New Year's Resolutions for 2008

I like the idea that January 1st is a new start. Even though it is just an arbitrary date that was set years back (Chinese and Jewish calendars both have other starting dates), it gives us all a unifying point. It is here that we meet with friends, relatives, and complete strangers in our walk toward a better tomorrow. And yes, promises will be broken. Chances are, most of us will continue with our bad habits - we will smoke, overeat, indulge in our desires, forget the gym, spend more time on the computer, and work overtime instead of heading home. But for this one day, we can hope for change. And, after all, isn't it the thought that counts?

My 2008 Resolutions:

1. “I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me.”--- Philippians 4:13

That is a limitless statement, because anything I do with God’s blessing will be a success. I can complete any task, overcome any problem, and become any person I want to be…all because He loves me.

2. “When books fall open, you fall in.”--- Mary Engelbreit
READ!!! Read a book every month that in no way relates to school or professional development. Read for the pure, utter enjoyment of it.

3. “Everyone needs their own spot.”--- Robert Whalen
Make my apartment my own by decorating and spending quality time in it. Invite people over, have parties, and make this space my own. I pay for it!

4. “Friends, books, a cheerful heart and conscience clear are the most choice companions we have here.”--- William Mather
Expand my social circle. Go to parties, movies, and coffee dates with friends. Remember that dating is not something to fear, it’s something to enjoy. Have fun with people, so that I will understand why God said “it is not good for man to be alone”.

5. “Money is the root of all evil.”--- Chinese Proverb
Now that I am relying solely on myself for all financial support, I have got to learn how to balance my budget. Yes, I have a little savings, but that can’t be “nickel and dimed” out of existence with Saturday trips to Starbucks and Blockbuster runs. Part of becoming an adult is figuring out what I can afford and sticking to it. By this time next year, I want to have my budget under control and a substantial start to a savings account.

6. “One of the luckiest things that can happen to you in life, I think, is to have a happy childhood.”---Agatha Christie
Make each day a new chance to show love, compassion, and the importance of learning to each student I come into contact with. No more trying to “get through” the day. I need to understand that God’s purpose is for me to teach, and being in the classroom with these students is a gift, not an obligation.



I also want to:
Do my own taxes.
Learn more about my personal health.
Research teaching offers at other schools.
Find a way to make extra money in my free time.
Make and sustain an ebay account.
Learn how to knit, thus canceling out all Christmas gift costs for 2008.
Bake cookies once a month for the local homeless shelter.

So I have to go back to work on Wednesday. Instead of enjoying this week, I keep counting down the days in my head. I actually woke up this morning and thought, today, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday...5 more days. Is that sad?

I drank coffee this morning from my new favorite mug, an over-sized red one with a white reindeer. It was originally filled with fun-size Snickers and Hershey's Kisses, but those have been stored out of sight due to an overload of Christmas goodies this month. One of my favorites, gingerbread, has been made into a latte at Starbucks that tastes like a liquefied cookie (in a good way). If it isn't clear enough, winter brings together two of my absolute favorite things: coffee and gingerbread. Last year I actually baked and iced gingerbread cookies with my sister, then we gave them out to family and friends throughout the holiday season. While I made the standard 3-button gingerboys and pink-lipped gingergirls, my sister actually made an entire set of gingerbread superheroes - Superman, Spiderman, Hulk, and Batman...all in gingerbread form. It was a little disconcerting, which may have been the goal all along. But the tiny gingerbread heroes made my uncle very happy...he has collections of comic books that would make Comic Book Guy jealous.

But as we all glide past the Christmas season, one of my least favorite holidays appears on the near horizon. As someone who doesn't drink or enjoy raucous party themes, New Year's Eve is possibly the most awkward holiday of my year. Let me explain:

1. New Year's Eve 1998 - My first boyfriend and I spent the evening at the church's "Watch Night" playing Monopoly and listening to the sweet tunes of N'SYNC...with about twenty senior citizens singing hymns and eating diabetic desserts.



