Let's Order Lemonade

I made a decision today after meeting two young entrepreneurs I didn't know and may never see again.  In the early evening, when temperatures soared above 100 degrees, I decided to take a drive through a new neighborhood to check out some of the homes under construction.  As I drove around the corner of a block, I saw a young boy and a girl hard at work in the heat.  In a shady spot beside a wooden fence, together, they set up a table, a couple of chairs, and a bag full of cups. They also brought a tall pitcher of lemonade. I could tell they had the makings to become future business owners- they had chosen to set up shop on the busiest street in the neighborhood during a time when many people would be returning home from work.

I couldn't help it- I wasted time driving around until I knew they would be ready to open their store.  As I drove, I thought back to the joy I once had as a child selling Kool-Aid on the sidewalk outside my Florida home. There was something about being owning my own business that fulfilled me... And I remembered thinking that the extra spending money was nice, too.

When I saw that the kids were ready for business (loved it- they had made sandwich boards with cardboard and crayon writing and wore them as they worked), I pulled over.

"How much for a cup of lemonade?" I asked.

"Fifty cents," the little girl chirped.  (There's inflation for you.  Forty years ago, I sold mine for 5 cents a cup).

"What are you going to do with your money?" I queried.

They looked at each other, shrugged, and smiled.  "We haven't thought that far yet."

I grinned and handed them a five dollar bill; in unison, they began to pour a drink and make change for my bill.

"Tell you what," I said.  "I think I'll pass on the lemonade.  But you keep the money.  Just promise me that you'll be good to your teachers and that you'll learn something in school this year." Their eyebrows disappeared into their hairlines, their mouths rounded into o's, and they looked at me in disbelief.

"Are you sure?"  they asked.  I nodded and smiled. I didn't need the lemonade- they had already given me more than my five dollars worth of joy. They thanked me and I got back in my car and headed home.

I think from now on, I'm going to look for more opportunities to order lemonade and walk away empty-handed, but heart-filled.  

Laughing On Line

After seriously laughing out loud while rereading a Facebook thread I just had with two of my coworkers- one of whom was stuck in a training session she did not want to be in and one who, like me, was trying to cheer her up- I've decided to create a support group for teachers.  You know, a site that would help during those times when teachers are forced to sit through mindless/needless sessions that do not provide any useful ideas likely to be used in the classroom, but do fill a square (for someone, just not the person attending the session).  Here's my idea.

What if teachers were able to access- via their Smart Phones- other teachers who were available to text back and forth with them?  Kinda like what students have been trying to do for years in our classrooms.  It could go nationwide- you wouldn't even have to know the person you were communicating with.  The purpose of the texting would simply be to help teachers make it through their boredom through engaging conversation.  Something that would make their time worthwhile.  I mean think about it- if you're not going to get anything valuable out of the session, you might as well use the time to improve your literacy.  Statistics do show that people who use digital tools improve both their reading and their writing abilities.

I think I'll fly with this.  Volunteers?