Monday Morning Memo: Number Seven

I don't know if there's anything better than welcoming a new child to earth.  I wonder if angels on the other side get as excited to welcome children back as we are to welcome them here.

Anyway, back on topic.

Yesterday (9/29/19), at 10:15 a.m., a new little girl entered the Wright household.  Here are some important items to remember:

- We think we're going to name her Matilda Karen, but that might change so don't be making any birth certificates or personalized baby blankets yet.

- Lauren entered the hospital the night before at about 9:30 p.m. so she was there for awhile.  I arrived at about midnight (don't worry, the Grandma came over to sleep at our house in case any of the other children woke up in the middle of the night and wondered what happened to the adult supervision).

- Then we waited.  Actually, Lauren waited, I mostly slept (hospital couches aren't all that uncomfortable if you're just looking to get a couple hours of shut eye).  It was obviously a long wait (midnight to 10:15 a.m.), so it's a good thing Lauren excels at being patient.

- At some point, around 8:30 a.m. or 9:00 the doctors did a little tag team thing.  The one who had been with us at times during the night had to go to some church meetings so the other doctor tagged him out and took over from there.  That was okay though since they were both really nice and helpful.  The second one wore a blue bandanna though, so that was exciting.

- I ate McDonalds as part of my celebration.  Two McGriddle meals; they were good.

- On a very random note, one of my former students was there as a nurse-in-training from UVU.  Luckily she was one of my most favorite students because if it had been a student I hated, I don't think that would have been good for my soul.

So there you have it. 

Monday Morning Memo Number Six

I went to this celebration the other week. It was great.

Here are couple of reasons why I don't mind following President Russell M. Nelson:

- Although I have never met him, he strikes me as being a genuinely kind person. As Elder Wirthlin once said, "Kindness is the essence of greatness."

- Anyone who can give a talk like this has to be a decent fellow.  (And I like that his suit is a little different color than the normal).

- Anyone who survives raising nine teenage girls has my respect.

This is one of my favorite President Nelson conference moments.

Monday Morning Memo Number Five

I teach high school history.  I love teaching high school history.  Today is the beginning of the fifth week of our new school year (midterm).  This time of year is my favorite time to be teaching.  Students don't hate me or the school yet (most of them anyway) and I don't hate my students . . . yet.

Here are the things I like most about teaching:

- I literally never get tired of learning about history.  I especially love historical politics (I know, I'm a nerd). 
- It keeps me young (relatively speaking).  I'm sort of old-fashioned anyway so if I wasn't around young people, I think I would be really old-fashioned.
- I really enjoy seeing my students grow up.  You might not think there are any 18 year-olds that are actually grown up, but if you could have seen them as 15 year-olds, you would think differently.
- I'm excited for the day when I can have my students keep me updated on my children. (This is theoretical since the oldest is only ten, but I'm really excited to put it into practice when the time comes).
- Most of all, I love to see them be successful. They get so excited when they succeed. I really enjoy seeing those moments.

Monday Morning Memo Number Four

Where I reside there are lots of orchards.  Lots and lots.  Especially popular, for reasons unknown to me, are cherry orchards.  Because of this, around the middle of July to the middle of August, cherry harvest mania grips southern Utah County. 

What does this mania consist of you ask?  Well, it consists of many, many, many teenagers, Nebo School District employees, and others heading to the various cherry plantations to stand at conveyor belts watching cherries roll by for three to four weeks of intenseness (some of my brothers, who who worked said conveyor belts during their high school days, probably still have nightmares).  There are two different shifts: 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. six days a week.  (This clip will give you a good idea of what it is like but there are a lot more cherries than chocolates.)

Luckily for me, I avoided the conveyor belt madness and was able to drive a forklift around all night on the graveyard shift.  Although I didn't love all of it (especially from about 2:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. when I wasn't sure the shift would ever end), I actually really enjoyed "working cherries".

Here are some observations:    

- There's something about really difficult work that, upon completion, makes you feel good about yourself.  (Kind of like when you go running).

- There are obviously some less than impressive people in this world, but there are also a lot of really good, really honorable people of every age, gender, and race out there.  People are good. 

- This was my view all night.  Pretty cool right.  (Disclaimer: Just so you know, this is not a picture I took because both my camera and the camera operator are total garbage).

Monday Morning Memo: Number Three

I have decided that Daniel Tiger can basically give you everything you need to survive emotionally.  Here are the five of my favorite lessons (with a couple of honorable mentions added because I couldn't leave them out).

- "Saying I'm sorry is the first step, then how can I help."

- "In some ways we are different, but in so many ways, we are the same."

- "It's okay to feel sad sometimes, but little by little, you'll feel better again."

- "When you feel so mad that you want to roar, take a step back and count to for."

- And my personal favorite: "It's alright to take a break, to be alone, to step away.  Sometimes you want to be alone." (I might have had a few tears when I first watched this.)

Honorable Mentions: "If you have to go potty, stop and go right away" and "When you're feeling frustrated, take a step back and ask for help."

Monday Morning Memo: Number Two

Next Tuesday we teachers in the Nebo District for Schools report back to our posts. I'm excited, I love my job and summer has worn out its welcome.

Some people wonder how I could possible enjoy a profession where I have to interact constantly with teenagers.  I admit, teaching is not for everyone, but here five things I love about teaching:

I love . . .

- November.  This is when my students start to not hate me.  My teaching style is an acquired taste (kind of like Pork Rinds) so when the students first come in they are not sure what to make of me.  By November they start to understand my sense of humor (although they don't always appreciate it) and they realize I'm not as boring as they first thought.

- when students turn in something to me and tell me how stressed they were about the assignment.  I like when they get a little stressed (but not too much) because then I know I'm pushing them.  And if I'm pushing them, then I know I'm doing my job.

- the excitement that accompanies the beginning of a school year.  Not everybody loves school, there are some who seriously hate it, but a lot of students (although they would deny it if you asked them) enjoy being at school, at least at the beginning of the school year.  By February that's not always the case, but in August it's kind of exciting.

- knowing that when my kids get to high school, I am going to have all kinds of options of checking up on them. 

- those rare occasions when the majority of the class thinks I'm funny.  I know that is hard to believe, but it does happen.  In twelve years it's happened only two or three times, but when it does, man, those classes are fun to teach. 

Monday Morning Memo: Number One

- I'm currently listening to Washington: A Life by Professor Chernow.  So good.  I've come to the conclusion that George Washington was probably one of the top ten individuals who has ever lived.  I mean, he definitely had his flaws, but he's definitely in the top ten, probably top five.

- Do you know what movie I really, really like?  Christopher Robin.  Mega good.  Clean, funny, sad.  Basically right up my alley. 

- I went to this concert last week.  It was a life changer.  Really.  Just a warning, the YouTube version is good and worth watching, but the live concert was something else.

- While I'm on the topic of videos, this video of a song by Owl City is tear worthy, as is this one by Matteo and Andrea Bocelli.