Working Woman Wednesday {degrees as wallpaper.}

First, let's acknowledge that it's been about a million years since my last update. 

Photo Credit: Google Images

Now, that's out of the way - let's get down to business of #WorkingWomanWednesday. 

Today, I completed my application for a prestigious MSA (Master's in School Administration) and as I was writing my statement of purpose, I got so inspired about my purpose and my profession again. 

It's so easy when you're in the trenches to forget why and how much you love something and today, I remembered and it felt amazing. To remember that there's a larger purpose that I am working towards - to remember that upwards of 50% of high school students in urban America won't graduate high school, and to remember that the achievement gap for under-served populations is growing by the day. 

I'm sure some of you read those things, and think it can't be changed or it's such a daunting task that surely could crush someone with the pressure and sense of urgency, but honey, I was made for this. 

I was made for small group instruction, I was made for data analysis, I was made for advocating for little people who can't speak up for themselves yet, and I was made to love them unconditionally. The true passion that lives inside of me to make other teachers great and to be a great teacher is unparalleled. My work ethic is comparable to Beyonce's - we all have the same twenty-four hours. 

So,what are you doing with yours? Are you solving a problem? Are you adding to the world, instead of taking away? Are you enriching others and sharing your gifts? 

I hope you answered yes to all those questions. If you didn't, you need to reevaluate your purpose and plan. We all have to be in this together - the world already has enough negative, make your little corner bright and better with your attitude and purpose. 

Maybe, you haven't found your true purpose - you might be sitting there thinking, "Lucy, I don't know what I am meant to do." Boo, that's okay - as long as whatever you're doing right now is making something or someone (including yourself) better. Don't waste anything, especially your time and resources. 

So, on this Wednesday, a quote from my freshman reading (which I reread all the time) embodies my message on #WorkingWomanWednesday - "For me, an area of moral clarity is: you're in front of someone who's suffering and you have the tools at your disposal to alleviate that suffering or even eradicate it, and you act." - Dr. Paul Farmer 

That wraps it up, cupcakes - if you see someone suffering, and you have the tools to fix it, you need to do it. 

Keep being fierce, loves! Until next time - 

xo, Lucy 

Moral Monday {separating self worth from test scores.}

Today, our grade level took our science district assessment, and in a blink of an eye, sixteen questions made me feel so worthless - knocked the breath out of me and made me feel like a quarter's worth of work was wasted. 

On paper, it was. On paper, this quarter was mildly successful - only a medium percentage of my students performed proficient and at the end of the day, all of my students will be judged on a benchmark of fifth grade expectations and it will be a hit or miss. There won't be an A for effort or a check plus, because you tried your best - no, it will be a pass or fail. You made the cut or you didn't and that, my friends, is the scariest part of my job. 

You want to know real life teaching? This. This is it. This moment when you cry a Kim K ugly cry and ask yourself what could you have done better and where you went wrong. You can sugar coat it for yourself, and say you tried your best, but when only forty and some odd percent get it, you didn't try your best. 

Then the even harsher reality sets in, and you have to face your fears and separate your self worth from test scores, and reevaluate the plan for success. Success, even for my students, doesn't have an elevator and sometimes, we have to back a few floors after we realized the door we were working towards was locked. 

Even after three years, this is a hard lesson. It's an even harder lesson knowing that I have two amazing teachers on my grade level who are going to feeling the same feelings I am, and I cannot and will not let them attach their effectiveness or their worth as a teacher to these , numbers. No one told me not to do it, but I will tell them - I will tell all new teachers: 

You aren't your test scores. 
You aren't your data. 

You have to remember you had a purpose long before anyone had an opinion, and sometimes we have to go back to the drawing board and erase some lines and redraw our masterpiece. 

So, the moral this Monday: You aren't your test scores and if no one tells you, you're a good teacher. 

Five Wonderful Things. {difficult takes day, impossible takes a week}

As I sit here and sip my hot chocolate and enjoy a peaceful moment from being prepared for the week, I can't help but be so excited about this place I am in. This season of self-confidence and self-assurance is so needed after feeling so unsure and so unclear about myself and my purpose. Whether it was twenty-five or my own attitude change, I am grateful for a new set of experiences. 

This week is going to be equally as great, another opportunity to take over the world a little bit more, and change a little bit of the darkness to light. As I reflect on my week, I am overwhelmed by the compliments and encouragement I have received from my administration and my team that let me know the changes I am making, both personally and professionally, are noticeable. 

