Fellow Flowers Joy Challenge --- About Me

 Sunday started the Fellow Flowers JOY Challenge.   I am fortunate enough to get to be a part of the 5 week challenge.   I am leading week 1 so my "story" was shared today.  Here's what was shared:

Lead with joy

After years spent cultivating joyful energy, Margaret Bussan now shares her sunshine with everyone she meets. Read on for how the Lancaster, Wisconsin, teacher connects and runs with her “joy crew” and find her top ten reasons for loving summer! How’d you become a runner?   Running didn’t come naturally to me. I had always enjoyed walking and fitness classes (cue step aerobics, Jane Fonda and Denise Austin) but I had never even been an athlete of any kind. In January of 2010, a 24-hour gym opened up a block away from my house. On opening day, I went in there at 4 a.m. so that I could get a workout in before my morning work commute. That 4 a.m. time was perfect to start my fitness journey, which revolved around miles on the treadmill at first. I started with walking. By mid-February, I realized that I could get my four miles in faster if I would bump up the speed a little bit on the treadmill. I started sleeping in about fifteen minutes more and jogging my miles instead of walking them. In July, I saw a sign up for a half marathon on Labor Day. I signed up. Labor Day was on September 6 that year. I had been consistent with my treadmill mileage from January through August but I had NEVER run outside until race day! That half marathon was an experience. I quickly realized how much more enjoyable running outside was compared to the treadmill. I still love the occasional treadmill miles but have tried to make more of my runs on the road and with friends. What’s your current relationship status with running?  I have come to truly find JOY in being able to run. Throughout 2023, I have had a few health hiccups that have caused me to be out of running for some short periods of time. These have created a new appreciation for what running gives me: JOY!  I am not my fastest right now, but I am consistent with running. I log between 20 and 30 miles a week. What line from the Joy flower resonates with you most?   EVERY LINE of JOY resonates with me! Today I am going to go with the line “to appreciate sunshine” because I got up and got my miles in before work because the sunshine coming through the bedroom window was my motivation. What role does joy play in your life?   I think this is a key question. I believe that everything we do is infused with the energy that we do it with. If we do something with joyful energy, it will be joyful.  Please don’t confuse my answer with toxic positivity. When a situation is rough, I try to find the joy in it. Not to bring in nerdy brain science, but I really think that I have trained my brain to find the joy in things. Over the last ten years, and maybe  even a little more, I have chosen the JOY flower for my runs more than any other flower. It might even be possible to say that I practice joy often so that my joy muscles are always in good health. I am definitely a “lead with my heart” type of person and the emotion I choose to lead with is joy! What — and we’re taking big things, small things, silly things, anything! — brings you joy? I think I find joy in everything. I am lucky to find joy in my chosen profession. I find joy in serving others — as a church volunteer and MVRA board member, to name a few. Some of the small things that bring me great joy are time at home with my family, a quiet evening reading or watching TV. I experience joy watching my kids do things they love. I find joy in time with my running friends. Freshly baked cookies fresh from the oven brings me joy. Seeing someone — anyone — experience success brings me joy. Working hard for a goal brings me joy. Where is your happy place?   My happy place is with my family (Roger, Kate and Will) or anywhere the sun is shining. I’d love to say it’s at a beach but I feel like we rarely get to a beach. Why is joy important to you?   Joy is more than happiness to me. Joy goes along with my physical and mental health. It relates to accomplishments and being more than satisfied. Joy is experienced. I think joy shows in my smile and becomes something that I am able to share with others. How do joy and friendship intersect for you?   One way that I feel like joy grows is through shared experiences, and this is definitely a connection to friendships. Sharing a meal together brings joy and builds friendship. Running with others is another way that joy and friendship intersects for me. I experience great joy when I get to run with others. How about friendship and running?   I have been so lucky to build the friendships I have with other runners. One of my favorite things about my joy crew is that we are all at different points in life and yet we are able to share experiences. I feel lucky that our friendship isn’t forced. I never feel pressure to be anything more than I am with my run friends. When I am with my run crew, I am able to just be in the moment with them. The moments with them are what they are and that helps bring pure joy. How do friends make running better?   Shared experience and shared pain — just kidding! Running friends give me something to look forward to about the runs besides the mileage. I love the time spent with them. We are each other’s biggest cheerleaders. We support each other through the hard and we celebrate each other during the great! Knowing that we are there for each other builds my own confidence in myself and I hope it makes them feel more capable, too! While we all have shared values, passions and goals, we also have great differences that help us to be so much stronger together. Having my run crew helps me to be accountable even on the hard days. There have also been times where I might have quit running if I didn’t have my run crew. The support and friendships makes working hard more fun.   What’s the best part of summer?   Oh, how I LOVE summer! I don’t think I can pick one thing that’s the best part, but here are my top 10 reasons that summer is my favorite season: 10. Warm weather. 9. Sunlight before I even have to get out of bed. 8. Blue skies. 7. More time for adventures and fun trips. 6. Less pressure and less go go go than the school-year routines (a chance to relax). 5. Race opportunities are abundant.  4. Time for bike rides.  3. Saturday farmer’s markets 2. Weekend bonfires and s’mores.  1. Listening to music in the car at a pretty loud volume with the windows down and the sunroof open

