Today, I am grateful for the homemade pizza night that my son wanted to have.
Dayt's original want for this night was because we bought a sweet basil plant to plant in our backyard and wanted to go pick the leaves and put them on his pizza! It was delicious! I am working on going vegan with my diet and it has been interesting to think intentionally about what I am eating and not just eating from habit and for comfort. That was leaving me feel miserable and unhealthy. Dayt complained about the cheese, it was non-dairy cheese, but I think he did that because I said it was a different cheese that I could eat. I am going to make food and see if he likes it and when he does then I will tell him that it was the same! I am evil :) My pizza had red and green peppers, onions and tofurkey. Dayt's had pepperoni!
0 Comments
Today, I am grateful for the young people in the spaces that I share with them for taking time to be quiet and read.
In my psychology classes we are reading Why We Sleep by Dr. Matthew Walker. I loved this book when I read it during the height of the pandemic, during the months of staying at home and doing online classes and taking naps and not going places and sleep a whole bunch. Sleep is something we all do. Sleep is something we all need to be healthy both physically and mentally. I wanted to be intentional about getting these chapters in front of the students so that they can learn that it is not a flex when they say they only got 3-4 hours of sleep or they pulled an all-nighter. Get sleep! Today, I am grateful for my new garden gnomie that is organizing all the plants in the yard!
I have been finding a lot of joy in planting new plants and taking care of my backyard area. So far I have added a bird feeder, new flowers included two rose bushes that I am excited to try to keep alive and many cuttings from the prickly pear cacti that was already in the backyard. I love bringing life to this area and being able to chill in this area at night. These days, I have a lot to be grateful for.
I have been doing these reflections when I have been watering my plants at night after the sun goes down. I love the calmness of ending the night with watering the different flowers and plants that I have planted in my back yard. Day 36 (painting of bird, watermelon and flowers) Free Gaza. I unapologetically stand with the Palestinians and advocate for the genocide to end. The watermelon is the symbol of liberation and freedom. Seeing the student demonstrations about the US Government's investments in Israel is inspiring because I know student demonstrations historically have been on the "right" side of history! Day 35 (James Baldwin quote in orange picture) History is alive in all of us. We carry our personal histories. We carry our family histories. We have choices to engage with it or try to avoid it until it is unavoidable. This is why I teach the way I do. The American History that we are learning, we are carrying it with us in some way. I want our young people to engage with it intentionally. Day 34 (Dayt and our pool basketball hoop) Thank you Grammie for the birthday present from last year that we just got out! Dayt beat me in the game to 11, 11-9, but I won the shooting contest 5 to 2. Rematches will happen as the weather gets hotter! Day 33 (flowers and lights) Sitting on my patio is a chill way to end the night. Day 32 (My niece getting D1 Scholarship offers) I am so proud of my niece and all of her hard work and talent being recognized by women's college basketball programs from around the country! She has around 12-15 other offers from schools that she will have a choice between. She is ending her sophomore year by trying to be a 4-time champion in high jump! Can't wait to continue to cheer her on! Day 31 (Mushrooms!) I have been drastically changing my diet from eating like absolute crap and wondering why I felt like crap to Intermittent fasting while going to a more vegetarian then to a vegan diet. I have had some health concerns for a while that I have been avoiding but now it is time to grow up. I have lost around 20ish pounds over the last month with also eliminating soda (added sugars), beer, most fast foods but now switching to the vegetarian/vegan options on the menu. I feel a whole lot better but still have a lot of improvement desired for my physical health. Day 30 (picture of plants at the watering hole) Bringing all my houseplants to the watering hole, kitchen sink. I find so much joy in keeping things alive around my house. Day 29 (Dayt and I on a golf cart) I went golfing with my son. I love seeing him getting stronger and smarter on the golf course. Today, I am grateful for the work that I get to do with young people in the classroom!
