photos once I've completed my project.)

Ball number five: The MKSP Sizzlin' Summer Book Bash. Sadly, this ball had to be dropped. I was supposed to help host, but with the move and ball number six...something had to go. I still plan to attend the event though, couldn't pass up that much fun!

Ball number six: Biannual vacation with extended family. I'm sure I'll have an upcoming blog post dedicated to this one soon. Fun stories always come out of spending time with my fun family. That's true for most though, right? Right???

Let's take a tally: Two balls tossed aside, two in progress, one to begin very soon, and only one dropped. Not too bad!

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Birthday Adventures

This year is a milestone year for me in many ways. Suffice it to say, I've been going through a rough patch since...October. Yes, that's right, October. It's been a very difficult year for me. Getting through that rough patch has meant starting a new chapter in my life.

Since my life is now looking up, I decided it was time to celebrate. My birthday is usually a one-day event (or actually, an event that takes place for a couple of hours on that one specific day each year). This year, I decided to celebrate for five days straight. In order to make that possible, I took a vacation. Now, I would like to share my vacation with you.

Day 1:

My daughter and I began the day with a shopping spree at a local bookstore. I had a number of gift cards for that establishment, so I didn't have to spend a nickel. Then we took our treasures and drove up to a cabin deep in the north woods where we met my parents. This place has been in my family since my great grandmother and great grandfather bought the land and built on it ages ago, so it felt sort of like coming home. This is where I wanted to spend my birthday week, in a place I love with the people I love most.

After we unloaded the car and ate a small lunch, we went down to the boathouse and put the rowboat in the water. This was a very big deal because it was my daughter's first time ever to go out on the lake in a boat. Last summer, she sat in the boat while it was tied to the dock, and that was a big enough thrill at the time...that and dropping pinecones, leaves, twigs and rocks into the lake to see which sank and which floated. This time, we were ready for more! A tiny orange and black butterfly (about the size of a quarter) flitted all around us on the dock. It seemed to enjoy my dad's company the most.

Then we saw one bald eagle over in the bay sitting on the shore while its mate sailed high up in the sky. When we finally got out on the water, we saw a loon at a distance. We rowed all around the bay, circling the loon. On our way back to the cabin, straight across the deepest part of the lake, we watched as the loon disappeared beneath the surface of the water. I took the opportunity to explain its diving expertise to my daughter. But our wildlife adventures had only just begun. While my dad started up the grill and my mom got dinner started, my daughter, our dog and I took a walk along the twisting and turning road. We saw another butterfly, a bigger and more beautiful one (according to my daughter). It was black and white. We also stopped when we noticed a tiny green caterpillar that was dangling by a thread and watched as it began to form its cocoon.

And THEN...the most amazing part of the day... On our way back to the cabin, just as we turned up the drive, I heard a rustling noise in the leaves. I wandered off the drive to investigate and found a turtle. At the time, I wasn't sure of the type of turtle it was, but I could tell it was a turtle and not a tortoise because of its webbed feet. I now know that it was a western painted turtle. It was a small one but not tiny, about the size of my hand with my fingers spread. Its shell was a dark green, and there were red marks on its belly. It did not try to bite me when I reached down to pick it up, so I knew it wasn't a snapping turtle. Why is a turtle so amazing? I've been coming to this cabin since I was a baby, and the only places up here I've ever seen turtles, are on logs sunning themselves out in the lake, and that has only been on occasion. My daughter and I brought the turtle up to the cabin so my parents could see it. My dad said he'd never seen one up here either. Then we took it down to the lake and released it near the water. We watched as it slid beneath the surface, and I learned why I've never seen a turtle here before. When the turtle was less than a foot into the lake, he virtually disappeared. Now I'm sure that there are turtles all around us, in the lake and marsh areas in the forest, hidden in plain view.

After dinner, my parents left and I spent a relaxing evening with my little girl. She watched as I popped popcorn on the stove top, a treat we got to enjoy together while she cuddled with me, and we watched The Rescuers.

Day 2:

The day began overcast and rainy. What a soothing sound at 6:30 A.M. The rain let up by 8:00, but continued to threaten our plans to go out for a longer boat ride, so just before noon, we decided to head into the nearest town for an afternoon of shopping at the Christmas Shoppe with Rainbow Dash (one of the new items my daughter had chosen at the book store) followed by playtime at the local library. Then we picked up some ingredients for M&M cookies. By the time we returned to the cabin, it was nice enough to spend more time down on the dock and in the boat rowing across the lake. But first, we had to return to the grocery store (a 40 minute round trip) because Rainbow Dash had been left behind on one of the grocery store shelves. The highlight of today was watching a large dragonfly, as it studied us, while we rowed across the middle of the lake.

So was the morning wasted? Heck, no! Remember about our shopping spree yesterday? The watercolor book was painted in, the Summer Bridge Activities book was well used, and I even had a chance to read about famous women in the latest National Geographic special edition.

Day 3:

I guess I'd classify day one of my birthday week as primarily a nature day, day two as a mother/daughter day, and today as a kid day. We finished The Rescuers last night before bed and began The Rescuers Down Under. We'll have to finish that one tonight. That will be a nice conclusion to "kid day."

We began the day by getting up bright and early...wonderful sunlight woke us by streaming through the bedroom window. After a quick breakfast, we drove into town to look for a nature class I'd read about. Ends up, it was a half hour drive north. Yes, of course we went! My daughter spent a fabulous two and a half hours learning all about different animal adaptations. They observed wildlife, they played games, they created mobiles; it was a busy morning. Then we drove back to town for lunch followed by an afternoon at the beach. As I was spreading out a towel, a little girl approached me and asked, "Can your little girl play with me?" I said, "Why don't you ask her?" She did, and they had a blast playing in the sand and jumping off the dock into the water. The highlight for me, in addition to watching my daughter interact with other kids today, was an amazing sight at the beach. A full grown bald eagle started circling above the children. I walked across the beach and pointed it out to them. As soon as they noticed the eagle, it spotted a fish in the lake and swooped down to capture its dinner. So cool!

