Queen Jen's Gems

 Being able to see something makes all the difference in the world 👀. It's even better when you can see it clearly! As most of you know, I am a teacher. During this past school year and especially near the end of the year, I noticed that the words on the front board of my classroom were blurry. Now, the board at the front of my classroom is called a Smartboard. It's like a big flat screen TV. It's amazing! One day, I had a digital program displayed on the board and was teaching examples from it. Now I'm the teacher that likes to walk around when I teach. That particular day (and many other times), I walked to the back of my room and stood there for a moment. It was in that moment that I realized I was struggling to see the words on my Smartboard from the back of my room! I was thinking is it just me or are any other students struggling to see from back here. I remember having to strain my eyes and walked closer to the board, so I could see. Later that day, I remember t...

 When you hear the word love, you may think of Valentine's Day, Christmas or another special holiday. In regards to love, you may think of a special someone or something special you enjoy doing or watching. Today, I want to come remind you at this halfway point of the year that you are loved 💖. That's it- that's today's message 😊!! There is a lot going on in the world around us. There is a lot going on in our local communities. There is a lot going on in our personal lives. I understand about hard times because every day is not easy. We may not feel loved every day, but we are loved every day and need to be reminded of that. To be loved means to be cherished. When someone is cherished, they are protected and cared for very much. Some synonyms for loved are admired, appreciated, supported and held in high esteem. You knew the word girl in me was coming out 😉. Know today that you are cared about and loved very much. In case no one has told you today, you are appreciate...

 We're halfway through 2023! Wow! Time flies! The month of June is special for several reasons. Since it is the halfway point of the year, it leads and encourages me to reflect back over the first part of the year at goals accomplished, and adventures and memories made. I also think about the goals, adventures and memories I still want to accomplish and create. June is also important to me for two other special reasons. One, it marks the end of another school year 👏! As a teacher, this is super exciting news!! Second, it's my birthday month! This year was extra special because I entered a new decade 😊. I turned 40 on June 4th💜!! I can't believe 40 years of life have already gone by! It doesn't seem that long and I know I don't look it. I love seeing people trying to guess my age 😃. It's true though! In my last decade, I have experienced great adventures, heartache, disappointments, challenges, accomplished goals, new connections and new memories. Yes, it was...

 Hey fam 👋!!! I know it's been a while. I'm back 💜!!! When we look around in our world, we see diversity. When we look at our families, jobs, churches, and communities, we see diversity. We all have different personalities, styles, backgrounds and interests. Seeing the diversity makes me happy 😊! You see, while we do have common interests, we still have something that makes us unique. For a long time in my life, I did not want to stand out. I was afraid of being different and worried about what people thought of me. I did stand out because I got good grades, wore my hair different and dressed different than a lot of girls my age did. I was not in the popular crowd, but I definitely had my supportive circle of friends. Kids and adults made fun of me and my immediate family growing up on the bus, at school and even at church. I would get so upset, overwhelmed, bent out of shape and mad because of what was said. I couldn't understand why they were doing it. Side note: that...

 Whenever someone says, "Hello," it is usually followed by "How are you?" This is how many of us greet others. I know this is how I greet people usually. Recently at work, I was going to the copier room (you catch that available when you can especially this time of school year!) and one of my coworkers asked me, "How are you?" I said I was doing fine. She stopped and then asked me, "How are you really?" Then I said "I'm hanging in there. It's SOL review time. I'm planning the first few days, then I'll go from there." She said it is that time of year and it's a lot and then said take care 🙏. You see, SOL stands for Standards of Learning and there are certain objectives we have to teach here in Virginia. In other states, they are called something slightly different, but all have the same goal. At the end of the school year, certain grades have to take standardized tests in certain subject areas. I'm so thankful sh...

 Choices are everywhere! From the minute we wake up until the time we go to sleep, we have a choice to make about something. We decide whether it's a good or bad choice. Do we always make the right choices? No! I know I don't always. In the last couple of years especially, my family and I have had a lot of people pass away near and dear to our heart. Out of all the months, the month of April is always bittersweet for me because I have lost five family members in this month. My Dad, two aunts, a great aunt and an uncle all passed away in April on different years. Losing loved ones is never easy and it felt like just yesterday they were here. Most recently, my great aunt at 81 years old passed away on April 7th of this month. Her and I talked pretty much every day and we would exchange updates about what was going on in our days. I liked to call them daily check-ins 💜. I will definitely miss those! I will miss the visits and hearing and sharing stories and showing her pictures o...

 Have you ever started something, but didn't finish it? I'm sure we can all relate! Perhaps you were cleaning or sorting through items and then your phone rings or you receive a text. Maybe your phone happens to be nearby you and you pick it up for a minute. That minute turns into hours and before you know it, an hour (or more!) has gone by because you were scrolling social media. Perhaps you started an assignment you were working on for school, college, job-related and it gets started, but it doesn't get finished. As a teacher, I've seen students turn in work that was incomplete. When completing assignments and paperwork for myself, I've had to check it over and finish it because I left it undone. Now, when I talk to my students about incomplete assignments, I get several reasons why it's unfinished. Some have missed that there was another side to a sheet or two parts to a question. Some didn't feel like completing the work and left parts blank on purpose. ...