Pace's Pitch

Here's to another Thursday Thrive. On the Thursday Thrive, we reflect on the past week and examine how we crushed it. No matter how big or how small, any thrive-we'll take them all. If we don't pat ourselves on the back, how can we expect others to? For this Thursday Thrive entry, I want to talk about an organization that is near and dear to my heart. My sister started Shoot for the Stars nearly three decades ago. The organization provides the opportunity for individuals with special needs to participate in extracurricular activities. You see, my mom used to work as a teacher's assistant for students with special needs. My sister and I grew up around her students. We volunteered in her class. At times, she brought her students home with her, and we babysat them. Her students were her children, not as much as my sister and me but pretty close. In our early twenties, my sister decided to coach a softball team. I helped. The girls ranged in age from 13-17 years o...

Motivated Monday provides the opportunity for all of us to pat ourselves on the back for fighting the good fight. Whether your motivation comes from your students, yourself, your family, your friends, or a combination of all, we all need motivation to continue doing what we are doing. Even if that motivation is simply to get out of bed in the morning, that is still a motivation. I would argue an incredibly important one at that. What's my motivation? The question burns my soul with every endeavor I undertake. If I choose to pursue an activity, I want to make certain I do so in earnest. Like most educators, I try to put my heart and soul into everything I do. If I can't do that, then why bother? If my intentions aren't pure, I don't want to put that energy into the universe.  That type of dedication though means that somewhere something suffers. My hope is that the suffering does not affect my relationship with my family and friends. For me, these people are...