The beach was followed up with two long-standing traditions: a stop at the local ice cream store and after returning to the cabin, a walk to the end of the road.

Day 4:

Today was my actual birthday. It began with a "Happy Birthday" text from a close friend, and rain followed by a thunderously loud storm. I read for a little while, but when the storm began in earnest, I returned to the bedroom to cuddle with my daughter until she woke up. Then we began our day together with more indoor activities, one of which was watching Disney's Tarzan (another first for my daughter) while we cuddled for another 90 minutes at her request. (She's not afraid of storms; she just loves the cuddles!) Nana and Gran'pa arrived at the end of the movie. They brought a chicken salad lunch, a card and chocolate cake, but before eating, they asked what we wanted to do. The rain had mostly fizzled out by that time, and my daughter really wanted to go back to the Christmas Shoppe with her grandparents, so that's what we did first. Then we returned for lunch and cake. Later in the afternoon, after the rain had completely stopped, we went down to the dock and bailed out the rowboat.

My daughter and I took one last trip across the lake and back. For the second time ever, she tried her hand at rowing and quickly caught onto the rhythm of it. We again saw the loon and watched as it dove for fish. The cool wind kept the mosquitoes at bay but another dragonfly checked us out in our little boat, and we found a few white and dark brown feathers floating on the surface of the water. When we returned to the dock, my dad helped me put the boat back in the boathouse before they left. The day had begun with a text from a friend, and it ended with "Happy Birthday" phone calls from another friend and from my brother and his kids. I was also told that there are birthday wishes for me on FB, but FB will just have to wait as I have no Internet access at the cabin.

Day 5:

I'm counting this as the last day of my "birthday week." Tomorrow will be the start of a short road trip with a good friend, but since that was planned months ago, I don't think I can count it as part of my birthday fun. Today, I'll be taking my daughter into town to participate in a class for young children at the local library. They'll learn all about air or so I've been told. She's really looking forward to it, so I'm sure we'll have fun. Then we'll close up the cabin and head back to my hometown. While Nana and Gran'pa watch the little one, I'll be hanging out with my friends at a local bowling alley/pub/pool hall, and we all know how that ended last time...

Wait? You haven't heard that one? That was when I suffered not one, but four, yes, count them...four head injuries in the span of about two years.

The first was when I tackled my escaping beagle as we were leaving the house for a Memorial Day lunch at my parents' house. My husband chased the dog and yelled for me to block the pass; I ran forward through the gate; heard the dog coming down the pass alongside the garage; saw a brown, black and white blur leaping for freedom; and on instinct, I leaped too. I was nearly eight months pregnant at the time. My forehead slammed into the cement retaining wall to the neighbor's property, but I caught that dog, and thank goodness, the dog cushioned the baby.

The third head injury happened during the winter. (I'll get back to the second one later.) I was shoveling the drive early one morning after a winter snowstorm, so I could get my car out for work. As I worked on the end of the drive, I didn't see the ice hidden beneath the snow. My feet went right out from under me, and the back of my head crashed against the cement. As much as it hurt, I was not about to pay for a visit to the ER or to miss a day of work. I simply monitored myself, making sure my mild headache didn't get worse, checking my pupils periodically for proper dilation, and letting my assistant know to call 911 if I were to pass out, throw up, etc.

The fourth incident caused an instantaneous and intense headache. It happened at a local pub that housed indoor sandpit volleyball. That winter, I played on a co-ed league there. I should be clear that we didn't play to win, we just played for the camaraderie and to have a great time. Our server hit the ball over the net. It sailed right to the middle of the opposing team's court. As I was leaping to block the ball, the full grown, very muscular man across from me, spiked it as hard as he could. The ball smashed into my forehead, causing my head to snap back and leaving a red circle on my forehead. The jerk didn't even apologize.

Okay, so now we all know what happened the last time I had a birthday party at the bowling alley/pub/pool hall, right? No? You want the details? Oh, all right! A group of my friends, my husband and I were all bowling at the time. My nearly-two-year-old daughter was with us because my parents couldn't watch her that night and anyone else we would have asked to babysit was at my party. So...we simply took turns watching her while we bowled. At one point, she bolted forward and ran straight down the lane. On instinct, I ran after her. As I reached out to grab her, her feet slipped out from beneath her and so did mine. We went down together, but thankfully, her head landed on me while mine hit the bowling alley with a loud "thwack!" Don't worry, this year, I think I'll stick to the pub and pool!

S. L. Wallace has been taking a break from writing, but she plans to get back to it very soon as she is anxious to continue her current project, a supernatural compilation. Ms. Wallace is the author of a dystopian trilogy, a supernatural/historical fiction novella, and a speculative fiction short story.

Are you a juggler too?

I've often thought about my job in terms of juggling. I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and then I go over here and do this, and then someone needs my assistance, so I drop what I'm doing and help. Sometimes it can be hours before I get back to what I was doing, but eventually, I pick up the balls I dropped and resume juggling.

Right about now, you may be thinking, "Yeah, that sounds exactly like my life!" or you may be wondering, "What is it this woman does for a living?"

I'm a teacher, but I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels like I'm juggling day in and day out. Still, I had a revelation today.

I knew today would be busy before I even walked into the classroom this morning. It was an off schedule with a lot of special activities and events. For example, we started the day with a birthday celebration. Birthdays are always a big deal in my classroom, with that special child getting a half hour ceremony in which they get to share a little bit from every year of their life so far. Photos, signing and a read aloud from a birthday book make up the majority of the celebration, and the child being honored usually brings in a snack for the entire class to enjoy at lunch.

Ah, lunch! That was another something special for today. You see, last week, I taught the students about how a bill becomes a law. They even got to practice Parliamentary Procedure, and the law they passed had to do with an extravagant pizza party that took place today. The party included an hour's worth of fun and games, pizza, cake and ice cream, and many drinks of choice. The students were really great about it. They considered cost (Little Caesars was voted upon because it was the most cost effective pizza choice with their $5 Hot-N-Ready pizza deal), and they baked and frosted their own cake. They even decided to bring in their own drinks to help cut down on cost. Yes, this really was all their own doing. I just taught them how Parliamentary Procedure works and started them off with a note to one child who read aloud, "I move to have a pizza party next Thursday." In the discussion that followed, they decided to have the party today instead so as not to exclude a child who will be gone later in the week.

