L is for London

Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to travel. I would dream of far away places and the adventures that I would have on my journeys. These days I have the opportunities to make those journeys come true, so I jump on the chances as they come. 

This last summer I was able to go to London. As a history buff, London has always intrigued me and has been at the top of my list of places I have wanted to visit. To say I was excited to go on this trip would be the understatement of the year. There was a lot of hard things happening in my life at the time of this trip and when it came time to go, I used my trip as a way to prove to myself that I truly can do hard things. I CAN travel by myself, I CAN navigate a bustling city, and I CAN have life changing experiences.

Now this trip wasn’t just a pleasure trip, in fact the entire reason that I was going was to better myself as an educator. To my educator friends reading this post, RUN to Bookbag Tours. Seriously. This trip was so amazing and they were so great to work with! We got to stay with educators and go into the schools in London. It was amazing to see the differences in their schooling and the way they approach education. They way the students there behaved and respected their teachers was so different than what we are used to here in the states. My host was the principal in the school and described to me some of their harder students and how challenging they could be, but as I walked around the school, I honestly couldn’t pick any of them out. Any behavior issues I did see were not only quickly and effectively dealt with, but seemed minor in comparison to things that teachers on this side of the pond seem to be dealing with everyday. 

One of my biggest goals as an educator is to make sure that all of my students know that their differences are things that should be celebrated. I never want a child to walk out 
of my class thinking that they are better than anyone else simply because of how they chose to dress, how they look, or their family backgrounds. I spend a lot of time with my students talking about differences and how they are important. We celebrate different heritages every month. We learn about important figures in that particular culture and the influences that that culture has on our lives. As part of this trip, we got to learn different ways to become global educators from The Top Dog Teacher, Kayla Delzer. If you haven’t seen the things that she is doing with her kids and educators, you really need to go check her out. 

I’m a visual learner, and we all know pictures speak a thousand words, so please enjoy a few favorites from my trip. 

If I could do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat. Seeing my best friend, making new friends, and learning new things about myself made for the perfect trip. 

K is for Kindergarten

I am so happy to announce that I have accepted a job in the Box Elder School District. This job allows me to fulfill my dream of becoming a KINDERGARTEN TEACHER!

I honestly couldn't be more excited. And terrified. I'm mostly excited though. Full disclosure, I most definitely cried when I got off the phone with my principal. I just couldn't keep all my emotions in! This is what I have spent the vast majority of my life planning for, and it's finally happening! All the hard work, tears, laughs, and late nights are finally paying off. Kindergarten is my dream job as well. I never thought that I would get to be a kindergarten teacher right off the bat. Usually, you take the first job you get and wait until you have tenure before you can finally teach the grade you've been dreaming about. I am so insanely blessed and humbled by this opportunity. 

So many of you have helped me so much through this journey. Whether you helped pay for my schooling, gave me supplies, or were just there to support me and cheer me along, every single one of you have impacted my life. 

However, I must call on you once again to help me out. 

Education is the most valuable thing that a person can possess, and yet, for some reason in this country, teachers are held at such low regard that they are paid very little for all that they do. Many teachers struggle paycheck to paycheck and take second jobs in the summer just to make ends meet. Funding for schools isn't always the greatest either and many teachers have to do without some of the vital supplies to make their students successful. 

Research shows that nearly all teachers spend at least $600 out of their own pockets to buy supplies for their classrooms. Some spend nearly $1000 every year, buying even some of the most basic supplies. 

As a first year teacher, straight out of college, I do not very much extra pocket money to buy many of the supplies needed for my classroom. I am only asking for money to buy some of the basics, pencils, crayons, markers, art supplies, glue, and most importantly, books. 

Teaching is something that I am very passionate about and it would mean so much to me if I were able to get all the supplies needed to make my students successful in school. 

I have set up a gofundme account where you can donate money to my classroom. However, if you wish to donate something specific, contact me! I've got a list and a book wishlist a mile long that I would love to share with you! Thank you all, again, for everything that you have done! I am SO EXCITED to finally be a teacher! 

Link to my gofund me account:

gofundme.com/bvvaszn8

Or contact me at nicole.morris93@yahoo.com! 

J is for Just In Time

  Time has always been something that is just so interesting to me. Sounds strange I know, But let me  explain myself. 

