Day Eight: Mischief Managed? Mas o meno?

You knows those days when you think, "Wow, I'm so glad I..."?

I am a walker. Not that I go walking outside in this how many days of over 100 degree weather. I walk around the class as students are working. I ask questions about what they are writing/drawing/creating and I ask questions about their lives. Having them write, draw, and cut out pictures about things that interest them provides a lot of opportunities to interact with them.

Giving a classroom of boys glue and popsicle sticks is a fascinating situation. I told them I was not going to tell them how to construct the tops of their mobiles. They could build whatever they wanted to attach and hang their pictures from. "Can I build a house?" Of course you can. Go for it.

Back to last week's 5th period. I have most of the kids spread throughout the day in other classes. Second period I had one of my first classroom management victories with one of them. Student didn't want to do anything. He spent most of last week talking back to me and complaining, so I talked to him about it. He said he didn't want to do anything today. I let him know that I was going to write him up so I would have a record of his decision to refuse to work. "I'm not refusing to work, I just don't want to today. Maybe tomorrow." Okay, then I'll just write that down, so if there is a problem, we'll have a record that this is becoming a pattern. He saw me typing it up, and then I left him alone. I tried to ignore him while he started working a few minutes later. Don't want to draw too much attention to him actually cooperating. :)

More from the old 5th. Maybe I should refer to them as the O5. I think I may have referred to one girl who was loud, talked a lot (especially when I was talking), talked back, and sought attention. She was the one I think I referred to the other day as trying to "out gangsta" one of the boys in my class. I found out from some other teachers that they had a few, i.e. too many, classes together. I was working with her on a rewards system to help motivate her, and then yesterday I saw her schedule had been changed again and she was no longer in any of my classes. I was a little disappointed I would not have the opportunity to follow through. When I saw her leaving another class I said, "Hey, are you not in my class anymore?" "No, they changed my schedule again. They said they took me out because you couldn't handle me." Eek. Need to do more to stay on the counselor's good side. I know they were really splitting those two up. I told her that I was looking forward to having her back in my class when the time came. Today at the end of lunch my students were gathering at my table and I noticed she was sitting there. I asked if she was in my class now and she quietly said yes. She did not seem happy. She as now in my 4th, smallest, and quietest period. "Man this is boring, I don't know anybody here!" I tried so hard to contain my smile. Once she got started I went back and checked on her a few times. I asked her about her new class schedule and encouraged her as she totally focused on her project.

In 3rd, one of the O5 needed to be caught up (after ditching class a few days). I took advantage of when he was writing his poem--YES I DID JUST SAY THAT HE WAS WORKING!--to encourage him along and find out more about him. He always wears two gold chains, one with a cross. Last week I found out that one his mom gave him. The other came from his dad before he died. As he was working on coming up with ideas, I told him some things that I know about him, like that family is really important to him, as shown by the reminder he wears of them every day. Yes, students, I do listen and I do care.

Last week, my 6th were total rock stars. One O5er added and she's managed to take down half the class with her. Gloves are coming off tomorrow. And by that, I mean that I'm going to pull her aside and talk with her while everyone else is working. Hopefully the inertia will take over and the others who have started working will keep going when I let her back with them. It worked in 3rd...

And speaking of 3rd, the climber from yesterday. No, she's not an O5. I pulled her out to the hallway while everyone else got started. I talked to her about what happened, that her behavior was not acceptable, and that there needed to be a change. I let he know that she could sit at the table near the door until she finished the work from yesterday. Only then could she go sit with her friends. In the midst of going on about her "dog dying" she mentioned that there were a lot of changes in her life and she was sad that some of her friends had moved away. Now that I will believe. I told her I would sit with her until she finished. Finally she sat down at the table, and before I sat down had already written two more phrases. I let her talk to me as she wrote more, redirecting her when she got distracted, asking her questions and validating her when she was talking about things she was writing. She finished with a smile, went over to her friends, and they all kept working the rest of the class. Did I mention that her friends came up with some very creative ideas by the time she got there and that motivated her forward? Awesome.

If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to convince these students that someone cares about their success. And if I'm good at it, they will know I care. And if I'm really good at it, they will be the ones that care.