Anyway...back to juggling. Ball one: birthday celebration (birthday treat of Doritos added to the pizza party). Ball two: Parliamentary Procedure pizza party (cake to be made and pizza to be picked up). Ball three: special evening event.

The evening event happened to be a hunger dinner that was being hosted by an after school group of students from my class who were trying to raise awareness about world poverty rates and to raise money to help fight the problem. This meant that 1/3 of my students spent some time cooking yesterday and today to prepare for this evening's event.

To top it all off, this week is SPIRIT WEEK in our class, and today was costume day. That means that I was juggling with an entire class in costume!

Talk about busy! The best part of today's juggling act is the simple fact that the students were focused, courteous, and cooperative. Yes, all of them. Yes, all day! As I finished my lessons for the morning... (YES, I was able to teach all of my regularly scheduled lessons even with three balls in the air.) So as I finished my lessons for the morning, I realized that everything was going not only well, but very well. When I was finishing up the afternoon, I had to pause and wonder, "How on earth is everything going so smoothly?"

That's when it hit me. My revelation! I was not keeping the balls to myself. At that moment I realized why I like to juggle and why it usually does go smoothly. It's because I don't keep the balls to myself. I pass them off to other jugglers who invite even more people to join in the fun. For example, the students decided on a cost effective pizza party, so I picked up a cake mix instead of purchasing a cake from a bakery. Yesterday afternoon during Writer's Workshop, I passed off the making of the cake to two students who were caught up with their current writing projects. When they had to go to Spanish class, one of them told me how much time was left for the cake to finish baking, thereby passing the ball back to me. I assured him I would get it out of the oven in 10 minutes. The other asked if she could bring in cake decorating supplies today to finish it, thereby taking a ball back. Throughout this morning, a handful of students asked me if they could help decorate the cake too. I said, "Sure!" So everyone who wanted to, got to participate in the fun.

That is the secret of effective juggling. Think about it. Which is more fun to watch: one juggler tossing three balls around and around, or two, three, or even more jugglers tossing bowling pins back and forth to each other? It's more fun for everyone if more people are included in the show.

So...do I really know how to juggle in the traditional sense?

Yes, I do!

S. L. Wallace is an upper elementary Montessori teacher and a published author. Please visit her official author website or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.

Animated image from:  http://www.aasd.k12.wi.us/staff/boldtkatherine/images/animated-teacher.gif

No Lunch for You!

Recently, I watched an segment from The Ed Show: Policies Prevent Kids from Having Lunch

Ed pointed out that in Salt Lake City, Utah, dozens of students had their lunches taken away because their parents were behind on payments. This recent controversy made national news. And who was blamed? Take a look: Lunchlady on Leave after Trashing Hungry Kids' Food. District officials have given a public apology and have said that this will never happen again, and they put the blame on a worker who was following their policy. This is not an isolated incident! It has been happening in cities throughout the U.S.

Up until two years ago, I worked in a public school in Wisconsin. We had our own hot lunch issues because I taught in a public elementary charter school which was a pretty new idea for that district at the time of the school's inception. Until halfway through our first year of existence, our students didn't even receive hot lunch. Because we were located within a middle school, our students eventually received access to the cafeteria and the hot lunch program. About seven years ago, I was in line behind a little boy whose lunch account was in the negative. Still, I was told by the cafeteria worker at the cashier that they would never not feed our little ones. She said if he had been a middle schooler who was too far behind in payments, they would first remind the student to bring in lunch money and may begin withholding lunches, but not for the elementary school kids. Even that rubbed me the wrong way, but what could I do? That was the policy! My last year there, I did see students coming to the lunch tables with exchanged lunches. They were given the bare minimum if their lunch accounts were empty, and their peers noticed.

That trend has clearly spread.

The Star Tribune, Feb. 11, 2014, had the following article: Minnesota students: don't forget your lunch money.  A majority of public school districts deny hot lunch - or any lunch at all in some cases - to children who can't pay for them." This should concern us all. "...if students fail to come up with even 40 cents, some schools respond by denying or downgrading students' lunches..."

Tom Colicchio, a chef and food activist, responded, "If we want kids that are better educated, it starts with nutrition."

He's not wrong! Hungry kids can't focus. Hungry children can't concentrate. Hungry students can't learn.

On The Ed Show, Jennifer Hartstein said, "We going to create a system where they (the kids) don't want to go to school and that's going to start young. And then we're going to perpetuate the cycle of uneducated, unskilled people because they're not getting the education they need to do anything and further their lives in any way."

And it's not just happening in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Utah. This is happening throughout our nation, and it's only one symptom of a greater issue. A chasm has begun to form in our nation, dividing the haves from the have-nots. You may say it's not happening, that I'm wrong or disillusioned, but I'm here to tell you that even the children have noticed. It's time to wake up and see what's happening all around you. It's time to look with your eyes and your mind wide open because it's not too late to make a difference.

I began writing my Reliance on Citizens trilogy in early 2011, because I noticed what was happening in the world around me, and I wanted to make a difference. Frankly, if public policy continues on the path that has already been chosen, the future outlook of our society is bleak indeed. Who has chosen this path? It is certain wealthy politicians who have made the changes that will be a downfall of freedom and equality for everyone. Please read my statement carefully. I am not blaming all politicians, nor am I blaming the wealthy. No. It is a small but powerful group of wealthy politicians who are the root of this problem. Of that, I am positive. If they were not wealthy, they would understand the impact their policies are having on the majority of citizens. And if they were not politicians, they would not be able to create the change we are seeing.

But, you may say, it is a majority of those citizens who put those particular politicians in office. Why would they do that? Why would people knowingly create a world in which they and their children are being harmed? The honest answer is, they wouldn't.

