#and it’s like. well middle school classrooms are war zones sometimes so give the teacher a break. but there’s a certain truth to that!!!!!

[itspileofgoodthings]

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[sunnyrealist]

I have to be honest - I am terrible at receiving compliments and usually make it awkward, so this is going to be a challenge for me to compliment myself. Well, here goes nothin'...

ONE - I am driven to be a writer. When I was four, I declared to my parents that I wanted to be an author when I grew up. Throughout my childhood, I wrote many stories. I made my own picture book as a six-year-old, wrote short stories and won contests in elementary school, and in middle school was writing novel-length stories (my first one was Star Wars fanfic!). In high school, I gravitated towards poetry, but the desire to write fiction was always there. I dabbled in college, and after that, life got in the way, but now I'm diving back in. I feel quite out of practice and often doubt myself, but I am having fun, and that matters more than anything to me! Perhaps someday I will be a published author and fulfill my childhood dream. You never know!

TWO - I am artistic. I've loved drawing since I was young. I never took art classes, instead opting to go the "middle school anime girl who draws all day instead of paying attention to school" route. I was really into Sailor Moon when it wasn't cool, and that's how I learned to draw people anime-style. I still enjoy drawing but don't do it as much anymore - I only doodle from time to time, and it's never anything serious or worth showing off. I have been dipping my toe back in, little by little. I saved a bunch of posing reference pictures on Pinterest. I also have two sketchbooks and am going to buy drawing pencils soon. In addition, I have an iPad and an Apple pen. I would love to learn how to do digital art, but that will have to wait until I have a LOT of free time (aka summer) to watch tutorials and learn how to do it RIGHT. During the pandemic, I got really into rock painting. I can confidently say that I'm quite good at it. I've even had people commission me. Here are some of my favorite rocks!

THREE - I am an excellent cook and baker! Baking (cookies specifically) has always been a hobby of mine. I started getting into cooking when my husband and I moved in together (a looooong time ago), and my skills greatly improved during the pandemic. With not much to do, I started using HelloFresh, which got me out of my comfort zone with cooking, and I learned how to cook so many new dishes I never would have previously attempted (pecan-crusted trout, ramen from scratch, lobster tails, cioppino, etc.). From time to time, I have failures in the kitchen, but they're rare! We eat well in my household!

FOUR - I can be quite funny. I'm a jokester among my friends and family. I'm good at remembering little details (especially embarrassing ones!) and then bringing them up at opportune times (sometimes much later) to comedic effect.

FIVE - I'm a great teacher. I've been in the biz for fourteen years now, so I would hope so. My biggest strength is my ability to form relationships with students. I try to foster a connection with everyone, even the painfully shy kids and the troublemakers. Not only is that rewarding in itself, but it also aids in my classroom management. Students almost never are sassy or rude towards me. Underrated perk - I understand slang that people my age do not. I'm also strong in my content area - I know exactly where students are going to struggle in a project, for example, and like to tweak things from year to year to make them better. Finally, my classroom is stunning. I wish I could show it off here, but I don't need to give my kids any fuel in trying to find me online! 🥴

No pressure tags: @hotcinnam0nspicy, @animasola86, @juneymont, @morelikeravenbore, @newbienewness, @ladyofsappho, @xxluna-rougexx, and anyone else who would like to join in!

Once you get this, you have to say five things you like about yourself, publicly. Then you have to send this to ten of your favourite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool) 💜💜

😭😭😭😭 the fact that I’m anyone’s favorite follower is insane to me but thank you dear! ❤️

Okay five things that I like about myself!

1. I’m a supportive friend. I always go to bat for my friends and I’m always willing to lend an ear whenever they need support.

2. I’m a strong person. I’ve been through a lot in my life and I’ve done a great job at pulling myself out of some dark places and remaining resilient.

3. I’m a friendly person who loves talking to and getting to know people, even though I can be a little awkward about it at first.

4. I’m cute as heck! I have a cute face and I love my hair lmao 😂

5. I’m versatile and adapt to new things quickly and eagerly

Gonna tag my favorite followers instead of sending cause I’m pretty sure a bunch of my followers have already gotten one of these so I don’t want to make them do it again (plus tagging is easier anyway!)

