And It Begins...

Not long ago the homework load,
Did Helen little harm.
She walked to school with one notebook,
Tucked in her little arm.
Homework increased until the girl,
Had no choice but to pack,
Binders and texts into a sack,
She strapped onto her back.
When her spine curved, and her back crooked,
Her shoulders apt to sag.
So Helen took to pulling books,
In a wheeled luggage bag.
As Helen grew, homework did too,
And fourth grade marked the start,
Of pushing homework to and fro,
In a large shopping cart.
Soon tractors towed her homework load.
Still Helen found no luck.
Now forklifts hauled her homework home,
And next a pick-up truck.
But still the work load grew and grew,
And the truck overran.
Sixth grade saw Helen driving home,
In a U-Haul moving van.
Helen’s homework load reached its height,
When school closed in the fall.
For teachers assigned so much work,
Kids couldn't move at all.

I had to laugh when I found this poem. This is Jason, the amazing man. I can't even pick up his backpack this semester and he packs it up along with his laptop and rides his bike! He is my superman. I was talking to a friend and we just don't understand how to do it all. School would be wonderful if all we had to do was go and participate in class... It is all the reading. How do you read 50 pages a chapter and two chapters a class period and be expected to remember everything?

I am learning some pretty neat things this semester. Most of my classes are application before student teaching. I get to do a case study and work with a real child and their family. I am so excited to actually start doing what I have been learning about the last couple semesters. I am also working in a kindergarten class. I get to teach the math lesson this Friday :) I am excited to try some classroom management strategies and see if they really work. How do you explain "design" to a kindergartner?

Here is a good luck to all of you who have just started school too or have been going to school or just feel that life is overwhelming.

Donald L. Hallstrom, “Seeking a Balanced Life,” Ensign, Aug 2003, 52

Principles of Balance

Leading a balanced life can be difficult for any of us. There is not an exact pattern that works for everyone, and even our own blueprint may change during different phases of life. However, seeking balance—giving adequate time and effort to each of those things that really matter—is vital to success in our mortal probation. There are certain fundamental responsibilities we cannot neglect without serious consequence.

What are the essential poles of our lives? I wish to suggest four: our love for Heavenly Father and His Son, our care of our families, our service to the Lord, and our life’s temporal work.

Love for Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Care of our families.

Service to the Lord

Life’s temporal work

Three Guides

Regular self-evaluation is critical to seeking a balanced life. There are three valuable sources of help to show us things “as they really are, and … as they really will be” (Jacob 4:13) in our lives.

Promptings of the Spirit.

Scriptures and the words of living prophets.

Regular communication with a trusted friend.

Yes, You Can Do It