After a long wait, (over 5 years!) the entry way in front of our home is finally getting a face-lift.

When we moved into our home with our two teenage sons, it looked very different from how it does now. It had been neglected both inside and out by the previous owners for over 10 years. It took time to remove old carpet, drapes and clean out the clutter in the back yard. That said, my husband and I (he’s the one on the roto-tiller above) determined we would re-do specific aspects of our home, little by little. A seed for remodeling was planted in the family.

We started this remodeling  journey 5 years ago, by removing concrete, re-designing the pool area, building a deck and adding grass in the back yard. Meantime, we discovered that the beautiful tree in our front yard, was diseased and had to be removed. Since it was in the entry way, we decided to bulldoze the area, and make a commitment to landscape anew. That was when we planted another seed…the seed of a design project in our youngest son who is a gardening whiz.

Over the last few months our son, Aaron (above), has been working to create a landscape design that’s in keeping with California’s, drought tolerant focus that we’re calling California Craftsman. It includes native plants and trees that will have to be installed in ground that is the consistency of clay.

Needless to say, as the day approached for Phase 1 of our project, my husband planted yet a third seed, one of support, in our son to assure him he was ready to handle some equipment including the roto-tiller that we needed to prep the hard “clay like” planting area. As I watched him talking to and guiding our son in its use, it reminded me of the work we do in the classroom.

No matter our level of experience as educators, daily we are planting seeds in the minds and hearts of our students. It’s important that we not lose sight of that, in the midst of new educational initiatives, technology tools and web 2.0 applications. The guidance you give them, as you teach concepts, as well as the interactions you have, all plant a seed that will either bloom or fade away.

My husband  has never been a teacher, but his guiding hand, assuring my son that he could handle the tiller, planted a seed of encouragement that my son will carry forward.

Hopefully, even in the midst of our busy days, we are all working to do the same in the lives of the children, we teach.

What seeds of support have you planted today?

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