CreativeCat's Blog: "Opt-I-On-All Education"

I will keep this brief, but I wanted to declare an intention--my purpose.
This year at RISE 2010, I had a profound "clarity snap"--nearly one whole year after RELEASE. I would like to share it with you lovely ladies so you can keep me accountable, keep me in mind and space and collaborate where it fits.

My purpose is to empower teens through non-traditional yet essential education.

This includes but is not limited to emotional literacy; conflict resolution; self-expression through creativity; the Arts; health and nutrition; activity and exercise; financial "indebundence" (independence and abundance) and much more.

My intent is to create an environment that exposes teens, (especially disenfranchised and marginalized teens) to the many essential aspects of being a strong, whole human being and allowing them the option to explore what suits them. I intend to provide them the tools to learn about themselves, to explore how and what they want to learn and to address the critical aspects that are currently missing in the traditional school settings.
I am not an expert in any of these areas, but am looking for the experts with whom I can collaborate, and whose ideas I can promote and implement. I appreciate your willingness to support me.
(Inspiriation in action--whereby in the past I would ruminate on this idea, I have in fact started implementing it. I will call my new community and my business "Opt-I-on-all Education" (optionall education). I have reserved the name and will be putting things in the works asap. Any comments, suggestions, leads and support are greatly welcomed!
Purposefully yours,
CreativeCat

After a long hiatus, I've pulled out the box of "Easier Done than Said" Affirmations and also listened to Ellie's Morning affirmations this a.m.

I love how the Universe works...check it out:

The two cards I pulled were Intuition and Synchronicity.

Intuition: Intuition consists of genuine hunches and a calm knowing within. I now know that to live in fulfillment, I must honor my inner knowing of the direction my life should precede. I trust that my ability to listen to my intuition and then acting upon it is the most essential part of fulfilling that destiny.

Synchronicity: Synchronicity occurs whenever circumstances unfold in a way to beautifully complement and assist one another; creating an end result that perhaps exceeds one's expectations. I now declare that I am open to receiving the assistance of synchronicity.

To be as brief as possible, these both apply very specifically to my life RIGHT NOW! The last 5-6 months, I've been listening closely to my intuition which has been whispering (forcefully) that my purpose is to get back to working with/teaching middle-schoolers. It has also been reminding me that my soul craves creativity.
Intuition has been guiding me to make decisions that put me closer to being in a position to do both of those things. The Universe has been working with me by presenting me with opportunities to do both and to be rewarded for it.

Synchronicity has shown up in my life in several specific ways. 1) I wanted to start "teaching" in stead of babysitting at the Elementary extended-day program I was working at.
2) I wanted to be better compensated
3) I didn't want to spend as much time there and wanted to free up my time to make my Soy candles.
All 3 were answered in one fell swoop: My director offered me to teach Spanish with the 1st and 2nd graders at double the rate I was making AND he found a great "sub" who I suggested simply replace me when I wasn't teaching Spanish--which she did (and I'm now the sub!) So now I only go in 3 times a week for one hour. I'm happy and my time is being used more efficiently and satisfactorily.

4) I wanted to make my creative outlet more profitable. After all, now that all the time was freed up, I didn't want to have a house full of candles!--Well, I got a huge order for the holidays from the store I supply. That helped me clear out inventory, get more fragrances I wanted and assisted financially.

5) Finally, I had to make a decision in terms of my graduate program that a) allowed me to go to Togo this summer b) got me in the classroom sooner rather than later and c) was the smartest route to certification and would be the most profitable/useful degree (Master of Arts in Teaching--but the decision was whether it should be in Social Studies, TESOL or Spanish and whether it should be one that included a certificate or not)

Synchronicity kicked in by having a middle school principal I've met since I moved here call me and basically offer me a job for next semester. Not only does that put me back in the mix with the middle school kids, but there are options there for the school to assist me with financing my MAT and he basically said he would like me to get certified in Spanish and eventually TESOL (teaching English to students of other languages).

This would be at a Charter school in its first year of operation and he is also essentially giving me creative rights to address various needs as they come up. This ALSO means then that I can start developing "Opt-I-On-All" in real-time with real "project participants"! I've got a veritable lab to develop the program and tweak it as necessary, and in the meantime assist a great group of kids.
Oh, AND I could still teach Spanish to the 1st and 2nd graders in the afternoon.

The reality is even bigger than the dream...and I know it's just the beginning. I am so grateful for all the doors that just opened up, and for the Universe meeting me and exceeding all hopes/intentions.

Intuition and Synchronicity--in full effect!

Harmony
When I am in harmony with the divine current of my life, synchronistic events occur naturally. This is confirmation that I am on the right track, as they assist me in manifesting results more effortlessly. It is now my intention to be in harmony at all times.--Ellie Drake

Today's card, harmony is (of course) no accident. As a matter of fact, in reinforces both of yesterday's cards and the recent occurrences in my life.

Harmony--not necessarily balance-- is what I've been striving for in the past several years. It feels amazing to finally start seeing the effects of my efforts. Some of the decisions I've made lately may seem disjointed from the outside looking in (working at an elementary school, when I prefer middle school; helping to start a charter elementary when I have neither the experience in how an elementary school functions nor the knowledge of how to write a charter.

Both of these actions, however have are in harmony with my overarching goal: To work with teenagers through essential yet non-traditional education. The elementary after-school position has allowed me to "get my foot in the door" in the Greenville School systems. It also has allowed me to get to learn/know my "clients" before they actually reach me and require my services. This obviously makes me more informed and will allow me to create a more effective product.

Secondly, the charter elementary not only gives me the experience in writing a charter (which I planned on doing for my school in the future) but it also aligns me with the culture, politics, leaders and supporters of educational reform right here in my own state. It also allows me to assist in creating a pool of students from which to draw in the future whom I know will be of the same "tribe"--what I mean is that I am helping to form the mission, culture, principles and vision of the school they will be attending. It's amazing how aligned Sara (the woman who initiated the whole process) and my minds are already.

And just yesterday (or this week at least) the State of South Carolina's DOE decided they will partner with Teach For America. I was a TFA NYC '98 Corps member. They gave me my start in education, I know how incredible the organization is and I've been waiting for this moment. It not only brings a much needed educational powerhouse to South Carolina, but the opportunities for me to contribute even more just multiplied.

Talk about Harmony!!!