ECC Day 289: “Last Day of School/Graduation Feels!” It’s the last day of school year 2018-2019 (6/13/19). It’s bittersweet to send off another group to their next adventure of high school. My heart continues to flow with love, gratitude and pride, to know and be part of all these peoples’ life story. Young people, you seize to amaze me with your compassion for others, innovation and critical thinking to deal with and solve problems, perseverance, and more. Your future is what

ECC Day 288: “Taco Bell or Chipotle?” After Spring Play Day and Six Flags with our students, I wanted to go to Taco Bell, but these kids insisted on @chipotle . 😉 Tim & Leonie even tried something new tonight, switched up their order a bit. Tomorrow: last day of 2018-2019 School Year & DVHS Graduation to watch my first year’s 8th graders gradu-ma-tate! 77 days remain to #ChipInForEducation by donating to the ECC Fundraiser @gofundme OR www.educatorcc.com Of course we chose C

ECC Day 287: “Birthday Love” My bucket is overflowing with love today, June 11, 2019. I celebrate many things - being ALIVE for 31 years, my Pops (RIP, RIP, RIP), family, friends/chosen family, day 287 of the ECC, my students, and all the love I have to willingly give and receive! Happy Birthday to me! Thank you oh so much to everyone who helped this day be special!! Show your support of me, the ECC, educators, and students by donating to the ECC Fundraiser @gofundme OR www.e

ECC Day 286: “Best Medicine” *Laughter *Tears of joy, connectedness, proud of my Freshman, missing my Pops, sadness, & hope *Hugs *Did I mention how proud I am of my students?! Precious moments. *Have I mentioned how amazing my team of educators is at DVCA?! We have 79 days to raise $100,000 to support these educators and students! #ChipInForEducation by donating to the ECC Fundraiser @gofundme OR www.educatorcc.com 3 crispy tacos with chicken, mild salsa, sour cream, guac, l

ECC Day 285 (80 days remain!): “Remember to Play!” If you know me, you know I’m goofy and need to break up the adulting with a good laugh, play and movement. I’m excited to get to know Jared Hippler ( @primally_playful ), co-founder of Primal Play (www.primalplay.org), an organization that helps people connect with each other and experience joy through movement and engaging activities. They serve youth and adults! I intend not to lose my playfulness in the midst of “adulting.

ECC Day 284: “This is how I roll, take 3!” Take 1: I earned a “C” grade rolling my own @chipotle burrito. Take 2: I earned a “B” on the burrito roll, and a “C-“ on the tinfoil roll; overall, I earned a “C+” for take 2 of rolling my own burrito. My goal is to earn an “A+” on the whole shebang. Take 3: What grade do you guess I earned on this roll? Stay tuned for the video on ECC @youtube ! today, I rolled my third burrito: 1/2 white, 1/2 brown rice, chicken, mild salsa, sour c

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