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It gets really real when…

Elyse Hahne

Houston and the surrounding areas are being devastated by Hurricane Harvey’s destructive and wet path as the days move on slowly. Hundreds of tornado warnings have sounded over the past 72 hours, flooding is up to doors, and hope is dwindling as the next band of storms dumps more water on an already saturated and flooded area.

In the past 48 hours, I’ve seen a man be voluntarily evacuated with his dog, Blackhawk helicopters flying low around my area, watched many rescues, and seen so much heartache. Harvey isn’t done yet and there’s already so much pain and destruction surrounding our areas.

It gets very real quick when the National guard is in your city as are Black Hawk helicopters flying low. The Cajun Navy arrived yesterday and the outpouring support that is being brought in by other cities and states is overwhelming. It also gets real when when trucks are pulling boats and schools are being used as evacuation shelters.

Hurricane Harvey is not done yet but I ask of you to send good thoughts and prayers to the thousands of people that are being affected by this massive flood and hurricane remnants. No one could have predicted the stalled path Harvey has taken or the amount of rain he would dump on Texas. However, we as a community of supporters, must band together and send well wishes to all involved. Many are weary (myself included) and I ask for only good thoughts, well wishes, and prayers to those affected by this mess.

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When tragedy strikes

Elyse Hahne

Hurricane Harvey hit land on Friday, August 25, and caused devastation in and around its path. The intense winds, tornadoes, and flooding have devastated the coastal South of Texas for much of the weekend.  Homes have been damaged, buildings demolished, and the rain keeps pouring down.

Schools have been cancelled in and around Houston for the week ahead. My own district just 28 miles west of Houston is out for the next week. The constant and repetitive tornado warnings are overwhelming. The flooding around Houston is devastating, and the fears of rising waters around the Houston and surrounding areas are substantial.

The rising water and flooding is causing very real fear for what’s next in the areas Harvey has directly affected. The fact that Harvey has stalled over the Houston area is not helpful. However, I can only be grateful to be safe and dry as so many are not. So many around us have more devastation that I do and, for that, I am grateful.

When tragedy strikes, the fears are real. The worry surrounds so many and the destruction is devastating. Tragedy affects so many in different ways. So many people are struggling by this one storm. This one storm has caused so much destruction and it’s not over. Tragedy affects so many in different ways. So many people are struggling by this one storm. This one storm has caused so much destruction and it’s not over.

My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by Hurricane Harvey’s path & destruction that they are affected by. Hurricane Harvey is devastating but there is hope to rebuilt and to move forward once it is over.

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The greatest compliment

Elyse Hahne

My brother is a man of few words. Although he doesn’t always tell me what’s on his mind (but getting better), he still makes my heart crumble and melt when he does.

My brother and I have a special bond. We both endured many struggles with learning ideas, concepts, and topics growing up and needed a lot of support to be successful. Those trials were both good and bad but he and I overcame and struggled to be successful today. He is the complete opposite of me. I am type A and very organized. He doesn’t mind not knowing when specific things will occur and is extremely laid back (I wish I could be). He listens to everything others say but doesn’t always respond. I, on the other hand, can talk to anyone. He is black and white (not grey at all) and I see the in between.

He makes my heart swell as he’s currently a Senior at the University of Arkansas. Of all the majors in the world, he’s studying English. It’s amazing to me since we both have Dyslexia and struggled and still struggle with learning. When he talks, we listen. He can write the most eloquent posts and it’s always interesting to read.

This afternoon, my brother gave me the greatest and unexpected compliment. As he was heading out to see friends and I would be leaving our family home to go back to the town I work in, he said,

“I’m proud of what you do and tell everyone. You have the patience to work with your students. I don’t always tell you how much I admire your work but I do.”

My heart melted. My brother doesn’t always express himself with many words but this was the best gift ever to me. Memories last a lifetime and my brother’s gift with words and compliment will be ingrained in my memory for a lifetime. I am grateful for such a great brother and look up to him (literally) for his wisdom and grace. I am grateful for his unexpected compliment and will hold this memory and compliment dear and near to my heart.

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The goodness of support

Elyse Hahne

Life is likea cup of tea.

Support. Something we, as educators, sometimes forget to breathe in as we surround ourselves with problems in life and at school. The daily ins and outs of our job can not only take a toll on us but can also drain our cup we are able to drink from to support others daily. As an educator, I want to support my students to the best of my ability. This can include deescalating a meltdown, reading to my students, facilitating learning, and making connections each and every day. There are so many jobs as an educator that it’s easy to forget to fill your cup.

You cup is full of ideas, tools, strategies but it also has to be full of support, encouragement, and goodness to be the best you can be. Your best is vital for students and staff success! YOU have to take care of your emotional fill to support all. One way I do this is to lean on my PLN and participate in twitter chats. I grow and refill my cup of goodness to be the best I can be.

Everyone’s cup is filled differently but it still has the goodness of support and encourage. Support and encouragement for you as an educator is VITAL to be your best. You can’t draw from an empty cup and MUST have a supportive presence to make YOU the best for others to rely on.

I encourage each educator to fill their cup with a supportive PLN, encouragement, and the goodness to make a difference in every life you have in front of you. YOU are vital to education! YOU have to remember to fill your cup of goodness to do good with others.