I think some of the people who voted for those politicians must be just as removed from the problem as those who they have voted into office. In my heart, I cannot believe that anyone would knowingly harm the innocent, the children, sick and disabled. Instead, I think some people truly believe that the majority of people who are being harmed by public policy are lazy or deserve what they get because of their past mistakes.

What about the others? It takes a majority of the vote to put someone into office, so what about the people who are now being harmed by the very politicians they helped vote into office? Why would they do that? I think many believe the lies they've been told. They see the statistics that point to job growth and believe they are among the few who are having trouble landing a job. Perhaps they even blame themselves for their situation and think most of their peers are better off.

I'm here to tell you that's not true. If you think for just a minute, I'm sure you can name more than one person who you personally know who has been affected negatively by recent political changes. Maybe your friend's children have been moved to another school because their's was shut down due to the No Child Left Behind policy. Perhaps a neighbor lost a job and is back in school to beef up their resume with the hope of finding a better job in the near future. Ask your kids if they know anyone in their class who had their hot lunch replaced or removed when they reached the cashier.

And yes, even the federal government recognizes that there are problems with No Child Left Behind.

I wrote my Reliance on Citizens trilogy as a wake up call to Americans. It's about a society divided in the very way that our society is becoming divided. One Amazon reviewer stated, "I enjoyed the book, however it has a socialist bent to it. The author portrays most wealthy people as bad, evil and corrupt and the only way to have a good life is if everyone lives equally. Scary considering the administration in power right now." The part she has wrong is about most wealthy people being bad, evil and corrupt. All of the characters in my books are just trying to get by in the only way they know how, no matter how much or how little they have. Theirs is a society in which the strong and corrupt are most likely to survive whether they're wealthy or not. It's truly a society in which everyone looks out for themselves. I worry that this is the path we are on, and I don't like where that path is leading us. But in the end, these books carry a message of hope. It's not too late for my characters. If a minority of people can get us into this mess, then a vocal minority can also get us out of it. It's not too late for us either.

You can learn more about S. L. Wallace and her books at her official author website. The first book in her trilogy is forever FREE everywhere ebooks are sold. The thoughts discussed in The Ed Show clip are highlighted in the third book of the Reliance on Citizens trilogy, Heart of Humanity. Each of the books can be read as stand alone novels. S. L. Wallace welcomes thoughts from readers and is happy to send anyone a free copy of her other books if they ask.

Books, a Reflection of Society

I've gone on a futile search, so now I'm asking for your help. I cannot be the only person who has realized that books are a reflection of society, but search as I may, I cannot find a single quote of that nature.

I do know that during WWII, the comic book industry really took flight. And it stands to reason. It was a time in human history, when people craved heroes who could swoop in and save the day.

So what do we crave today? What does this surge in dystopian literature tell us about our society? What do demands for more fantasy novels tell us about ourselves? These questions have no easy answers, but they are worth considering.

Right now, there is an event dedicated to fantasy and sci fi readers worldwide. If these types of questions stir your heart, why don't you jump in and join in the conversation or listen to what some of the characters have to say. There will also be a number of games and contests to enjoy.

The Rafflecopter to the right, is part of the Fantastical Reads Event.

And in the meantime, if my questions have sparked some of your own, or if you have some answers, please leave a comment. I hope to see you at the Fantastical Reads week long event, starting today.

It's MLK Day! Celebrate Peace and Nonviolence Daily

We've all heard the name Martin Luther King, Jr. and most of us know some details about the man, his life and his work.

To summarize: He was born on January 15, 1929, at the beginning of the Great Depression. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School and was admitted to Morehouse College in 1944. If you do the math, you'll see that he was only 15 years-old. From Morehouse to Crozer Theological Seminary, he was ordained as a Baptist minister on February 25, 1948. After that, he continued his education with graduate studies at Boston University. Things really got interesting for Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he joined the bus boycott in 1955 after Rosa Parks was arrested. Then, on December 5, he became the official spokesman for the boycott. At the March on Washington in the summer of 1963, nearly 250,000 people heard his `I Have a Dream Speech'. Did you know that he was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize? And this great man was assassinated on April 4, 1968.



Have you heard his message?  The heart of his message is all about nonviolent communication and acceptance of others. How do you celebrate peace and nonviolence on a daily basis? Do you actively think about it and educate the children you know as to how to go about creating peace? In our competitive society, it is important to teach nonviolent communication and conflict resolution skills. And the best way to teach those skills is to model them. But what if you're not very good at practicing nonviolent communication? If you weren't taught how, it can be a difficult thing to do.

Here is the secret: Nonviolent communication is about recognizing the feelings and understanding the needs of the people in your life.

If you know the secret, you can communicate peacefully with just about anybody. When someone is upset, angry, scared, sad, etc. let them know they've been heard by repeating back how they're feeling. For example, "I can see that you're feeling sad. Why is that?" or "I understand that you're angry. What can I do to help?" By recognizing the other person's feelings and following up with an offer to better understand their needs, you can diffuse many stressful conversations.

If you'd like to practice nonviolent communication, you may be interested in trying The No Fault Zone, a game that I use in my classroom with my students.

Whatever you do and wherever you are, I encourage you to practice peace on a daily basis. It's the best way to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.

S. L. Wallace is an upper elementary Montessori teacher and an author. Visit her official author website to learn more.

Your Words Are Important

We each have a voice. Let yours be heard.

You have a message. Take the time to make sure you're understood.

Instead of arguing about semantics, listen closely and with an open mind.

Try to see the world from another person's point of view. You may learn something about yourself in the process.

Before you head out into the big wide world, think for a moment about what you have to say. How will you get your message across today?

If you haven't seen this video yet, take a moment to see what I mean. The Power of Words

Say what you mean, mean what you say. Your words are important.


S. L. Wallace is the author of the Reliance on Citizen trilogy, a dystopian political thriller with elements of romance; Retrospection, a unique historical fiction/paranormal novella; and the short story, Dante's Day Off, in which Dante has a most serious problem.

From the Abyss

Please welcome John Emil Augustine, author of From the Abyss.