They say that patience is a virtue, but it is not a virtue that I possess. Patience is probably the greatest thing that I have struggled with my whole life. Every single day is a new challenge and test, and scarcely does a week go by when I don't have a huge, in my face lesson on patience. I've always said that Heavenly Father and I have such a humorous relationship and I think that His trials in patience that He gives me must be His entertainment for the week. I'm sure He gets a good laugh every now and then!

Growing up in the church, there was one common phrase that I heard quite often; in talks, the scriptures, all over. Although often phrased differently, the meaning was always the same. The Lord's time. In the time of the Lord. 

We learn and know that the Lord's time is very different than our own. Not only by how He measures it, but also by how it passes. This has been the biggest struggle of my whole life. 

Let me explain. In my classroom, we are currently working on teaching our second grade students about Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits. One of the habits (the one we are currently focusing on RIGHT NOW) is to begin with the end in mind. When we put this into practice, we create goals, somewhere we want to end, and then we focus our actions onto achieving that goal. 

So how does this fit into the the Lord's time? Heavenly Father already knows the end. He knows what we are going to go through and when we will stumble and fall. Because He already knows all of this, He knows exactly when to step in and help, when to give us some encouragement, and even when to take certain things away from us. 

So this is where my struggle come into play. When I make a goal or decided I want something, I want it RIGHT NOW. Hello lack of patience. I have the hardest time waiting for things and I can't even begin to tell you how many nights I have spent on my knees pleading with Heavenly Father to give me something or to even take something away from me. 

Fortunately, Heavenly Father knows me better and more intimately than I know myself, and He has my end in mind always. If any of you have seen me cry ever, you know how absolutely heartbreaking and ugly that experience is. I have no doubt that in those moments, when I am sobbing and crying out for help, Heavenly Father would like nothing more than to gather me into his arms, hold me tight, and tell me that everything is going to be okay, that in the end I will understand why He gives me the trials He does. But He doesn't, not only because I have my agency, but also because He always knows what is best for me.   

Because Heavenly Father knows me so well, (and if I may go back to the humorous relationship that He and I share) likes to joke with me, He has made sure that EVERY single blessing that I have ever received in my entire life has included some form of my favorite phrase, According to the Lord's time. Apparently I need to be reminded that He is in control quite often. 

While I never see it in the moment, when I actually take the time to stop and I am quiet, I can always see the purpose of why things come about exactly when they do. While I may not understand why I meet someone when I do or why someone is removed from my life when I don't want them to be, when I look back I can see why. Every single person who has walked into or out of my life did so at the exact moment that I needed them to. Certain people have walked into my life right before the storms hit, and they were the ones who had exactly what I needed to get me safely through the hard times in my life. Other people have left my life moments before things would have most likely taken me away from my goals, and although in the moment I hate to see them go, I have come to realize that this is Heavenly Fathers way of protecting me. 

My life is full of examples of Heavenly Father giving me exactly what I need at exactly the right time. I can't tell you how many songs have begun to play, songs that sang the words I needed to hear when I needed to hear them. How many quotes I have stumbled upon that said the things I couldn't put into words. How many times someone has called at the exact moment that I needed to hear from them only to have them say the exact things I needed to hear. Even this particular blog post came about at the right moment it needed to. I had this topic planned months ago, but every time I sat down to write it, I couldn't even put one complete sentence together. Clearly I still needed to learn something about timing!

I is for Inside Out

Recently, the best friend and I went to go see this darling movie. While its a lovely movie for children, full of good laughs and values, I found this movie to have a huge lesson tied into it. I love when I learn such important life lessons from such unexpected venues, and this movie is the perfect example of how sometimes the answers we are seeking in life often come to us in ways we never would have expected. 

We need sadness. 

I feel as though there is so much pressure in this world to be happy. You say you're sad or upset about something and a million people are right there telling you to stay strong and be positive. Pinterest is full of pins telling us to be happy, that sadness is a waste of our time, that you have to stay strong and always be smiling. To look at the positive side of things because being sad isn't worth your time. Because of this, I know I personally sometimes feel a little guilty about feeling sad and crying over stupid things, cause Pinterest is always right, right? There is always someone who has it worse than I do, crying and frowning gives me wrinkles and so I just need to be happy and get over it...

