Author: Margaret Murray

Waking up to bright sunshine and deciding how to spend summer days is a rewarding experience. Each day I look at accomplishing something different. Monday, I relived my childhood and picked strawberries in the farmers’ fields. This trip brought so much joy and peace as well as an abundance of berries. My hands were filled with juicy berries in no time and my baskets were overflowing.

Walking in the neighbourhood has provided a time for girlfriends to reconnect from busy school lives. Discovering current topics to discuss and to listen to each other unravel stories is engaging but it’s also an opportunity to breathe in fresh air and improve fitness levels.

Rising at 5:00am for a midweek fitness boot camp was invigorating. Instructor Craig  diligently inspired us and within 60 minutes our energy was cranked. To be successful at these classes, we must also apply our mind. Challenging each other to participate in five different intensity classes increases our adrenaline and gets us into the “zone.”

Cheering our Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a spanking win over the Toronto Argonauts was a fabulous game on a summer night and thanks to our friends for the invite. It was so rip-roaring to witness a touchdown within one minute of the first quarter. Experiencing spectators in the stands, and at the Pinnacle Lounge added a sense of nightlife to the true “Blue and Gold” fans.

Engaging in weekend activities sparked energy into our lives. Walking the “hazelnut trail” at one of our provincial parks provided us with a time to relish nature and absorb the warmth of the rays on our faces. Seeing happy little faces waiting in line to feed the billy goats a carrot stick reminded me that hey “Billy” is my spirited animal. He was so curious and loved the attention from everyone around him. An  afternoon came to an end with a healthy lunch at the favourite Pineridge Hollow.

Pursuing the opportunity to attend one of Canada’s 150 celebrations at the Winnipeg Art Gallery…Picasso in Canada was informative and engaging. Pablo Picasso, a Spanish painter was known as one of the best artists in the 20th century. He created over 22,000 works of art in a variety of mediums including watercolours, drawings, prints, and ceramics. He co-invented Cubism with Georges Braque. Picasso first exhibited his cubist paintings in the UK. His ability to moderate nature and character to cylinders, spheres and cones was noteworthy.

Picasso loved the sea. He had many rough affairs, outstanding achievements, and heartbreaks, however, he was respected as a genius. I learned that Picasso’s life and work has a strong message – that most geniuses albeit their creative talents, should never be married.

Pausing to reflect on the astounding MOMENTS that occurred this past school year were celebrated at this year’s KEC’s convocation. Graduating students sang a few phrases from Dr. Seuss’ famous book Oh The Places You’ll Go followed by a trustee articulating about his all time favourite graduation gift from his family…a suitcase. Both of these ideas resonated with me because I graduated from UPEI and accepted a teaching job far away from home in which I required many suitcases. To this day, I never regretted taking the opportunity that has brought me to where I am today…teaching students is my passion.

Another reflection that was shared at convocation to the 2017’s graduating class were a few distinct lines from Luke Bryan’s song Fast…you think you’re going to catch your big dreams like that and here you are, looking back, sixty seconds now feels like thirty…sand through the glass sure falls in a hurry, and all you keep trying to do is slow it down, soak it in, trying to make the good times last as long as you can…hit pause…our lives just goes too Fast.

Let’s forge ahead to take on novel challenges and pursue unique opportunities, learn state-of-the-art things and develop a growth mindset that will inspire others to teach, lead, and learn.

One week ago thousands of Manitoba Marathon runners endured the inclement cooler weather on Father’s Day. Running in the rain was a first for me and I thought, “No stopping now…stride forward and run my best for the team.”  Running is a mental mindset. Accumulating positive thoughts leading up to the race benefits tremendously. Many age groups were represented at the start lines including fathers, daughters, sons and many friends racing together to improve their personal best, embracing the body that they have, choosing to get active, learning to run, and increasing their distance were conversations that I overheard while keeping to the beat before the countdown.

Running is an admirable way to achieve fitness goals, get outdoors and also to socialize. Our relay team captain is a business colleague of Darryl’s and last year we met while running Wellington Crescent. An invite to participate with the Laidlaw Laggards relay team has now become an annual event.

Running is more than being competitive…inspiration, support, motivation, and friendship. Our team name has come alive since our record time this year was 3:41…a five minute difference in one year. The journey of running continues…setting small attainable goals helps us to push ourselves further and further.

