Today I went shopping for Christmas stocking stuffers for the organization TESSA. TESSA is the primary agency dedicated specifically to the issues of domestic violence and assault in El Paso and Teller Counties in Colorado.
This holiday season they are collecting a number of items for their holiday gift drive. You're welcome to drop off some of the items found on the link above in my classroom. I'll make sure they get to TESSA by week's end.
8:25 PM
8:21 PM
The weekend flew by and I spent most of Friday and Saturday (when I wasn't away at a Girl's High School Swim Meet) doing good deeds for the people in my family. However, most important was to take a little time for myself to regroup.
As we carried out the boxes of Christmas decorations from under the house I began to get a bit nostalgic. Every year I put out the Christmas Creche, carefully unwrapping each ceramic piece from the newspaper of years gone by. This particular creche has been in my family for years. I began to wonder how many hands had unpacked these same pieces and what there thoughts were during this time of year. It gave me great comfort knowing that so many have enjoyed this little manger set for so long.
8:11 PM
Today was a rough day and all I wanted to do was stay in bed. But, 3:30 rolled around and High School Swim practice was in full swing. I was all set to head home after practice when some of the girls asked if I would help them with their flip turns. So, my good deed of the day to help the girls after practice with their turns. They did great and worked hard.
9:51 PM
Today we had a fun trip to DIA and did a good deed along the way. We paid the tolls for the cars behind us. We told the toll taker to say Happy Holidays to the car behind us and that we had paid their toll on the highway. Fun!
7:50 PM
Today I delivered nearly 20 coats collected at the middle school to One Warm Coat. Good Morning America and Burlington Coat Factory are partnering with the non-profit organization One Warm Coat for there 2nd Annual Warm Coats and Warm Hearts Drive. These coats are donated to people in need at no extra cost.
You can drop off coats at any Burlington Coat Factory location through January 16th. For more information on the Warm Coat drive visit http://onewarmcoat.org/
5:40 AM
My oldest son (21) is getting ready to spend a month in Argentina. My good deed of the day was to help him prepare for the trip by doing all the stuff most people don't like to do - wash and iron clothes, gather items, and see if it all fits in the suitcase. I sort of have Argentina on the mind.
I'm excited for him to spend time with his family, discover a new land, and experience a new culture. In doing so, I think a person discovers themselves no matter the age. Traveling offers new opportunity to gain a broader perspective and enrich our lives. We quickly learn the value of friendship, trust, and the benefits that broadening our knowledge of others not quite like us bring.
8:17 PM
Friends of ours are moving to Pennsylvania in a few weeks. We were fortunate to be able to all get together this evening in Denver to say goodbye and share a meal.
My good deed of the day is quite small. There were several of us traveling from Manitou, about an hour drive north. We carpooled to save resources, enjoy friendship, and though small, we did reduce the carbon footprint just a tad.
7:24 PM
Today is Saturday and I was able to take a little breather from the hectic schedule of last week. The weather warmed up a bit and now the Christmas lights are hanging in the front yard.
I spent some time today trying to collect children's books written in Spanish to send to my cousin in Argentina. He's working on coordinating a local book drive for the schools there. Local books stores carry a small selection of books written in Spanish. They are next to impossible to find in used book stores.
I ended up purchasing some old favorites in Spanish from Barnes and Noble. I had fun reading them in Spanish. They brought back many happy memories of reading to my own children many years ago. I went to Barnes and Noble because our middle school and high school were hosting a fundraiser there today and a percentage of all sales went to our school.
I think more books need to be published in Spanish and sold in the US. I did a bit of research on this and discovered The Children's Book Council has some things to say on this subject.
There is an ever-increasing number of Spanish-speaking children in the United States. Many of these children have Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and bilingual educators are constantly looking for Spanish or Bilingual books in a variety of subjects (and age levels) that will help these children step into reading.
There is also a large number of Spanish-speaking parents in the U.S. who want their children to maintain their Spanish-language skills. As a result, many Hispanic children in the United States, even those who are second and third generation, speak Spanish in the home and retain ties to their roots. Publishers can effectively respond to this market by making available the broadest possible selection of excellent children's books in Spanish.
10:49 PM
I'm just arriving home from a long but rewarding evening in Salida, Colorado where the Girl's Swim Team just had a tri meet against two teams. We won one meet by a point and lost the other by 6 points. Close and exciting.