July Plans

 July is always a big month.  This year it's as big as always.  It starts out with all of the Independence Day Celebrations (which actually start with the Lancaster Jaycees Fireworks on the last Friday of June).

This year July marks my only vacation time.  I am on vacation through Sunday, July 25.  I thought 3 weeks would feel great but then I started putting things on the calendar and realized that there were really only 6 days that I didn't have something planned.   As I was working on filling in our family calendar, I decided to make a running calendar, too.  As part of the Made to Move Summer Challenge I will be running a half marathon in August so I need to follow some kind of a training plan so that I'm ready.

Running Calendar

Family Calendar

I completed 3 really successful weeks of summer school with some amazing kids in June.  One of the things we did during our last week together (20 minutes per day) was watch Luca.  Have you seen it?  It seemed like the perfect movie preparation for summer!!  Summer boredom causes the main character, Luca, to go to the surface of the water and explore farther than he should.  

Let's talk about boredom first, shall we?  I wish I could think of a time when I felt bored since 1994.  Seriously.  It just isn't something I ever struggle with.  I think it helps that I always have books I can read and household chores that can be done.  Even when I could be doing those things, I often do other time wasters instead.  Oh how I wish I knew what boredom felt like. 

Luca and Alberto grow a friendship and make plans with an Italian girl named, Guilia.  The threesome is determined to win a triathlon so that they can buy a scooter.  I love the events in their triathlon:  swimming, eating pasta, and bike riding.  While the movie is definitely made for kids, I am so glad that I got to watch it.  I took away so much for myself.  BE BRAVE, BE BOLD, BE YOU!  Luca, Alberto, and Guilia grow through their experiences in the movie and Luca finds the courage to be himself even if it means giving up certain hopes and dreams.  I'm coming away from watching this movie with the confidence to chase some bold goals---please know that none of my goals include swimming. 😜

I've also been reading some great books and I hope to finish 4 more books during July.  Two of the books I'm reading are Mere Christianity by CS Lewis and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie.  If you have some great book recommendations, please do share them with me. 

Wrapping Up June

While I didn't get as much running in during June as I had originally hoped, I did enjoy lots of time with my family.  My Garmin goals only hit 21/30 days.  I can do better in July.

My Made to Move 10K was pretty rough and so I am glad that my pace for our July 4th race was nearly a minute per mile faster.  

My 5th annual ICE CREAM STREAK was successful with 30 days of ice cream.  Culver's was probably the most popular ice cream I consumed followed by Phish Food from Ben and Jerry's.  3rd Place goes to Happy Joe's Feature Flavor and the close 4th place of Vesperman Farms.  I haven't had any ice cream in July but I'm sure that I will have some while I am visiting Virginia this week.

My final wrap up on June are 2 connections to my "professional life."  I finished Unit 2 of my LETRS training and have a pretty great score.  I also renewed my Illinois teaching license just to keep my options open.

