(New Topic) School starts along with all the great things about being a Teacher!

  #6  School starts along 

with all the great things about being a Teacher!

August has come and gone.  The start of school was great.  Most of my students are onboard with good singing behaviors and great attitudes this year.  I appreciate that!

When a teacher works hard all summer getting her classroom ideas and changes made, it is refreshing to know I have students to return to who love singing as much as I love teaching it!

I have a favorite quote that I love and constantly sticks in my mind as I meet the 6th graders and newbies in each grade or class.  

"Effort does not require Talent"

I encourage you and the rest of the returning musicians to be strong with your efforts, because you will become an excellent singer.  I am so proud of my students who set the example, strive to be classroom leaders, and who demonstrate the rehearsal behaviors that make them the best they can be!  It is easy to be a class clown. It is easy to be disrespectful to yourself and others.  It is easy to get into trouble.  The students who achieve know how to handle themselves and contribute!  Those are great characteristics!  

Be someone with great character!  You'll go along way!
Blessings, SD

Pets and Happiness

#5-Pets are family too. 

(continued Happiness Topic)

1980-Growing up with Dobermans
Duke and Dublin-Family Pets

Over the years, I have read many articles written that concur, animals being raised as pets bring some of the happiest moments in our lives.

With that said, which kind of pets are the best to choose? And what distinguishes our pet choices?

People seem to know which pet is best for them,  but just in case you're wondering here is a bit on the popular two, for example:


1. Cats; I am definitely a cat person.  Even though my father raised my sisters and I with many large dogs, horses, goats, sheep, ducks, Guinea hens, chickens, pigs, and some farm cats over the years, the "Cat" as a house pet I enjoy the most.  How Cats Show affection.

I love cats because they are easy to take care of.  Rarely do you have to board them when you leave for a couple days.  They don't bark.  If they meow it is for a purpose like being hungry, the need of water, or expecting a litter change.  Cats don't take up too much room on the bed or the chair.  They can be a little hairy but not as much as dogs.  I love their purring sound and the fact that if raised correctly can be extremely loving.

Raising a cat is like, wherever I go, they are always near by and never do they bark at people who enter our home…meet Scotty (Gold & White Tabby) and Annie (Black & White Tabby).

               

          Rudy is the smallest dog, my mom's.
He is spoiled by my parents.

Jazzy is dad's mini-pin (with tags) &
Thor is her buddy!

2. Dogs-are also great pets.  My father is a huge dog lover.  He thinks dogs are the best companions because they are always in protective mode (barking is their job).  He and my beautiful mother love their little dogs like they did my sisters and me.  They are an important part of the family and can be very enjoyable but also sometimes annoying.  Upon prompting my husband and daughter believe the best things about a dog is that they are entertaining, a great companion, a protector, and they learn how to poop outside.  Here is our extended family of dogs.

Thor in this glamour shot is the best behaved
dog in the family!   He is my sister's dog.

This is Zeus.  He is my son's dog.  Zeus has
brought much happiness to his life.

3. Pets come in all kids of sizes and at unexpected times.  I remember one of my sister's fondest pets was a barn-yard chicken, named Leeza.  I doubt Leeza would have ever survived without the aid of my sister.  She loved and protected that little white feathered friend until the very end. 

When a person learns to love an animal, they bring a special happiness into the world that teaches more than without.  We learn about our love for taking care of something else, besides ourself.  This is good for everyone to experience.  

What dogs teach humans!

4.  I leave you with this image: I think of it as God's personality friends.  These beautiful blue butterflies really made my day on a trip recently to North Carolina. Just seeing them out in the wild with out a worry was so special.  All of God's creations are really amazing.

So, if you are not an animal person, I challenge you to at least meet one.  Animals are something to appreciate and draw happiness from.  

Blessings, SD  

John Adams and his "Pursuit to Happiness"

#4 John Adams in video, a mini-series...


July 4th is a great time to recognize "Happiness" in other ways as I continue my research pursuit on the subject of "Happiness" this summer.  At this time of the year, I found myself sharing it with our 2nd president, John Adams, and a story of his political experience during the time of America's Independence.

If you haven't seen John Adams, the mini-series about 8 episodes long, it is worth a couple of days just to appreciate what the men of that time period did for our country and the commitment to its independence from Great Britain.

Watching the fireworks (Fireworks-2014) explode over a small Indiana farm town with my husband on a popular country road near by, gave me pause reflecting on how we celebrate this day, our countries 238 year birthday.  (Cook-outs, parting, boat riding, watching fireworks, parades, dancing, while this is all fun, instead...)

I challenge you also take time to become more patriotic.  I was never a huge history buff, but I have found as I get older learning about our American history is definitely worth time in my life.

Great places to visit may include:

#1. Williamsburg, VA
#2. Washington, D.C.
#3. Any local history marker in your area if not for anything else but to read about what happened in
      that space.  (In my home town, we have many.)
#4. Springfield, IL.-Home of President Lincoln
#5. Historical landmarks in the Carolina's.
#6. And of course exposure to different stories like the John Adam's mini-series provides.

My parents love sharing these historical places and stories with me and my family.  They bring concepts like the rights of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit to "Happiness"into perspective.  They provide a deep appreciation of what we stand for, what our country was built on.

Blessings, SD

PS.  For some inspiration,  here is an amazing recording of Max McLean reading our Declaration of Independence.   (It's about 11 minutes long.)

Happiness is...

