Celebrate this week

My plan to collect little celebrations during the week into a draft and publish the blog post on Friday has once again failed. Oh, well. Let it be so.  Here I am, on Friday evening, almost ready to go to bed, and this is what matters to me, I am sticking to my intention to celebrate my week, write a little gratitude post.

The whole idea of blogging has been a bit shaky lately. As a teacher writing slices I feel that I should be writing about school, and so I have done every Tuesday, including the last At the same time part of me doesn't want to write about school at all. I wish to write about my life outsides school, about drinking tea (I have a cup next to me right now) and reading books (I highly recommend "Britt-Marie was Here." It made me laugh and cry), and walks through the morning streets of Old Town (this Friday the rain was so heavy that I used my umbrella as a shield and didn't see much at all) , and share my half-baked thoughts and wonders, and confusions. This seems selfish. And silly. I have this notion that the blog should consider more the readers, provide some big ideas or practical advice, develop deep thoughts and demonstrate higher-order thinking skills. Where I got this notion, I don't know. I have tried to move away from the "Me, myself, and I" but keep falling back.  I guess this is what I need right now in my life, to be who I am, write what I want, and not to worry so much.

Here is what I choose to celebrate this week:

The 23rd wedding anniversary. A small celebration with Red Velvet cake. - a slice on Thursday evening and the second one for breakfast on Friday. We have the kind of marriage where staying home instead of going out feels very good, a cake for breakfast makes us smile, and Monday evening is perfect for waltzing or dancing cha-cha-cha.

My daughter making to the finals in the Estonian Championship in standard dances. Seeing her on the floor gives me chills. She keeps amazing me. She has danced for more than 15 years and continues doing so, balancing school, work and sport. I celebrate her 6th place in the finals. Awesome achievement. The competition had 11 different age categories, with the youngest couple being six and the oldest more than sixty years old. (link to recording. Adults start with solo tangos at about 2:12:40. My daughter is couple 160, the second couple dancing, red dress )

Participating in an international education work group organised by the educational ministry. This is the first time the ministry has invited leaders of schools providing international education programs, local community representatives and ministry people around the table to listen to everyone's needs and suggestions. The funniest moment was when one of the participants referred to me as the "veteran in international education." Made me feel like an old tortoise. I understand it was meant as a compliment. Considering that in dance sport one becomes a senior at the age of 35, then being a veteran at 45 (age not years of experience) in education is not too bad.

A high school Theory of Knowledge teacher reading "Zen Shorts" to my fourth graders, and then having a philosophical discussion with the kids. We went to a classroom without any tables, only couches, armchairs and bean bags, and even though the boys tried to pretend to be chilled and indifferent, the teacher got my kids completely hooked in five seconds.

Our class read aloud. We are almost finished with The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane." The chapters we read this week created the holding-breath-silence moments.  Even the ones who think that listening to a story about a rabbit is silly did not dare to move or make a sound when we read about Sarah Ruth.

Starting a new photography class. Once again I am the least experienced in the group. The group has someone who started taking pictures 50 years ago, one who works as a photographer in a newspaper, one who is a leader of street photographers' group, one who took a year long photography course at the university, one who has her own studio, one who takes photos for websites, and some others who started their introductions with "I have taken photos as long as I remember" and then me, who only less than two years ago learned what the buttons on my camera (Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8) mean, and usually takes pictures of nature and teacups, and even that I haven't done over the past three weeks. I think I am still going to enjoy the class because the teacher started the lesson with a poem.

Have a wonderful new week with good books, and a maybe a slice of cake for breakfast one day!

A photo from my morning walk. 

The Christmas tree is still standing in the middle of the Town Hall Square