I was interviewed by a journalist from NEA (National Education Association) about our work with Environmental Justice and Climate Change and our partnerships with Evelyn at the City of Tempe - Sustainability and Resilience Office and Carlos at MLFTC at ASU! Meeting the Challenge of Teaching Climate Change This article is in NEA Today and it is dope! I have to be thankful for these opportunities because I did not do them by myself! I have to thank the young people for being dope and doing great work! I have to thank my friend, colleague and DL for allowing me to do the work that I am passionate about! Day 26 (Earth Day Celebration)
Environmental Justice is for everyone. Climate Change is real and we are experiencing the effects across all regions, all countries, all continents, in different ways. The heat, the storms, the flooding, the droughts, are all part of this. Earth Day is a day but caring about the earth and our environments is every day of the year. We need to push our elected officials to make meaningful changes in policy for adaption to the changing climates we are experiencing. For 2024, our young people and I walked around the campus on a Nature Walk to take time to look at what is around us even in our urban setting. Psychology supports being out in nature is healing. We need to surround ourselves with nature for our physical and mental health. I love celebrations. Let's make Earth Day a celebration for every day! Day 25 (leg on treadmill) I want to get back to being able to run for 30, 40, 60, 90 minutes and that runner's high that I use to have. I want to get a 5k, 10k and a half marathon this year. Got some work to do. Day 24 (cake at 65%) TSEA is doing big things. We, Karla, Rodrigo and I, have spent many long days hoping, wishing, organizing and doing the work that has helped up find others to do this dope organizing! A little celebration as we continue to make a push for supermajority status! Let's gooooooo! Day 23 (Cards Against Humanity and a glass) I am grateful to be able to celebrate my friends and be in good company. Going to a new restaurant and playing Cards Against Humanity for the first time. So much fun! Day 22 (TSEA Buffalo) I really really enjoy making graphics and playing around with thinking I am some sort of creative. I like this TSEA Buffalo and hope that it can be on a shirt some day along with the other mascots and campuses! I have been using Canva to try and do this and enjoy how it has a lot of tools to help me make something that looks semi-profesh :) Day 21 (stir fry) Again, trying to drastically change my diet and be "healthier" for me! I need to make changes to what I am putting into my body so that I can feel better and healthier for myself, my children, family, friends, colleagues, students. I am trying to find food that is yummy and filling while doing this! OHHHHHHHH how I miss that heavy feeling of being satisfied after eating but I am learning that that feeling what not a feeling that made me feel good. Woahhhh, I just read my last sentence, again. Good luck. Stir fry is dope! Day 20 (TSEA at 64% density) This is so dope. If you do or don't understand Unions, I think we can all understand strength in numbers. What this number represents is that 64% density means that 64% of all teachers in TUHSD are members of TSEA. This is power! I am so grateful for the relationships that I have developed through doing this Organizing work to get us to this number! The highest density of all Locals throughout all of Arizona! LFG!!!!! Day 19 (shoes by the pool) I loved standing out in the sun in the morning. I am wanting to change around my schedule to be more chill in the morning. I want to include stretching and sunlight and quiet time with reading or writing but I really enjoy sleeping. My usual plan is waking up and getting ready in 30 minutes and then leaving for either dropping off my son or coming to work. I guess it starts at night with getting to bed and sleep by 9:30-10pm so that I can get the 7-8 hours of sleep that I know makes me feel rested. I am going to prioritize this change and routine this summer! Day 18 (Abortion is Healthcare) On this day, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in favor of having the law of Arizona be what was created in 1864, before Arizona was a state, statehood was in 1912. Women should not be losing rights over the decisions that impact their bodies. If anything, women should be getting more rights and more protections. This is wild and we all should be upset about this. This is personal because I have two daughters who now have less rights because of this decision. Day 17 (3 dudes standing in the light) This is Mumford and Sons, one of my favorite bands. I really enjoyed this show and love listening to live music. I can distinctly remember an experience with one of there songs from when I was in college. I was working as part of the grounds crew at a golf course and was mowing at 5am when a wall of clouds came rolling over the hills to me while I was