Day Seven: Get Down

Sometimes when a student is upset, you take them out in the hallway. Not because they are in trouble, but to talk to them and find out what is going on. One of my students had her head down on the table. She's VERY hyper. When I go over, she pretends that she's crying, then laughs, then says her dog died, etc, etc, etc. So I went out in the hallway to talk to her...and she climbs up on the window to watch people outside on the field. I kept asking her questions to see if she was making up the story about her dog. (I think she is, but I played along). When she did come down she sat down in a corner created by a pillar and sulked. I talked to another teacher that has her and trying to get any pointers on working with her. Lots of redirection. I'm going to try to have an assigned seat for her tomorrow and check on her more frequently until she gets going with her work.

I listened to a student who was sick call his mom and ask her to pick him up. He was so upset that she wouldn't come, he threatened to do something so he would get kicked out of class so she would have to come. It was so heartbreaking to see him before and after that call, feeling like no one cared about him. I let him pace around the room and look through some magazines hoping it would keep him from exploding. These kids need to know that someone cares about them, especially when they feel like their parents/grandparents/aunts/uncles/foster parents don't.

While the students were cleaning up (wow art projects make a huge mess) I turned on some music. The students LOVE this song called Southside. I had some of them show me the dance that goes with it. Hey, you gotta bond with your students any way you can. Show that you're interested in what interests them. Okay, maybe not any way. But they do get excited when they get to be the ones who show you something.

Also had a total "Doh!" moment today. I was heading back to my classroom to drop off the container from my lunch when I ran into another teacher who said, "Hey, we missed you at the meeting." Ugh. So embarrassing. I totally spaced it. Where is my brain today?

Today was the first day I had a student lead the entire school in the pledge of allegiance. All the students meet in the cafeteria in the morning, so everyone sees the student who is leading. So proud. Another read a quote for the day. Actually, it was the girl who was climbing later in the day. I chose one by Cesar Chavez, which got her very excited. "We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own."

Day Six: Did you have to tell the whole school?

The first thing you should know about today is that I walked into school terrified this morning.

The second thing you should know is that I cried in front of my students.

The third thing you should know is that this has been my best day so far.

Now to explain.

I checked my roll for each class before I came in. Five of the worst offenders from my 5th period, along with one that was a pretty good kid, were alone together in my new first period. The rest were split up mostly between 2nd and 3rd, with one in 6th. I was scared they were going to eat my alive. The counselor seemed mad at me for having to spend part of her weekend changing all the schedules. I'll be honest. I prayed A LOT this morning.

As my first class arrived, two things happened. First, they were upset that there schedules had changed. Then one of the boys said, "It's going to be just like before!" Yes voices screaming in horror almost rose in my head. Then they came in, sat down, realized there were no girls in their class (yay for me) and I talked to them about consequences and clean slates. We started a project that we are going to be working on throughout the week. Today they wrote an outline to use as inspiration that will be made into mobiles about themselves and later image work. The first line of their "poem" was "I am ..." and then their name. Then they would describe themselves, each line starting with either "I am," "I was," "I want," or "I like." To my surprise, all but one of them got to work, the most defiant from last week filling an entire page before most of the other students were half-way done. I went around while they were working, asking questions about some of what they wrote. I used it as a chance to build a rapport with them, so they could see that I was interested in the things that matter to them.

Second period also went well. They like to talk a lot, which if fine while they are working. I tried not to laugh at the "I am more gangsta than you" conversations.

Third period reminded me of why I went into teaching. One of my students has been ditching my class the last few days. It was obvious early on that he did not like me, avoided doing anything, and then didn't come back. Then today he was brought in about 10 minutes in with the assistant principal and his mother. The AP asked if it was okay if the young man's mom sat in on our class today. I had no idea what to expect, but I told her she was more than welcome to stay.

He kept to himself as other students talked together at the tables while they worked. I checked on him a few times, noticed to he liked football, and asked him how long he'd been playing and what position he liked (fullback). When he got to a point where he thought he was done, I paired him with another student, asking them to share what they wrote and ask each other questions about it. I turned around a few minutes later to see him walking across the room and crumpling up his paper. At first I thought he had become frustrated and simply gave up. Then his partner said he wanted to redo it. I came back later and asked if I could read what he had so far. It is with his permission that I share it with you here:

I was in an alternative to incarceration for 3 months.

I want to get my record clean and start a new life.

I like to play football and hit people to take my anger out.