I awaken with a start this morning in a cold sweat, feeling like a drowning victim resurfacing. I gasp and jump to my feet, my heart and mind racing; my body moving involuntarily. I’m having a panic attack. It doesn't always happen, but when it does, there is a black hole inside my chest that I can only describe as pure, hopeless terror. I struggle to quickly throw on my clothes.

It is a sunshiny Saturday morning, and I don't have to work today. My beautiful wife is in bed, and she tells me to stop and breathe. I ask about our kids, and she calmly says they are fine. I ask about money and our rent. “We have plenty of money right now,” my wife reassures me. “Our rent is paid, and it's the middle of the month.” We're about to have a slow Saturday morning with pancakes and coffee. Maybe some cartoons for the kids. I can sit in my chair with my laptop and relax. I stand in the bedroom doorway, half-dressed, and breathe to the sound of my wife's words. She is right of course. There is absolutely nothing to panic about.

I have come to understand that this panic attack is the result of something called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. My first wife emotionally abused me, using our child against me. I spent more than ten years jumping through her hoops, believing she was putting him in danger or would steal him away from me. In order to keep her happy, I went into debt voluntarily to give her extra money beyond the child support, so she would agree to stay in the state. I did this to continue visitation with my son, though the court appointed me equal custody. The custody agreement was one thing, but it wouldn’t have stopped her. At least, not according to her threats. How long it would have taken me to get him back was a question not easily answered. What it would have cost was definitely beyond my means. My only choice was to keep on her good side in order to continue a stable relationship with my son.

Homelessness, alcoholism, job loss, fractured family relationships – once I began to struggle in my relationship with my ex, I began to struggle in everything. To keep her happy, I put every other relationship I had in jeopardy. I stayed strong in the face of each problem, but privately, I lived in constant, debilitating fear, knowing another crisis was just around the corner. Drugs and alcohol helped me cope, but eventually became detrimental. They were my way of hiding from reality, as was my increasingly antisocial behavior. I had been living through a traumatic and stressful situation for far too long. I had spiraled into a deep abyss.

PTSD is common in soldiers who have seen combat, in rape victims, in natural disaster victims, in attack victims; really in anyone who has lived through a situation which was traumatic. For those who have been traumatized by a marriage and a prolonged divorce in which a child is used as a tool of manipulation, PTSD is unfortunately a reality. As a man, it was the expectation of my family that I remain strong, get over my failed marriage, and work amicably with my ex-wife. In fact, my calls to my mom asking for help were stressing her out, so my dad eventually called me and told me to stop bothering her with my problems. That was my official cue to be a man, quit my whining, and tough it out.

Men are often expected to work alone. It's almost one of our American societal mores. However, isolationism or social withdrawal is a symptom of PTSD. Reaching out can be extremely difficult because someone with stress as the result of reaching out in the first place (as in a marriage) will be far less likely to jump at the opportunity of risking entering into or furthering an existing relationship. Simply put, PTSD sufferers have an excruciatingly hard time asking for help. And men in particular who do reach out are often scorned for being weak.

What’s to be done?

The first step is for us to change our perception of what happens to a person during and after a traumatic relationship. This is why I have written a book series about my experience. It’s hard to identify with someone in such a circumstance if you’ve had no prior experience with it. If you say, as my parents did, that a guy should be in control and tackle his problems by himself, you misunderstand what the problem is, and it is very easy to dismiss someone who is in a tailspin such as I was. It seemed most everyone I knew was telling me to pull myself up by my bootstraps. And, by golly, I did.

I did exactly that. I worked harder than I ever had to keep my family somewhat together, to continue to do exemplary work at my job, and even to help support my ex. I supported her financially by giving more than the court ordered me to. I supported her physically by helping fix up her house, even giving her the half I owned free and clear by signing a quit claim deed. I even supported her emotionally by listening to her rants and trying to help smooth things over with people she needed to keep in her life. I did more than I should have.

Still, in the end, having pulled myself up by my bootstraps was not the way to get rid of the detrimental effects of PTSD. That’s the problem: PTSD doesn’t just go away. It lingers and is re-triggered again and again. You fight it bravely, but it continues to resurface. Not only do you fight the PTSD, you fight the stigma it gives you as you watch people shake their heads at you, wishing you would just get over it.

If you know someone who has had a relationship derail and go up in flames, learn about PTSD and relationships. You can Google the two keywords and find some related articles and studies fairly quickly, though such articles are sparse, and that’s part of the problem. Awareness isn’t common in our society. That is my purpose, to raise awareness.

Become aware. Be a friend to someone in a bad relationship. You may be able to help at some point, and helping is not a bad thing. It doesn’t have to be a huge time or emotional commitment. It can simply mean awareness. I was lucky to have had a few people who were at least aware enough to not turn their backs on me despite how society generally feels about a guy in such a position. I am alive today because of those people.

The hopeless terror does not have to be a reality for those of us with PTSD. There is hope in this life. Help me pass it on.

Connect with John Emil Augustine:

• Official Author Website
• Facebook
• Twitter

Really, Pat? A War on Christmas?

In the latest school news, my last school district has taken on Christmas. And it's so last month! How did I miss that? Oh yeah, I've been dealing with my own hectic life.

A couple of days ago, I wrote to a past colleague with a question about a Roman arch project. He responded with some shocking news. My hometown has once again landed in the national spotlight. This time it has nothing to do with pubic workers taking a stand against a union busting governor. No, this time it was one of their own who caused the uproar.

Here's what I learned yesterday in an email from my friend:

"Though, if you've caught the news lately you know the WSD has made national news. You'll remember the annual email about respecting cultural diversity and finding some curricular relevance for holiday festivities and songs. But a music teacher at West felt like there wasn't enough Christ in the public school district's Christmas concerts, and he called Fox News. Wausau's "War on Christmas" went national. There was a crazy public hearing at a school board meeting; the superintendent received death threats; Sarah Palin came to town to save Christmas from us godless, liberal public school teachers. Crazy, crazy stuff. That is: I still envy you your exodus to saner climes."

What began as a request from a high school music teacher to include only religious based Christmas songs in this year's winter concert led to the announcement that he could perform a concert with no religious based songs. That resulted in conflict between the school board and the administration.