listening to one of their songs. It was so awesome! This experience was dope too! Day 16 (colorful ferris wheel) I did go to the concerts that were on Sunday Night. I loved this picture that I took. I went alone. I have always frozen and not done things that I find joy in when I am by myself but this was me getting outside of my comfort zone and going to enjoy the environment of people and some music that I have loved! Day 15 (colorful album cover for Remi Wolf) I missed going to experience Remi Wolf live at the free concerts on Friday night for the celebration of the NCAA Men's Final Four being played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. But I started to listen to the album at is dope! Day 14 (shoes) I love my daughters. They both really enjoy playing volleyball and they both play club. This love for the game has made for some long days watching volleyball over the weekend. Some days there is comfy seating and other days it is not so comfortable. Day 13 (Parents and Titanic Pose) I love my parents so much! I cannot wait to see them in May at my nieces graduation. This was their attempt at reenacting the iconic Titanic scene in the movie. Day 12 (Graphic - Our Hands) I am passionate about helping change happen that is positive for our lives. Meaningful change can only happen if we all play a role. Change does not mean that there are now going to be people going with out, what they are doing might change though. Day 11 (plants in the glasses) I am grateful for one of my friend's wife sending me plants through the mail that I can start to grow! She saw what I posted on my socials about wanting specific plants and then about a week later I got a package with a couple of those cuttlings! So dope! Today, was dope!
I am writing this later in the day and I am happy that I waited. I was hoping news was going to come because of how I felt the interview went but I didn't know where I am and what I bring to the conversation compared to others. I was nominated by our AEA President Marisol Garcia to be part of this 3 year program called Leaders for Just Schools through NEA (National Educators Association), the largest public sector Union in the US. This program is focused on Racial and Social Justice in Education and Schools and promotes the learning journey of the individual, me, and how I can lead my local and state union to address problems and issues that are impacting our young people and communities disproportionately. Year 1 is a personal journey. Year 2, I had the opportunity to interview to be a facilitator for the next cohort that will be starting in Denver. I am humbled and cannot wait to continue to learn from all the dope educators from around the country and world! Today, I am grateful for my Union brothers and sisters!
I am pro-Union. I have a hard time understanding fellow working class individuals who are against the collective power of Union membership. As a history teacher and a reader and a learner, all meaningful protections and advancements for the lives of workers has come through the incredible organizing efforts of "normal" every-day working class individuals. The rich and the capitalists did not wake up one day and say "you know what, I will provide a minimum wage because I care about my workers!" No, workers demanded that the greediness of the owners needed to be put in check and our labor should be compensated so that we are not living in poverty while working full-time. Labor Unions have built America. I was able to go to Corona and talk to non-members about joining our Majority Status TSEA Union and help up continue our march to SUPERMAJORITY STATUS! Meaning, we are on the path to have 75% and over dues-paying members throughout our district! Workers should take and demand using the power of our labor, our time and our minds! Today, I am grateful for my American History students and their willingness to try a new activity!
We are learning about the 1940s-1950s Red Scare during the Cold War and this Mixer Activity was dope! Students were introduced to 27 different people and they had to read and learn their person's story of how their lives were impacted by these events. I loved hearing the reflections of learning about "normal" people and how government and other influential organizations and people targeted them because of their challenging the "normal" narrative. I am so proud of our young people! Today, I am grateful for my impossible burger!
I am trying to adjust my diet and eat less meats but I still want and need protein. I want a diet that is more sustainable for me and my health and the health of the world. I loved my airfried tots! Nice and crispy! My son even said he liked the burger, I did not tell him it was plant-based and I won't tell him until he has it 3-4 times because I know he will say it tastes bad even when he can't tell the difference :) |
Images
Header (above) - Black Hills, SD, 2013 Portrait (below) - Me! Compadre High School, 2021 Dylan WinceI am not a writer. Archives
May 2024
Categories |