Wow! I can’t believe I have the chance to write back-to-back posts after a brief hiatus. Schools are closed today due to icy conditions on the road, conveniently also the day after the Super Bowl. My coworkers and I were discussing last week how the day after the Super Bowl should be recognized as a national holiday anyway. I have to admit, last night’s game was more interesting than I initially anticipated. As a Redskins fan, I never thought I would be cheering for the Eagles. The halftime show was great, the commercials were pretty good, and I managed to watch the game in its entirety.
Hooray for the Eagles for winning their first Super Bowl. Too bad for the chaos that ensued. I suppose the city may have been destroyed regardless of a win or loss, but to a worse extent had they lost. I watched numerous videos of somewhat harmless celebrations, which reminded me of when we were in downtown Baltimore after a Ravens win a few years ago… people climbing street poles (except this time the poles had been greased in an attempt to discourage the behavior), jumping from high places (windows and awnings), and cheering in the streets. Then Eagles fans took it a step further- other videos included people looting/trashing a convenience store and flipping cars over. Why did some fans feel the need to be destructive?? Those actions remind me of the Baltimore riots, which were clearly not in response to celebration.
On a lighter note, we made some delicious wings for the game! I put them in the crockpot on high for about 2 hours, with some garlic, butter, and Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. We threw them in the deep fryer to make them crispy, then added more hot sauce and sprinkled some Old Bay seasoning. They were some of the best wings I’ve ever had or made! The meat came off the bone easily, and it was tender instead of chewy. I highly recommend this method of cooking wings to anyone who has a crockpot and has time to let them sit for a few hours.
I’ve used today as an opportunity to write, read, and catch up on other things that I didn’t get to finish up over the weekend. As part of a major project for my educational leadership program, I have to create a proposal for implementing professional development in my school. With my increasing interest in social-emotional learning and mindfulness, I knew that I wanted my project to reflect these practices in some way. I explained the project to my dad, a fellow educator with an international network of individuals in education. He informed me about an upcoming conference in Washington, D.C. that is all about mindfulness in education. He will be presenting on his experiences with transcendental meditation, and the educational implications of meditative practices in a school setting. I just signed up for the conference.
My dad also reached out to some colleagues whose work specialize in mindfulness strategies in schools. I am grateful for the opportunity to connect with these educators, and I have arranged to speak with each of them about their experiences.
One of the educators, Meena Srinivasan, was the author of Teach Breathe Learn, a book that I recently read. We are planning to talk on the phone at the end of the month. She gave me information about an online educational leadership program with a focus on mindfulness-based social, emotional, academic, and ethical learning. I figured I would apply for the year-long program.. and if I am accepted, I will look into scholarship possibilities.
I feel as though these opportunities have emerged just in time, and I hope that they lead to more learning and new experiences.
How have you been open to opportunity lately?
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