Sculpting a Life

One of the benefits of of following your heart is becoming better acquainted with who you are. This weekend, I followed my heart to Ft. Myers Beach to compete in an amateur sand sculpting competition. On Saturday, I awoke early, left my aging parents in slumber, chugged some coffee, and drove in my economy rental car to the nearest Lowes. There, I purchased a spade, a bucket, and plastic spatulas.  With tools in tow, I headed for the beach.

It was barely 8 am, the sun had risen, and the temperatures were already warm.   As I looked out at the expansive ocean, the remaining tension seeped from my body into the hard sand beneath my feet. 

Though the morning started with joy and phenomenal peace, anxiety quickly crept into my psyche as sand clumped with shells proved difficult to form and shape.  Saturday was practice day, I thought to myself.  What if I couldn't make the sand work...tomorrow was the competition, I would surely embarrass myself in front of all of the much more experienced and more talented sculptors. What if...? What if..? What if...? My mind raced with self-doubt.

One of the great aspects of aging is that anxiety gives way to self-assurance far more quickly than when I was younger. After several failed attempts with the sand, I decided to stop practicing, enjoy the day and hope for better sand, tomorrow, at the site of the competition.   

Sunday morning I was a bundle of nervous energy.  Having never entered a competition, I arrived early to ensure I had time to register and to take a look around. The master sculptors were hard at work, building magnificent, creative sand scenes.  Luckily, my sand area was much smaller and filled with a mere metric ton of sand that I would be moving and shaping. The solo masters are required to work with 10 tons of sand.  This physical element of the competition has led many sculptors to suggest that this medium is a sport, as well as, an art form. My muscles agree!

Today, as I fly home to Indiana. My attitude is brighter, more confident, and at peace.  This weekend, I challenged myself to follow a personal dream. Tomorrow, as I talk about and show pictures of my adventure to my students, I hope that in some small way I will inspire each of them to step inside their hearts and listen for the subtle guidance that will lead them to their dreams.

A Heart's Journey

Over the course of a lifetime dreams ebb and flow.  Some never become more than quiet murmurings.  Others take subtle root in our minds and hearts and germinate beneath the surface.

Twenty-five years have passed since my first experience sculpting sand.  This weekend, I will reconnect with this passion as I attempt to make sand and water resemble a manatee mother and her calf.

Risking to follow my heart's journey is more important than any class that I have taken or grade that I have received.  My hope is, that by following my own dream,  I will encourage each of my student's to look inward and then follow their own heart's journey.

Promoting a Compassionate Classroom

"If love connects us with others, personality must certainly be the mechanism through which love is perceived and understood." 

Julie Meyers, 2013

As an educator of seven different middle school students, misunderstandings between and among us occur with regularity.  The MBTI (Myers Briggs Personality Type) has documented 16 personality types. Each personality type has discrete preferences for interacting with and perceiving the world.   

In elementary, middle, and even high school, differences among people, are rarely approached from a scholarly perspective.  Most often, students are told that we are all different and that we need to learn to get along with others.  The behavior of "not getting along" is then redirected, referred, or disciplined.

As an educator, helping students to become cognizant of the variety of personality types in the world, may help to promote a more compassionate learning environment.  In the coming week, I will be informing my students about personality type.  They will  participate in an age-appropriate version of the MBTI.  Then, we will discuss how similarities and divergence among personality types affects communication, understanding, and learning.

To optimize student learning, my belief is, that the classroom environment needs to be infused with love, compassion, and understanding.  Raising student awareness regarding personality differences and learning styles is one step toward improving student performance.