@ellivenollivander @damn-it-a-hogwarts-legacy-blog @margottheviking @little-emerald-snake @skittish1807 @applinsandoranges @rgbbutnoy @eternalremorse @cuffmeinblack @slytherin-paramour 💚

[thewildheroine]

Meet Me In Between |Part One| (Infinity War Spoiler Story)

Warnings: Blood, explosion

Word Count: 2152

Pairing: Ghost!Peter Parker x Reader

A/N: OH MY GOSH GUYS I’M SO FREAKING EXCITED FOR THIS SERIES. I’ve been thinking about it since I saw Infinity War and I’m happy to have finally gotten a chance to publish it. This is a spoiler story though so please, Please, PLEASE, if you haven’t watched Avengers: Infinity War yet do not read this story. The biggest motivating/plot point is the most heartbreaking scene in the movie. I hope you guys enjoy the first part of Meet Me In Between!!!!!!

(Muy Importante endnotes at the bottom!) 

|Masterlist|

|Intro and Summary| |Part Two|

I stare out the window of the classroom. The early morning sun comes in thick rays past the skyscrapers. Our teacher drones on at the front drones on at the front of the class about the civil war or something close to that at least. My attention is on what is happening outside though. The sound of cars and people racing to get to work reverberate all the way from the streets and up into the class.

Abruptly I feel something brush against my elbow as though whatever it is is trying to grab me. I wave my hand around so people just think I’m discouraging a fly. Most of them already know the truth anyway. Well, they think they know the truth. Every single day I’m bombarded with questions about my ability to “see ghosts” and every day I try to explain to everyone that that isn’t how it works. Most of the time the inbetweeners that find me don’t actually mean to. In the between, the space I call that is stuck in the middle of the living and dead and world, people who have been lost for God knows how long meander around not knowing what is going on and occasionally bumping into me. I avoid them. At least I would if I could see them.

Whatever my gift is doesn’t allow me to use it to its full capability. I can only feel the inbetweeners. Their emotions as well as their bodies. Ever since I began high school I honed my ability to zone them out so I wouldn’t be called a weirdo.

The thing is, people did find out but they didn’t see me as the peculiar ghost girl. They adored me actually. I guess I have the Avengers to thank for that in a way. Because of them, my ability is seen as just another cool quirk rather than a curse. It’s made me popular in my school and people idolize everything about me because of the fact I can enter the in between.

Again, the invisible in-betweener bumps into my shoulder, and I shake my hand at them more so I can push whoever it is away. I ignore the transition when I go from the living world to the in between. Like always the empty class is covered in cobwebs. The world is dimmed by an eternal twilight that watches me nefariously. Instead of being able to see whoever is bumping into me I just see a warped space in the air that looks like a veil that is rimmed with a blurred rainbow.

I sigh and drop my head into my hands, willing the in-betweener to disappear. When he continues tapping my shoulder though I growl and look up at him or where I think he is at least. The tapping then stops and I can feel the glimmer of fear flowing through my head. The bulwark that guards my mind rises defensively, shutting off the emotions he has managed to force into my head.

“Y/N,” a voice next to me says. It isn’t his though. “Hey, adventurer lets go. If I’m late to astronomy again Ms. Hurley’s going to give me detention.” The in-betweener flickers away from my vision, reminding me of a dying light bulb. Once I return back to my world I have to let my eyes adjust to the amount of light pouring in through the windows. My eyes blink hard as I look up at Lily who taps her foot at me to show her sarcastic impatience.

“Sorry,” I shake my head and grab my backpack from the ground. The nearly weightless item hangs loosely on my figure as I stand and start walking out of the class with my friend. A crowd of people waits conspicuously outside, stalling to see the so-called ghost girl make her way to class.

“Move it, kids,” Lily hisses at them so that the crowd splits in half. “The adventurer isn’t doing interviews for underclassmen today.” I shoot each of them an apologetic smile before glaring back at my friend.

“I’m not doing any interviews for anyone ever,” I retort frustratedly before aggressively tearing my headphones out of the phone jack. Lily fakes disappointment while we begin mounting the flight of stares to astronomy.

