Riding through the England countryside, field after field of bright red poppies assaulted my senses. The tour guide simply scoffed at their beauty and said “oh yea, that’s right, I never understood why you Americans flip out over those flowers”. ugh – really? And shaking his head – using that tone. I loved Steve – he made our tour great. But on this we disagreed.
Much like flowers that grow like weeds in one country, but are purposefully planted in another, some things we covet and cherish and some we take for granted. It’s all about perspective. Fields of Poppies represents my perspective about ordinary, every day circumstances.
As an impassioned, professional woman striving to raise a strong family, be a good wife, and achieve my dreams, I try to keep balance in my life through creativity and exercise.
Scroll down to see my categories explained.
I know that there are other meanings behind the Poppy. This is not that. None of that.
@JBEnglishTeach: My lessons, my heart, and my soul are within these posts from my high school English classroom. I work tirelessly to empower students through authentic experiences in reading and writing while integrating technology into the curriculum.
BEYOND THE CHALKBOARD: Musings and works from my heart regarding teaching and learning in the classroom and in the field of education. I currently teach high school students (mostly 9th grade English). I spent many years as the department head and have represented our district as District Teacher of the Year. I have a Masters of Education in Administration and Supervision but I choose to remain in the classroom at this time. Sometimes my creativity flourishes here, and sometimes it gets stifled. I find my life roles of mother and teacher often diverge into one, making it challenging to navigate. Here I will discuss education, parents, leadership, students and anything else that I may experience as an educator in the United States in the 21st century.
THE BROOD: Family. Motherhood and marriage…about both I feel passionate and love to write. I spend my life exploring and trying to understand these two titles, mother and wife, and all that they entail.
CREATIVE MEANS: When I have time to relax I enjoy working with my hands as a way to cleanse the stress and allow the creative ideas to start flowing for all other areas of my life.
IN A WORD: Words have power. Plain and simple. As an educator I love teaching this to my students and as a mom, I love talking with my kids about the power they hold in what they say. Furthermore, one word can have so many connotations and extended meanings that they often need to be explored more thoroughly than the dictionary definition. However, the dictionary remains the best place to start.
LETTERS TO THE WORLD: To whom would you like to write a letter? Letters to people in my face that I love, wish to forget, or simply cannot ignore.
LIFE THROUGH LYRICS: What would the sound track of your life sound like? No matter what I am feeling or thinking; no matter what the disaster or celebration…music and lyrics allow me to feel what I need to feel and sometimes help me to understand my life experiences. It never ceases to fascinate me when I rediscover an old song – or music, in general. Sometimes I forget how poignant music can be and has been on my life, and how I view the world. As a child, music helped me to explore my sense of self and heavily influenced my outlook on life. Rediscovering its power always makes for a great day of blasting songs in which I scream sing along. I do miss the days of the record player always playing songs in the house. Now we tune everyone out and have individual relationships with our music via headphones and ear buds. I like listening to songs with others and discussing lyrics – especially with my kids when something poignantly well versed creeps out. So, posts in this category are about songs and music and how they have affected my life. My hope is that you listen closely to the music in your world and that you let it wash over you — often.
RUNNING: Running and I have a real love-hate relationship and I love to explore both sides. In January 2016 I completed my first marathon – what I hope to be the first of many. I also coach track and cross country. Writing about the push and the pull of my own running goals is one of the things that helps to get me out on the road sometimes.
TRAVEL: Traveling the world with students is the equivalent to learning in a pressure cooker. While fulfilling my own dreams to travel, I am able to open up the world to students and parents that may otherwise never travel abroad.