Join Me in this Fight!

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to donate to my campaign and mission to raises $100,000. Each of you are champions of the cause!

Our work isn’t done yet! We still need to raise $100,000  by June 12^th. If you haven’t had a moment, please visit my website and make a donation!

http://www.mwoy.org/pages/nca/dcmetro15/cmharris

You’re donation is appreciated by the millions battling these diseases. For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Let me share some facts:

·       Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.

·       The relative five-year survival rate for patients with leukemia has more than tripled in the past 46 years. (Due to support from people like you!)

·       Every 3 minutes someone is diagnosed with blood cancer, every 10 minutes, someone dies - an estimated 53,010 deaths are expected this year.

It is not too late to join us in this fight! Thank you for your support!

Friday.

What was I thankful for on Friday? Waking up well rested. Hot 99.5's weekend roll out to start my day. Actually spending time with my students. Teaching the kids. Hearing about their lives. Collaborating with my co-teacher Cheryl. Time to write up sub plans for Tuesday. A home made lunch that was delicious and filling. Last softball game of the season. The weather was gorgeous and the game was fun. Mina. She is my hair care fairy godmother. For summer shandy. For Mike and time well spent with him. For Sadie Moo Fat. For Amy & Alyssa. For passing tantrums and strong willpower. For Memorial Day Weekend.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Thursday Thoughts

Thursday. Thank the LORD we made it to Thursday. Woke up feeling pleasant. Made it to work on time with a home packed lunch. BOTH of my TU interns graduated today. I am SO proud. FINALLY had the opportunity to work with my students. Felt fulfilled. Enjoyed a delicious sandwich, doritos and a pickle for lunch. Felt full. Had an engaging 5 hour grad class after school. Grateful. Personalized gifts & goodies for others were in my mailbox - yahoo! Kat's wedding invitation arrived too. Heard from my boy. Grateful. Thankful. Appreciative. It was a decent day.

Wednesday Wonders

Today I am thankful for avocado. For treats at staff meetings. For a cup of coffee. For laughter. For field day. For gorgeous weather. For seeing all of my students ... current and former. For lots of time to relax. For a staff softball game. For hitting the ball. Seeing my old intern. Sunshine. Breezes. Impromptu happy hours. Delicious drinks and great conversation. For my couch. And sweatpants. For a calm attitude. But mostly for my Monday reset ... that has set me up for a positive outlook this week.

Thankful Tuesday

What am I thankful for today? Waking up well rested after my day off. Sunshine and 85. Getting an opportunity to go outside for my Kindergartners field day. Popsicles for snack. A yummy avocado on my lunch. Heart to hearts on the phone with Alison and Caitlin. For having good friends. We may not always see eye to eye. They may drive me crazy. But I've got a handful of true til death do us part girlfriends ... and I am ever so grateful for their unconditional love and support. For water ... and lots of it. For sweet verbal thank-you's from my intern and student helper. For a melted, s'more fraup from my student helper. She walked all the way to Starbucks and then back to the school to deliver it to me. I am grateful for opportunities to talk with third parties. And pickles and homemade sandwiches. and for a beautiful home to come back to at the end of the day. What a glorious Tuesday. Here's to continuing to find the positive in each day ... and to rejoice for it.

Monday Musings

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to sleep in. For engaging in a deep sleep, although I was worried I would not be able to do so. I am thankful for a morning full of heart to hearts with my best friend Kat. For the opportunity to open up to her about some real life stuff that's going on. For her to listen earnestly and to offer honest advice. For her support and encouragement. For the laughs we can share in the midst of tears. I am thankful for the two checks I was able to deposit into my bank account. For the 80 degree and sunshine weather. For a free Starbucks fraup. For the opportunity and time to go to the park. And swing. Swing, swing, swing with not a care in the world. I am thankful for the sunshine on my face. The ability to appreciate it. To feel it. To enjoy it. I am thankful for a day off work. And an intern who was able to pick up the pieces where I left them off.

I have been going through the storm lately. But it's time to turn it around. Here's to finding something to be thankful about everyday. In midst of my little mess, I have forgotten how big I am blessed. Happy Monday everyone!

Blogger Challenge: Day 20

Day 20: Get real. Share something you're struggling with right now.


I have been on hiatus from writing for a while. It's crazy how life ebbs and flows. How one second it's relatively uneventful, and the next minute it's bursting with busyness. When I last took to my blog, I read the topic for this entry. I laughed out loud musing, "I am not struggling with anything right now." 

The irony is that I have been struggling with something all along. I just did not realize it. In past years, my struggles were often associated with boys or friendships. My safe haven was work. I was good at it and I could channel all of my energy into teaching when life gave me lemons. My work made sense. It fulfilled me. It was something that came easily to me.

This is where the struggle comes in. What do you do, when the one thing that always made sense in your life is no longer fulfilling you? When the one thing that always brought happiness and joy to your heart, now makes you feel depressed and miserable? I am struggling with my job right now. I am experiencing teacher burnout.

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest or motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place. It reduces your productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give. 

Approximately 50 percent of teachers leave the classroom within their first five years of teaching. I am currently finishing up my fifth year. Burn out is real. I am not sure how this happened. I am not even sure when it began exactly. However, I am struggling to remain positive and focused. I am physically, emotionally and mentally drained from this year.