Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Happy 83rd Birthday Whit!!

I have been scrounging around in my closet for two days looking for one of my favorite pictures in my collection of thousands.  It is a picture taken in 1978 of me and my dear coach, Jim Whitney at the Track Banquet.  I would have loved to post it here next to this lovely shot of the two of us taken earlier this month. You would see that we haven't changed a bit. When I find it, I will post it.  I also wanted to find it because it shows just how long Whit and I have been friends. I honestly don't know what my life would be like today had it not been for this very special man in my life. Whit saw an athlete in me that I didn't know existed and insisted that I work through some of the toughest times in my life in the healthiest way possible.  He made me run and run I did for three years on the varsity track team.  Whit taught me how to dig deep and fight through struggles on and off the track. Whit and his wife, Bev have always been there for me. Whit saw the best in me and so many other young women and expected us to be champions. Whenever I am faced with struggles, I hear his words of encouragement as my own. Whit is in a long race of his own with Parkinsons Disease.  I admire his tenacity, his sense of humor and his insistence on winning. Happy Birthday dear friend.  I love you!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Lunch with the Governor!!

Yep, here we are!  It was such a great experience for me and Matt to have lunch in the Governor's Mansion with Governor Dayton.  The home was beautifully decorated for the holidays with Christmas trees in every room. The Governor was as warm and welcoming as he could be and we felt right at home in his home. Governor Dayton was very interested in our lives as teachers and extended invitations to committees that would be thrilling for me to be a part of.  He graciously answered every question from the seventh graders in Matt's classroom and took in all of the well wishes from our districts students and staff. What moved me most was connecting with him as parents. We shared our joys in parenting young adults and reminisced about a childhood they grew up in that, as parents, we still feel responsible to give to the children of Minnesota today. We will always remember our day as guests of the Governor.  Thanks, Mark!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Self Regulation, A Gift for Children

5 Holiday Activities that Foster Self Regulation
  • Paper Chains
  • Advent Calendars
  • Waiting for Snow
  • Not Interrupting Grown Up Conversation (oh! so! hard!)
  • Waiting for Santa

One of the greatest predictors of academic success is self regulation. Very simply, it is the ability to control your emotions, your hands and your impulses.  I am a lifelong student of self regulation and appreciate how difficult it is at times to wait my turn or to hold a thought, especially when I am excited. This time of year, there are plenty of opportunities to practice.  I like to think of self regulation as a muscle that needs to work to build strength. It will undoubtedly be easier to give kids what they want when they want it in the short haul but parents will do better to keep the long range goal of self regulation in mind, even when it is hard. Self regulation often looks like patience and it is well worth the effort!

Teachers Teaching Teachers

On Tuesday, our state representative and fellow teacher, Gene Pelowski taught a class for the faculty representatives in our local Winona Education Association about effective lobbying this upcoming legislative session. I am always interested in ideas to get teachers more involved in the political process.  I would like to think that education begins in the classroom but I know that many of the decisions about what is taught in the classroom are crafted by policy makers in St. Paul.  My thanks to Representative Pelowski for a great class.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

I am so proud of my brother!

It is always great to hang out with my brother without the pressure of eating oyster stew at Christmas time. Meet my brother, Bob.  He is really cool.  This year he was the lucky recipient of the baby Barb and Bob buttons in honor of the letter "B".  I have been enjoying nearly 100 songs that Bob burned in exchange. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Thank you, California Casualty!

I was happy to finally meet Christine, the Marketing Manager for California Casualty at the Education Minnesota office in St. Paul last week.  She had a California Casualty award for teaching excellence to give to me. It is a gift given to my school and I hope to find just the right staff development opportunity to put it to good use. My sincere thanks to California Casualty for this generous  award! This is the first picture of Paul Mueller on my blog.  Paul is the Vice President of Education Minnesota and a really great guy.  Typically, Paul is behind the camera.  He has sent me many photos of my exciting year to me. It was super cold on Friday when we took this picture.  We had to hold our breaths so it didn't look like we were all outside having a smoke!

Santa dropped by to say hello as well.  He had a few questions about some of the boys and girls in Winona. He was making a list and checking it twice.  I wonder if the kids know that I am a Chief Advisor to Santa Claus. He consults with me often as we get closer to the 24th. I earn a commission every time I edit the list for him. Thanks Santa!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

MCFR Conference

My co-worker and fellow Parent Educator, Ann and I had a rare opportunity to attend a conference in the cities. It is tough for both of us to get away at the same time.  We were really excited to head up to the conservatory at Como Zoo for the annual Minnesota Council on Family Relations conference.  We are both big fans of the keynoter, Ted Bowman.  Unfortunately I cannot post the picture of me with Mr. Bowman.  In my constant struggle to control my enthusiasm, I bounded up to the front of the room to get a picture of Ted and me.  I was worried that I might miss the chance given that he announced that he would need to rush out right after his talk to teach a class at the University.  My adrenaline fired up at the possibility of missing my chance!  Oh, I got a picture alright....I snuck up on dear Mr. Bowman from behind as he was shutting down his computer and asked him to "quick, look at the camera" which he did.  The end result is a photo of me looking like I am waiting for a piggy back ride from a shocked Ted.  Ann took the picture and I will find a hundred ways to send it to her for years to come because it makes us laugh so hard we get tears in our eyes!


When faced with an emergency ( Ann's car was broken into) there is no better person to travel with than Ann Riebel. That gal kicks into high gear and gets down to the business of problem solving before I have even have a chance to channel my inner drama queen. A broken window is just another bump in the road for this master coordinator of scheduling, keeper of goats and eggs, low maintenance, highly efficient friend Ann. Whew! We were on the road within an hour having filed a police report, contacting the insurance guy, while sporting a brand new window. 

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Thumbs Up for Books!

OK, I'll admit that I just might have taken the picture when Kendal had her thumb up anyway but I will take the thumb up as an endorsement for reading. It happens over and over again in my work that I see really little people grab a book and hand it to an adult to read.  It warms my heart every time! I know that when I see a pre-verbal toddler roaming a room looking for a lap that that child lives in a house where big people read. Toddlers must believe that books are magical when they are capable of interrupting a busy adult. They walk with books confident that someone will stop, drop, and read. I was reminiscing with some parents of grade schoolers yesterday about how quickly children grow and how wonderful the years were when they fit nicely in our laps and fit under our chins. If you happen to be so lucky to live with a tiny person, grab a book and enjoy the magic!