The Gift of L.I.G.H.T

 Greetings friends! Can you believe this is the last week before the holidays? Writing about my gifts of L.I.G.H.T has certainly made it go by fast, and keep me inspired to think of what gifts I can give to all of you. 

Today we are focusing on the last two letters: H, and T. 

I would like to start by giving H- the gift of Hope. Although hope can be a bit dangerous because it can indeed lead to disappointment. It's something that we need in order to keep us going- no matter what. It's what makes us work for a goal or strive to get something to begin with. Even when we can't reach the goal or get what we wanted, we have to somehow keep hope that we can get the next thing, or that we will learn where we went wrong and try to fix our mistakes. Perhaps hope has been misinterpreted and the purpose is to learn from it how to change and a lesson what to do differently. Hope is necessary, yet it can be a struggle to hold it, especially when we feel overwhelmed. As teachers the list never ends; lesson plans, grading, organizing, data tracking... the list could continue. Oh, and don't forget the responsibilities we have at home! Very often others think we don't have those things. My gift of hope to you is that small seed's worth to keep you going, even if you have days where you feel your hope is lost. This seed of hope is that you find it again. Look for something you accomplished and imagine that small seed growing into something big and beautiful. It may seem odd to think of spring and flowers in the middle of winter. But through the winter is when we find the hope of spring. It takes time for this seed to grow and turn into a flower, and watching it seems endless (like winter,) but eventually to does happen. If it doesn't, don't loose hope again! just acknowledge that perhaps it needs something different; the soil, more sunlight, water, etc. The hope I give you is this: I hope you are enlightened on what to change so your seed will grow when you try again! It's the smallest bit of hope that can make a difference. Don't loose it my friends, and when you can, share it with another educator friend who might need it! It's one of the best gifts we can give to each other!

The last letter gift is T- Time. As teachers, time is the most valuable thing that can't be created, extended, duplicated or rewound to do again. We know though, we certainly need more of it! I wish more than anything I could create that time for you, me, all of us! Unfortunately I can't. So, my gift for you with this letter is simple. I hope that time for you means spending just a minute or two of it each day acknowledging how far you've come, how much you for your students, how much you give to your school and community, and what an amazing educator you are. I hope you find during your teaching journey what makes you happy, and you spend time doing it! Whether this is bringing music into your classroom, dressing up like a story character, using technology, sharing stories, leading an educational group or community, writing blogs or articles... find what makes you enjoy your time as a teacher and share it with everyone! It will make a difference to your students, their families,  your school, and other teachers! Now, that is a timeless gift worth unwrapping, and time spent wisely. 

Final Thoughts: Keep having hope each day, even just the size of a seed. Keep offering yourself Grace for when you loose hope, the other letters did not disappear! Keep doing what makes your teacher heart happy, it will allow you to have your own radiant L.I.G.H.T to share with others. 

Have a wonderful holiday and best wishes for the new year teacher friends! 

I will be taking a break but I be back in January!