I am a person that demands respect from everybody.

I have a good sense of humor and I'm funny.

I have real anger problems so if I get mad at one everybody is going to suffer.

I am as real as it gets.

I want to find out what it is that makes me hate a lot of people for sometimes nothing.

It was so honest. So beautiful. By the time I was halfway through reading it I was tearing up. I asked him if I could share it with his mom. She read it and started to cry. I was so proud of him. I couldn't hide how it made me feel. I told him he should be so proud for what he had shared and how well he had expressed himself. I told his mom she should be proud of him too. Later in the day when I saw him in the hallway he gave me a big smile. Such a sweet kid fighting against so much.

When I walked into the cafeteria at lunch, the principal and AP said, "So I hear you're a softie and that you cried in class." Yes, it's all over the school now that a student made me cry, but I'll totally own up to crying for good reasons.

My last two classes were sad we were not doing more theatre stuff. Good to know that I've turned them on a little to theatre. I had a good chat with one of my students today who was hesitant to participate in the warmup. I had called out a series of statements (similar to the ones they would later write) and asked them to step forward if they felt it described them. We talked about how much easier it was to write ideas down after doing that. We talked about how everything we do in this class is to help prepare us to do what is next, even if it seems "boring" at times. When I told him we were going to build mobiles tomorrow using what they wrote for ideas of what to put on it, he got really excited and is already planning to hang it up in his room.

And now for a little comic relief brought to you by one of the science teachers. She was talking to them about how it takes five days to travel to Mars. The following conversation ensued:

Student A: How long would it take to get to the sun?

Student B: Dude, you'd burn up before you got there.

Student A: What if we went at night?

Day Five: Blow it Up

Validation.

It's a rare but wonderful thing.

I came in this morning after the adventures of yesterday with a renewed hope that I could do something to help even my most challenging students. I tried not to get discouraged about my 5th period, and focused on finding out how to get one of my special ed students out of 5th and into another period. I was talking with the Lead Special Ed teacher this morning about it when the Principal came by. He started giving me a hard time about the fire drill yesterday, and asked why I didn't stop, drop, and roll. So I put my bag down, dropped on the floor, and rolled over. The principal and other teachers burst out laughing and said I really did fit in there.

After that one of the teacher took a look at my roll for 5th period. By halfway through she said, "These kids shouldn't all be in the same class. You got screwed." Not intentionally. I have the computer to thank for it. I suddenly felt relieved about what happened yesterday. I was not a failure. I sent an email to the counselor about the one student I hoped to get moved so she had a chance of succeeding, and got a response I was not expecting...

My 5th period class is being disbanded after today. My conference period will be changing to 5th, I'll be teaching another section during my current conference period, and all the students were going to be split up and put in different classes.

Woah.

I later found out that the principal went in to the counselor and asked her to make the change. At first, she thought he meant to just move out a few students. Then he said, "No, blow it up."

A part of me wondered for a moment what kind of confidence my bosses had in me. The teacher that came by to check on me yesterday reassured me that anyone with that group all together would have had a problem. Then my supervisor told me that I was doing a great job and that what happened was evidence that the administration was totally backing me up.

Now for more good news.

My other classes are such a pleasure to teach. In one class, three of the students volunteered to try out an improv game/performance and did a great job. One of those students is classified as having a learning disability, but he is shining in my class. He's trying things out, making connections, and showing great potential. All three of the students doing improv today are really stepping up.

My 6th period came in today knowing they only had a few minutes before there was going to be an ice cream social for the entire campus. Normally, especially on a Friday, I would have expected them to avoid doing anything until it was time to go and just kill time. Instead, they asked if we could do the warm-up activity from yesterday until it was time to go. Heck yeah! They even took turns leading it on their own without me asking for volunteers.

I hope that as some of the students from 5th end up in other classes, they will be brought along with everyone else. I'm starting to build a good environment and positive relationships with my students. They know what the expectations are. They understand what needs to be done to get credit. I'm hoping they'll outnumber the students who have been hesitant. One student is hoping to earn his way back to the high school so he can be in athletics. I've offered him extra credit and going to bat for him at the high school if he'll be a leader in getting the other students to participate in class.