So, here's to a new week, with a weekend full of fun waiting for me at the end - hope your week is as great as you are! 

1. I got a powerful observation. As a BT 3 (beginning teacher, year 3), we still have to have so many observations a year, and I had my first official observation a few weeks ago and had my post conference this week. The lesson that was observed was okay (in my opinion), but my administrator had nothing but powerful and positive things to say about me. She let me know that my lesson was well-paced, engaging, and my students were empowered and they knew the material. Those simple things are so powerful to me, and are so meaningful as a teacher in a high-needs school. Being able to say all my babes were engaged and able to verbalize what we were doing is a powerful statement, and I hope that's the first of many positive observations that I have this year. 

2. Homecoming is this weekend. My undergrad's homecoming is this weekend, and I couldn't be more excited! I haven't seen some of my friends in years, which is awful to say, but friendships as adults has to be intentional and sometimes, life gets in the way. This weekend, responsibilities get put on hold for a mini-vacation that is well deserved. 

3. A new teacher is going to observe my literacy block. Again, seems simple on the surface, but it's a powerful motivator for me as a professional. I want to make others better teachers - that's a true passion. I want other people to love it as much as I do and I want teachers to be experts at best practices, not just what looks good. A cute classroom does not mean a thing if true learning isn't taking place, so hopefully this is the first step in a path of leading other teachers to great teaching. 

4. I turned down a guy. This sounds so petty, but again it's so meaningful in my growth as a woman and as a person. I won't go into many details, but I stood up for myself and my principles as a woman. Being a born again good girl isn't easy, but what's the point of having standards or ideals if you aren't going to stick to them? 

5. I delegated responsibility. I realize all of my moments are very simple, but simple moments that are powerful are life changing - that's what makes life so wonderful. This one was hard to do, but makes me proud to admit it. I have a team this year who craves excellence as much as I do, and is willing to put in the repeated long hours to see results. In order to achieve that, I have had to pass out responsibility and be okay with it. It seems like an easy task, but anyone who has led before knows, giving out that first task is difficult, but you have to be empowered that you have created an attitude of excellence and not compliance that will carry over to their work too. I am so blessed to call these ladies teammates, because they make breaking up responsibilities so very easy.  

One of my goals this week is to update Ginger On the Move mid-week, because there are a few issues I want to write about, so stay tuned! Until then, stay fabulous loves! 

Five Wonderful Things.

This past weekend has been, by far, one of the best weekends I have had in a long time, and not for any particular reason other than, I am finally enjoying this season of my life. 

Turning twenty-five was a mentally agonizing time for so many reasons. I realize that, for some, turning twenty-five was such a blink of an eye that my reservations about it are silly, but as a Southern woman, being twenty-five is a milestone. You should be married, or at least engaged, and you should be set in your career. Again, for some this doesn't bother them, but for me, not having all of that equation was a struggle. Very recently, however, my opinion and viewpoint has shifted dramatically. 

I have come to be in love with every minute of my life - key word: my. I have not a single obligation to anyone or anything other than myself and my profession. To be honest: I don't have an obligation to my profession per say, but I do have an obligation to my professional goals that I have set for myself. So, here's to a fabulous weekend that was simply fabulous, because I did what I want, with people that I love. As I bask in glow of a half-way successful Monday, here's to five wonderful things for this past week. I hope your week is as fabulous as you are, darlings. 

1. I had mid-week drinks with my friends. For a teacher, this is such a big deal - we are not the profession to meet at 5 for happy hour. We are the profession who stays at school till 5 and then goes home to work some more, and fall asleep before prime time television. This past week was different though. We shopped, laughed, and enjoyed ourselves like the young professionals we are. 

2. Walking Dead premiered. I love zombies. Yes, pretty girls can be nerds too. My best friend turned me on to the show, and I haven't been able to look away since. Last night, we had our annual zombie party to commemorate the premiere. While I felt the premiere was lack luster (personal opinion), it was nice to have zombies back in my life and time with my best friend is always a plus. 

3. I got my hair straightened. This seems like a tiny detail, but I never straighten my hair. I've had it straight less than ten times in my whole life, so when it happens, it's a big deal. A friend of mine straightened for a girls' night out + a friend's concert at a local club, and it just changed my world view. Simply having my hair straight changed me, just for a weekend - loosened me up for a bit. Call it silly, but it's nice to pretend to be someone else for a while. 

