wordy musings: aspiration.

word of the day: aspiration \ˌas-pə-ˈrā-shən\
a.) audible breath that accompanies or comprises a speech sound
b.) a strong desire to achieve something high or great

As a teacher, I've been learning a lot about the teacher think aloud this year. It's the act of letting students see inside your brain by verbalizing your thought process. It's letting students know that you don't always get to the right answer or the final product without some personal struggle or deep thinking first.

I'm going to start today's blog with a teacher think aloud.

In thinking about which word to choose today, I thought about what I really wanted to say. I wasn't really sure because of all that has been spinning around in my head lately. All I kept standing out in my head was the song "Keep Breathing" by Ingrid Michaelson. It came on yesterday morning while I was doing my hair. Basically, throughout the whole song, she repeats the phrase "All we can do is keep breathing" over and over again. Based on the way the song made me feel when I heard it, I thought it would be my focus word for today.

I looked up the definition to "breathing" on m-w.com and found this: "either of the marks ʽ and ' used in writing Greek to indicate aspiration or its absence." Now, I know what aspiration means in the sense of achievement, but I could tell that wasn't it's meaning in this context. So, I proceeded to look up that word as well.

That's when I found that it means both the desire to achieve something great and an audible breath that comprises a speech sound.

Seems like the both go hand in hand.

Much of the stress a teacher feels comes from our aspirations for being great. We want to teach perfect lessons and aide in the success of all our students. We want to implement every strategy we learn in professional development and perfect our grading systems in order to help students find the intrinsic motivation they need.

Sometimes those aspirations can get you down. There is never a perfect lesson and it may be that, in the year I know them, not all my students will succeed. Time doesn't allow me to implement every strategy I learn, and I think my grading system and beliefs will always be shifting. Such is the nature of the job.

You've got to keep breathing though. Reminding yourself that nobody expects you to be perfect and that without mistakes and struggle you don't grow as a person. Not many people achieve greatness on the first try.

And isn't that what I set out to teach my students in the first place? Maybe sometimes taking that audible breath is the first step towards greatness.

On a different note, my new camera is getting a decent amount of exercise..

This is how I cook as of late. The head phones aren't always present but were a necessity this time because Jake was studying. Jake thought it was worth taking a picture of apparently.

If you're not familiar with Bite-Sized Bakery in Cedar Falls, you're missing out. Best, most beautiful cake balls I've ever eaten. Thanks, Laina Bishop!

I helped throw a shower for my great friend, Betsy, last weekend. None of the decorations are thanks to me, but I will take credit for sampling everything on the table above.