Continual State of Becoming

I received an envelope in the mail earlier this week with a return address that told me it was from my school.  Inside was a short and sincere message from my principal and assistant principal.  And a package of lavender seeds to go along with our distance learning theme: #togetherwegrow I was so touched... and super excited about the lavender!! I love lavender, and we don't have any lavender plants in our yard.  I can't wait to start growing it.  I've already started researching how to grow it from seeds.  I want to make sure I give it the best possible chance to thrive!  Matt and I do a pretty good job of sustaining the plants in our garden, but we typically get them as established plants.  We've had minimal success keeping indoor or container plants alive, and even less success with growing plants from seeds.  I want to turn that around, because I REALLY want this lavender to grow and become established.  So research first-- figure out what I need to do, AND then I

I've been teaching sixth grade this year.  My first year as a teacher.  It's been HARD.  I know that everyone's first year of teaching is known to be hard.  So I was expecting that.  But it's exceeded even my expectations (and my admins expectations) for just how hard it has been.  Challenging in every possible way.  And yet... I was finding my way through, somehow managing to build my classroom community, teach, and actually love what I was doing.  Teaching is not for the faint of heart.  Nor for the slacker.  Believe me when I say, it's by far the hardest thing I've ever done... childbirth included.  And like most things in life (childbirth included), it was good.  I know I was involved in a school that is doing the best it can and making decisions in the best interests of all it's students.  They are supportive of their teachers and families.  They place a HUGE emphasis on the arts, on equity, and on high quality instruction.  It's exactly the school