“Awww,” she bemoans, randomly leaning against my body to be dramatic. I have to grab the metal railing for support. “Come on adventurer. Not even for those boy toys always checking you out?” I scoff and roll my eyes. My hand twists around my back and shoves the headphones into my back pocket.

“First of all I hate being called ‘the adventurer’,” I emphasize my point by mimicking quotes with my hands. “I don’t adventure. Sometimes I’m in the in-between and sometimes I’m here and also there are no guys checking me out.” Lily stops at the top landing, leaving me to push her away so we don’t block anyone's path.

“Oh, come on Y/N!” she chuckles loudly. I close my eyes, not wanting to acknowledge all the eyes locked on us. “Eli has had his eyes on you since sophomore year,” I smirk and nod, almost able to find her ignorance humorous.

“Yeah,” I drone and turn towards our class. “Wonder why that is?”

“Don’t pull that Y/N,” Lily groans as she follows me into Ms. Hurley’s class. The entire ceiling is a window shaped like a dome which allows us to use her giant telescope. Thousands of dollars of the school budget had to have gone into this room alone. I wouldn’t expect less from a Montessori school. Especially one located in Manhattan.

“Don’t pull what Lily?” I ask placidly, honestly too annoyed at this point to react with any emotion.

“That whole, oh my life is so hard. No one really likes me as a person and they only want to hang around me because of my weird gifts.” I watch, bemused at how she slouches her shoulders and whines in a high voice to imitate me. I blink hard and shake my head, still wondering how that impression even resembles me.

“I am nothing like that,” I reply calmly. Lily straightens herself, brushing the invisible specks of dust off of her dress before grinning ear to ear.

“That is totally like you,” she smiles smugly. I open my mouth to begin arguing but the door shuts behind me loudly, signaling that Ms. Hurley just entered the class. My eyes stay pointedly on Lily for a moment more before I slump into my seat. Our teacher clumsily approaches her desk while trying to balance a mug of coffee in her hand. Much to our relief, she sets it down on the wood before any of the contents has a chance to spill over the edge.

She sighs tiredly before pulling up something up on her laptop. I half listen to her as she begins informing us about our class agenda. Just like in history class, my attention is dragged over to the window. My eyes stare out of it expectantly. Something pulls at my heart suddenly and I know that for the first time in a very long time it is my own heart speaking to me.

Without explaining myself, I stand from my chair and walk towards the glass. Everyone stalls for a moment, curious about what the hell I’m doing. Finally, Ms. Hurley calls for me to sit back down. Instead of listening to her directions though, I keep approaching the window. I’m barely able to breathe once I reach the glass. My heart palpitates too fast.

Reluctantly, I look up as much as I can, silently dreading what I may see. At first, I find nothing but the warm blue sky. A few birds coast on the wind but there is nothing extraordinary about what I’m looking at despite the feeling that still rages inside of me. My eyes stay on the sky though, not hoping but preparing for what will come. Finally, I see what was calling for me. Right when it enters our atmosphere it just looks like a black streak heading towards New York. The normal person wouldn’t think much of it. I’m anything but normal though.

“Get down,” I whisper while backing away. Whatever is up in the sky doesn’t slow down and I begin fearing the absolute worse. I turn around to see all my shocked peers staring up at me, probably thinking I may have just looked at a ghost. My eyes meet Lily’s though and she automatically knows that it can’t be that.

“Guys,” my voice raises from my panic. “You need to get-”

I don’t even get the chance to finish my sentence when the window behind me is blown out. My body flies forward before meeting the ground harshly. Luckily my arms wrapped around my head right when the impact happened, keeping me a little safe while I skid across the floor. I slam against the leg of a chair that was left in a hurry.

As I pull myself up I hear the screams of my classmates as they rush out of the door to escape what had just happened. I look up, the black spots getting in the way of me seeing all of what just fell to the Earth. Gusts of air keep entering the school as I stand.

Right outside of the class is a giant thing of metal. Mechanisms work together to keep it up in the air and off of the Earth’s soil. Not giving it a second thought, I step towards the ship, the cord connecting me to it taut and basically begging me to investigate. The wind being emitted from the growling circle of metal blows my hair around my face but I’m too focused on what I’m seeing to keep the strands from disrupting my line of sight.