4. I balanced my work load. This has been a long time coming, and I am still not very good at it, but the key to true success is balancing work and life effectively and this week, I did all right for myself. I worked on things for a little bit on Saturday and it made my whole weekend better. There wasn't a rush on Sunday to do all plans for the week, and there wasn't this overwhelming feeling of dread. It was a nice balance. I hope I can make it stick. 

5. I am sticking to my budget. October is such a busy month for me, with a ton of activities that I want to do with all my friends and those activities cost money. My undergrad's homecoming is this month and I cannot wait to spend time with all my college friends, but that costs money. I made a budget at the beginning of the month, and here we are, almost halfway through, and I am sticking to it! I feel so empowered that I am in control of my money and don't feel anxious about where that money is going or how I am going to pay for x, y, and z. 

Monday can be sand paper or sparkles - I hope your's was sparkly all over! Until next time, loves 
- xo, Lucy 

a lesson in patience, perseverance, and self love.

Yesterday was nothing short of amazing, and as I sit here and sip my coffee, recovering from a mid-week late night with dear friends, I am suddenly grateful that I have a great reason to be tired and slow moving this morning. Yesterday was amazing for all of the most normal, mundane reasons, but it was so important - so necessary for my season that I am in. 

I started Ginger on the Move to chronicle my journey through job searching and possibly relocation, and at the end of it all, I ended up staying right where I was. This summer, I felt very indifferent to my situation - emotionally exhausted from the roller coaster known as soul searching, and just gave up - resigned to the fact that I would work my current job until something better came along. I wasn't particularly enthused about starting a new school year at the same place where I felt so many up and down emotions, but I still helped out with interviews, still worked on plans and then something happened, I started to love it again. 

I started to feel invested in the common good at this elementary school that I had developed a love-hate relationship with. My administration changed, my attitude changed, and our school changed (18 new hires!), and before you knew it, I loved it again. Fast forward to yesterday, a pretty defining moment in my professional career and it feels amazing to be so stable in my professional career! 

Yesterday was one of those moments where you feel your season change and your ultimate goal/dream/passion/purpose gets so much clearer. It started in PLCs (professional learning communities.) My team was analyzing data from a recent district assessment, and were looking at subgroups. We noticed a trend with some of our kids, and wanted to speak with our administration further. When they came by, they were so proud of the conversations we were having and so supportive of our intervention plan - they asked to film our next PLC! We (5th grade) were beyond flattered - I love knowing I'm doing the right thing and I love being able to take what I am doing and help others become better teachers. That's the ultimate goal - love your passion so much that others are inspired too. 

Fast forward to a late afternoon conversation with my principal - she asked me about my future goals and where I see myself, and I shared with her my new interests. While being a superintendent is an ultimate goal, most recently, I've developed a true love for leading others to be better teachers - most specifically in the role as principal. 

Most people are going to groan and say "I'd never do that job." To that I say, I'm glad you're not a principal. When I think of being a principal, I think of a true humble servant. You are the driving force behind the quality of education that takes place at a school, and you have to want to help teachers become better. It's not easy, but to quote Jay-Z - "difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week." Teaching has never been for the faint of heart, and I most certainly am not scared at this opportunity. 

So, there it is folks, the next phase in Lucy's lesson plan shawty journey - a principal. I've already started applications to a few schools, and hope to start in January or soon after. This realization comes on the wave of a difficult, emotionally trying season. I didn't love myself, I didn't love others the way I should, and I didn't stop and celebrate where I was. Instead, I wished and tried to move myself before I was meant to and at each turn, I met a stop sign or a road block or was blatantly told no. I was forced to sit and wait - endure, preserve and rely on my own self to weather the storm, and let my blessings (which you should never chase) come to me. Believe what you will about higher powers, but the universe will bring you to opportunities meant for you. This was meant for me. Yesterday was the literal end to a cold, sad season and the start of a journey to a place where I appreciate myself and my current place (instead of wishing for the next.) 

So, on this Thursday (my favorite day) - enjoy your season, don't wish for another or different portion. Have enough love for yourself to celebrate where you've come from and where you want to go. Have enough of a humble attitude to be okay with the fact you aren't where you want to be and the fact that you don't know everything, and probably never will. 

Until next time, loves 
- xo, Lucy