Shiny Things

Summer is winding down.  I'm busy running errands, finishing tutoring, and preparing for my last vacation before school. I will leave for Philly the following evening to see family, friends, and my Phillies.

I run to the store to pick up something for school.  My trip in and out goes seamlessly.  As I open my back door to put my school supplies in my back seat I pause.  There's something shiny where it shouldn't be in my driver side rear tire.

My mind starts racing back to last August.  In a short period of time, my car broke down four times, and the repairs totaled $1000.  It took four times and two different repair shops to figure out what was really wrong with my car and get it running consistently again.  With each breakdown I experienced stress.  If my friends and family hadn't been there for me to help with rides, I don't know what I would have done.  I can walk to school if I have to, but I'm not an early bird so adding in the extra time to get there can be stressful.

I pause, take a deep breath, and take a closer look at my tire. "Ellen, don't freak out," I think to myself.

The shiny thing in my tread appears to be a safety pin.

"Great! I can't ever seem to find safety pins at home or at school, but when I don't need one this happens," I grumble to myself.

I'm supposed to go out with a couple friends for lunch so I head back to school to let them know I need to take my car to the shop.  My friends manage to talk some sense into me.  We don't hear any air and decide it can wait till after lunch.  They are both willing to take me anywhere I need to go.

We had an awesome lunch.  I take my car to the shop afterwards and another friend and her daughter meet me at the shop to help me in my classroom for a couple hours.

Now I imagine at this point you're wondering, what happened with the tire...

The pin had not even penetrated the tread.  My mechanic checked it out to make sure it was OK, and it didn't even need a patch.  No charge.

This simple car repair or no repair incident got me thinking.  What if I hadn't spotted the pin?  What if I had continued to drive it and damaged my tire?  What if the tire had stopped working when I was on the highway?

Then I started thinking about my first graders.  As another school year approaches, I am wondering about my new students and what they will need.  This tire pin reminds me that I need to be alert, and looking for those shiny things, those red flags, those indicators that my students need me to change direction.

Teaching is all learning.  I didn't understand that when I started, but thanks to my PLN, I am actively learning every day.

I'm very determined to become better at meeting my students' individual needs with every school year.  It's imperative to me that my first graders explore their passions and use their gifts in the context of our school day.

I want to make sure I don't miss the pins in their tires.  I want to recognize when they need a checkup or when they need someone else to take a look at their progress.

I realize I'm only one person, and I might not spot every pin.  But I know there will be fewer flat tires to fix if I make a concerted effort to keep my eyes open.

Since I started blogging, I realize I see the world differently now.  I know some of you may be chuckling that I got all of this from a pin in my tire.

I'm super grateful to those of you who got me started on this journey.  Those of you pushed me to start writing.  Those of you who reassured me that I had nothing to fear and everything to gain.  I've grown so much because of your support and encouragement.

I can't wait to see where the path takes my first graders and me this school year.

As always, thanks for reading.

Ellen