Obstacles or Opportunities

I'm not sure how far our "fanbase" on the blog goes at this point, so I'm going to assume that most of you know I'm a teacher.  I talk to my students a lot about "Growth Mindset."  It's a pretty big buzzword in the education community.  It's all about seeing every obstacle as an opportunity to learn.  My goodness is it hard to practice what I preach.

The name of the blog is Life Lessons from Lennon... because we are constantly learning.  Learning new normals, learning how to cope, and learning how to help people around us cope as well.  I sometimes struggle to post because I'm afraid that each entry will sound like a complaint about the life we live with our beautiful boy.  There are significant difficulties in having a complicated child.  That doesn't mean that everything is bad all the time.

I've been reflecting lately on my teaching practices, wondering why my students are giving me so many compliments and why I'm not seeing the same behaviors in those few who have "history."  The only thing that I can come up with is that I'm trying to practice what I preach.  I've shared with them Lennon's diagnosis. They know that I have a family of my own and kids who are not much older or younger than them.  I'm honest with them when I'm struggling, and I genuinely care when they struggle too.  (As you can see, struggle is a buzzword in my vocabulary right now.)

I got called "mom" today by one of my students... he usually calls me by his 4th grade teacher's name.  I giggled because he loves them both, so that must mean that he associates me with good feelings.

Today, I gave my kids a pep-talk today after a rigorous PE experience and less-than-stellar behavior in the hallway.  I told them that even when we are tired, even when we just want a break, we can still choose to do the right thing.  Normally, I would have given the CHAMPS speech: "Voice level in the hallway is a zero, etc.)  Maybe that reminder was more for myself.

I am tired.  I just want a break from the chaos that is going on with the nursing, insurance, attendant care, fundraiser, dad working doubles (because he is stronger than we know), and the brain-fog that has settled in over the last month.  But I can still do what is right.  All these obstacles might just be opportunities in disguise.

So let's end with the positive developments:
Sister is loving school, making friends, and playing volleyball.
Biggest brother is actually reading in the evenings and doing his homework without a big fuss.
Bigger brother is a comic relief and keeps us guessing.
I received donations to sponsor my class with Scholastic Book Clubs (at least 3 FREE books per student already)
Lennon's new attendant started training with him this evening.
Dad actually got to spend the evening with us instead of working a double and will have Sunday and Monday off!

OH, and Choco Fruit 212 Gunsmoke, Dodge City is donating part of their sales THIS SATURDAY to Lennon's All In fund!

Thank you all for reading and sharing Lennon's story on your own social media feeds.  We appreciate your support.