Planning ahead and working toward goals is something I hope will help me.

Big goals require dedication and commitment not just interest....  Here's to chasing BIG Goals in July and August.

Story --- The Power of It

(5 days until race day!!!  Made to Move )

I often think about stories from the perspective of a reading teacher.  That's a really great way to get to think about stories.  I can think about Patricia Polacco and Kevin Henkes and the stories of Jacqueline Woodson and Peter Reynolds. I use stories every day to teach skills and help connect us in our classroom community but more recently I have been thinking about my own story.  I still don't know that I could tell my own story.

This summer I have decided to really begin the work of figuring out my story because I truly love knowing others' stories.

On Saturday morning, I was at Kate's soccer game in Sauk Prairie.  The facility was beautiful.  The weather was beautiful.  At halftime Roger and I walked back to the car so I could get something to drink.  We were walking back into the stadium when a gentleman who had been standing at the fence turned.

"Who do your girls play in the postseason?' he asked.

We began a conversation simply about the soccer season and playoffs but it quickly turned to more.

"Who are you watching?" I asked him.

"My granddaughter is number 22. She's a freshman."

Somehow the story continued and I learned his name and that he had once been the principal and superintendent in Sauk Prairie.  What was even more interesting to me was that he had filled in as superintendent at Benton Schools (which is super close to the Illinois border and coops with some sports with Scales Mound).  He talked about his sons and their families.  He talked about how his daughter in law had played soccer at UW-Madison. As we continued to listen to Mr. Tom Andres talk, it was evident that he was someone important.  He was wearing his floppy hat, red t-shirt, and khaki shorts but there was just something about listening to him talk about his family and their amazing work that made me want to know more about him.  Sure enough when I googled him I found this:  https://www.swnews4u.com/local/southwest/andres-brings-plethora-of-experience-to-benton-schools/

I truly believe that stories have power.  I try to teach my 5th graders how to write their own stories for that reason -- their stories have power.  As a lover of all things magic, I believe that magic is in the stories, too.  There was definitely something magical about our conversation with Tom Andres on Saturday. I want to work on knowing my own story.  This is my first step.

I was listening to a TED talk by Susan Conley and she talked about encouraging students to write with their heart.  I think that is what makes writing and sharing my own story so hard.  It means I have to trust that whoever I share it with or whoever reads it will not stomp all over it.  TRUST.  That is the hard part.   I know I want to dig in to my story but first I want to deal with the part about trust. 

Today I want to share with you a little bit about why I don't trust.  That's where I think my work on my own story needs to begin.  

During the summer of 2014, I decided to switch schools and districts.  I left what was comfortable and familiar where I had 16 years of experience to risk starting over with something unknown.  That in itself was enough of a challenge but what made things even tougher was when I walked into the teacher's lounge early in the year to hear, "Nobody at her old school liked her.  I can't believe ...."  The conversation was about me and I heard every word that was said.  This often replays in my mind.  I think about how I can unhear the conversation that I heard. It's impossible for that to happen. I've been asked to work with the person who was saying things about me that day in a few different ways.  I have worked hard to hold my head up each time.  I'm sure we all have stories like this but I am going to work through mine.  My story of not being enough to others and feeling invisible is not a story that's just mine but I'm ready to start telling all the parts of my story.

@fellowflowers

Here's to a great week of possibility ahead!  

Set Your Mind to Something....and DO IT!

 

Lancaster in the mornings is a quiet town.  It's my favorite time to roam the streets of town.  In the hours just as the sun rises, it's extremely quiet.  As we run from our house at the southern edge of town to the opposite side where City Limits Road marks a northern border, Kate and I can often count less than 6 cars that go by us during the mile and a half trek.  The sound of a tiny squirrel running up a tree can startle us. I love this quiet time.

  I think my love for this quiet running time is also connected to my love of reading and writing.  These things are done perfectly in quiet.  That isn't to say that I don't love conversation and a little noise too.  I do.  I love the time in my classroom when students are sharing ideas out loud or discussing what they've read.  I love sharing my writing and what I'm reading too - that's why I have this blog 😉😉  But it's about the balance of doing the things that you need to do to be successful.

