Scott, my sister-in-law Stephanie, and I just got back from a trip to Disney World. We had an absolute blast, each getting to achieve our goals. Scott's Goals: Visit Galaxy's Edge. He wanted to go live the Star Wars dream and build a lightsaber, as well as ride in the Millennium Falcon. A bonus was meeting Din Djarin and Grogu. Here are some pictures from our days in Batuu. This is the way. Stephanie's Goals: Visit Toy Story Land, meet Lilo, meet Mulan, and eat around the world. While she loves the aliens and we had fun riding the Slinky Dog roller coaster, the "best day of her life" was eating at the Polynesian and meeting Lilo and Stitch, then traveling to China and meeting Mulan. Eating around the world took some pacing. Here's a collection of pictures from Andy's backyard, Hawaii, and China. Ohana means family. My Goals: Visit Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade and ride as many roller coasters as possible. Now, I know the Wizarding World is not technically Disney, but it is still magical right? I was on the verge of crying a few times being so happy living in a book. It was also fun getting the adrenaline high. Scott and Stephanie ride the milder roller coasters, but I am all for the biggest, fastest, craziest, usually spending the entire ride giggling and clapping. My hair definitely demonstrated the wild factor. Here's a snapshot of some of my time in London and after the thrills. I solemnly swear I am up to no good. Mischief managed. Times like this recharge me for the upcoming school year. There can be so much to do in one day and the order in which you go through the motions really depends on your choices. We balanced spending time taking care of our individual goals, but also staying together and finding experiences we all would enjoy and part of that came from seeing the joy in each other when we got to experience our dreams. Some of Disney's taglines are the happiest place on earth or the most magical place on earth, but there are always times when it doesn't feel that way... especially when it was as hot as it was. It makes cherishing the simple things, like a water fountain or a tree's shade, very easy. Our classrooms have magical moments, but what if we created a different kind of magic? I am not saying our classrooms need to be Disney World but there are some things we can take away from how the parks operate and the experiences we get from them that we could incorporate into our routines, structures, and lessons. What if our learners could decide the order of their different lessons or activities? What if they could pick when to take breaks and for how long? What if we created efficiencies that took away potential misbehavior and redirected them into more positive choices? What if we embraced individual goals and collective ones, giving learners the capacity to enjoy the rewards of achieving all goals?
There is still a little less than a month until the school year starts and I am choosing to hold onto this much needed break for as long as possible, but this trip has been a nice transition from summer to the beginnings of a new school year. I am looking forward to embracing a different kind of magic in my classroom. It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
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My husband lovingly teases me when I reflect on my day with him and say "I learned something new today!" because he would be surprised if I didn't learn something new.
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