elge!
I've been really busy and really happy. I've been spending all day, everyday in Springfield hanging out with first, second and third graders. It's been exhausting, but also emotionally and intellectually stimulating. And just plain fun. I'm getting stressed about my thesis, but I'm guessing I'll figure it out. Somehow, I managed to find my rose colored glasses, and it's made life a lot better. I've been thinking about optimism in general, but mostly in relation to education. One of the girls I drive to the school with was saying that most of the kids we work with are going to drop-out, anyway. I understand her frustration and cynicism, but it really pissed me off. I mean, working with angry kids who have very legitimate reasons to be angry is overwhelming. But my field, and my life in general, means nothing without hope of progress. If you can't see hope in students, you have no place in a school. Sorry. These kids have seen and experienced things I cannot even imagine, and they still manage to show up to school, mostly happy, ready and loving. They deserve all the hope (and understanding) we can give them. And I deserve all the hope I can give myself. I don't want to live the life of a disillusioned, angry teacher. That doesn't sound fun or rewarding.
Sitting at my desk and looking out at the snowy forest definitely helps me remember to see the beauty in things. Yes, I'm getting fucking fed up with the cold, but I cannot even express how beautiful the forest looks when the snow sticks to the trees. Enough sappiness, sorry.