the student athlete

The student athlete.

According to Wikipedia, a student athlete is a participant in an organized competitive sport sponsored by the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled.

As a high school science teacher, I interact with many student athletes. It has been my experience that the students are more interested in being an athlete than being a student. I see them, day after day, fulfilling their role as students. Many ask "are you coming to our game tonight?" It's an invitation to come watch them be athletes. I admit, I do not watch as many games as I should, but when I do it is truly something special.

When the students step on the gym floor, baseball or softball diamond, I see what a limited view I have of them as athletes when they are in my classroom. Here, they are participating in something they care about, something that matters to them. I see passion. I see heart. I see skill. It's a different side of the students that I see every day. These athletes are going up against another team, giving everything they have so their own team will emerge victorious. They sacrifice their bodies, often bearing bruises and blood as proof. They are challenged to keep their emotions in check when they make a mistake, get a bad call, or get yelled at by a loose lipped fan. I have seen tears that have broken my heart, and I have seen displays of pure excitement that made my heart jump and my smile go from ear to ear.

You know that something special I mentioned earlier? This is it. Although their interactions with me are the mandatory "student" requirement, I hope these students know the admiration and respect I have for them as athletes, and that I am thankful to be a part of their student athlete experience.

2013, Here I am!

2013.

My year started as I was sitting at a table with my hubby and a few close friends watching a game of dominoes. I got my first kiss of the year from Ricky, as I do every year, and it wasn't long after that I started thinking about resolutions. What changes can I make in my life for a better me?

I thought about it for a few days and I came up with this list.

When I look at this list I can put almost all of the items into two categories. 

Live Healthy

Live healthy. Although eating right and exercising are both very important aspects of living healthy, I'm talking about mental health, too. I find that I get really connected to my electronic devices. I need to step away and actively seek out more time with my family. The "everything is just right" feeling I get when I'm with my family is calming, and I know things are as they should be. I will spend more time with family. 

I have wanted to blog for a long time, but I have been too chicken. I think my writing is not good enough, even though I know I am inexperienced. I have decided that the only way I will get better at writing is to write. So here I am! My goal is to write at least one blog post a month.

Learn to say NO! It's difficult for me to tell people no. I want to help people. I like to help people. The problem is that sometimes I feel that I get asked because they know I won't say no. I have the tendency to spread myself too thin, get behind at work and at home, and I'm miserable. I don't want to be miserable, so I'm going to say NO!

Be happy with what I have.

I like new things. I buy a lot of new things. I buy things that I don't need. I need to get rid of the clutter in my life, and not replace it with new clutter. I need to use up products that I have before buying new.  In general, I want to own less things and be happy with what I have. 

I wouldn't call these resolutions, but a change in how I manage my life. This is my plan for 2013, I'm ready!