I just finished the first-week teaching at my new school. Life is interesting at times. I make my plans, visualize them in my head and walk it through until I achieve my desired outcome. But despite all my plans, something happened this week that I didn't see coming. It came out of nowhere, like a curveball in a baseball game. 
      A curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown in a way that puts a spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. A "curve" causes the batter to think the ball is headed one way when the actual flight the ball takes is quite different.  This week I was thrown a curve ball!  
     I uprooted my whole life to move to our nation's capital to teach the visual arts to underprivileged teenagers at one of  the lowest performing school in the country. I wanted to make a difference and be a part of an amazing project that I believe will be historical and possibly a movie one day. 
     I prepared all summer by making lesson plans, attending in-service courses on Restorative Justice (through the Attorney General's Office) and Kagan teaching strategies in order to prepare for my students, and when I showed up the first day of school, I find out that I am now teaching what the District calls I.D. students. In other words,  Intellectually Disadvantaged teenagers.  I am now teaching teenagers who are severely mentally challenged.  Kind'a hit me like a curveball. I was expecting one thing, and life had something else in store for me. 
     So, the question is, "What do you do when life throws you a curve?" One of the keys to hitting a curveball is "early recognition"—getting a beat on the type of pitch so you are ready to connect with the ball when it crosses the plate. I did not have time to prepare for this so it hit me hard. Truthfully, I wasn't sure how I felt about this. At first, I was angry because I felt that I should have been told. Then I felt as though I was not qualified to service these children because I don't have a degree in Special Education. Lastly, I felt that it was unfair not to warn me, ask me or prepare me. But after all those initial emotions, where do I go from here?
   Truth-be-told, I wanted to get online and find another job opening in the DC area, but that would not be wise and when I give my 'yes' it is always a yes. I don't pull back on my word, I am a woman of integrity. So I came up with steps in dealing with this curveball that I want to share with you. Possibly, the way I am handling this will help you someday when life throws you a curveball. Here it goes...

       1. Acknowledge the disappointment. Express yourself. I express myself through writing, painting, sewing, cooking and running. You can express yourself many ways. For example, express yourself through speech (rapping), music, running, or sports, etc. Find a way to release your frustrations. 
       2.  Now stop, breath and think! I had to pull myself together and calm down. Making major life decisions in a state of anger or frustration is never wise, so pull yourself together and think.
       3.  Put everything in perspective.  Once, I got out my frustrations, then I calmed down, now I put it all in perspective by analyzing the situation clearly. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise? 
       4. Write down all the good things about the situation (don't list the negatives, try to stay positive). Maybe someday, this will all make sense and in the long run, this will make me a better more compassionate person. 
        5.  I can't change these circumstances, so I must change my attitude and make the most of it. If, after this school year, this is not for me, I can always change schools next year, but I will keep my word and follow through despite the challenges. Things happen for a reason. 
       6. Now go at it and give it my best!
   
     Life has thrown me this curveball, now watch me take this opportunity to knock it out of the park and make a home run!
Love, Ms. B.
     
     

     Hello! It has been so wonderful hearing from many of you. School is about to begin again and that makes us think of our teachers and friends. Many of you have expressed your ‘anxiety’ about going back to school or off to college. I will let you in on a little secret; I am anxious about starting school too! No, actually I’m not anxious, I have straight out FEAR!!!
      This is my last weekend of summer vacation; school starts for me on Monday. I thought I was doing great with the idea of teaching here in SE Washington, DC, that is until I met a teacher that taught at the school where I will be teaching this year. Allow me to describe this man to you. He is a handsome African-American man, about 6’ tall and weighs 200 pounds, with huge muscles, in his early 40’s. He worked in Richmond City Public Schools, one of the toughest school districts in the country and a Detention Center prior to coming to teach in DC. He approached me at a meeting and told me that this was the toughest position that he ever had in his life, he almost quit teaching last year. He went on to say that he barely made it through the first 6 months. It was a warning. I thought to myself, "If he can't do it, what makes me think that I can?" 
    You see, no matter how many past successes I might have had in my teaching career, I always wonder if it will end. So I walk humbly at all times, never taking things for granted. There is an old cliché that says; “Pride before the fall”. Another version is, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:8
     So, what can we do when we feel such tremendous fear? I’m certainly not an expert in this area, but allow me to share with all of you how I handle fear in my life.