Another school year is almost complete! Student turn around awards bestowed me an opportunity to recommend three grade 12 students who completed the required writing assessment pieces. Never did I abandon these students. It was imperative that I respected both their improvement and positive mindset that they showcased for the duration of the past two months. One of the students presented a Norman Rockwell painting entitled “Girl at Mirror” to me and I was honoured to receive this gift. The same photograph was a part of the Provincial English exam. How ironic!

Other grade 12 students from my classes thanked me for a magnificent semester and these students will be missed. Hugs and tears were shared. Many memories to be cherished…right to the finish line!

June 1st arrived with a ray of sunshine and a burst of happiness. Grade 12 students finished a four day marathon of reading and writing about the topic Identity and I was thankful to have Friday off to unwind and walk outdoors in record breaking temperatures.

I woke up to scorching heat and an astonishing personal leave day was about to be acclaimed. Parked the car and walked downtown to see the Canada Skills Competition @ RBC Convention Centre where many young students were happily engaged in what they do best.

Spontaneously, a side trip was taken to a local garden centre where ferns were purchased for our front garden. At this time I was antsy to walk the trails of  Assiniboine Park and lap up the beautiful sunshine. Sitting in the shade by the Duck Pond and observing parents and their little ones feeding the ducks brought smiles to many little faces. Treating myself to an amazing delicious lunch at the cafe’s outdoor patio and downing a pomegranate skinny grape on ice prior to my scheduled pedicure was heavenly. As if this was not enough another cool one on ice was absorbed with Gemma on her deck. Stories of life were shared.

Darryl and I traversed to Pizzeria Gusto and chilled out at the neighbourhood patio where both of us had an opportunity to appreciate life without the thoughts of work life. Refreshing indeed!

It’s a perfect day to catch up on some pleasure and professional reading. This morning I read snippets from edutopia.org which included avenues to empower, motivate and inspire our young leaders of today. Engage students through conversations about what is meaningful to them and connect the books or topics that we are teaching to real life scenarios is powerful and it will be these opportunities that will resonate with them after their school years.

Many students enter our classrooms and we never know what conditions they experienced before arriving to our community. Therefore, it is imperative to make every student feel special in some way. We too, have our difficult times and we must be brave to enter the doors with our positive mindset. Networking with our colleagues both inside and outside of the building is vital.

The best advice I give to students is to stay strong to the finish line and give 100%  in whatever you set out to do. Strive for improvement, meet guidelines, reflect with one another and discover inspiration through many resources. Sometimes things don’t always go according to a plan and it’s important to be flexible. Therefore, it’s foremost to move forward, find something positive in situations, and keep teaching happily!

Gathering all the generations together to celebrate all the moms is an incredible way to launch into the day. Making every mom feel extraordinary is all that is favoured. They crave to be appreciated and celebrated in unique and memorable moments. These moments could be a “hello” from family far away, a handmade card, a coffee shared over an hour, a walk in the park, holding little ones, indulging in a breakfast, lunch or evening dinner prepared by family, or donating to a charity of her choice.

Many stories will be shared with one another today. Savour them. Reading about moms today provided me with admirable ideas including that one mom had written daily lunchbox letters filled with her wisdom. These messages were aimed at guiding her daughter though teenage years. To this day, the daughter still reads them. What an immense idea and the one note that resonated with me is, “We must look for something good in each person.” (Skye Gould, 2017-05-13)

Happy Mother’s Day everyone!

What should I compose today? This question contemplated my mind while perched at  Fools & Horses on a warm, bright Sunday morning. I concentrated on my professional reading and noticed Sheryl Sandberg, author of Lean In and Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy. Her phrase “checking-in” resonated with me because it’s imperative to communicate daily with colleagues to develop a positive network.

Everyone experiences unique emotional and professional states. Before we launch into our day, it only takes a second to communicate with each other to create openness, to strengthen connections and to intensify a strong, supportive community. We ought to be proud of the people we work with, discovering joy in our lives, and not be perplexed to share our special moments. Sheryl accredits that it’s our authentic stories that establishes a wholesome, caring circle.

Spring is the perfect season to bring out those running shoes and train for another 10k race. The annual race is three weeks away and it’s a motivator to have a deadline and make each workout a priority. We cherish running outdoors. The air is crisp and the scenery is beginning to perk up with shoots of greenery along the trails.

Another motivator for us is discovering new fitness ideas and weaving them into our daily gym routine. This is a passion of mine because fitness is favourable for everyone and it’s a healthy way to live. Also, exercise should be a gratifying experience that leaves you feeling better and consistency is fundamental to success. Create meaningful workouts for yourself and evolve a passion for fitness.