2. New Year's Eve 1999 aka "The Millennium" - My family went, with members of our church, to a local truck stop for dinner. Then we returned home and I spent the evening watching CNN's New Year's special.



3. New Year's Eve 2002 - I stay at home with my parents. At midnight people in my neighborhood actually shoot guns into the air to celebrate the blessings of the coming year.



4. New Year's Eve 2005 - I succumb to the temptation of Ryan Seacrest's debut as the "New Year's Rockin' Eve" host on ABC.

As this is officially my first year as an independent adult, I feel compelled to celebrate the evening. And yet, I don't enjoy any aspect of the dancing/drinking combination. A hero of mine, Anderson Cooper (whom I have found incredibly attractive since the 1999 celebration - see above),also abhors the evening. In his book Dispatches from the Edge, he says "I've always thought that New Year's Eve is proof that humans are essentially optimistic creatures. Despite hundreds of years of pathetic parties and hellish hangovers, we continue to cling to the notion that it's possible to have fun on that night. It's not. There's too much pressure, too many expectations, and too few bathrooms." I find this ironic, because he hosts the CNN special every year. So, in respect of Anderson and his moral discrepancies, I think I should probably spend New Year's Eve with him....you know, so he doesn't have to host the show in vain.

Christmas Traditions

Listening to the news lately, one might think that Christmas is actually just a date from which pre- and post-Christmas sales are advertised.The famous "pre-pre-Christmas 40% off with purchase of $100" sale. Or the classic "now Christmas is over and we need to get ready for Valentine's Day" sale. I found this draw far too enticing, and ventured into the world of retail madness -aka, the mall - today. It was packed with evey imaginable shopper, from the group of 8-year-olds looking for Hannah Montana wigs ($4.99 marked down from $13.97) to the mother-father teams scouring JCPenney for clearance baby clothes. And yes, I was there trying to sift through the piles of clothing at Rue 21 for a new pair of jeans (which I found for Buy One, Get One 50% off). Am I a hypocrite? Possibly...except for the fact that my shopping habits had nothing to do with the holiday sales. I simply needed a pair of jeans for "Casual Monday" next week. And, I must admit, I love to watch the shoppers wander in and out of the various stores with friends, parents, and complete strangers. Have you ever stood in line behind someone and held a casual conversation about, say, the new Hallmark Store, only to find her browsing through Waldenbooks as you enter? Do you stop and make a witty remark ("great minds think alike!") or do you nod and continue searching for the newest Oprah Book Club selection? I still haven't mastered mall etiquette.

On another note, when I moved into my apartment complex, I had no idea that I would be mere yards from the biggest light display in the region. The local park runs the Christmas light show every day through December. Seeing this after a long day of teaching really brightens the rest of my evening.

First Post

"and a golden apple for the best teacher..."

I have always known that I wanted to teach. There are stories dating back to my pre-NKOTB days of the early 1990s, when I would take over Vacation Bible School nursery classes or help my first-grade teacher with her classroom library. After a long road filled with many obstacles, I am now in my first job as a teacher. But that doesn't mean all my insecurities are gone. I have always envisioned teachers, especially the skirted females of old movies, as completely organized individuals with no room in their lives for grammatical mistakes, wrinkled shirts, or unpolished nails. But as I know, and you will soon find out, I barely know how to use an iron and my nails haven't seen a manicurist since my sister took me for my birthday last year (a gift which ultimately gave me a nail infection, but that's another story). In other words, teachers are human beings. If you cut us, we will bleed...and most likely it will be all over the monthly grading reports that were due to the office last week.

I'll never receive the golden apple, and I think I am okay with that. My only concern is that my students enjoy learning because of something that occurred within the walls of my classroom.

With that in mind, this place will become my outlet. I have a new career, a new apartment, and a new independence that I have come to enjoy quite thoroughly. I am going to learn how to cook eggplant, how to dance to Latin music, and how to make conjugating verbs moderately interesting to 7th graders. This is my life, and I expect it to be as brilliant as possible.

(Close with "That Girl" twirl and "Mary Tyler Moore" hat toss)