Last weekend...

It seems as if I've been up to my eyeballs in school work so I packed up and drove home for the weekend.

It just so happened to be precisely what I needed. A place to get my work done where I knew my family would bugging me so I didn't feel completely alone.
Saturday morning, my parents and I went out for breakfast at a little cafe in my hometown. Completely stuffed from breakfast, we decided to walk around at the little Saturday market across the street. I remember in years past this effort at a small market falling short, but we found some goodies this past weekend. My mom and I finding an adorable porcelain, glazed serving platter and fresh basil for 25 cents a stem! My dad finding an apple cider slushie and bacon.

That productive morning led into a lazy afternoon of taking our dog, Loki, for a long walk on the bike trails by our house. A walk that was made awfully exciting with the sighting of a snake (eek!) and Loki marking her territory so frequently that I feared dehydration for the poor pooch.
While on my walk (not aided with an iPod), I began thinking about the characteristics I most wanted to exhibit as a teacher. I decided during those 105 minutes that as a teacher I want to be creative, consistent/accountable, approachable, well-rounded, and reflective.

The process of thinking of these characteristic led to the thinking of mantras that would best suit these characteristics. They are a work in progress, but I've been pondering them this week on my walks.