OMG! What have I missed?! Yes, I'm glad I moved away. I'm very glad I moved away. *Breathing a sigh of relief.*

So what was the problem? The district places an emphasis on cultural diversity. The public schools are entrusted with educating all of the students, no matter what their religious upbringing may be. The district has never banned inclusion of religious topics as long as they are educational in nature and respect the students and their families. I never saw a problem with that, and I still don't.

High school choir director, Phil Buch, apparently does have a problem with that. He started the fire by bringing his grievances to Fox News, and school board member, Pat McKee, fueled the flames when he told Fox News that it was "nothing short of a war on Christmas."

What was the decision that caused such an uproar? Ultimately, Buch was told he'd either have to include some secular winter songs in the program, or he'd have to change the theme of the winter program entirely. His response was to disband the choir. Excuse me, but how childish! Being a teacher myself, I can think of so many marvelous things he could have done with that. He could have put together a multicultural program including holiday songs in a variety of different languages. He could have taken a look at holiday music through the ages. In both cases, it would not be difficult to incorporate secular holiday songs. Instead, he canceled Christmas. Yes, Mr. Buch, it was not the Wausau School District that canceled this festive season. You are the one who started this "war".

UPDATE: Wausau School District limits religious music
Wisconsin school district cracks down on Christmas music
Wausau school district threatened with lawsuit over music policy

Under Pressure

Pressure, building up...
Pushing in from every angle.
Pressing out from within.
Waking in the dark, breaths constricted,
Knowing I've stopped breathing, in the night.

Help me!

Need to find an outlet.

Not silent. Not at all.
Crying out, again and again, "Help me!"

Telling exactly what I need, to feel:
Loved,
Wanted,
Understood,
Appreciated.

Words misunderstood.
Meanings twisted and misread.

Standing strong.
Keeping it together.
For my sanity.
For us...
For her...

This can only last so long.
Before I reach a breaking point.

An argument, left to hibernate for the winter.
Supposed to revisit it the next fall.
Staying strong, I let it drop,
And wept silent tears.
But not forever.

Asking for help one more time.
Anger bursts the calm evening silence.
No help here.
This time I am ready,
Holding firm, standing strong.

Still standing strong.
Keeping it together.
For my sanity.
For me...
For her...
This too will only last so long.



If you enjoyed this piece, please visit my official author website at: SLWallace.com

First Head Transplant Fraught with Dilemmas

In early July 2013, I read a disturbingly fascinating news article: Possibility of First Head Transplant Fraught with Ethical and Medical Dilemmas.

Ethical and medical dilemmas, the article said. Yes, I could see how that would be true. It really got me to thinking. And when I think deep thoughts, I get the urge to write. Thus Dante was created.

Dante is an Italian violinist who believes in the wonders of science. He also believes he is destined for greatness. When he reads about the very real possibility of human head transplants, he just knows he has found his calling:

“Okay, this is getting a little weird,” Natalia said. “I mean, here I am watching you two grin about the possibility of Dante’s death. What’s wrong with us?”

“Nothing, dear cousin. We are merely talking about medical research. Imagine how much we could learn!”

Dante jumped in as well. “Oh, I have wondered about it! I’ve wondered about it a lot actually. I mean, just think of some questions that have plagued humans since the beginning of time. Is there a soul?”

“And if there is,” continued Pietro, “where does it reside, in the heart or the brain?”

“Maybe the soul runs throughout every cell of our being,” Natalia chimed in. “Maybe it runs through our nervous system.”

“Another thing I’ve often wondered about,” Dante cut in, “is muscle memory.”

“What do you mean?” Natalia asked.

“I think I know where he’s going with this,” Pietro said. “May I try to clarify, see if I’m right?”

Dante nodded eagerly. From all the strange looks he’d gotten whenever he tried to discuss any of this, he was glad to finally have an agreeable audience.

“You’re talking about actions that have become so commonplace with an individual, that they’re almost instinctive.”

“Yes, exactly,” Dante said.

“We already know that nerve signals move at an extraordinary rate along synaptic pathways. Little things called dendrites actively pass messages from one to the next until the brain receives the information or until the muscle receiving direction from the brain, does as it’s instructed.”

But a character alone isn't enough. I needed to do a little more research. The article referred to animal experiments. Specifically, it stated that a successful head transplant had been done to a monkey as early as 1970. I went to YouTube and searched for video footage to give me an idea of what that may have been like. I typed in, "Robert White monkey head transplant video" and found this:

Then I wrote about it:

The head surgeon snipped the last thread and stepped back. “Well, that's it. Now we wait.”

For a moment, the only sound was the gentle beep of the heart monitor, the only motion, the rise and fall of the patient’s chest. A grueling 18 hours after they had begun, the surgery was complete, and the team had come farther than anyone ever had before. Beneath the excitement of accomplishment, an underlying current of exhaustion was present on every face: dark circles under eyes, slack expressions and slumped shoulders. Although the chalk marks on the floor that had kept everyone in the right place at the right time no longer mattered, most of the anesthesiologists, lab technicians and nurses remained in their last positions, anxious for the patient to awaken.

A nurse’s gasp drew their attention when the patient opened its eyes.

Sharp teeth snapped at one of the lab techs who quickly stepped back and bumped into a stainless steel tray. Medical instruments crashed to the floor as two other technicians rushed forward to tighten the restraints.

“Damn animal almost took off my finger.” He chuckled nervously.

“He nearly got you,” the surgeon confirmed.

The doctor shone a pen light above the Rhesus monkey's head. A pair of amber eyes followed the beam of light as it moved back and forth across its field of vision. “Optical nerves appear to be functioning correctly.”

He reached to the side and picked up a small dog training device. He pressed the clicker, and the monkey blinked at the sound.

“Hearing is in working order. Nurse?” The surgeon handed her the device, and in turn, she handed him a wooden skewer with a piece of cantaloupe on it. The doctor slowly inserted the sweet cube into the monkey's mouth. The animal sucked on it, chewed it, swallowed, and licked its lips. A comprehensive sigh filled the room.

