Tgiff

It's a rainy Friday afternoon and to commemorate our last night together for a while Enzo and I are staying in, having a gin & tonic, soup and watching Best In Show, one of our favorites.  I'm the best one here, judge...pick me.  Who's gonna catch a big fish?  Ahhh, we can quote just about the whole movie.  And what of it...plenty of men walking around called Dick.

I think that sharing movie dialogue with someone forms a special bond...like a secret language that makes you smile inside.  Don't look at the fat-ass losers and freaks, look at ME!

Boat is boat, fuck is fuck. Different things.  I move table and chair to edge of sea, I make your dream come true.

I know there are lots of watchable movies...but I prefer sometimes to watch the same movie over and over again.  The way I read Jitterbug Perfume every couple of years just to remind myself to stay playful and fierce.  There's comfort there.

Ach, I miss Mark.

Today at school for Professional Development we did an article study...the topic was from
 the New York Times magazine: Is Failure the Key To Success?  The premise, based on research was that performance-based character traits such as grit, determination, perseverance, optimism, gratitude, zest, etc are as- or more important indicators  of long-term future success than things like IQ, economic background, or family make-up.  And the question we asked ourselves was, can these traits be taught and nurtured in our students?  And I think that we all believe that to some extent we already do teach, model and reinforce these traits in our students, but that we could be more deliberate and explicit about the fact that we do teach these things and that we believe they are key to our students' success.  Then there's the issue of getting parent buy-in...not every parent is willing to step back and let their child experience those tough challenges that can ultimately be the vehicle for growth and maturity.  So can we help parents understand that it's ok, and even desirable for their kids to be uncomfortable, to face really difficult situations and figure things out on their own...that this builds determination, grit and ultimately gives kids the tools they'll need to face life's much more gritty challenges down the road...?  I say yes, that's a big part of what we do as educators.

Gosh, just when I'm at my most articulate (in my own mind) about my beliefs about public
education...I take my leave.  I only hope that I've encouraged other educators to reflect on the enormity of the work they do, and the potential impact they have on the world.

And now, my Enzo is leaving me.  I smiled today, thinking of the happiness and company he's going to give to mom over the next few months...that negates any sadness I feel at letting him go.  Though I will miss his fuzzy little self.

And now, Best In Show...arguably Christopher Guest's best film.  We still watch it on video tape :). I think that's cunning!