  This year has been different but it cannot be a year with no goals or hard work.  Even with no races I am continuting to work hard with my running (Thank you, Kaiti, for keepingn me going :-)) 

When my students enter my classroom next week I want to be able to inspire them.  If I am not working toward goals and doing something to better myself, how can I expect them to set a goal and work toward it?  

I hope that the kids who come into my classroom (and those who have already passed through it) know that I care about them and want them to set their mind to something BIG and DO IT!

Go do great things today!

Feeling Tired at the Same Time as Energized

Today I had the amazing opportunity of attending the Scholastic Reading Summit in Rosemont, IL (near Chicago).  It was everything I had hoped it would be!  I woke to a 3 am alarm and was out the door and headed to Illinois by 4 am.  The drive was uneventful for the most part....rain on and off but that was about it.

I parked easily in the parking garage and took a picture of where I was so that I would be able to find the little black beauty at the end of the day.  Would you believe that as I was snapping the pic of 1B, so was another person who I quickly learned was also a 5th grade teacher heading to the reading summit (Katie).  We immediately started talking and walking as we made our way to the convention center.  By the time we'd made it inside, registration was open.  Check in went smoothly and it was super exciting to get a heavy bag filled with all different books including Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (released 20 years ago!!!  YEP.   J.K. Rowling's world of wizardry entered the world of print the same year that I started teaching.) 

The convention center was buzzing but I knew that I wanted to be front and center to see it all so Katie and I found a table near the stage.  Moments later I was able to greet Donalyn Miller and snap a quick selfie with her before the breakfast session kicked off the day. 

The Breakfast Session featured Donalyn Miller and Mr. Schu along with Colby Sharp (whose birthday was today!).  They were sharing snippets and details from The Creativity Project.  Katie was able to get her copy of the book autographed.  

The energy and excitement for reading was A M A Z I N G!  Part of the excitement was because they were giving away some amazing new books but also because they were sharing pieces of The Creativity Project in a way that we could return to our classrooms and add pieces of it to our practices. 

During that short amount of time I had added 5 books to my wishlist:

The Way to Bea

Orphan Island (which I already have)

Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring

Drawn Together (which I got to read today---I'll be using it early in September)

The Itchy Book

There was a little time before the main morning session so I headed out to check out the book fair.  I was able to say hello to a teacher idol of mine:  Pernille Ripp.

  

The morning session keynote was Malcolm Mitchell.  While many know him for his career with the New England Patriots, his message was about the magical experience of reading.  

The realization that Malcolm Mitchell had that his success on the football field wasn't matching up with his success in the classroom pushed him to WORK on his reading.

My favorite thing he said today was, "In order for us to be the best person we can possibly be, to grow and succeed, we have to read."

Share the Magic.

Donalyn Miller returned to the stage and shared her family's first experiences with Harry Potter in 1998. 

--Good Can Conquer Evil

--Loyalty Matters

It's not just the magic in Harry Potter.  It's the messages --- how to be a better human.

Entertaining us next was the fashionable and motivational Byron Garrett.

His words were about being wired for success.  

Preparing Young People for a world that does not yet exist.

My takeaway quote from this compelling speaker was, "You nurture the creative spirit even when young people don't know they have it."

I would encourage you to check out his ABC book:

I had gleaned so much from the start of the day.  It was only 10:30 at this point!   I have so much more that I want to share and reflect on but for now I am headed to bed.  

It's Monday....What are you reading? #IMWAYR

As the new school year is only a day away (yipee!!!)   I want to tell you how much I love the extra time that I have during the summer for reading.   I love reading all different things during the summer.  During the school year I'd like to keep up with this as a weekly post (#IMWAYR) but include what some of the 4th graders are reading, too.   So let's get to the details of what I'm reading right now.