I call bullsh*t on this whole mentality that we have somehow brainwashed ourselves into believing. There is nothing wrong with being sad. In fact, I think that we NEED to be sad in order to actually truly be able to experience joy and real happiness. If we wander around telling ourselves to be happy, we are not opening ourselves up to be able to know what real and perfect happiness is. 

In the movie, Joy, one of the feelings, is like the world, in that she believes that Sadness is worthless. She can't do anything right, just gets in the way and ruins everything. Joy often puts Sadness in the corner or her own circle, so that she doesn't touch anything or get in the way of Joy trying to work. If Joy had her way, Sadness would probably be sent away, because in her mind, Sadness is not needed at all. However, as the movie progresses and Joy goes through trial after trail with no one but Sadness by her side, she slowly comes to realize the truth. Sadness is extremely important. Not to ruin the movie, but in the end, Sadness is actually the one who saves the day, and Joy learns that, when they work together, they can create beautiful things and solve any problem. 

We need sadness. 

Now, don't get me wrong. We ought not dwell on sadness. But, I am saying that it's okay to be sad. There isn't anything wrong with it. Be sad. When that cute guy/ girl rejects you, be sad. When you bomb a test, be sad. When you take a trip down memory lane, it's okay to be sad. Just don't stay sad. Be sad for awhile, then, pick yourself back up and go experience joy. Do something that makes you happy.  Allow yourself to cry for a minute, then wipe those tears off that beautiful face of yours, pick your sword back up, and keep fighting! 

H is for Happiness!

Looking on any social media site, and 8 out of 10 posts are complaints. (According to a study I totally just made up to make a point.)

Turn on the news and all you hear are stories of people doing wrong. I can't remember the last time I saw something good on the news. 

So, in order to bring a little bit more happiness and joy into everyone's life, I decided to make a list. A "Happiness Is" list. This is just a silly little list, and it really is only from my point of view, but maybe you can find something on this list that makes you happy as well. I really just want you to see that even though life gets hard, and sometimes it really sucks, there can be moments of happiness found everywhere, if you only stop to see them. 

Well, here it is. 

Happiness is- According to Nicole

Happiness is: seeing elephants-playing in the rain- swimming- laughing until you cry- eating delicious food- watching a good movie- watching a horrible movie (with the right people)- snuggling- holding hands- forehead kisses- eating brownies from a pan- the cold side of the pillow- looking at the stars- bonfires with friends- hugs from children- drawings from children- a child telling you a funny story- long talks on the phone with your mom- dancing- family visits- tickle fights- nose kisses- first kisses- holding pinkies- staying in bed all day- warm blankets on cold nights- someone holding your hand while you when you get sick- children's books- compliments- hugs from behind- hugs from mom and dad- someone understanding your crazy and still loving you- hot tubs- baking- cooking- zamboni rides- french fries- midnight talks with friends- dirty diet cokes- photography- hiking- singing- singing badly- 1000 blank white cards- holding a baby- making up a secret language with your niece(even though she isn't even 1 yet...)- going to the movies with grandma- footie pjs- friends who wear footie pjs with you- hugs- kisses from babies- listening to music- rollerblading- new clothes- books- strawberries- back massages- long drives- road trips- traditions- the moment right before you fall asleep- flowers- new pens- new notebooks- adventures- sunshine- fuzzy blankets- birthday dances- new pillows- surprise texts- zombie tag- new friends- swimming pools- the smell of sunscreen- pineapple- finding that song that perfectly explains how you feel- pizza-  playing with a puppy- doing the wobble- running- being underwater- shopping with your best friends- zumba- nicknames- orange juice- story time- days off work- roller-coaster rides- someone understanding you just need to cry it out- getting mail- making doughnuts- new shampoo- new razors- silly date nights- scary movie date nights- sitting on the roof- laying in a hammock.

Happiness is Life in general. Look for it. Embrace it. Love it. 

G is for Good Job!

Everyone wants praise. That's just the world we live in.
It's nice to know when we are doing something right, or that we are doing a good job.


However, we are starting to become a praise driven society. I know many people who don't do something unless they know they are going to be praised. I know people who actively search for praise. People who fish for compliments. How did we come to this? Can we really not just live quietly, going about our lives, doing good, just for the simpleness of doing good? Must we always be placed on a pedestal?

We are currently living in a world where because of this, children now depend on praise in order to feel validated. Children are given trophies just for participating, even if they never got off the bench.

