"The ABC's of Anna"

(Otherwise Known as the Quirks & Peccadilloes that Comprise Me)

A is for Animals.   I absolutely adore them, always have, and always will.  Case in point: In my favorite family photograph, I am 2 years old, adorned in what can only be described as overkill for the young fall day, a puffy pink parka, and curled sound asleep between the next door neighbors dogs (a German Shepherd & Doberman Pincher, respectfully) where I was discovered by my supposedly babysitting uncle.  I love it because it serves as personal testimonial:  animals and I, we speak the same language.  (And, yes, in case you're wondering, I've been a veg-head since junior high.  I respect others' right to eat meat, it is, after all, a natural instinct, but as for me, when I catch wind of a burger, all I see is sad cow eyes).

B is for Books.  I still have a copy of the book with which I took my first solo reading trek  (Charlotte Graeber’s “Mustard,” a beautiful story about an aging cat) and it proudly reigns supreme atop my shelf.  Suffice to say, I was instantly smitten and have never looked back.  For, books be as near and dear to me as my very life blood, and shall ever remain one of my preferred lens through which to view the world. 

C is for compassion, a quality that I sincerely strive (admittedly more successfully at some times than others) to bring to all that I do, my role models for which are my parents, two people who embody kindness, compassion, and generosity of spirit, heart and soul.

D is for diversity because I am thankful for the fact that we live not in a monolithic world, for how horrid that would be.  Hence, the question as to whether or not teacher training (and, thus, the educational system itself) should incorporate multiculturalism is redundant to the extreme; the answer, a resounding, “Yes!”  For a failure to do so would be to teach not at all.  My motto: Live, learn, laugh, and celebrate the human spectrum.

E is for equality in education, a personal fixation of mine, the branch from which all else stems my admittedly fledgling teaching philosophy.  Alternative education here I come…

F is for the friends who comprise the eclectic extension of my already delightfully odd immediate family.  I appreciate the people who value me for me and truly hope that I return the favor in kind.

G if for godlessness .  No, I am not an atheist (nor an agnostic) as I would be lying were I to claim to have never felt a touch of the divine, or to have experienced the exquisite sensation of a primordial connection between all living things.  Thus, I say godless because my god bears no name and I seek not the celestial answers, for I am rather content to wait.  My creed for the meantime?  To simply be kind.

H is for (sense of) humor – life is absurd, so let’s get over ourselves.  Were more people only to invoke the ability to poke fun at oneself, and subsequently appreciate the lighter side of life, the greater our potential to make some serious headway on the path to world peace.

I is for imagination because the realm of the mind is the most mystical of place, and to each, their own; the tool that which together both student and teacher take to school.

J is for ‘jack of all trades’ – I wish I was one, but alas, my technical toolkit remains largely empty (hence, this blog, a challenge of sorts, unto myself) and  there’s nothing that I admire more than those blessed with diverse mental AND technical prowess, a trick, no doubt, that enriches the teaching trade.

K is for kindergarten, the room where it all began.  Remember how fun it was?  Marble painting and reading aloud; learning to share, the magic of show and tell, and naptime?  Sheer bliss!  Education, of course, should be both age and developmentally stage appropriate, but no matter the grade, it can (and should) be fun.

L is for libraries, my home away from  home, and the one place where I feel, with absolute certainty, there lay more than a grain of truth to ideal of equal and open access for all.  In other words, I hit the jackpot when I landed my gig as Teen Librarian, perhaps the coolest job in the land.  Where else in the world would I be paid to read and to connect with kids as we bridge barriers via good books? 

M is for music – Alas, I cannot carry a tune, but I always welcome a good lyric, the primordial beat, and any melody that makes me want to groove or can make my soul sing.  Is music the universal language?  Why, of course it is.  Just ask the next savvy be-bopping toddler you happen to see.

N is for niece and nephew, Sierra and Nik, each of whom have been repeatedly told that they are little Auntie Anna’s, but as I have in return repeatedly stressed, they may be mini me’s, but they are new and improved. Feisty and fearless; brilliant, beautiful both inside and out; creative and enthusiastic, they are a sheer wonder to behold.  And, while I wouldn’t go so far as to call them my idols, they are, without a doubt, my greatest pride and most sincere love, a true inspiration that reminds me enjoy the moment while simultaneously motivating me to be better.

O is for Ojibwa because growing up as one of the relatively only Caucasian kids on the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation in northern WI, I gleaned a rare glimpse of what it’s like to be in the minority while likewise garnering a lifelong appreciative fascination with history, humanity, indigenous tradition, social diversity, cultural dexterity, and both individual and collective human rights.

P is for the passionate torch I carry for teen librarianship, a life-long commitment to learning, and the sense of responsibility I feel as a future student / teacher.  Passion, as it stands, should rightly be considered an essential component of one’s curriculum vitae.

Q is for Quirky because I’m proud to say that I absolutely am, and thus, simply delighted when doing a walkabout with the weird.  “People are strange…” and that’s just great. 

R is “Reading Rainbow,” my all time favorite television show, and although I no longer watch the boob tube (audiobooks are where it’s at within these walls) such is the beauty of youtube, not to mention a wealthy mine of memories.  “Take look, it’s in a book…”

S is for sister since for better and for worse, with my arrival as the first born and only daughter, my role in the family hierarchy was at once secure.  I care-take, I nurture, I sooth, but can be a bit bossy because I’m partial to getting things done (or, so I’ve been told).  As for my two younger brothers, I won’t say that I didn’t do my part to help raise them (and, I can proudly claim it a job well done) they remain my very best friends.

T is for teens, my favorite population, hands down, and the age group with which I most intuitively connect.  It goes without saying that there’s nothing quite like the adolescent brain, and in my work, I adhere to the notion that these burgeoning adults need no kid gloves, yet still require a delicate touch as well as the positive influence of a safe adult.

U is for underdogs, those with whom I most readily identify, personally champion, and strive to serve professionally.  For despite the brief nature of my stint as a social worker, I remain an advocate at heart.

V is for victory dance because everyone should be encouraged to choreograph one  --
no matter the Nation Football League’s official stance.

W is for writing because, oh, how it pains me; yet, oh, how I love it so!  And, truth be told, nothing woos me quite like quality writing, for as the great Joan Didion once said regarding her memoir of her husband’s death, “I write to bleed.”  Simple and astoundingly beautiful.

X is for xenodochial, that all too rare propensity for kindness towards strangers that remains ever important in this vast melting pot and multicultural world.  (And, yes, I must extend a nod to Google for the wonders of its seemingly infinite search engine.  I had no idea that there were so many words beginning with the letter “x.”)

Y is for Yoga.  Yoga every day, for sans a good morning stretch, I’m ashamed to admit that I succumb to one serious case of the crabs.

Z is for Zeitgeist because it’s a really cool word (n) “The spirit of the time; the taste and outlook characteristic of a period or generation, especially as reflected in literature; time spirit” (according to the Collins English Dictionary, 2003) that succinctly sums up the hugeness of the humanities…