The ship fills up the whole entire street. Debris fly around Greenwich wildly. Pieces of newspapers even manage to float up and into the classroom. I crouch to the ground instinctively, preferring not to risk capture by what may be inside.

“Y/N!” Lily shouts for me. I stand and turn around to face her as she sprints into the classroom. Her hands immediately rise to check my face for any injuries. She swipes her fingers at the cuts I hadn’t even known existed since I was so infatuated with the ship. “We need to go,” she gasps breathlessly while staring behind me. I glance away from her and watch in complete awe as the debris in the streets floats upwards. Before I can figure out how Lily pulls at my arms. She struggles as I drag my feet into the linoleum flooring. Only when she starts imploring me to run do I turn away from the catastrophe that is New York and out of the messy classroom with her.

Lily keeps leading me even when we get to the bottom floor of our school. Her hand stays on mine as she tugs me away from the front door where I can hear the sounds of a fight beginning. We run through the cafeteria, which may very well be the only room in our whole school that wasn’t destroyed by the ominous ship.

Finally, we exit the building and pant. Lily laughs, relieved by how she made it out of there alive. I know how much that means to her. She and I went through the original attack on New York together with our mothers. It terrified her even to this day. I, on the other hand, am anything but relieved.

I still hyperventilate fearfully as though there is not enough oxygen in the world to support every cell in my body for even a moment. My hands run themselves through my tangled hair, tugging out strands as they move across the scalp mercilessly. Again, I look up to the sky, still hunting for something that I don’t know.

Then I see him swing overhead. His red and blue suit is just a blur against the monochromatic backdrop but I recognize him in an instant as the Spider-Man. My heart falters when I realize he is rushing towards the invader. A tear falls from my eye when the superhero disappears behind our school, leaving me alone with my confusing emotions.

“Please don’t go,” I mumble, not knowing why I would say it in the first place. Even Lily looks at me strangely as I collapse to the ground in an emotional heap made of tears and blood. I wheeze against my hands that were nicked by the glass when the window shattered. I wish that it was someone else’s emotions in my head. An in-betweener who is still in shock from arriving in the new domain. It’s not though. The heartbreak I feel comes from my very own heart and soul and I don’t have any idea if I’ll ever know why.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the very first part of Meet Me In Between but I do need to let you guys know something. With finals approaching along with the end of the year I’m super stressed (especially since I have two really low B’s. Oof.) Seeing that that is the case I’m going to be posting my stories less frequently. If anyone would like to share any preferences they have my ask box is always open. I was thinking I would post Fly Away Wednesdays, Meet Me In Between Fridays and any one-shots, requests, or challenges during the weekend. I’ll probably begin this schedule after this week.

If you would like to be tagged from now on in this story please leave a comment or send me a message via ask/chat box. Requests are open as well!

[perfectzablog]

Six Strategies to Help Introverts Thrive at School and Feel Understood

In every classroom, teachers try to engage students who have a variety of temperaments: extroverts, introverts and ambiverts. They work with children who crave sensory stimulation and with those who are highly sensitive to noise and visual distraction.

While one temperament is not better than any other, introverted students are often “overlooked, undervalued and overstimulated in our schools,” said Heidi Kasevich, a 20-year teaching veteran and director of education for Quiet Revolution, an outgrowth of Susan Cain’s best-selling book on the power of introverts.

When Kasevich was a student, she was often told, “Just come out of your shell” and “Just speak up.”

“I had no idea I had an inborn temperament,” she said, “and I often felt unsafe in school environments.” A person’s basic temperament is rooted in biology, with differences emerging in infancy and early childhood. For example, some babies are more sensitive than others to stimuli such as loud noises; and some toddlers are more cautious when presented with novel objects, such as a robotic toy. Many of these careful and sensory-sensitive children grow up to be introverts. 

Now, as a leader of the Quiet Schools Network, Kasevich has worked with Cain to develop accessible techniques to help introverted students “hit the ground running, with a sense of well-being instead of the feeling that ‘there’s something wrong with me.’ ”

What Do Teachers Need to Know About Introverted Students?

