Keep Calm: The End is Almost Here

So it's almost the end of the year.... I think the key word here is almost. The kids seem to have given up. They know the end is near. I know the end is near, but not near enough. Today we had a fun day. Kids with all passing grades played fun games; I'm talking about almost carnival rides. Kids with failing grades were in what my school calls lockdown. They were in classrooms making up the work they didn't do.

My part in a this was two-fold. I had made a quick summer school promotion video over the weekend and spent a good chunk of my morning showing it to kids who might attend summer school. I'm not above pandering. I need kids to attend summer school for fun so I can teach my fun classes.  The second part of my day was spent with some kids in lockdown who had work to finish to pass their classes.

I have a hard time understanding students who think they don't have to do their work. It's probably because I was never in that situation. I didn't think doing my work was a choice. I hope my own sons felt the same way. So being around students who abandoned any thoughts of finishing their work was a chore. Thankfully, another teacher was in her room with me. Thanks Mrs. C for being so kind when I was getting a little crazy.

And crazy was how I felt, honestly. Students tried to take tests before they were ready. I saw study guides that didn't even answer the questions. There was no way these kids were going to pass tests with totally wrong answers on their study guides. Once again, thank you Mrs. C. for being so patient. Your modeling helped me not completely lose my cool. I persevered and made it until 3:00. I will probably see most of these students at summer school, as so I should. But I shant be teaching them. Someone with more patience and kindness in their heart will help them get the basics they should have learned in class with their teacher.

Maybe these students will learn something my Dad taught me a long time ago: Do something right the first time. I had to redo washing the dishes because I left some dirty, but I learned a good lesson from it. Maybe students can learn to complete their work right the first time so they don't have to redo it. I don't know. I would hated to have to attend summer school to pass my core classes. But I never went down that road. I hope this will be a learning experience for those that must attend.

What have I learned from this day? Kids will be kids. There's no use getting myself riled up about it. Calm and cool is the way to be. I can let students deal with the consequences of their choices. It wasn't my choice, after all. And I've learned to be thankful for my co-workers who can demonstrate the patience needed to show me how I need to behave. Lord, I am thankful for my co-workers. Just remember... The End is near! Until next time...

Dealing with loss a Widow's Journey

I just read a post about how to grieve for the loss of your husband. Wow, that resurfaces a lot of old wounds. And when I say "old" I'm talking about 7 and a half years. But right now it feels fresh. The emotions can come back in a flash even after many years. Losing a spouse is not something most people get over within a set amount of time. That was my first lesson.

My husband is second from the left and has his tongue out. :)

Everyone is different. I've seen it firsthand in the widow support groups. So my first advice to you is that there's no timetable on your grief. Grieving itself is a coming to grips with reality that can seem neverending. And when I mean that, I'm talking about daily you will find something that reminds you that your spouse is gone. It's possible to hide the grief or bury it in a new relationship, but dealing with it is a necessary ingredient to healing.

It really doesn't matter how long you were married. I was married almost 22 and a half years. The pain is real no matter how long you were together. Those with shorter times grieve over what could have been. Those like me, married for a longer time, still had dreams of growing old together. Time together is irrelevant; it's the expectation of your joined lives and the loss that hurts. Coming to grips with the reality of a new life is one of the hardest things I've ever done.


My first memorable moment of that terrible reality occurred at a Friday work faculty meeting. I sat there thinking that the gal talking in front of me was going home to her husband. And I am going home to an empty house. It pains me to think of this, but I spent most of that meeting trying to deal with that terrible fact. I didn't learn much about whatever concept was introduced, but I was facing the facts of my new life.

I did have our dog, which became "my dog" and thank God for Waggle. His needs were something I could focus on when I needed to push myself. On my planning hour I came home to take him out and to make sure everything at my house was okay.

My next lesson deals with acknowledging your feelings. I journaled like crazy. I'm fortunate that I wasn't involved with facebook at this time. I was a mess and I went from being mad to being sad in the course of a few hours. It was crazy. But it was my personal journey and I documented it on a spiral bound notebook. I haven't had an occasion to review it lately, but I've been through it many times. It can help remind you of how far you've come in the grieving process.

I found support. I was lucky enough to find a widow support group online. Those people helped me realize I wasn't alone. Being alone when you are already alone and feeling alienated is the worst feeling. Knowing there were other widows out there dealing with the same problems gave me some hope. It may sound strange, but when you've been left alone you need to know there are others experiencing the same feelings. A bond forms when you meet other widows.

My first experience meeting another widow online was scary for me. I was going to Kansas City for a conference and she lived near KC. She told me to give her a call. I was all alone in my room, because widows aren't the best company. So I took a chance and gave her a call. She showed up at my hotel and amazing as it might sound, we hit it off. We shared experiences of teaching and being widowed. And still today I think of her as a good friend. She actually helped me out more than she knows. Thanks J!

Hurdles. Yes, there are hurdles to leap in the process of grieving. I made a point of remembering every first I accomplished, because it meant I was moving forward. It's crazy how many "firsts" you can accomplish. My most recent one was driving from Missouri to Colorado last summer solo. It may not seem like much to you, but it was a big deal for me.

Am I total over my loss? I would have to say, "No". Am I dealing with what my life has become? Well, I'd have to say, "yes". Life is a strange mix of good and bad. Sometimes it feels like one overcomes the other, but give it time. Take care of yourself, mentally, physically and emotionally and things will balance out. Until next time....