To learn whether or not Dante really is destined for greatness, check out Dante's Day Off. It will be available for sale as of Thursday, October 17, everywhere ebooks are sold. I will be sure to post links as soon as this short story is available.

Information about S.L. Wallace's other books can be found at her official author website: slwallace.com

Grades or no grades, that is the question!

I bet when you think of school, you think of desks in straight rows, homework and grades, among other things. I am a teacher, and I do not believe that any of that makes for a high quality learning environment.

The Industrial Revolution is OVER!

Oh, sometimes desks in straight rows fits the bill, as in a college level, lecture style environment or when a guest speaker is present. Straight rows work especially well for choir, orchestra and band too. However, they do not work well as a staple of any preschool or elementary level classroom. Come middle school, straight rows of desks work well more often, but still are not ideal for the majority of the students' day. It is my belief that the environment must be adaptable so that students can easily work in small groups, alone, or in a large group as is best suited to any particular lesson or follow-up work.

In my opinion, homework is rarely beneficial. In my Montessori class, students receive assignments that are based upon the lessons they receive. Throughout the day, they are called to small group lessons, and when not in a lesson, they have time to work on their follow-up assignments or to do any other work that interests them. Montessori classrooms have a lot of hands-on materials on the shelves for students to choose from during work time. At the end of each day, all of the students sit down and take a look at our large laminated class planner and make sure their individual planners are up to date. If they've been using work time appropriately, they will rarely have homework. If students misuse their work time, or if they have been absent and need to catch up, they may have work that will need to be finished outside of school.

Grades... I have had a problem with the idea of grades ever since my first year of teaching. No, wait. It really started before that, when I was in my upper level teaching classes during undergrad. That is when I realized that my grades actually went up when I stopped focusing on them and instead focused only on what I was learning. However, my first year of teaching, I quickly noticed something I will share with you now. Although a good grade, an A does not always mean the same thing on every report card. Nor does a C necessarily indicate a student's capabilities. Grades really have little to no meaning. Really...let me explain.

Lisa is a natural at math. She catches on quickly and retains new concepts with ease. She certainly deserves the A she receives on her report card. Tommy works his hardest trying to understand the concepts he is being taught. He keeps up with the work and gets outside help from a tutor. His skills improve tremendously, and when grading time rolls around, he is deserving of the A he receives on his report card. Two A's. It is my belief that they do not mean the same thing. Now let's look at Cecily. She could easily do the math. Like Lisa, she understands and retains the concepts with ease, but she has a hectic schedule outside of school and rarely completes her assignments. She squeaks by with a C. However, that does not represent her skills, and her 100% scores on her exams and in class work show her teacher how gifted she is. Still, the C stands.

When I switched from traditional education to Montessori, I was thrilled that there were no "grades," not in the typical sense anyway. Students still do work. In fact, they do a tremendous amount of work. The beauty of the system is because teachers call small groups of students at a time while the rest of the class has open work time (choices within boundaries and freedom with responsibility) those who need repetition receive it and those who can move ahead have the chance to soar as far as they are able. Are students assessed? You bet they are! Every time I meet with a small group, I assess the students quickly before we move ahead to the next lesson. Periodically, students receive more rigorous assessments, and they even have standardized tests three times per year. Their parents receive report cards too. The report cards give the parents a comprehensive list of what lessons and skills their child has been introduced to, is working on, and has mastered. That's much more helpful than a letter to represent an entire subject area. Finally, with no grades, students aren't allowed to slack. If they finish an assignment, and their work is of poor quality or inaccurate, they don't get a poor grade and move on, instead they do it again and again until it's done well.

So...grades or no grades? Which do you think is better?

What makes a Montessori education so special? And how do students in Montessori schools fair when compared with students in other school systems? I have not done the research, but others have.

Montessori Method vs. Traditional Education

Montessori Education Provides Better Outcomes Than Traditional Methods, Study Finds

Comparison of Academic Achievement Between Montessori and Traditional Education Programs

In addition to being a Montessori teacher, S.L. Wallace is the author of the Reliance on Citizens trilogy and Retrospection.

Personal Rant

When it happens, I want to scream. Instead, I smile and nod and respond as polite society expects. By it, I mean whenever I say something that is very important to me, a really big deal, and the person I'm talking with shrugs it off. It can also mean when someone else places their assumptions about the world on me. I hate when that happens. But what am I to do?

I've never been what most would consider conventional. I'm not a fan of clothing that boldly proclaims the latest trademark or logo. Even as a teenager, I never much cared for shopping at all, and the latest trend has always been the least of my concerns.

Go back even further...grade school. In 6th grade, as part of our P.E. curriculum, we had the opportunity to either go cross country skiing or downhill skiing. My mother told me years later that she'd been impressed with my decision, not because of the decision itself but because of how I made my decision.

She saw the permission form and asked me, "What are you going to do?"

I told her, "I think I'll go cross country skiing."

She asked, "Who else is signing up for that?"

I shrugged and said, "I don't know." And honestly, I didn't much care. I knew I'd have fun skiing with whoever made the same choice.

Unbeknownst to me, my mother checked around. Apparently, other kids in my class were on the phone for hours that night, trying to decide who was doing what so they could make the right choice.

Flash forward. My boyfriend and I had been together for years, ever since the end of high school. We both went on to college, so marriage wasn't a priority for either of us in those early days. Then I graduated and began my first job. I knew my boyfriend didn't believe in the convention of marriage, but I liked the idea of publicly sharing our commitment to each other for all the world to see. He was resistant to the idea, so I backed off, happy enough to just be with him, and I was as surprised as everyone who really knew us when he did eventually pop the big question. And then it started. Family members and friends...it felt like almost everyone who saw my ring wanted to know the same thing, "When are you going to start a family?" Just thinking about that question makes me want to scream. Why can't just two people together be "a family"?

I wanted to shout out, "That's not why everyone gets married!"

I'm unconventional, remember? So we waited 10 years to have our first child and enjoyed being a family of two. I love my daughter so much; we both do. But we don't know that we will have any more children. Still...not more than a few weeks ago, one of my friends talked to me as if we will someday soon have another baby. I wanted to shake her and say, "There's a big difference between when and if." But I didn't. Instead, I kept from rolling my eyes, smiled and let the conversation naturally move on.

