ECC Day 283: “Finish It, Students!” It’s the last Friday of the school year! Students, you’re hustling to study for finals, prepare for presentations, and trying to finish your year strong! You’re SO close! •Break tasks down into smaller pieces; •set time limits, and break up your experience with brain & movement breaks to recharge; •prepare over the entire weekend, not cramming it all in on Sunday; •be hydrated & make time to eat, fuel your mind; •be kind and patient with yo

ECC Day 282: “Be Present” •On your phone often around friends and family, yet, feeling disconnected and lonely? You can make a different choice to feel connection and belonging with the people currently around you. •On your phone during class? Are your grades lower than you can achieve? You can make a different choice now that will help you improve your sense of pride in your work, which will have a positive effect on your grades. •Don’t like when your friends or family are o

ECC Day 281: “A Loan on Time” Whoo Hoo, we need a loan on time to get all these things done, and done well! Trust & believe in yourself and the process. As one educator left at 6PM tonight said, “keep fighting the good fight.” Now, where were we...? #ChipInForEducation by donating to the ECC Fundraiser @gofundme OR www.educatorcc.com Time to eat this scrumptious burrito with brown rice, chicken, mild salsa, sour cream, and lettuce #Ellen #EllenDegeneres #TheEllenShow #EllenSh

ECC Day 280: “Sharin’ the Love” It’s been 280 days of this wild adventure that is the Educator Chipotle Challenge (ECC)! It’s all about sharin’ the love and kindness with educators, students, and everyone who we encounter. Full bellies. Educated minds. Full hearts. Full circle. Speaking of “Sharon the love,” check out Sharon Preves’ Educator Shout Out Interview on the ECC @youtube channel! 😉 After you watch Sharon and I spread the love, you can too, by donating to the ECC Fu

ECC Day 279: “The Joy in Enjoy” Feeling the joy in enjoying this lovely woman’s company. Connections that can withstand the test of time. That’s my jam. Joy. Connection. Laughter. We want to experience more of these feelings in 2019; so far, we are crushing it! Help me have the greatest joy of giving back to educators and students by donating to the ECC’s fundraiser @gofundme OR www.educatorcc.com - raising $100,000!! #ChipInForEducation felt joy eating this bowl filled with

ECC Day 278: “Calling Perfect!” On our way into San Carlos I saw the signs: “Kael Foods” (Kael is my bestie who challenged me to eat @chipotle ); then “ECC” (haven’t determined which company it is); then, to wrap it all up into perfect, “DA VINCI MARBLE” (Da Vinci is the name of the school I happily serve & will donate half of the ECC’s fundraiser to purchasing supplies for my fellow educators.) Kael, I’m calling perfect on the literal signs I saw, and how they happened to be

ECC Day 277: “Be The Change” This woman next to me, Bobbi ( @bobbi66v ), saw many educators purchase school supplies, food, etc. for their students, and strongly believed in assisting educators to fund these items. Bobbi took it upon herself to gather folks, like James and myself, to develop a non-profit organization that will help educators serve their students with school supplies and materials without having to pay as much out of their own pocket or not have access to fund

ECC Day 276: “Branching Out” Branching out is what Nakia named it when she ate @chipotle for the first time. She wasn’t sure what to order, how the food would taste; she decided to go for it and try something new. In this case, it was successful; she enjoyed it! So much so that she came to the office during 7th period to get her leftovers from the fridge! She worked hard to achieve her primary academic goal! Keep slaying those goals, Nakia, and being open to trying new things

ECC Day 275: “Facilities Matter” The reputation and culture of a stellar school program like Da Vinci Charter Academy does not come from the buildings in which the humans create an innovative, collaborative, and inclusive learning environment. However, that does not make it acceptable for a high school program to be housed at a former elementary school campus. Modernized facilities are well overdue for DVCA students and staff to continue knocking project based learning out of

ECC Day 274: “Mental Health Awareness” I’m proud that mental health is becoming more regularly discussed in our society. Thank you to everyone leading the charge to make this happen. In my opinion, it shall be discussed just as frequently as physical health. It’s all intertwined. As @chancellor.may mentions in this May column, “May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness and help break the stigmas about one of society’s most pressing issues...we’re all tou

Day 273 of the ECC: “Educators, stay motivated!” To the educators (including myself) who are on the last hill of the school year coaster: Hands up, it’s downhill from here! A well-earned summer break will be here before ya know it. I hope you can use at least part of it as a break; I know many of you have summer gigs just to make ends meet. Take time to eat, breathe, have silence, recharge your battery, and watch your favorite show. Fill out the surveys when they say you coul

