As we close out this summer, heading into the many things the school year may be holding for us, I want to send it out with a tradition John Berray started many years ago in his West Hills classroom - a bottle of dreams.
Some people adorn their laptop covers with stickers. I decorate my water bottles with them. If we’ve met, you’ve likely seen one of my three most favorite water bottles. One or more of them travel with me wherever I go, not far from my side, filled with cool, refreshing water. They are covered in math stickers - odes to organizations like Desmos and Public Math, mathy podcasts, books and sayings that mark the bottles as mine and remind me at every sip what I’m here to do.
Initially, the reusable water bottles helped me lower my carbon footprint and I felt like I was being kinder to our environment. But two years ago, when a health crisis came my way, the water in those bottles helped me combat treatment side effects. The water helped me take care of myself, but it also reminded me that my body was ill and frail.
And then I reread John Berray’s blog post:
“They can look at the water for what it is, or they can visualize it being whatever they want it to be. It’s about belief. It’s about the power of their minds to pretend for the sake of silliness that it’s a potent non-alcoholic elixir that marks the start of new beginnings…”
So today, I’ve chosen to use the power of my mind, and for the sake of all things silly, to believe that with each sip I’m toasting all of you:
For all of your work supporting students
For the kindness, patience, and care you showed students and colleagues throughout the year
For the tremendous effort you’ve put into creating safe spaces and positive learning environments
For being part of this amazing community of educators in San Diego and beyond
For continuing to innovate, improve, and seek equitable opportunities for all of our students
Cheers! You (and I) have overcome tremendous obstacles in our personal and public lives, and yet, every day we chose to make a difference in our students’ lives and in our community.
I invite you to grab a glass and raise it in a toast to yourself, your colleagues, and the amazing students in this county.
Whatever this school year holds for you, I hope you find time to play. I hope that play fills you with the joy and curiosity that nourishes your educator soul. I hope that you lean into the power of your mind to pretend, for the sake of silliness, that with every moment of play you are powering up, refreshing, and renewing yourself. And just to get you started, here are three of my favorite play ideas: sonobe origami solids, digital pattern machine, and the 10-card trick.
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