​I love the idea of a Friday five. Five quick great ideas, resources, videos, stories, inspiration… whatever I like really… to share with you.  Not sure if it will be a weekly, fortnightly or monthly kind of a thing yet, but while I decide here is my first Friday Five.

1. A Creative Blessing – My beautiful friend and an amazing artist Lori Portka gifted her followers with this heart-felt Creative Blessing. I love the feeling inside of these words. It will adorn the wall of my classroom and the desktop on my computer this year. Maybe yours too? Download it here. 

2. The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey – I usually find that when my brother recommends a book or tv show I make it through one chapter or an episode and then give up on it. We have different tastes entirely. So when he recommended this zombie book I nearly passed it by. I am glad I didn’t! Now I don’t usually go for ‘zombie’ anything, but when you mix ‘zombie’ with ‘inspiring teacher’ it is hard to turn away. Miss Justineau opens up the world for her hungry students… yes hungry. In fact, Miss Justineau does more then this, she changes their nature. Read it, or at least wait for the movie to come out later this year!

​“The best day of the week is whichever day Miss Justineau teaches. It isn’t always the same day, and some weeks she doesn’t come at all, but whenever Melanie is wheeled into the classroom and sees Miss Justineau there, she feels a surge of pure happiness, like her heart flying up out of her into the sky.” (pg.11)

3. This Beautiful Reminder - I actually wish my students in my class would make me a video like this to let me know what I can do to help them more. 
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4. Giant Colouring-In – Everyone is into adult colouring in at the moment. I can’t say I have my own book (or even time to colour!), but my six year old daughter has one and lately she has been inviting me to sit with her and help her fill the most detailed of pages. As I do this I find she relaxes and begins engaging in deep conversation with me as we choose our colours. I relax too. I can’t do anything else while I colour (I tried and it is impossible!) so the task at hand, and my daughter, have my full attention. When I saw these giant colouring-in posters at Typo I decided I needed one for my classroom. I have set up a colouring-in station at the front of the room and I am going to invite my students to come and contribute during tutor group or lunchtime.  When it is complete I am going to hang it on my wall for the year. This has two primary intentions – If the students contribute to the art in the space, they will feel more ownership of the space, or so I hope; By colouring with my students I hope to get to know them more as we begin the year.

5. Free Compliments – I have used these for a few years in my classroom and they are always a smash hit. Who doesn’t like a free compliment?? Visit Kind Over Matter, print the PDF and hang in your classroom. There is even a blank page which you can customise for your space. I have added ‘You were brave to take that risk today”, “Your creativity astounds me” and “Loving your ideas!”. There is also a ‘free positive thoughts’ printable too. 

I am currently enjoying my summer holiday here in Australia. I am resting, rejuvenating and refueling ready for the year ahead. As part of this process I have been catching up on my reading. As I read today I stumbled across this phrase in a beautiful book I am reconnecting with titled Infinite Purpose.
 
“Joy is not for the faint of heart. It is not a fleeting amusement, but meant as an everlasting state of being, which requires dedication and fortitude, particularly when professing misery is quite popular and when seemingly joyless challenges arise.” – (Lane and Porka, 2016)
 
This made me smile deeply. I profess to be the ‘joy-fueled teacher’ yet sometimes this can feel like a seemingly impossible task in the midst of piles of paperwork and hectic, fast paced days.
 
Holidays provide me with the opportunity to refuel with joy ready to gleam upon every student that walks into my classroom. I haven’t had to hand in that piece of paperwork, file absentee notes or track outcomes for three weeks; I haven’t had to sit through a meeting that did not require me to actually be there in the first place; I haven’t had to tell my own children that they would have to wait a moment while I just finished what I had to get done. Holidays are for joy and I have been drinking it by the bucket load.
 
I have found joy in family celebrations
- feasting, laughing, giving gifts, making new memories. 

I have found joy with my children
- long hugs, dancing in the rain, splashing in the waves, licking the cake batter off the beaters.

I have found joy with my husband
– sharing dreams, champagne and stolen kisses.

I have found joy with my friends
- taking walks, swapping stories, soaking up sun. 

I have found joy by myself
- watching the sunrise, journaling, swimming in the ocean. 

As I become reenergised and begin to think about the teaching year ahead, I need to remind myself to allocate time to refuel - not just during the holidays but all year round -  so that joy can continue to be the breath of me. 

One of the most wonderful sources of my joy.