It continues to happen in another, more serious aspect of my life. Just over a year ago, we moved away from our hometown, from family and friends, from a location where we were comfortable. We left behind our house that we now rent out. I left behind a job that was becoming ever more stressful but also co-workers I enjoyed knowing on a professional level as well as a personal friendship level, students I cared for, and parents who stood behind the school and teachers. Leaving was not an easy decision. That all must be made perfectly clear for my next point to be completely understood...

Sometimes I tell people, "In order to make a stand, we made a choice to move away from Wisconsin. Besides, I don't want my daughter going to school anywhere in that state for the foreseeable future."

There aren't words to adequately describe how it feels to hear the response, "Yes, we don't like what's going on in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, (pick a location) either. It must be nice to have the option to move."

Really? Really! Moving was not a simple option! It was a choice, and it was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made, yet I believe it was the right decision for us, and I'm happy to report that moving has led to an amazing job with wonderful coworkers and students, and some fabulous new friendships. Thank you to everyone who has been there for us.

I'll end with a plea. Please do not vote for Governor Scott Walker if he runs for president. If you don't know why I would say that, please refer to Congratulations, Scott Walker... You win! For now, I'll hold my fears in check, and will rely on the compassion I believe most U.S. citizens have for each other.

S.L. Wallace is the author of the Reliance on Citizens trilogy and Retrospection.

The Top Ten Reasons I’m Looking Forward to School this Year

The past few school years have been extremely stressful for me. During that time, I never considered leaving teaching, but I actively tried to leave my last school. Sadly, it had nothing to do with the school itself or the school district. It had everything to do with a tyrannical governor who I now fear is setting himself up to run for President in 2016 (Scott Walker's Stealth 2016 Strategy). I've posted about him before, and I'm sure I will again, but for now, I'll focus on the topic of school.

Teaching in Wisconsin became stressful even before I left. Although I was one of the first to leave, I wasn't one of the last. In a district that has always prided itself on teacher retention, a district where it was nearly impossible to get hired as a teacher because hundreds of applicants would apply to every open position, in a district that used to have between 4-20 teacher positions to fill each year, a record 61 new teachers were hired for the 2013-2014 school year. I guarantee, the district is not growing, and new positions are not being created. In fact, when I left, they didn't hire anyone to replace me. Instead, the principal of the school now wears two hats. I highly respect him, and I know he has the kids' best interests at heart, but it shows that educators in Wisconsin are being asked to do far too much.

June 5, 2012 - A recall election took place in the state of Wisconsin, and Governor Scott Walker retained his seat by a small margin. That night, I mailed out resumes to schools in other states as well as Canada. 20 days later, I was lucky enough to interview at the school where I now work.

Last school year was stressful for a completely different reason. I had a lot to learn! We'd moved to a new city with no friends or family nearby. I'm an experienced Montessori teacher, so at least what I was teaching and how I was to teach it was familiar. I had to find that line though. You know the one, the line between the old and the new, the traditions of past years and fresh ideas. On top of all that, the school where I now work was completing the authorization process of becoming an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program school. We were successful, yay! But that certainly meant a steep learning curve for me and an entire month of online training last October while I was still getting used to everything else. It was a crazy time.

Meanwhile, I continued to write and in July, I published my fourth book, a novella about a young woman who is finding spiritual awakening as her life spins out of control. Writing, my family, and the Montessori method were the three things that helped keep me grounded and focused. So without further ado, here are my top ten reasons for looking forward to school this year.

10. I am no longer in Wisconsin, and I have become familiar with and comfortable in my new surroundings.

9. I am comfortable wrapping the IB-MYP philosophy and lesson plan formats around the Montessori curriculum. The philosophies of the two programs are so similar.

In Montessori, we teach the "whole child" meaning we recognize each child for who he or she is as a unique individual. We meet students where they are (academically speaking) and help them proceed at their own pace. We teach multi-grade groups of students in small group lessons using hands on materials and impressionistic lessons. We teach the children to be stewards of this beautiful planet we call home.

Here is the IB mission statement directly from their website:

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

8. I get to work with a wonderfully supportive staff every day. I am fortunate to be working with a team of people who are some of the most genuine, kind and supportive people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. They all have demonstrated a passion for teaching and honestly care for the children throughout the school and for each other. I kid you not.

7. I have the support of the administration. Again, I kid you not! My principal encourages us to come to him with questions or concerns. No, I do not always agree with his final decisions, but I respect him and know that he is making those decisions after listening to his staff. On top of that, he is a well respected Montessorian who has written numerous articles and even a book about the Montessori philosophy. He also travels extensively educating others about Montessori education.

6. I have planning time every day. This is a practice that is falling by the wayside in many schools. This year, just like last, I'll have anywhere from 1/2 hour to over an hour every day for prep and planning. Any teacher will tell you that prep time is just as important as having the time to teach.

5. Field trips! I love field trips! We go camping twice a year, once in the fall (focus on team building) and once in the spring (focus on celebration). The sixth graders go to New York City as part of the Montessori Model United Nations program every spring. There are other field trips that pop up as we learn about them, if they tie into our curriculum. And the students often plan their own small group field trips based on independent studies - Maria Montessori referred to these as "Going Outs." Our students also visit a local wetlands and volunteer at a local food bank throughout the year.

4. I have the option to teach after school clubs and summer school based upon my interests, and I get paid by the hour for those extra duties. Compare that to being paid a flat $18.00 per event, no matter the length of the event at my last school.

3. I work with a super diverse population and am looking forward to learning more about different cultures.

2. The parents are caring and supportive. They treat us as professionals and understand that we are all in this together. Our goal? To provide a nourishing educational environment for all of our students, recognizing them as the unique individuals they are.

1. The students! I love learning along with them as I guide students through their studies, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the new dynamics that will develop in my classroom this year.

This is exactly what teaching should be like.

S.L. Wallace is the author of the Reliance on Citizens trilogy and Retrospection.