ECC Day 272: “Silver Linings Everywhere” I choose to live life with a glass half full approach. I saw this sign as we walked @davis.downtown . This is not to say to neglect, repress, or sugarcoat the unfortunate, painful experiences. I choose hope & optimism. #ChipInForEducation by donating to the ECC Fundraiser @gofundme OR www.educatorcc.com salad with chicken, mild salsa, sour cream, lettuce #Ellen #EllenDegeneres #TheEllenShow #EllenShow #GetMsEbbeOnYourShow #hope #keepit

ECC Day 271: “AZ Adventures” Birthday & anniversary celebrations with grrrrreeeeaaaattt humans! Until next time, friends & Arizona! @glamgabs @sethho5 #ChipInForEducation by donating to the ECC Fundraiser @gofundme OR www.educatorcc.com bowl with brown rice, chicken, mild, sour cream, lettuce #Ellen #EllenDegeneres #TheEllenShow #EllenShow #GetMsEbbeOnYourShow #love #friendship #keepitreal #chipotle #challenge #fundraiser #GiveBack #MichelleObama #oprah #brenebrown #educator

ECC Day 270: “Stranger to Connection” Yesterday I had the pleasure of sharing 25 minutes with Jamal, a beautiful soul originally from Libya, who kindly drove me to the airport, and filled my heart with warmth from connection. Jamal shared stories & lessons he’s learned specifically through interacting with diverse people as a driver for @uber . He believes that people are generally good. People make poor decisions, sometimes due to adverse circumstances. He reiterated the pos

ECC Day 269: “Outside Of The Box” A bright, resilient, opportunistic, peaceful, robust, solution-focused future will require outside of the box thinking that becomes action. Ignite the fire within you; discover what drives you! What makes you feel alive? What are your assets, & how can you use them to leave a positive imprint on this world? When was the last time you allowed time to reflect; to be creative without bounds or pressure of time; to unleash your imagination? Creat

ECC Day 266: “It’s Apparent” It’s apparent to me that most parents/guardians I’ve encountered in my career are doing their best to foster their child’s healthy development. For the effort you put in to build an open, communicative, reliable relationship with your child; for the time you share with them to celebrate successes, and to work through the challenges; for the time you take to collaborate with us at school to boost up y(our) kid; for the love of Pearl, thank you for

ECC Day 265: “100-day Countdown” As I’ve progressed on this beautiful adventure, the outpouring of support, encouragement, love, and generosity that people have shown me - from near and far distances - has been incredibly rewarding! Thank you to the 19 (yes, @coffeeisaneed , that includes you) people who shared a @chipotle meal with me to celebrate day 265 of the Educator Chipotle Challenge! Here’s to ONLY 100 more days! Let’s make the most of them! One way to show your suppo

ECC Day 264: “LOVE IS LOVE” “It’s human rights for everybody, there is no difference. Live on and be yourself. And I can’t change, even if I tried...even if I wanted to.” @macklemore @marylambertsing Join me tomorrow, 5/20 at @chipotle in @davis.downtown at 5:30 to celebrate day 265 of the ECC. 100-day countdown begins! Show love to educators & students: #ChipInForEducation by donating to the ECC Fundraiser @gofundme OR www.educatorcc.com love this burrito of brown rice, chic

ECC Day 263: “Striving for Wholeheartedness” In the wise words of @brenebrown , “Wholeheartedness, a way of engaging with the world & in our lives from a place of worthiness. Cultivating Authenticity, Self-Compassion, Resilient Spirit, Gratitude & Joy, Intuition & Trusting Faith, Creativity, Play & Rest, Calm & Stillness, Meaningful Work, Laughter, Song & Dance; & Letting Go of: What People Think, Perfectionism, Numbing & Powerlessness, Scarcity & Fear of the Dark, Need for C

ECC Day 262: “Say Yes Often!” ->Evan, Jacob & Ethan recommended I have a bowl with double chicken today. Yes! @jlwebb73 ->Students ask me to play basketball; most of the time I get to say, “yes!” ->A student who usually does not initiate coming to see me knocks on my door; my heart is full, I stop drafting that email, and welcome them into my office. Yes, I’d rather real FaceTime you than send that email. Yes, I have & will make time for you! ->Yes, you are important, and not