Queen Jen's Gems

 When entering a store, business, house, or new state, we may be greeted with a "Welcome" sign. At a ceremony or service you attend, someone may give a welcome to those in attendance. The welcome lets you know that you are received in a glad and friendly way 😊. Some of you may have a welcome mat or sign at your place of residence. However, at my house growing up, I rarely remember seeing a welcome sign, rug, or flag at our house. At our house, we like the outdoor flags and my brother and I still put them outside our house. I remember being at the store one day with my Mom and we were looking at flags and rugs. I also remember pointing out a welcome one and said how nice it looked. Then, Momma said something that totally threw me off guard! She said she didn't want to buy one that said welcome. In my mind, I'm thinking don't we want people to feel welcome when they visit us. So, curiosity rose up in me and I decided to ask why not. She gave me her reasoning and it...

 In our daily lives, we see a lot at our jobs, schools/colleges, in our communities, on the news, Internet and social media. We see the good and bad, the positive and negative, and problems and solutions. In my previous blog post, I talked about going back for a new school year as a teacher and not mixing the old with the new. I encouraged us to keep what works and change what doesn't. If you haven't read my last blog post, I encourage you to take a minute and go back to read, "Don't Mix the Old With the New." In preparing for a new school year ahead, I want to look at it with fresh eyes 👀. I have to see the possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead 💚💙. A week from now, I will have new 6th grade students sitting in my classroom. I don't know what they went through in the previous years, but I do know I can help them see that this year can be a fresh start. I let them know it's a fresh start for me, too. I want my students to see that we are in this...

 We have made it to August! Praise God! August is the 8th month of the year. The number 8 symbolizes new beginnings 😊. As August rolls in, I know it signals something else for me: a new school year is about to start. My teacher brain realizes that work is starting soon and the students will be back in my classroom before I know it. In fact, the students start school at the end of this month. Not too long ago, we used to start school after Labor Day. Things have moved up! When it comes, I know I have to be prepared. I always do a reflection ( a recap if you will) of the year before. I look at what went well and what didn't go well. I think about the resources, materials, and activities I used. I look at previous lesson plans. I look at my self-care routines and boundaries in terms of what worked, what do I need to do more of, what do I need to do less of. It's in that reflection that I can pray, make wise decisions moving forward in the new school year, and adjust along the way...