Reach, Grow, Be

Just Keep on Moving, Don't look Down.

A little Monday inspiration.

Pieces of Me

Hey to all of my readers out there!


If you like what you read on my blog but don't always have time for the full portion, you can get smaller bites of me on Pinterest and Twitter.  Follow me for great photographs, funny quotes, inspirational material and much more.  Quick and dirty like the old days. 


Thank you so much for reading.  I love you all. 


Megz

I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate

This video says it all.  Any person who is involved in, has interest in or is part of the current education system should watch this video.  Even if the message is not delivered in a traditional 'style', it is strong and to the point.  Listen to these words and understand that education reform is not just an idea on the minds of teachers or pushy parents, but on the minds and shoulders of the children we push through this antiquated system. 


I love to learn, so naturally the concepts of pedagogy, curriculum, and government involvement in the educational development of our children intrigues me.  So how is it that "the dominating world power", The United States of America is ranking 29th among the educationally developed countries in mathematics, 23rd in science and 20th in reading according to PISA assessments?


As a nation that prides itself on being the best, we are sure falling short of the mark and failing our children.  Students are not being taught the necessary skills to survive in the global economy we have created.  They are not being prepared to handle menial life tasks such as balancing a bank account, but are being thrown into a world that expects them to take out tens sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans to attend a college they were never prepared for. 


Thanks to the internet and the boundless information available, there are thousands of students that have a clear grasp of which career path they want to follow before age 15.  Do we encourage them to cultivate their knowledge and skills into a marketable trade?  No.


Our education system provides these students with outdated text books, busy work and the broadest range of subjects possible in order to give them a "well rounded education".  However, making a high school junior retake Shakespeare in summer school when he clearly excels in math, physics and chemistry is probably not beneficial to him.  Chances are his brain is just not wired to enjoy and understand the classic writing styles of Shakespeare.  Chances are he will never read or reference any of these works after passing this class.  So what is this really providing the student? None of this makes him a bad student.  It simply means he has a specialized skill set.  A skill set, I might add, that is in high demand in the job market and should be cultivated and grown, not punished for being too narrow.


We have stalled as a nation on the grounds of education and need to find a comprehensive and universal system that encourages our children to feed their minds and advance in the areas that come naturally to them. 


After all, the time between 15 and 25 flies by.  Shouldn't we be giving them the best possible vault for life in this economy?  I have solutions, but you didn't want to read any more of this today did you? 


In case you did, here is the link to the PISA article on NPR.com.

Motherly Affirmations

Being a parent is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. The hours are demanding. No matter how hard you try, you can never separate yourself from it. It infiltrates every part of your life and changes your habits forever. And unlike any corporate position, it is a job you can never truly quit.

It is also, probably the hardest field to gauge success in.

Its not like anyone is walking around to give you a quarterly review with a list of required minimum performance specs.

_X_ Kids on time for school each day.

_X_ Balanced meals eaten 3 times a day.

___ Children kept out of harm.
(Minus 10 for Johnny's sprained wrist.)

While it would probably be nice to have a written guide or checklist to help us with our day to day parenting dilemmas, there could never be an all inclusive, say-all, end-all guide to parenting. Children provide entirely too many variables. 

Here's the secret, there is no such thing as the perfect parent.

So how do you know if you are a good mom? (or dad?)

Look to your children for those answers. Believe it or not, your children will tell you if you are a good parent, not with their words but with their actions.

My eight year old daughter came home from school a few days ago and told me about a food drive her school was hosting. "They are collecting food for people that can't buy food," she said. "And the class that collects the most food will get a party, but I don't think that's right." 

Of course I had to ask why. All kids love school parties. Why would my child not think it was a great idea?

What she said to me next changed the way I saw myself as a mother.

"Because they are just going to give them a party so they will participate," she said, "but they should do it to get the good feeling of doing something good for someone else, not just to get a party. They should do it because those other people need help and it's the right thing to do."

I was so amazed and proud of my little girl at that moment that it brought a tear to my eye. That was my moment of mommy affirmation. No matter how many things I might think are wrong with my parenting, and no matter what our situation may be financially and what I may or may not be able to provide her with because of that situation, she made it all disappear with one statement.

My child has a good heart and has learned the concepts of right and wrong, responsibility and empathy. If I were to fail her in every other aspect of parenting from this point forward, she would still have this foundation to base her life upon. In my eyes, that means I must be doing something right. 

What signs are your children leaving you?  Look for them closely, good or bad.  Your children will let you know if you are a success in the great big

 world of parenting.



Be Brave

Sara Bareilles has the right idea with these lyrics.  How many of us honestly, and openly live everyday? 


There is something truly beautiful about being a genuine person in the world today.  So many of us arbitrarily keep things bottled inside out of fear.  The worst part is, it is a subconscious fear.  It is a subversive reaction to our own thoughts and feelings on the most basic level.  That is no way to live.


I would love to live in a world where people were honest and simply said what they were thinking without worrying about everyone else.  In a world where you could be true to yourself first and smooth it out with others second.  Sure, you might not like everything you hear, but who said that was a rule of life?


Be true.  Do you.

Jessie J - Price Tag ft. B.o.B.

I was definitely feeling this song today.  Hope you enjoy!