Does Our Soul Smile?

I posted this yesterday for my students on their blog. I am reposting today in support of soulsmiles, who is fighting for custody of his children today in court.

I unfortunately know how he feels and was painfully reminded of this yesterday. While posting for Patrice, I checked the link for "The Last of the Mohicans ~ a Tribute to Patrice".



I played the video while I read what I had written. As I read of my own prayers for strength to handle the upcoming week, and saw the pictures of Sofia and I having so much fun, I realized she was taken from me just 10 days later, her mother withdrawing her from my school in an effort to hurt me; taking what I love away from me legally, because I no longer give my love to her.

I did not read my post about this, "Coming Out of the Nightmare and Into Karma", and I have never read any of the comments left. I don't want to revisit the hellish pain I felt that day I walked into her classroom and found her gone.

The devil beat me that day. I send all my strength to soulsmile today in hopes the devil doesn't beat him.

"If you find yourself going through hell, keep going!" - Winston Churchill

There is a way up. There is a way out. I have had to find more inner strength to do this than I knew and believed I had, and when Sofia cries now I hug her and tell her how wonderful it is that we love each other this much.

I stand beside my brother in spirit in court today, and offer my hand to help him out of his personal hell should the worst happen.

Children live what they learn. Let's make sure we are careful about what we adults are teaching them. When we are hurt do we hurt back? Or do we inner create so much love and light that it explodes out into the darkness all around us?

Does our soul smile?

And do the souls of those around us smile too?

Miguel, having finished both the 5th and 8th grade FCAT Explorer Science programs, gets to choose his science experiment for the day.

Checking the evaporation levels of his experiment to see which container allows for the greatest amount liquid to escape into gas in the form of water vapor.


Nick, having finished the 5th grade FCAT Explorer Science program and working on the 8th grade program, invites me over to listen to a song...

proving he can listen to music (clean music - no swear words) and still be productive,

I liked "Stricken", by Disturbed so much that I wouldn't give him the headphones back.

From the look on his face I doubt if I get invited to listen anymore. (Hunter, behind me, doing his best to understand this Chaos Theory - Methods of Mayhem teaching style)

Raymond, who did all of the assignment I assigned over the weekend, learned from this and had two computers going and two headphones before inviting me to listen to Mary J. Blige's song, "Just Fine" (technically we're not supposed to assign homework over the weekend. If there's learning to be done and it doesn't get done during the week, then it needs to get done over the weekend....Excellent motivation for them to really work in class).

He says the positivity in the song reminds him of the positivity in the class. I heard that he had been teasing Taylor today during phys ed and I got on him for not seeing that it had gone beyond teasing and into hurting, emphasizing again that interpersonal intelligence, the ability to read and get along with others, is among the most important of the multiple intelligences to develop.

Later, Shawn told me that while some of the boys were horsing around during lunch, it was Raymond who got them to stop. Lunch happened BEFORE phys ed, but look at what I heard first, the bad.

"Twice I did good and that I heard never.
Once I did bad and that I heard ever."
- Dale Carnegie

Praising Ray as soon as I heard this, and sharing the above quote with the class, I asked Ray before he left what kind of day he had. He said, "It was good...no bad...no good". I asked him why and he said, "Well, I guess I fell down but then got back up. So I think it was a good day."



Amen Little Brother! We talked about failure only being the failure in getting back up after you've fallen, and I shook his hand like a man. (which I've learned from the past is not being so overjoyed with his progress that I almost break it :-)

Some students didn't like the assignment they were given so we sat down together to design one that will still achieve the learning goals but in a more desirable process.


I'm smiling at Luis, whom I taught how to self-time the camera, and has snuck into yet another picture like some Where's Waldo project.


They share their ideas...


...Sandria coming up with the first legitimate alternative (while Taylor, knowing how important it is to respect others and not speak over them, is literally bouncing in silence as her idea is ready to burst)

...goes off to make her idea a reality

....While Taylor expresses an excellent idea that was built upon by the others so much that it became an INCREDIBLE idea


(Katie mentioning that we could turn the classroom itself into a giant game board)

(Taylor coming up with an idea for giant dice. )

Flo building upon their ideas...

I'm very proud of how far they've come;

....from talking over one another,

....to staying quiet while another speaks but thinking only of their idea and not listening to their classmates,

.....to finally actively listening to each other's thoughts and building upon and co-creating incredible thoughts (something Courtney is VERY good at)

Engaging in REAL dialogue!

Katie showing me the notes she took in preparation for tomorrow's science project (an incredible feat for her, who used to refuse to take notes in the beginning of the year - She's a student you can't authoritatively demand she enter your world and see your vision....You enter hers if you hope to see how to teach her )

And after we call Taneicea and Kristen at home who were out sick today (and most likely Florencia from the looks of it), straight A student Nick gets a little golf in at the end of the day... (my grandfather's club)

While the rest of the abled-bodied class dances to "I Like To Move It, Move It" from the movie "Madagascar".











Chad is the straight man Dean Martin, while Luis is obviously Jerry Lewis

Andrew reminds me of Frank Sinatra, just as much fun with a slightly cooler edge


After buses were called Raymond had to drag you away Luis, reminding me of the Jim Carey movie, "Liar, Liar" when he's trying to make his one phone call from prison and hanging on the phone as he's dragged away. Luis, or "Big Fun", ....you make me laugh. Thank you for producing the Big Results academically that allow me to let you be yourself, and have Big Fun!

I believe Luis has the most Math Classworks units mastered in the entire school, second only to Andrew, who is here with Nick and Chad doing some kind of boys-will-be-boys momentum-in-science experiment using Luis as the object of motion :-)

So, was it a good day or bad day?

I'd have to say it was a very good day!
(because Luis got back up after his friends dropped him :-)