I remember being in middle school and high school when I complained about how many dates my history teachers made me memorize. I didn't understand why it was so important to know exactly when something happened. Of course, by the end of high school, I understood that dates were extremely important because things that had happened in the past or previous philosophies greatly affected the time and caused future events to happen.

Now that I'm teaching middle school, I understand that students this age cannot memorize as much as a high school student, but they should know some basic times of the year, like the month Thanksgiving is in, and Independence Day. I'm sorry to say it, but about 25% of my students did NOT know when Independence Day was in my class, perhaps more. I was not asking for the year, simply the month. I could not believe how many students asked me about when it was. I was dismayed. Something must be very wrong in the educational system if there are these huge holes in student learning. I don't teach history, but I'm sure that my students learned some history from me this past week.

The way teachers are assessed these days is based on standardized test scores and student grades. Parents also get angry if their child's grade is too low. Rather than have their child study more and redo assignments, the first person they blame is the teacher. This is one of the reasons students are not learning as much as they should. While it may be more difficult for the teacher to hold firm on grades--the teacher may in fact lose his/her job for doing so--it is a a disservice to students and the country to let the next teacher deal with it. I will do my best to hold students accountable.

The good deeds are still going well. I do more than one a day, without thinking. However, I do plan to do one a day, one that I normally wouldn't do.

When I mentioned this plan to my grandmother, she remembered good deeds that others  had done for her over 50 years ago. A few times someone bought her a coffee. Other times, someone would put a flower on her desk while she was gone for lunch. The fact that she remembered these small good deeds years later brings me happiness and hope. It reminds me that no matter how small the deed, it can be remembered decades later; a bit more love and goodness in the world stays much longer than the actual act. While the coffee has been drunk and while the flowers have become dust, the memory of the kindness lives on.

Normally, I dread Ash Wednesday. It signifies that it's time to give something up, be more disciplined, and I cannot stand the sermons given this day. The readings seem overly negative to me. This year, I tried a different church and I was immensely surprised. While the readings remained the same, the conclusions the priest came to were wonderful. He started by mentioning that everyone asks Catholics the same question: what are you giving up for Lent? While he did say that giving something up helps us to be more disciplined, something we all need, he said that it's not going to get us into Heaven any faster. God was very clear with what we had to do: love ourselves and love our neighbors like ourselves. The most important part of Lent is to do good deeds.

I left mass feeling full of love and hope for the next 40 days. While I'm still giving up something for Lent, my view of it has changed. In the past, I focused on taking up part of the cross, going to the stations of the cross, and thinking about all of the awful things Jesus endured for our salvation. I had never considered that by doing good deeds, I could prevent others from sinning, thus lightening humanity's sins. Instead of repenting after the fact, I can do preventive good deeds.

Therefore, my coworker and I will be doing one good deed a day for Lent. So far it has made me happier each day and it keeps me focused on bringing love into the world. I don't think I'll stop after Lent ends. Here's what I've done so far:

2/22 Ash Wednesday: Give parents a nice lotion
2/23: Bring muffins to my dad's work; buying a video game for my boyfriend
2/24: Driving my boyfriend to the university; making chocolate chip cookies for my friends


Are you doing something good this season? Do you have any ideas for good deeds I can do?

I froze this year after my birthday. The rush of time hit me really hard and I kept reflecting on how much I have changed in four years. It made me reflect on how I'm using my time and what I want to be doing. Being a workaholic, I tend to load myself up: I teach a knitting club once a week, tutor students during lunch, direct a children's choir, sing in one choir, usually get roped into singing with a second choir, and I try to exercise three times a week. Not to mention my boyfriend and dog. All of my activities leave me very little time for necessities (chores, appointments, eating), not to mention my personal life, and then I have no time to see my friends. After a few months of this, I realized that it was not how I wanted to spend my time.

So I'm changing my priorities. I'm giving up the knitting club and one choir, if not also the choir I direct. Of course, after making time, I'm already thinking about how else to fill it. Oh the irony! I'd like to go swing dancing twice a month. I'd like to knit about an hour a day. I'd definitely like to walk my dog a few times a week for 30 minutes. Lastly, I'd like to go out with friends once a week. I do miss getting together with people. What I hope to do is lose a few responsibilities and replace them with social get togethers. I think that will make me a lot happier.

The knitting front is going well. I completed three baby hats, all my own design. While they are not the most original, they are cute. I'll be posting the patterns shortly. I also made a top-down baby sweater from ravelry. I am SO happy with the result. I love that I only had to seam the sleeves. Now I want to find an adult pattern like that because once I master the shaping, I can start experimenting with pattern changes, colors, etc. I am still working on my winter shawl. I just started the third ball of yarn last night. Only 4 more to go! I'm hoping to knit another lace shawl for a confirmation that's coming up, but I'm not sure if I'll have time. We shall see!

I'll be posting pictures and patterns soon.

Happy knitting!