This I Believe... ( an assignment for my 10th graders that I also did).

None of you in this room would recognize me as a sixteen year old. Not because I had a bad perm in 1989 or that I've since then had plastic surgery to alter my appearance. The reason that you wouldn't be able to pick me out of a crowd then vs. now, is that when I was sixteen, I wasn't smart. I'm not taking book smart, I actually did o.k. where academia was concerned. SATS? Check. Acceptance into a four year college? Check check. What box I couldn't fill in on my personal resume until a few years ago was that of a scholar. It wasn't until I became a teacher that I truly started to learn because I finally chose to be smart. What some may consider a great burden of responsibility for me is a blessing of circumstance or fate - depending which eye you're looking through. This aforementioned teenager with the bad perm had so many close calls in her life and made so many stupid choices that it's a miracle that she stands before you twenty years later to share her beliefs. I was far from poised and professional when I was your age. Not many ( if any) would describe me as hardworking, dedicated or a disciple of learning. When I write my seniors letters of recommendation, I am authentic when I wax poetic about their personal attributes but can't help (selfishly) feel jealous knowing that no adult would have written such praise about me. This is why I believe that teenagers can teach adults.

When I started teaching, I was in the same age bracket peer group as my students. 18-24, me being on the later end of that age range but still in range. Knowing that I was "Miss so and so" and not Holly woke me up quickly however - that and the fact that I had experienced not only the joys of university, but also had a leg up on the follies of adolescent stupidity seemed to give me an edge. I won't get into specifics, but the fact that I'm not dead or in jail is a miracle in itself. Growing up in the sheltered white suburban dystopia was simultaneously wonderful and awful. Wonderful because I had every opportunity given to me by a caring, supportive family. Awful because I had every opportunity given to me by a caring and supportive family.

It wasn't until I saw others fail while teaching that I realized that success doesn't come easily for everyone. It wasn't until I shopped for supplies for my students because they didn't have the money to even purchase a notebook and pens that I had the epiphany that not everyone got an allowance, let alone a college fund set up for them since their birth. And it wasn't until I saw teenagers make the same mistakes that I made with relationships, underage drinking, and other risky behaviors that I came to the conclusion that what I was doing then was in fact not cool but completely stupid. At this turning point in my life, I was finally learning. Learning to put down the compact mirror and look around at others. Learning to talk less and listen more. Learning that the world does not end in my immediate circle of consciousness but expands further than any realm of possibility.

Since that first year of teaching I have learned more than 500 words could possibly ever explain. I have learned through speaking to and engaging with my students about social studies. Faiths and customs that I had only read about are now embedded in my notebook because of 1st person accounts. I have taught students from over forty, countries ; heard stories about living in a refugee camp in Kenya, fleeing Iraq, and crossing the border at age twelve in the trunk of a car. My students have also taught me economics. They have inadvertently shown me the value that a personal connection can make. That a positive comment either on a paper that I pass back or in the hallway costs nothing but at the same time is priceless. My students have taught me languages: Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Somalian, and Vietnamese just to name a few. I have learned psychology from my students - that teenage boys are more sensitive than they let on and that their counterparts are tougher than I ever was at that age. In the eleven years that I have been teaching, I can honestly say that the best teachers that I have had have been the students that I have had the honor, and pleasure of teaching. I have grown up with them and it gives me solace to know that the dumb girl at sixteen is now, thanks to over 1,500 students, is a true scholar.

I know you can see me....

I have many super powers being a mom and one of them is being able to see and hear all around me. The other day I caught the boys doing something that they shouldn't have been doing because as I told them matter of fact, "I have eyes on the back of my head."
"No you do not!" Bo quickly came back with.
"Yes I do! When you have a baby, they give you the baby and also hand
you a new set of eyes for the back of your head. " I smugly shot back.
Bo shook his head is disbelief but Jake wasn't so sure. He squinted his eyes, cocked his head as if to ask," mom or alien amongst us?"
That night as I was tucking Jake into bed and giving him his 100th hug and kiss, I felt his little hands rubbing the back of my head. "Is mommy's hair soft buddy?"
In the softest and most serious voice he responded, "I'm looking for your eyes."

Four is the magic number...

Jacob Jingleheimer turned four years old this week. Jake has many 'o nicknames: Tenacious J, Poli-bear, Mr. Bacon, Willy and Snake. Jake is a multifaceted boy wonder. I could wax poetic for-e-ver about my boys but to keep this short I will condense my praise to under 500 words. (you're welcome).
One of the coolest things about Jake is that he is indeed tenacious. He has to have a skill mastered yesterday once he sets his mind to it. Having an older brother I suspect fosters some of his tenacity but most of it? Self-imposed. Last month he was in the backyard putting a golf ball into a red party cup with a plastic putter for over thirty minutes; he wouldn't stop until he could get five in a row. No tantrums, no throwing of the golf balls; just a wee one out there, in the rain, until he got it right.
Another great thing about Jake is that he is so damn fun to be around. He's up for most anything. He's fearless and enjoys taking risks. We went to Hawaii in October and he had no problem going down the "Volcano Express" at the water park. ( youtube it!) No, he wasn't quite tall enough, don't you judge me! Last weekend Jake rode over 20 miles on his bike ( no training wheels) on the Vernonia-Banks trail. He's ridden crazy roller coasters at Six Flaggs, skateboarded down our steep driveway on his feet and tubed down Mt. Hood sans parents.
The "thing" that impresses me most about my second born though is that Jake, at age four, knows exactly who he is. He never hesitates in words or actions. Like moths to a flame, people of all ages are drawn to Tenacious-J. His laughter is infectious, he's sunny, he's...magic.

Feats of Strength

The title says it all. DNA is a crazy thing and these boys have been blessed with their father's freakish strength.

Lucky #7

My first baby turned seven last week and we are the lucky ones to have such an amazing person in our lives. From the time that he was days old, Bo has been one of the most inquisitive humans to have crossed our paths. As a newborn while other babies were content to chew on their fists and drool, Bo was looking around - wide eyed and curious. So wide eyed and curious was this wee one that he often had a hard time sleeping through the night (didn't until he was two!).
Bo was an early talker ( had over 200 words at 18 months), could ride a bike without training wheels at age 3, and can now, at seven, figure out square root problems, does multiplication problems with ease and can create Lego structures enviable by the world's top engineers.
What is the "best" thing about Bo however are none of the aforementioned. Bo is one of the most kindhearted people that you will ever meet. He always knows what to say and when to say it. He is complimentary without being facetious; so much so that on many of occasion - perfect strangers will comment on his possible future as a senator or the like. Bo is pretty special and if you know him I know that you'll agree. So what does one do to celebrate such a special guy? Take him to Yucky Chucky's of course and let he and his brother go hog wild on skee ball, air hockey and enough junk food to last the year.