F.O.C.U.S.

The other day, I tuned in on my other Instagram page to a LIVE session. It's a series called, "Mondays with Mignon." Every Monday at 7:30 pm CST, the owner of the Cupcake Collection (a franchise in Tennessee and New Orleans) goes LIVE to reveal what is in her spirit! I have tuned in for three Mondays now, and every single one has been a God send!

You know what pulled  me in first? All the hashtags! No lie. I'm not sure if it's because I am basically a "content creator" for my high school and my own social media pages (I have three), or if it is because I am enamored with the amount of followers she has (it's barely tapping 5,000 right now; but I'm sure it will soon to boost to five numbers or six.)

Have you ever scrolled through someone's feed and were easily pulled in by the language, the vibe, the colors? That's the way I felt. She's just such a positive person. She's a faith talker and walker! The message that first night I watched was AMAZING. It was Bible and bread! Literally, she is a baker, so she was making cornbread and sharing a faith message with the audience. It's funny how I always relate things back to my students and the classroom, and of course to my personal life; but like my profile reads, "maybe it's just in me," and this is "not just a classroom."

Anyway, the word for me that night was a mnemonic - F.O.C.U.S.
A mnemonic (pronounced neh-mon-ick) is one word whose letters create a sentence. You've seen them before. Some people think of mnemonics like acronyms, and technically they are the same, but not really. An acronym is like PEMDAS. I used to think this was some kind of gang thing because I saw it written on desks and walls all over schools. It's the math equation reminder that stands for Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply, Divide, Add, Subtract. PEMDAS is also a mnemonic because of the sentence that goes along with it is, Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally. See, a full-blown sentence. KISS is a popular one: Keep It Simple Stupid. Ok, enough of today's grammar lesson. LOL (Both an acronym AND a mnemonic.)

So, the topic that night on "Mondays with Mignon" centered around having enough faith to FOCUS. Enough faith to believe that whatever we ask God for, He will do it. Enough faith to ask confidently for whatever it is that we want. The letters stand for this: Follow One Course Until Successful.
So, what is my ONE course right now? Shucks, I've got at least 10 one-courses on my Want List! One of the main ones is literally finishing an online certification course. And every night, I repeat that mnemonic: Follow One Course Until Successful. Sometimes I even swap the F out for Finish. Just depends on my mood.

It is what I want for my students too. You know they say that adults are just big kids. So the same frustration I have as an adult looking at them wondering, "Why is this taking you so long?" "This is not that deep (hard)." Or, "Just finish it already," are the same conversations I have with myself. I can do this, and so can you. Let's FOCUS. Let's follow through and finish what we've started - whether that is the school year or that cornbread in the oven. You've got this and I'm cheering you on!

#notjustaclassroomblog