not that one would know that from this blog. i do write well, a combination of natural skill and quality education(all of which in the ca public school system until college) but i sometimes forget? not forget exactly. according to the email i got from my btsa coordinator, i floored her with my entry on diversity. not just my writing, but my philosophy or approach to reaching my students. which is very basic: accept them for who they are as individuals. essentialy, unconditional love. the love my parents, teachers, youth ministers, sunday school teachers, and other adults in my life showered on me, modeled for me, no matter what idiotic things i have done. that love included validation of my feelings( no matter how horrible the feelings were) and recrimination for actions that were not acceptable as well as praise when i do the right thing. and all this has led me to-attempt-to treat my students this way. i wonder if it would surprise my program coordinator that I'm a Christian. I know it surprises other people b/c my walk has strayed so far from my talk that I barely even bother to talk anymore. I'm getting back to my roots, but it's taking a good long while, I tell you. Teaching is the only area of my life where I have trusted God fully and it shows, I suppose, I hope, maybe? I have been little miss sunshine this year sometimes and it's all because I have followed God, or rather, allowed him to lead me to my school home. On the first try. Not that it's been easy:) I just hear the way some of my colleagues talk and I want to ask them, well, I don't know. Something along the lines of finding God I suppose. Altho my history buddy down the hall, I want to ask him if he's actually tried being Jewish, b/c he got bar mitzvahed for his dad's sake and never looked back. And he's so stressed over the fact that he's going to be pink slipped next Friday...I know our principal will fight for him, but the budget cuts...and who wants to wait until june or the day before school starts to find out if he has a job? i said he should lead the revolution. burn it down and start over. 100 8th graders, a roll of duct tape and you can take over the world. or so says he. i'd like to see him do it, personally:) sigh.