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Lead like a Pirate: Challenge Accepted

Elyse Hahne

New Challenges on the horizon.png

Challenges, we all face them. From the classroom to school to our daily lives, they’re present. They’re unavoidable for the most part and we have to solve them daily. It’s nice when challenges are portrayed as something fun and you can choose to join or let the opportunity fly by.

Recently I participated in a twitter chat that challenged the participants to stay connected and share their journeys that come our way. When I first heard about Lead like a Pirate, I was excited. A book by the Dave Burgess Company (which is amazing by the way) never disappoints and the authors are Shelley Burgess and Beth Houf. I participated in the chats that lead up to this challenge and I leave inspired, uplifted, and grateful to have an opportunity to collaborate with people who care about education and want students to be successful.

Lead like a Pirate opened many doors and windows for me while reading and participating in the chats. It provided me with inspiration as well as an opportunity to ditch the doubt. It has also given me a chance to commit to five things I will do differently as a result. The five commitments are apart of the challenge accepted.

Commitment #1: Build up Students: Every students that walks through the doors of our school deserves the best. Whether they’re in my class or not, they must be built up. They deserve the best and my goal is to make each interact the best I can for them. Kids deserve it!

Commitment #2: Ditch the doubt: Doubt goes along with fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of change. Fear of the difference. My commitment to ditch the doubt is easier said than done. However, I am committed to ditch the doubt with my students and colleagues I work with to lead to newer and different ideas to support my students this year.

Commitment #3: Owning my decisions: There are often times I will apologize for a decision I made that’s best for my students. It’s time for this to come to an end and to lead my students to greatness or, at least, the classroom. My students have multiple needs but I make decisions for them. Gone are the times of apologizing for a need being met or a decision that looks different on the outside. I am owning my decisions.

Commitment #4: Spread positivity: It’s a mindset. Positivity meets negativity and goes farther. It’s time to squash the negative feel, if there is one, and spread positivity to allow others to THRIVE. Staff and students know if it’s a positive environment and it’s time to make a change for the better. A smile goes a long way.

Commitment #5: Support: Support has many aspects. Supporting my students, staff members, and myself. Realizing that I have to have some help every now and again and prioritizing tasks to get them accomplished. My passion is to support and uplift all.

Treasures found

Five commitments I plan to take the challenge head on with this year. I can’t wait for the new year to start and to put these into play. Even if I don’t arrive at the greatness this year, I will commit to do great things for my students, staff, and school every year and make an impact on those that I meet daily.

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YOU are more than JUST

Elyse Hahne

Everyday, we meet people who are around us. We introduce ourselves, have conversations, and make comments like “I’m just a teacher” or “I’m just a mom/dad.” Well it’s time to stop the JUST comments. YOU are more than JUST a person.

YOU are an individual, a thinker, a dreamer, a decision maker, a person, an educator, a family member, and, more importantly, your thoughts matter.

When people say they are “JUST” something, it’s not forward thinking. YOU have opinions, thoughts, and can bring value into conversations. When you set yourself apart from the community of learners and JUST yourself, you don’t value yourself and others won’t either.

It’s time to sail forward and know you are more than JUST a person. You are an individual of society who can give value, meaning, and understanding. You are a person who has thoughts and feelings. In education, YOU are so much more than JUST and it’s time to own it.

More than JUST.png

It’s time to set sail to more than JUST a person and own your thoughts, feelings, input, and YOU as a person. It’s time to more forward and knock out the thought of JUST because that’s what you’ve been told. It’s time to be proud of your knowledge and understandings.

It’s time to set sail and be MORE THAN JUST!

Are you in?

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The power of your PLN

Elyse Hahne

Make connections

Imagine who you’ve connected with today. Think about this for a minute. Who have you texted, tweeted, messaged, or spoken to? It could be family, professional, on social media, or in real life. Connections are all around us.

From personal to professional, we, as human beings, communicate to interact with the world. Interactions can be simple as to update one another on progress and can occur in real life. Interactions can have a profound impact on one’s life. What one person says matters. It makes an impact on our lives. It means something.

When we communicate together its learning. It’s taking the time to connect on a level that is more than just pleasantries. It means something. An impact or an acknowledgement typically occurs. Connections are made by responding or striking up a conversation.  Parties are connected once they interact. This is where social media is by far the ultimate in your connections.

Social media has taken connections to an all time high. As an educator, I never realized the power of social media connections until two years ago. I knew about twitter and blogging, since I have a personal outlet, but didn’t realize the power of social media and a PLN (Professional Learning Network) until I started truly connecting with others and growing and learning as an educator. There are educators, students, and learners connecting with each other about various topics all day, every day. Social media provides the outlet and the users provide the content.

PLN

My PLN has skyrocketed over the past several months. Twitter chats, connections, and interactions have impacted me so much and, I am proud to say, twitter is my ultimate social media outlet to learn, interact, and grow with. Not only have I learned, I have been empowered. Empowered to do more to be a better educator, empowered to take a leap of faith and get outside my comfort zone. Empowered to move forward not only as an educator but as a professional wanting to grow.

I am excited to take this leap of faith and blog to reflect, learn, and grow. I hope to continue on the path of empowerment and knock out the fear of vulnerability to move forward. Aaron Hogan has said “blogging is learning” and I hope to be able to achieve this mission while blogging and connecting.