The 6th grade cell phone situation did lead to the student changing his schedule. Each time I saw him today, I would hay hi and smile. After about 4 or 5 times, I asked what he was taking 6th period now. He has switched to credit recovery. His new teacher asked him why he switched. Even he admitted it was over "a stupid cell phone." I let him know he was welcome to come back any time. He knows he has some issues with anger, and it was good to see him recognize it and let it go a little bit.

Earlier this week, I mentioned that I was talking with some friends about dream jobs. After a week, I still think I have my dream job. One of the social studies teachers told me today that she's been doing this for years and it's still her dream job. How awesome is that!

Right before I left today, I told the principal that I had bad news. I'm coming back on Monday.

Day Four: Viva la Revolucion!

Yes. An actual revolt. My 5th period class revolted today. It was actually a little funny to watch it happening, almost like I was watching it happen from the outside as my students took their chairs across the room, sat around some tables, and started talking amongst themselves. One of the teachers who works with kids in suspension offered to stop by and help out earlier in the day, but she got caught helping another teacher. I think every teacher in my school is on their way to hearing about this class. Hilarious.

I admit I called the Assistant Principal, surprisingly calm, and said, "So my class just revolted."

I started telling them what I had planned for them to work on, and all of the sudden they realized we were going to do something they wanted to do. Well of course we are. I try to listen to my students without letting them do whatever they want. It's how it works.

The AP came down, pulled one of the students out that talked back to him, and we continued on. They struggled a bit with the assignment, mostly because they refused to do the activities that would have prepared them. I try not to laugh when they say the class is boring. How on earth can a theatre class be boring?? Ah yes. When you sit there and refuse to try. But I don't think the kids are hopeless, and I still believe there are ways to get through to them. My other classes are loving the activities this class refuses to do, all while learning requirements for the class and having fun in the process.

I went around and checked on the groups as they outlined ideas for a story (next they will be turning it into a comic book, which brought much excitement). One of the students told me he didn't want to do the activities because it felt stupid. It is a little embarrassing to be the only student standing up, and so many of the students in this class are friends, so it's understandable that they are self-conscious. I heard him. I listened to him. So I am going to adjust, and slowly ease them into things. Turn it into more of an art and technical theatre class. Have I mentioned how much this job requires flexibility?

Another meltdown with one student in 6th period, which I was not expecting. Our school has a strict cell phone policy. They are only allowed out during breakfast and lunch. If they take them out in class, the teacher takes it and gives it back at the end of class. If they refuse to turn it over, the AP comes and gets it, and it takes a Parent/Guardian and $15 to get it back. I turned around and one of my students had his out. Sorry. Gotta take it. He's been doing really well in class all things considered, and had seemed pretty happy so far today. Then something cracked. He refused. Dude, seriously. You know the policy. It's so much easier to hand it over so you can get it back. Even his friends in class were like "Just give it to her!" But he didn't, the AP came, he refused to give it to the AP, and got pulled out of class. Came back a few minutes later, then stormed out muttering about going to the counselor's office to change his schedule. Have I mentioned I'm the only Fine Arts teacher in the school? I hope he calms down tomorrow and returns. It would be a shame for him to back out now when he was doing so well.

Now...on to some mistakes. Did I mention on Tuesday that I noticed a blaring typo on my syllabus right before I was about to make 100 copies? Oops.

This morning, I was passing one of my 5th period students. Yesterday he accused me of not respecting him. I said, "Hi Richard," hoping to smooth things over a little. After I took two steps I remembered his name was not Richard and I had called him the wrong name! I found him later in the cafeteria and apologized. Of course I knew his name, and I have no idea where Richard came from. I don't have any students named Richard. When I'm wrong I'm wrong.

Now...on to some victories. Slowly creating a safe, fun, educational place for my students. Today one of my students met me in the hall and asked if she could not participate today. She was in tears and told me her boyfriend broke up with her. "Honey, you can cry all you want. Breakups suck. Would you like to organize the storage closet today instead?" She smiled when I told her it was okay to cry, that sometimes life his hard and you don't have to pretend it's okay when you're hurting. We had a good chat, and it seemed to help her to process through her emotions away from the stares of the other students.

Other students quickly volunteered to lead the pledge and read a quote at the morning assemblies next week. One class actually asked if we could spend time tomorrow in class going over it and practicing. Absolutely! It was nice to have my 6th period today actually make requests on what we learn about tomorrow.