I Cut Myself A Break
     First, I cut myself a break and allow myself to just feel afraid. Let’s face it, sometimes we have a right to be anxious and fearful. Denying that I have a tough job ahead of me would be delusional, however, it is the ‘living’ in fear that we all want to avoid. So, after a little panic attack, tears, and massive sobbing…I stopped and then talk my way through it. Here’s what I do.

Love
     I start thinking of all that I have to be grateful for in life. I pull out my gratitude journals and read them cover to cover. That allows love to flow through my heart. Here’s the really cool thing about our human consciousness, we can’t be in a state of fear and one of love at the same time. They can’t coexist. That is why an embrace from someone who loves you and words of comfort takes away fear. When we connect to a softness, safety, comfort…fear vanishes.  

What’s The Worse That Can Happen?
     I tell myself, “What the worse thing that can happen?” I know this sounds weird, but I actually think through what the worse end result could be. I visualize myself still being afraid but handling the situation. This seems to empower me. I know that sometimes people make a Plan B, just in case things don’t work out. I’m not a big fan of making Plan B.’s. I think Plan B’s are just an escape door to quickly run through when it doesn’t go well. Some things need time to improve, trust me on this. For example, I usually tell myself, if things don’t get better in a year, then I will make a Plan B.

 Welcome The Worse, Build Character!
     There are times when fear was my best friend. What I mean is, I would not be the strong woman that I am today if I ran from fear every time that I faced it. How many people could move to two of the largest cities in the country and not know a living soul there? I stayed in NYC without one friend and I made it! I moved to DC without one friend here in the city and I am doing just fine, as a matter of fact, I am flourishing here! If I allowed fear to keep me from doing certain things in life, I would never grow in character and become strong and independent.

Release My Fear
      I have learned how to release the fear. I can’t help but get spiritual here and I know that I am your teacher, but honestly, I give it all to God.  In my mind, I visualize God taking it from me and freeing me.

     So when you are stuck in fear, use whatever process works for you. Listen to a favorite song, do something that you love, focus on a photo of a loved one, or call a friend. We can’t escape feeling fear at times, but overcoming fear and anxiety will give you the character in life to focus on what you really want to be and do. It takes effort, so have patience, all good things take time! Remember, everyday may not be good, but there is something good in every day!
Love, Ms. B.

    

     What a delightful day I had at George Washington University here in Washington, DC. Today I participated in NSHSS Scholar's Day!  The National Society of High School Scholars is an international honor society recognizing outstanding academic excellence of high school and college scholars globally. 
    At the event, there was approximately 1,500 students, parents and teachers present in the Lisner Auditorium to recognize NSHSS student's achievements and leadership skills. So many walked on  stage to receive thousands of dollars in scholarships! It was very impressive. After listening to all the young scholars on stage today, I have a renewed hope in our future! What amazing young people. 
     Please consider logging on to their site to fill out an application to be a member. NSHSS has unique learning experiences for students from international study, internships, volunteer opportunities and so much more. They also give more than one million dollars in exclusive scholarships to support college tuition and travel to attend conference and seminars, just like the one I attended today. This is a great opportunity for all of you. Blanche Ely HS students contact me if you need any assistance. I now know the President, Vice President and Scholarship Coordinator to NSHSS. I will help you in any way I can! Even though I live in DC, I am only an email or text message away.
     Just a little background about this organization. NSHSS is founded by the grandson of Ludvig Nobel and grand nephew to Alfred Nobel who established the Nobel Prizes. Claes Nobel founded the NSHSS in 2002. Today, I was humbly honored to walk on stage to accept The Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction recognition, along with 16 other teachers from across the country. Thank you NSHSS for a lovely ceremony. It was an honor to attend. 

Link to Site:   https://www.nshss.org/