Part of being a teacher is modeling what you want your students to do. Want them to push in their chairs? Push in yours when you leave. Want them to use appropriate grammar in their writing? Don’t take short cuts when responding to emails or any of their writing. Want them to love the Steelers? Well . . . I’m working on that.

In Iceland, shortly before I bought my red woolen slippers

One of the categories I wanted to focus on this year was happiness partially because I think it is an easy jumping off point but also because it is something that I constantly find myself working on in my own life. I wasn’t entirely sure that happiness was the word that I am looking for, but it’s the word that I settled on. Perhaps gratitude is a better choice, but the idea of gratitude seems harder for seventh graders to internalize. Happiness? We’ve got this! Instead of attempting a huge, unimaginably large number, I settled on 100 for our first year because I know that we can each come up with 100 Things to Be Happy About. Here are my first five:

1. Woolen Slippers – It’s early autumn here in Pennsylvania, and the chill in the air has permeated my house. Thankfully, I bought a lovely pair of felted wool slippers in Iceland, and truly, I begin looking forward to their warm embrace from the moment I step out the door for work. My pair is red since I have a “thing” for red footwear, and they are positively delightful in every aspect.
2. Music – I’m not terribly picky when it comes to music. Most genres are pleasing to me, and I’m always on the hunt for new tunes. Some will quickly be added to my running playlist, which doubles as my grading playlist, and very  rarely do I ever find songs that I don’t enjoy. I’ll admit that I’m not a huge country music fan, but I am starting to come around. Sadly, my dancing leaves a lot to be desired. That, however, doesn’t stop me from doing it.
3. Lists – Fun fact: I am an obsessive list maker. I love lists of any kind. Top ten lists. Best/Worst lists. To Do lists. You name a list, I probably love it. My favorite notebook has a list of all my favorite things plastered all over it. Even this list is something that I enjoy working on.
4. New Mascara – Whenever I buy a new tube of mascara, the first time that I pull the wand out is a thing of beauty. It isn’t clumpy. It doesn’t have any imperfections. There isn’t a single thing wrong with it. But the second time that I pull the wand out, all of the magic is over. That first time, though, makes me really quite happy.
5. Early Morning Runs – As a morning runner, there is something breathtaking about the Poconos in the morning. When the sun is coming up and it is beginning to shine through the leaves, I am reminded why I love this area. Even if the day is chilly or rainy or just plain blah, mornings in the Poconos are special. Usually, the boro is still quiet and cars are few and far between. If you throw in some good friends or some good tunes, it’s the start of a beautiful day.

As my students begin their own 100 Things list, I look forward to seeing what they come up with. Chances are there will be some similarities. I sincerely doubt that homework will crop up on any of our lists, but I’m positive that we will have many items in common.