After school, one of the teachers down the hall stopped by to check on me, offered any help or support, reminded me that he and a few other teachers were nearby and available if I needed them. It was a really kind gesture. He just sat and talked with me. Listened to what happened, gave me some advice, encouraged me along the way. I really work with some amazing teachers.

Yes. My job is crazy. No. It's not for everyone. And no, I wouldn't trade it.

Day Three: You Want to Be Here Forever?

It's lunchtime, and I wanted to write this down before I forget...because this morning has been a positive one. In the cafeteria this morning, one of my students said hi to me before I was able to say hi to her. You may think that's small, but it's a big deal. It can take a long time to gain the trust of at-risk kids, and the validation lifted my spirits.

In my 2nd period, one of the students seems to be having a rough time outside of class. I need to find a way to reach out to him more. The other students were totally involved, working hard and working together.

In 3rd period, all of my students participated today. Yes. All of them. First we played a game called Fruit Bowl. I don't know what it is about it, but kids love it. They were laughing and running. We then moved on to The Great Wind Blows and without realizing they were talking in front of people. I then divided into boys against girls, gave them a groups of cards with theatre terms. Their objective? To work together to figure out what they might mean, how they are connected, and then put them up on the board and write there what they know. Then we went over it and filled in the gaps. Yay for student involvement!

More later..............

Rolling with the punches. 4th and 6th most of the students participated. Still a few sitting off to the side. I think once people start getting closer to finishing or actually finish that they'll start to believe that there is a way out and that they can finish.

5th period I actually had a little bit of fun with. They are usually hesitant to do what I ask them to do, although there are a few who a plugging along, volunteering quickly, and getting it done. I just rolled with it, refused to get upset, and encouraged them to be a part of things.

Probably my favorite moment of the day was when one student was sitting back and not participating. I said, "So basically what you are communicating to me is that I'm your favorite teacher, that you love this class, and that you want to stay here in this class with me forever. Awesome!" "Aw no!" he quickly responded and sat up. I had to try so hard to stifle my laughter.

Second Day of School: Tears and tearing it up

Yes. I started my day at work in tears. Totally normal for the first week of teaching, right? :)

After my first day, I realized I needed to change my entire plan for how my students completed the course. Here is an incomplete version of what I spent half my summer putting together (Curriculum outline in pdf), and took only a moment to tear up. Okay, I didn't literally tear it up. I just pulled them out of my students folders. Maybe I'll use them for a paper mache project later.

I had a great chat with my principal this morning and he gave me some great ideas. He was extremely supportive. One of the best parts was when he gave me some pointers and I realized he was giving me techniques we use in drama based education. How awesome is that? And how ironic? How many times have I told other teachers to try the exact same thing. It was a good reassurance of why they hired me, and an appreciation for how my program prepared me.

So I sat down and started over. Students in my school earn credit at their own pace. So I made the motivation and rewards more intrinsic.

Earn 200 points, pass the class

Warm-up exercises: 1 point/day

In-class group work/project: 1 point/day

In-class performance: 5 points

All students must do one of the following to get credit for the course

Leading the pledge/moment of silence at morning assembly: 5 points

Reading quote for the day at morning assembly: 5 points

Performing at an assembly: 10 points minimum

While some students still resisted, many others realized that there was a quick way through and out of the class. These are not the kind of kids you can threaten or back in a corner. So I hope that giving them a clear path will help. The principal (and I agree with him) feels very strongly about helping these kids feel more confident in expressing themselves, speaking up for themselves, and talking in front of people. They can earn their credit more quickly this way by volunteering multiple times to speak in front of the school.

I had some great moments with my smaller classes today, who quickly figured out how to use the scoring system to their advantage. One student was ready to sign up for a week's worth of speaking at assembly. My 5th period class, and most challenging for the moment, had better moments. Oh, except for the student who walked out. Can't win 'em all. He came back later. Anyway, at this point I am throwing out extra points for each in class activity they participate in, and for volunteering to help demonstrate an activity or skill. Over time I'm going to try to make extra points less available.

It was amazing how fast some of them jumped at the chance. While in some classes the students participating and volunteering may be teased for being a suck-up, they are the ones laughing...and that much closer to finishing the course, getting rid of me, and getting their diploma.