#3-Happiness is…

#1.  Spending time with people you enjoy.

Great day watching a football game at Western Michigan University-2011

#2.  Finding balance in everything you do.  
     (One exception-Love- just full throttle.)

#3.  Singing a song, playing the guitar or piano. 
       (Girls you got this!)

#4.  Becoming a parent.

My three amazing gifts: Terry, Katie, and Ben

#5.  Understanding your spiritual needs.

#6.  Baking chocolate chip cookies.  
     Nestles Toll House Chocolate Chips 
        have the best recipe, just saying.

#7.  Planting something and keeping it alive.

#8.  Taking pictures or being part of pictures representing    
       "Happiness". (At least I'm Happy!)

MGM Studios-2000-Spring Break

#9.  Adding a pet to your life.

Terry and his dog Zeus.

#10. Watching Ellen…  :) 
       (Sometimes absolutely, my favorite part of the day!)

Note to the Happy Students, Great movie out there to view…called "Happy" created by Roko Belic, http://vimeo.com/11335940 , researched documentary about "Happiness discovered around the world".   It has a lot to do with Positive Psychology!  More to come…Blessings, SD

Obsession with Happiness!

#2 "Obsession with Happiness"

Great afternoon with Show Choir-2014

So as a human being, what defines our hopes and life goals?  Our levels of happiness?

With a recent Masters in Education Psychology (2012), I began reflecting on so many things this past year.

As an Educator;

#1. I want to help all my students reach their potential in their music studies.
#2. I want the learning process to have a purpose (meaningful).

Favorite Poodle Skirt pose-2012

#3. I want these precious children to walk away from more than a music education; I want them to be great people who love diversity and will go out into the world and make their mark as productive citizens, interesting musicians, exceptional community contributors, and then maybe even develop a since of "Happiness for the World".

The first two thoughts rest on my shoulders as I constantly consider upgrades understanding individual student's need and then also about ideas regarding improvements with class curriculum each year.  Being a creative and positive person helps keep me on track.




But in my area of public school teaching sometimes I work with educators who are not like me and on a different track.  Where is their "Happiness"? Too many people are unhappy.

First beach day on the Carolina Coast-1994

Since 1992, I have been teaching (private and publically) or parenting in some kind of capacity.  Music Education is my degree subject, but I also have acquired some qualities with no
-degree that I have become an expert in, (or so I think).

In another world, I would have been an exceptional photographer.  My camera is always by my side and I feel it is the best way to capture those meaningful experiences just so we will never forget them long after our memory displaces them with new ones.  I live for catching a moment even if it's something simple like a flower that just surfaced from the ground or a red bird hanging out in a dormant, snowy tree.  Photography brings me happiness!

Bishop Baraga Shrine Statue-Upper Peninsula, MI-2014

Wonderful mother/ daughter moment-2013

So at the end of the long, extended, Northwest-Indiana school year, I found myself digging for ideas to teach my students about; What is Happy?  Yes, summer would finally be here and all the testing was over, thank you IDOE, and for some we all just needed to feel happier.

I promoted an completion assignment to my middle schoolers for the last day.

I love creativity and thought a 45-60 second video using their Ipad (App-IMovie), with their favorite music streaming in the background while sharing their happy thoughts through photography or video in a voiced over project would be a great finish to an extended year of school.  We went through some basic information and they had two days to come up with something.  To my surprise only 16 of 80 Middle School students actually completed the task.  This really shocked me, because #1. Middle School students love talking about themselves.  #2. They love sharing happy moments. And #3. They love their Ipads.

So with great disappointment like most teachers can deliver, I addressed the students and ask them, what was so hard about this project?

Answers began like:

• Mrs. Davisson, there is not so much to be happy about, sometimes.  
• Even though school is over, I won't get to see my friends all summer.
• My mom works two jobs, so I'll be babysitting my brothers and sisters each day.
• I'm just 12, I haven't reached the happy part of life yet.

Wow!  This was not what I expected.  So I listened, to them.  I tried to give encouragement and set them on the thoughts of a happy summer.  Conversation made way to great discussion and provoking thoughts.  The assignment turned into extra credit for those who made an effort and in order to stick to my "#NoOptOut" self-committment, I promised myself we will return to this project when school resumes in August, maybe with time off they will discover some things that bring them happiness.

Celebrating my dad's 75th birthday-Dad/ Mom-great sports!

So this summer I'm obsessed with learning about "Happiness".  What makes people happy?  A summer commitment of listening, learning, and researching what people think about the subject.

I hope it's more than just having stuff...if you know what I mean.  To be continued...

I'll share as I go.
Blessings, SD

Hello to the world of blogging,

I love Music.  I love what Music does for people. 

I feel like Music is my best friend.  And I love learning and sharing anything about Music Education, especially singing!

 

Blogging is something new to me and so for this first blog, I'm gonna keep it short.  As an introduction; My name is Stephanie, I'm a music teacher, a mom of three, a girls' golf coach, a youth/ music leader at a sweet church, a big sister of three, an aunt, a photographer, a singer, an instrumentalist, a writer, a technology nerd, and a happily married woman for 25 years.

So, I'm gonna have a lot to share and blog about.  Music means more to me than just the plain old definition you'll find in the dictionary.  It has been a part of my life like my two wonderful sisters since I can remember and is a part of how I think, live, and love others. 

May this space on the internet be one of positive energy, education, and God's gifts through sharing ideas and learning from one another. 

Blessings, SD