We all fall somewhere on the introvert/extrovert spectrum, said Kasevich. In schools — which are highly stimulating environments — introverts are often “expected to fit into the extrovert ideal, and this leads to the danger zone of self-negation, turning inward or withdrawing.”

To better understand the needs of students, teachers can spend some time at the beginning of the year getting to know students’ preferred work and communication styles. For example, said Kasevich, introverts tend to prefer:

Conversing one-on-one or in small groups

Thinking before sharing aloud

Weighing options before making decisions

Looking (and assessing risk) before leaping

Recharging in a quiet, calm environment  

Thoughtful teachers can help children see their preferences as adding value to the classroom environment and as opportunities for growth.  For example, a disposition toward caution can be nurtured into prudence — or, as Kasevich defines it, “risk-taking that is rooted in practical wisdom, that takes the time to consider the ‘what-if’s.’ ” Similarly, a proclivity toward listening and reflection supports intellectual humility. And a preference for small-group conversation can bolster perspective-taking skills.

Six Classroom Strategies that Help Introverts Thrive

When Kasevich works with schools and educators, she shares several strategies for creating temperament-inclusive classrooms, including the following.

Make Space for Quiet Reflection: Teachers can take an inventory of the “silence-talk continuum” in their teaching methods, making room for both quiet reflection and active discourse. For example:

Provide opportunities for one-on-one conversation within the classroom — such as think-pair-share.

Ask students to first respond to questions on a Post-it note before inviting verbal responses. This primes the pump for students who need more think time.

Try a “One-Minute Paper”: Pause in the middle of class and ask students to reflect on what they are learning. Prompts might include: “What’s striking me? What’s challenging me? Why is this relevant? How can I connect this to something else I’m learning?”

Count to 10 in your head before calling on students. According to Kasevich, “studies show that three to 10 seconds of wait time helps introverted students and increases the complexity of responses for all students.”  

Integrate purposeful silence. For example, put up an image, a painting or a line from a book and ask students to carefully observe and think about it for four minutes.  

Consider the Physical Environment: Because introverts can become overstimulated by the action-packed pace of a school day, “they need time and space to restore their nervous system.” Think about providing niches for quiet reading or mind-wandering. Explore inclusive lunchroom and playground options, such as a coloring table or open library time.

Provide Previews: Some introverted students instinctively avoid unfamiliar challenges, said Kasevich, “so give them a long runway.”  This might take the form of

An essential question on the board as class starts

An agenda before a meeting

A detailed calendar or syllabus (middle and high school)

A posted daily schedule (elementary school)

A thorough preview of a unit, project or assessment

Watch Your Language: Introverts are sometimes labeled negatively by peers and teachers. The Quiet-Friendly Comment Guide offers teachers with alternatives to common phrases that they can use when providing feedback to students or talking with parents. For example, instead of noting a deficit (e.g. “She needs to speak up more in class discussion”), frame a student’s strengths (e.g., “She is an insightful student who thinks deeply and thoughtfully before responding”).

Scaffold Meaningful Stretching: Teachers can help introverts stretch outside their comfort zones and take comfortable risks.  Since “they won’t take a risk for risk’s sake,” tie needful actions to their passions and interests — to something meaningful. Framing risks in this way “is the ticket for helping introverts stretch.”  Kasevich gives the example of a student who wants to bring sustainability initiatives to his high school — a passion that might require becoming a club officer or giving a speech or presentation. Teachers can remind such a student to “keep your mission in mind. Go to auditorium beforehand to practice, and remember a time in the past when you spoke with confidence and conviction.”  

Structure Temperamentally Inclusive Group Work: If you simply put kids into groups with no training, a minority of members will likely do the majority of the talking. Train students in techniques such as brainwriting and design thinking. Establish group norms for inclusive conversation and stick to them.  

Creating a temperament-inclusive classroom takes time, said Kasevich. It’s about striking the balance between collaboration and individual work, creating a classroom culture that values deep listening, reflective pauses and multiple forms of engagement. “We are not waging war on group work,” said Kasevich. “We want educators to think more broadly about classroom participation and engagement,” creating an environment where all students can thrive.

Six Strategies to Help Introverts Thrive at School and Feel Understood published first on https://greatpricecourse.tumblr.com/