Day 6- "Blue"

He never fails to make me proud! 

Day 7- "Anticipation"

Urbana- Catoctin game, almost game time

"Shiver"- Day 6

Another night of shivering at a football game as fall just gets colder; my son tries hard and is so dedicated but rarely gets in for even a play, spends hours at practice and hours on the sideline. You will always know which one he is- he is cheering the loudest and is the one walking up and down the sideline patting teammates on the back and cheering them on. He never gives up hope, and never gives less than 100% at practices. My admiration for him is huge; I have parents tell me all of the time their kids wouldn't do that, would have quit. Yes, of course he wants to play, badly in fact, but he knows he doesn't have the experience. He wants the chance but knows in the middle of close game it isn't the time, and doesn't want to do that to his team. He would do anything for his team...he radiates the meaning of team sport. People also say it is a lot of time shivering and giving up to watch your child do nothing since he doesn't play; my son has come to show me that actually I am watching the kid who does everything, it just isn't something that most people even see.

"I Write..."~ Day 29

I write to say, "I wonder what my daughter wrote that helped her to win the Tyler Dane Murray Memorial Scholarship?!?"  So proud of her.  In reading about him the situation is ironically eerie to one that profoundly affected my life when I was not much older than he was, and I am so proud that his parents see her as worthy of this generous support toward her studies at Towson next year, and I am heartbroken for them that they never got to spend it on their own son's education.  It is even more flattering that she was selected out of a pool of thousands by former UHS parents and they see her as worthy of representing UHS.  I write to say I am so blessed, grateful and humbled by the selflessness they show in choosing a yearly recipient. And, I apparently write a day late!
Tyler Dane Murray Scholarship

Throes of Spring...Day 22

In the throes of spring, when most seniors are thinking pretty much about themselves- prom, graduation, beach week, college...this group of UHS students put on a "Senior-Senior Prom" at a local senior center.  I was excited when looking through the many candid photos, as it was clear how engaged and engaging the students were, with it often being a challenge to decipher who was having more fun!  I'm proud to say my daughter was a part of planning and capturing it, and I have been so impressed with her love of dance for fun, and the friends she has made over the past four years.

"Something Blue"- Day 12

 

Keeping it simple...UHS colors...all of the schools in this district have been the best for my kids and I am so proud to see them get involved, cheer each other on, and feel part of the community.  This year the motto "One Team, One Urbana" was adopted, and the kids really try to live up to it.   

Day 7- "Life's Work..."

I was one of the few who yesterday advocated for going to school in cold temps as long as we had heat, because our kids were better off there since they would get two meals, and be safe and warm.  Well...we went.  And they got two meals, one served rapidly.  Why?  Because we were one of four schools in the county with no heat.  I can live with that error, even if they knew before our start time.  What is not ok is that our kids were there until 12:15 and we weren't told until 11:45 that is when it would happen.  IT. WAS. COLD.  Our students and teachers persevered and smiled and kept the best attitudes they could.  I watched a teacher walking a class down the hall ask if we had a coat that would fit one of her students, and that student had a coat before she got to her destination.  I question why it took that many hours- that wasn't fair to students or teachers, and falls on central office.  The kids were safe, and we did our best...not quite as planned but people in the building were part of the solution, not part of the problem. Behind the scenes people scurried to move materials and alter lessons so that students could keep going; everyone engaged in "other duties as assigned.  People kept a sense of humor.   As a teacher, this is our life's work...we do it all for our kids, on good days and hard days, planned and unplanned, whatever it takes.  

I have my other life's work though...my family.  Today, cold temps below zero or not, was a chemo day for my stepson.  Had there been no school that is where I would have gone.  His life literally depended on him going out in this weather, and we are grateful he has a hospital that is so phenomenal for his treatment.  

Then, there is my son- he came down in purple today, rare as a Redskins fan, a lone Ravens jersey I got on clearance a while back, and explained to me that his friend had asked them to wear purple today because his cousin had died, and it was in her honor.  I shortly found out that she was an Urbana student with a brother at UHS.  You can read more about her here:  http://www.keeneybasford.com/sitemaker/sites/KEENEY1/obit.cgi?page=services&user_id=1209643.


I realize more than ever how lucky we were today that our biggest problem was no heat and limited electricity- every one of our students made it home safely, and Liz's family would give anything for her to come home tonight.  My stepson got treatment he needed, and Liz's family would give anything to have had that opportunity to find something to save her life.  My life's work is far from over, and changing every day.  I am just so very proud to be a part of the team I am part of at work, and a part of this family we have grown.  We can't be 100% all of the time, but we can give 100% to what we are working with.  The compassion I saw today all around is humbling to say the least.

“You can't help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn't spell it right; but spelling isn't everything. There are days when spelling Tuesday simply doesn't count.” - Winnie the Pooh