Sweet or Sour?

This past week I’ve been riding, wait scratch that, D R I V I N G the struggle bus. I physically feel like I am drowning in schoolwork, like I will never catch up, and sometimes like I have no idea how to be a teacher. On top of all this, in the back of my mind I am thinking about the OAEs I still have to take, the terrifiying task of EdTPA, getting a job, wondering if people will hire me without my reading endorsement and wondering how to go about getting that.

With this in mind I have decided that I have a love/hate relationship with Ada and ONU. This is the place where I’ve met my best friends and really grown as a future teacher. I've learned SO much about myself, others, and life in general. But at the same time, this is the place that seems to suck me into the black hole of stress. I feel like I don’t have time to talk to my family at home, go to the grocery store, or even eat dinner some nights - let alone get 6 or 7 (not even the suggested 8!) hours of sleep.

This week I have felt like my life is on repeat - it seems that I think “here goes the same old, same old” each morning as I get drag myself out of bed. But I stumbled upon a song this weekend as I was at the library and I really appreciate the meaning behind it. I have played it multiple times each day since I’ve discovered it. "Make it Sweet" is sung by one of my favorite bands Old Dominion (which I saw in concert this time last year 😆). The chorus of the song talks mostly about enjoying time with your significant other… but whether or not you have one I think that the upbeat tempo, catchy tune, and the general, positive lyrics in the verses are a good reminder to make this short life sweet. You can find the video below, but here is the first (and my favorite) verse:

I know it's a drag, I know it's a grind

I know that a dollar ain't worth a dime

Just trying to keep up with the Joneses at the end of the block

I know you get tired, I know you get down

I know you get sick of this soul sucking town

Let's make a little lemonade if lemons is all we got

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaixqXZfMxI

Personally, I use music to help myself cope with the emotions I feel or the things happening in my life at that moment. So while I currently don’t have a boyfriend I want spend all my time with, I think that the overall message of taking the time to look harder and focus on the good amidst the stress and crazy is beneficial to me, and potentially to all of us, too.

On that note, (I promise I didn't do that on purpose 🎵😂), I was wondering what kind of connections I could make to my field experience with this post,but today (or rather yesterday since it's after midnight... #teamnosleep) my third grade class was introduced to finding the theme of a text by working with the themes of popular Disney songs. The teacher played a snippet from songs like “Let it Go” from Frozen, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story, and “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King. I thought this was a great introduction for the topic of themes, and it really set kids up to succeed by playing off of what they already know… the words to almost every Disney song! The themes or more specific messages that students were able to pick out of these 20 second clips was amazing to me!

I think deep down there is a part of us all that wants to look like this squirrel as we recognize the introduction of this classic Disney jam...

I appreciated even more that the teacher took the extra couple minutes of class to elaborate further on the songs and how they can (and should) be applied to their lives both currently and in the future! She even gave different personal examples of how she uses the themes within these songs as an adult. That morning, she had to "Let it Go" as her kids struggled getting ready on time this morning - a frustration that could have offset her whole day. While teachers have a lot of technical content stuff to teach, I think it is equally as important to talk about life skills and emotional regulation whenever you can. Honestly, I am still working on a lot of this stuff, and I will need reminders about it through the rest of my life.

I hope you enjoyed listening to my current favorite song and that your spirits were lifted up by reading this blog. Until next week, readers. Make it a sweet one!