My FUN book of the moment is A Night Divided.  It's historical fiction and I am loving it.   It's told from the point of view of  Gerta.  She is living eastern Berlin when the Berlin Wall goes up.  It splits her family because her father and brother were on the western side when the wall went up.  After years of not seeing her brother and father, Gerta sees her brother one day while walking to school.  Even more exciting is when Gerta sees her father.  The struggle between Gerta and her mother adds another conflict to this story.   I'm not finished but I'm hoping to finish this before school starts tomorrow.

 My personal development book of the moment is Daring Greatly by Brene Brown.  It is encouraging me to live wholeheartedly and not be afraid to try.  It's a great read for me to encourage to give it my best every day.

This is my TBR stack (to be read).  I'm always adding books to this pile.  Here's to hoping that my 4th graders coming in will be willing to help me read some of these ;-)

It's Monday.  What are you reading?

Reading Fun

Last week was filled with reading FUN!  We started our novel Tuck Everlasting and Friday finished with Winter Sports Readers.

The 4th graders were excellent listeners for the girls that came to read.  We heard a fable about a spider.  I always love fables.  Ask your 4th grader what they think the moral was.

Our reading time with Tuck was so enjoyable.  We have loved getting to know Winnie Foster and the Tuck Family.  Just when Winnie is thinking about running away, she gets kidnapped.  Winnie is amazed by the house where the Tuck Family lives.  It's nothing like the spotless and organized home where she lives.

We did a gallery walk with some of the important quotes from the beginning of the book.

We also worked on vocab words and two new reading techniques:  read, talk, write, and the 3R's.

Great things are happening and we are so glad to share a glimpse of it with you!

Reading Goals

My reading pile is pretty large but I'm confident that I can finish these by January 5.  What do you think?  Do you have books ready to go?  

The Happy Reader Program begins in January, too.  Even though we won't be back at school until the 5th, start keeping track of your reading minutes as soon as 2015 begins!  I'll be keeping you updated over break on how my reading is going.  You can also find out more about my reading progress by finding me on Goodreads.

How to "Go With the Flow"

When the 4th graders came to school this morning, they were thinking much like I was.  They were expecting to go on a field trip.  How do you react to the unexpected?

These 4th graders showed that they are of such high quality character.  They simply went with the changes.  We enjoyed our community circle time a little bit later than usual and then we enjoyed some time with all the rest of the 4th graders.

We dined in style (just kidding) in the presentation room before listening to Sydney and Madison share some wonderful winter stories.

To use our time well, we completed stations in all 3 classrooms to work on skills.  Our reading skills in our classroom included word work (Boggle), Cause and Effect Board Game, Fact/Opinion Game, and Main Ideas Game.

I am so proud of how well all of the students just went with the changes today.  

We have rescheduled our field trip for Tuesday, December 2.   Have a great evening!  

GRA - Believe in the Possible

We finished reading The 14th Goldfish by Jennifer Holm on Thursday.  It was nearly the end of the day but I wanted to do a quick look at what the 4th graders thought.  Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Right away in the book we met the main character, Ellie, and learned that she didn't like change.  I connected to her instantly.  CHANGE IS HARD.  Ellie's world turns a little bizarre when her grandfather moves in looking more like one of her middle school buddies than her grandfather.  

I was so proud of how Abrham and Garrett read a chapter each and then we watched and listened to the author read the final chapter.  You can listen to Jennifer Holm, too.

This is a story will encourage you to be curious, appreciate science (and scientists), and care about ethics.   As the cover of this fantastic book says:  Believe in the Possible!

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

It's a perfect time to be reading a ghostly tale  like Invasion of the Appleheads.  It tells the story of Katie and Andy and their tour of a new town on Halloween.  Living so close to the apple orchards of Gays Mills and the corn maze at Vesperman Farms, this is a perfect book for any of our Lancaster friends.

When Lucy moves she misses her dad more than usual but she finds a great way to work through it.  She takes photos and enters them in a contest.  This is such a great realistic fiction book.  

Need a quick read?   Pick up any "Click, Clack..." book for a little entertainment.

 

The paranormal (psychic) beings are great this time of year but can be read anytime.  To find out more about Sara Collins and her abilities to see beyond, grab this book and give it a read.

Do you have a great book that you're reading?  Let us know in the comments or on our facebook page.