Tis a gift to be simple

One of my favorite hymns comes from the Shakers - Tis a Gift to be Simple.  The tune itself is simple yet beautiful, the words equally so. 

'Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free,

'Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

   Till by turning, turning we come round right.

I try to find little ways to incorporate simplicity in my personal and family life. It's not always easy, but I typically find that the simplest way to accomplish something is the most effective way and brings me the most joy.

I've been learning to incorporate simplicity in my classroom. When I take a step back, assess the current needs of my students, and then address those current needs I am at my most effective as a teacher. Bombarding my students with too much information typically backfires - confusing my students and frustrating me. This year, less is more.

Today we wrote in Journals for the first time. I helped them start their sentence by writing the first two words on the board - letter by letter. I modeled how to write each letter. At one point a little girl in my class jumped up and down in her chair and shouted out, "I MADE A K ALL BY MYSELF!" We celebrated with her. She was right where she ought to be, and truly delighted

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