Praise has also wormed its way into becoming a huge player in the classroom. As a future teacher, I have spent quite a lot of time inside real classrooms watching and observing. I have been around really amazing teachers and some really not amazing teachers. Each teacher had her own way of using praise within the classroom, but, more often than not, they all used the blanket "Good Job", or "You're so smart!"when talking to their students. In one day, I heard the phrase "Good Job" over 35 times. That was it though. Just "Good Job." There was no originality, nothing specific or personal about the praise.

Now, I'm not saying that praise is bad, and that we shouldn't be praising our students and children. No, children need praise, especially when they are young and still developing. But there is a better way to go about praising our children.

Recently, there have been a number of studies done about praise and intelligence. In one study, children were divided into two groups and given the same puzzle to solve. The puzzle was easy enough that all students were able to solve it, but each group was given a different type of praise. The first group was given the blanket "Good job! You are so smart!" phrases. Group two on the other hand was told things like they did a great job coming up with different ways to solve the puzzle, that they were hard workers, and that they didn't give up. Later, the children were presented with the option to complete the same puzzle, or try one that was more challenging. Group two, the ones who were told were hard workers and creatives, opted to try and solve the harder puzzle, while the children in the first group chose to do the same puzzle again.

Why is this?

Because, when we give general praise, tell children they are smart, we limit their intelligence and hinder their creative problem solving abilities. The children in the first group knew that they were smart with the first puzzle, but the fear of the unknown, the harder puzzle, kept them from even trying. What if they were not smart when it came to something more challenging? They wanted to remain "smart" and so they stayed at the same level and refused to even try. Along with this, while  group two learned that they were hard workers, and could work independently without needing to be praised at every task completed, the children in the first group became dependent on that praise. They needed to be told that they were doing a good job with every step of the process that they completed.

Praise is a good thing. I fully intend to praise my students for their outstanding accomplishments. But, I will also teach my students that they do not always need that extrinsic motivation. One teacher I had the  privilege of working with was a master of this.  Not only did she use specific, child process  praise, but she also turned it back onto them, reminding them of how good it felt to have all their work completed and turned in on time, how good it felt to have studied and gotten good grades on tests, how good it felt to be on their best behavior and not being in trouble all the time. Slowly, as the year progressed, the children no longer came up to show her every single assignment, no longer were they calling attention to any tiny behavior or good choice that they made. Praise was still handed out in the classroom, but it actually meant something to the children.


So, next time you are with a child, and they do something good or amazing, praise them. But be specific. When they show you a drawing, ask them about it, and then use that to give them praise. Tell them you like how they completed something. Next time they tell you a story, tell them you are proud of the choices they made, and explain to them why. Don't you dare say "Good Job" and walk away. Don't you dare tell them they are smart without explaining why. Encourge their creativity, don't hinder it.

F is for Falling

Although hardly ever by choice, I spend a lot of time on the ground. I'm a really clumsy person, and that tends to lead to me falling down a lot. Like, more than normal people. I fall all the time, literally and figuratively. I can't begin to count the times that I have fallen, whether spiritually, emotionally, or physically. 

However, during my time spent on the ground, I have come to look at things through a different perspective. Everything seems different when you are laying on the ground. Being on the ground allows me time to sit back and look at my life and my actions from afar. From the ground, I can more clearly see what is really happening, and then make better judgments based on my new perspective. 

There is a line from one of my favorite movies that has always stuck out to me, and has stuck with me throughout my life. In the beginning of the Batman series, Bruce falls down an abandoned well on his parents estate while playing with his childhood friend. After some time, his father rescues him, and asks him a very important question. He asks, " Why do we fall Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up." 

Although only a short moment in the film, this line teaches us two important lesson. Not only should we pick ourselves back up after we have fallen, but we must also learn how. It may be different every time, but at some point, we learn how to best pick ourselves off the floor, dust ourselves off, and continue going. 

Just because we have picked ourselves up, doesn't mean that everything will be easy and simple again. I can not tell you how many times I have picked myself up, only to run full speed into another wall, slam into it, and fall back down. It may take awhile. Sometimes I like to stay on the floor and sometimes I wonder if it is even worth it to get back up, but I always get up. I always get up, and start running. 

So, fall. Fall a lot. Falling isn't a bad thing. Just get back up.