Blooming

March 7
“Blooming”

“Blooming”

Behind my desk sits a long brown HVAC unit. It whirs and hums and keeps things just a little too cool or a little too hot.  Because it is so long and sits right underneath a window, it is a perfect place for plants. I love having plants in my room - it improves the air quality and it’s just good karma to take care of living things and to have them thrive.
The window is large and dirty - I have cleaned it a million times, but the dirt is on the outside and I can’t get it off - it drives me crazy, but I try not to let it bother me too much.  My window faces south and looks over the school field and into a line of trees beyond. Sun, cloud, snow and rain, can all be observed from this perch. I love having a window in my room. Even now, as I am typing, the late afternoon sun is warming my back.
The plants that I keep at school always do well - better in fact, than the ones I keep at home.  If I have a plant that’s looking a little piqued, I bring it to school to get a shot of nice bright southern sun, and soon it perks up.  
For the first time I tried to see if I could get an orchid to rebloom.  I have tried and tried at home to no avail. But look! My orchid has rebloomed!  Just a wonderful treat to see that with a little care, watering and sunshine - beautiful things can happen.  
My young eighth graders are blooming too - this is about the time of year it starts.  They get a bit more serious and a bit more intense. They are beginning already to think about high school.  Their parents will come by tomorrow during conferences and ask for advice about high school and what they should be doing this summer.  They will look for reassurance that their child is doing well, and we will stop and admire how they are blooming.
Yesterday and today….




Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 7, 2019 at 2:56 PM

    I enjoyed reading your writing for many reasons. One of them is your comparison of students and plants, which reminded me of a time a plant in my class grew so beautifully and in my newsletter I posted a photograph of the plant and wrote something about the students' learning growing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Adrienne G.March 7, 2019 at 3:13 PM

    I have a room without windows to the outside, and am a little jealous. I was commenting today to a colleague about how much I like this time of year because we know the 6th graders so well and we can really see how far they've come.

    ReplyDelete
  3. SallyMarch 7, 2019 at 4:14 PM

    So glad you added photos! I enjoyed how you segwayed from plants to your students - all blooming! Enjoy sharing with parents tomorrow and enjoy watching when any snow begins to fall thanks to your lovely wondow!

    ReplyDelete

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