As for the rest of them...hope you like being in my class, because I'm not going anywhere! :)

First Day of School

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life...or at least your life as a teacher. Tonight someone asked me if I could do any job in the world, what would it be. I said ask me in a week. I'm just starting my first year in the job I have been dreaming of doing for the past ten years. So for now, I can say I already have my dream job.

This morning I had plenty of time to mentally prepare myself. My first period is conference period, and we had a longer assembly this morning with announcements, then a longer first period for students to fill out paperwork and get registration straightened out. Once my first class arrived at 11am (I arrived around 7:15), I had three students. And one was legitimately ill and went to the nurse. Ever planned for the first day of class for two students? Adaptation and flexibility time! Somehow we ended up having a blast. Who knows what will happen when the rest of the class shows up and then the class begins it's constant revolving door of students.

We then went straight to lunch, skipped 3rd Period, and started on 4th-6th. 4th went fairly well and the students started to talk a little bit. Believe me. That is a huge accomplishment. I could almost distinguish what they were saying. I know it will take time to build trust with these students. It's understanding that they are suspicious of a new teacher teaching a new subject for their school.

In 5th period, the challenges began. It was my largest class of the day. It was the only class where I was not able to learn everyone's name. Who knew what a crazy request it was to ask everyone to please stand up. They definitely pushed and whined and asked why they couldn't do what the last teacher let them do. First, I didn't let it get to me or make me upset. A really smart teacher advised me last week to never push these students in a corner, to always give them a choice (with natural consequences). I tried to apply that advice. I told the students that I was there because the principal wanted someone who did what I do. Now if they have a problem, they know who to blame. :) In all seriousness, my principal is great. It's nice to have support for your subject.

6th Period settled down again. Smaller group. Kept trying to get me to perform in front of them. I need to work on having more of that prepared in the future.

Tomorrow is a new day. Or, as one of my counterparts would say, "Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it."

Ready or not...

I can't believe it's already here...the first day of school. Taking lots of deep breaths. People ask how I am feeling, and the response usually comes in this order:

Excited, terrified.

I hope it's a healthy balance? My supervisor says he feels that way every year before school starts.

The last week of prep has been a lot of fun. Decorating the classroom. Outlining curriculum. Working with other teachers. I've had a lot of conversations about cross-curricular work with other teachers. So far I'm helping the Spanish classes put together a performance for Mexican Independence Day, shared team-building activities with a few teachers, and plotted with a middle school teacher about her drama unit. Hopefully there will be much more to come.

In other good news, the University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance along with Texas Performing Arts donated two racks worth of costumes to our school last week. Thank you!!

Going to go take a few more deep breaths. Ready or not, here they come.

First Days and Failures

Before I begin, I should probably clarify what I think of failure....

It's not the end of the world!

Instead, it's an opportunity to learn what doesn't work.

Failure #1 Butcher Paper 101

Yesterday, I experimented with covering half of a giant white-board wall with butcher paper and some lights. First I tried putting lights under the paper.

It looked lame. Fail.

I then used masking tape to attach three long sheets (14 feet each) to cover the board.

I came in this morning and it had peeled off the wall and piled in a heap on the floor. Fail.

After chatting with the fabulous ladies in the front office about the mysteries of attaching stuff to white-boards, another new teacher stopped by my room and offered to help. After a combination of packing tape, staples, and ticky-tac, I think we may be victorious. Unless of course I find it on the floor again tomorrow. :)

Fail #2 Loading Staplers

Yes, I said loading staplers. In my defense, it was a heavy duty stapler. Like this one:

To my shame, I was so proud of myself for figuring out how to open it only to find out a few moments later that I had not pulled it out far enough before putting the staples in. Luckily (and embarrassingly) the other teacher noticed my mistake, showed me what happened, and got us back on track.

Failure #3 Remembering that kids are kids

One of the social workers came in for a few hours today and brought her baby with her. I was playing with the baby for a while, then picked her up to rest on my shoulder.

About a minute later I was covered in baby spit-up. Fail.

Thankfully, last week I put an extra clean shirt in my file cabinet "just in case" that came in handy.

We all fail at one point or another. It's good for us. Over time, it keeps us humble, helps us get better, and leads us to more effective ways of doing things. In the meantime we learn to laugh.

Tomorrow I begin a week of trainings, meetings, and more meetings. Bring it.