My good deed for the day comprises several very small deeds. I'm adding them up to suffice as one larger good deed. The day was full of bus travels and high school swimming. Not much time for anything else. But, I did manage to return a lost inhaler, pick up the trash on the school bus and cleaned up after a poker party my husband hosted while I was away at the meet.
4:58 PM
Today is Thursday and I'm really feeling the day. Snow is on the ground and the air temperature has dropped. As I drove home from swim team practice the neighborhood Christmas lights shimmered in the snow.
Our school is in the midst of a school wide fundraiser to build a climbing wall. This project has been a struggle. A small school trying to raise $10,000 dollars is not an easy feat. In the midst of afternoon activity a young gentleman approached me and asked if I would be interested in buying one of the "Manitou" cards to support this fundraiser. I immediately told him "No thanks."
"No Thanks!" Of course a teacher should respond this way. If every child asked the teachers we'd feel overwhelmed. We can't possibly buy one from everyone. Of course I would say, "No Thanks." Hmmm... this was not sitting well with me. Yes, if everyone had asked me I might feel overwhelmed. But the truth of the matter is that no one had asked me at all and I had not supported this fundraiser other than by word of mouth and encouragement. Surely I could afford to purchase one of these cards.
So, a few seconds later I chased that young gentleman down and told him I would be happy to purchase one. That is my small good deed for the day. I think, in addition to the purchase I will donate the card to the family the middle school is sponsoring for the holidays. They are approaching.
8:39 PM
Today I woke up extra early to make breakfast for our staff at the middle school. We had a staff meeting this morning and the 8th grade team provided breakfast. I made a delicious egg casserole at 5:00 AM. I think everyone enjoyed the breakfast as the pan was empty by the end of the meeting. The fun part was that I was able to share about our 25 Days of Difference during the staff meeting and show the staff some of the student blogs.
I also brought in a few cans for the food drive and a coat for the coat drive. I had to leave early today, so I'm not sure how these drives are coming along.
5:52 PM
I was so busy today! Despite the craziness of my winter schedule, I took time out during my free time to day to walk the school grounds inside and out to pick up trash. The inside hallways looked beautiful and I actually smiled to myself and hoped we would get some visitors to the school. I really thought it looked clean and felt very proud of our school.
By lunchtime, two periods later, I couldn't even tell I had walked around to pick up trash. The hallways were a mess.
I feel a bit compelled to do something about this, just not sure what that is yet. I wonder, if others had walked around and picked up the trash during a period then came out a few periods later and saw the mess, would they feel discouraged? Maybe if everyone pitched in throughout the day, everyone would have a bit more ownership.
I'll try and make it my goal to pick up any trash along my walk to lunch, to the restroom, to the office. Anywhere.
8:37 PM
Our school is hosting both a coat drive and a canned food drive this week.
Students went around promoting both of these worthy causes in Advisee today.
Food should be non-perishable. The food drive lasts all week.
Coats can be of any size, small, medium, or large, child or adult. They should be cleaned before being brought to school on Thursday.
8:22 PM
Today is the first of 25 Days of Difference. Remember, it's never to late to join in on the fun of giving to others. What you give can vary from time, to goods, to knowledge, to laughter. The reward is often well worth the effort.
I chose to bring awareness of a school in Phenom Penh, Cambodia called Pour un Sourire d'Enfant. It means "for a child'smile." The school is an organization that works very hard to feed, clothe, and educated the children who live in the garbage dump of Phenom Penh. The school was opened in 1996 and since then has fed and educated thousands of children and provided them with life changing alternatives. The children's stories are heart breaking. I'm happy to know that two people with a vision, Christian and Mary France, have provided such a wonderful place for these children to grow and learn.
You can visit their website at http://www.pse.asso.fr/index.html
The website is written in French, but with a good translator you will get the idea. You can also play around and click on the pictures to get an idea of the lives these children live, both in school and on the garbage dump. I am also in possession of a very powerful DVD that illustrates the struggles and successes of these children and the school. Please contact me if you are interested in viewing the film. The cost of sponsoring one child is approximately $45.00 US a month.
My interest in this organization came about several ways. My cousin is deeply involved and has visited the school in Cambodia several times. I also have a very close friend working as a school principal in Phenom Penh who has welcomed some of these students into his school. Sometimes it's strange how small and connected the world can be.
Stay tuned for more information on this worthy cause.
I'll close with a quote from one of the students in the movie that makes me think a bit of 25 Days of Difference. "I'm sure, with our efforts, goodness is going to win."
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