Freedom (and structure)

It’s been a couple weeks since I posted….I haven’t forgotten about ya’ll, I have just been having a difficult time gathering my thoughts to write an entry that is worth reading. Perhaps it is due to the freedom that summer brings…..the freedom to walk in flip-flops, the freedom to sit at the beach and read a book, the freedom to sit  outside and have a drink with friends……we need that freedom, we certainly do…..……but behind the freedom is the structure that must continue.

In 3 short weeks, Day 1 of Phase 2 will have come to a close.  The curriculum has been written, field trips have been finalized, buses have been scheduled, positions have been filled, enrollment continues to increase, and the list could go on….

While we finalize the plans for Phase 2, we begin the process of planning Phase 3. It’s an ongoing process. I have a feeling that this is the last week of the slow and steady work pace that I have come accustomed to for the past 6 weeks. But that is ok….I am ready for the craziness to begin!!!! But in the meantime, I will take advantage of the freedom that remains!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Work week or Weekend?

Well…the time has come to write my first official blog entry from my new office. ……..

Now that my office has moved, the “quiet” that I spoke of a few weeks ago has become, “quieter”. But I must say, I am getting use to the “quieter” and I am starting to like it!

I am working at a pace that right now, is good. Don’t get me wrong….I like to work….actually, I love to work….but sometimes, you just need to slow down a bit, to reflect on the work that you are actually doing.

About a week ago, the song, “Working for the Weekend” was on the radio…. I tuned the lyrics out and became focused on those 4 simple words.

The pessimistic side of me started to wonder why people (myself included – well not anymore because if you haven’t heard – I love my job!) often begin counting down to the weekend on Monday. Seems like we are just throwing our life away. We spend 5 days waiting for 2 days.

Are you truly just working for the weekend? If so, are you doing your job well? Are you using your talents to the greatest degree? Or are you focused on rushing through the week to get to those 2 days?

Then the optimistic side of me began thinking……what if the song was titled, “Relaxing for the Work Week”?  Gives one an entirely different outlook. You spend 2 days enjoying the company of family and friends. You are given 2 days to reenergize so when Monday appears, you are ready to put your all into what you have been called to do. The end result – spending 7 days a week, enjoying life to the fullest.

Think about it.....and while you are......slow down……...use your talents, well…..…we can’t change the world if we are constantly on fast-forward.  

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Adios from Office 120

So….this is my final blog entry from Office 120.  Come fall, as you walk through the lower level doors of Hirt, you will no longer see 20-30 staff sprawled between the office, hallway and computer lab writing poems on chart paper, dividing snack amongst 12 reusable shopping bags, making copies, teaching each other the latest K-2 dance moves, singing songs, sharing lessons, and the list could go on.  The Carpe Diem Academy will no longer be taking over the lower level of Hirt….we will now be taking over the Middle and Upper levels of Hirt!

When I first started 4 months ago, I entered an office that housed a chair, a desk, and a filing cabinet.  A lot has come through the doors since then……ipads, resource books, manitupaltives, brooms, jelly beans, bleach spray, notebooks, boxes of bananas, and the list could go on. I have to say, I am normally a pretty organized person…but the abundance of materials beat me in the organization battle!

I will now have an office and the supplies will have a separate storage area. With that comes the change of the staff working in one big cluster….that will no longer be….it will be somewhat close….but somewhat spread apart.

Change is upon us….but I am certain many things will stay constant.........

The staff will continue to dance in the hallway and share songs. The staff will continue to plop down wherever they see fit to put the final touches on their lessons. The staff will continue to count out string cheese, yogurt and bananas for the children to enjoy as a healthy snack. The staff will continue to dedicate themselves to being that change in the world….for each day, they enter a classroom with 15 smiling faces…..for each day, they enter a classroom that holds the future. 

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Good News/Worrisome News

It's Tuesday……I am falling behind on my blogging. I do love my job, but I may love summer a tad bit more!

Today, I bring you good news and some worrisome news.

I am one that likes things to run smoothly….today, I became frustrated…enrollment forms are not coming in for the summer as expected. When forms went home for Phase 1, we had waiting lists within 48 hours.  Currently, we barely have enough to fill 1 site…let alone 3. One of the administrators emailed me and said, "I don't want to worry you are scare you but the enrollment forms have been coming in slowly." 

My goodness golly...I am worried and I am scared

…..Staff is already lined up.

…..Field trips are in the process of being finalized.

……Menus are being planned.

……Curriculum is being written.

…… Supplies has been purchased.

…..but then I realized that it’s just a bump in the road…need to stay optimistic….we will fill all the slots!

And for the good news....

On a happier note, the Carpe Diem Academy office is moving!

For about the past 3 weeks, my office has become known as an “offage”….part office and part storage. Need a picture book? Come to the offage! Need a clip-board? Come to the offage! Need a carpet square? Come to the offage! Need a broom? Come to the offage! Need a bag of jelly beans, or Clorox, or a boom-box, or paint, or 2,000 pencils? Come to the offage! However, you only have until the end of this week…..because the supplies will be placed in the academy storage room – this will also give the staff more room to prep lessons and find resources rather than having to step on supplies to find supplies!.....and I will be moving to a new office….

All for now!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

We are all connected...

So….in the beginning, my original post was about changing the world. Last week, a connection was made and it reminded me how everything and everyone in the world truly is connected.

For my entire life, I was surrounded by PC’s. I always referred to Apples as “the fake computer”…. I associated apples with apple martinis. There was just something about those large iridescent lumps that would sit in the computer lab….and then you could start purchasing colored ones……...they just didn’t seem as sophisticated as a PC….

Even as life progressed, and the iPhone was the hot item, I would still try to persuade cell phone seekers to purchase a Droid.

But then the transformation happened. I started using an iPad…..and then after numerous issues with my Droid…I converted to an iPhone……..shortly after, my work computer arrived....another Apple product. While the academy was up and running, you would see the nice Mac sitting in the corner of my desk while I worked on my PC……I wasn’t ready for the full conversion! Once the academy ended, I would spend a little time (2-3 minutes) on the Mac and the remaining time on the PC 

That little bit of time increased to the majority of the time…..and then……

……..one Sunday afternoon, I found myself walking out of the store with a MacBook in my hand….I was now a complete Apple!

Following this conversion, I was told I had to name my laptop….….seemed strange….but soon enough, it was named….stop by sometime and I will introduce you to Peon Opal!

Last week, that connection was made….a staff member stopped by my office with a quote…”The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

Everything and everyone is connected….even if it’s just by a little….. 

Everything and everyone is crazy…….even if it’s just a little bit crazy….

Have you figured out the bigger connection?? ……We are all connected….we are all crazy…..so that must mean we can all be that change in the world!!!!