Easily Excitable

Just a little note for you readers: I wrote this last week and initially planned to post it last Saturday. This coincided with a trip to Florida, though, and I never got around to posting it. Thanks for reading all the same, and congrats to the class of 2026!

Today’s the day, all you Bleckley County High School graduates. In fact, if you’re reading this, and you graduated from any school here in the year of our Lord, 2026? 

Congratulations to you. 

If you stumble upon this and were one of ‘mine,’ whether as a ninth or eleventh grader, I’ll have you know it was mostly a joy and a delight, most of the time. 

Here’s hoping your attendance at work is better than your attendance at school. 

What’s more, new BCHS graduate, you may be shocked at the fact that I have a blog.

 I’m not shocked that you’re shocked. You rarely did your assigned reading, so why in the world would I think you would do the unassigned?! 

Plus, there’s the fact that you’ve all heard enough of my big mouth: it’s been part and parcel of your daily existence for the last four years. You don’t need to read my words to get that experience.

Oh, and one last thing: this is my blog, not my vlog (video blog). You’ll find no videos here. My ninth graders commonly have this misconception, and that makes it even funnier to them. 

But again, it’s a blog: it’s very millennial of me, but it makes sense, being that we older folks read. 

Much of this I say in jest. 

You should be able to read the sarcasm there if you’ve had any adjacency to me in the past four years. 

I often quip that I hate my job- that basically I’m just here for the wealth to be gained through a teaching career. I do hope that, for four years, you could tell that wasn’t the case. 

In reality, for nine years now, I’ve worked at my dream job. 

I didn’t realize this at your age. 

When I was eighteen, I was a declared nursing major. It took one semester of anatomy for me to realize nursing wasn’t the path for me. 

That shocked approximately no one but me. Being bad at something in the real world? What? What even was that? I’d always been okay at school. 

I failed at majoring in nursing, and thus began the shifts that would eventually land me in the classroom.

Lesson #1? 

You will fail. You will change course. You will survive. 

That wasn’t the first time I changed my major. Oh no. 

I changed my major a shocking six times. I still graduated on time, which leads into Lesson #2: 

My God is still in the miracle-working business. 

From there, I landed in secondary public education, which is a very prestigious title for the honorable role known as 9th/10th Grade ELA teacher.

The first year was a tragedy, but each year following, I’ve enjoyed this career more and more. 

Lesson #3? Mastery increases satisfaction in anything, but especially in a career. 

Mastery here simply means “got better” because we ALL know I haven’t mastered teaching. 

LOL. You know this. 

I’ll spend my whole career figuring this gig out. 

The first year of teaching (for any of you wishing to head in this direction) was like being placed in the middle of a busy interstate without really understanding how you got there or what your goal is. 

There is shame because you don’t know what you’re doing, but also, you don’t even know what you don’t know, so you can’t get better because, again? You don’t even know what you’re doing, wrong or right. 

So, take it from me: your mission when you first dip your toes into your career is simple:

Survive.

It’ll get better. 

Last year, when the class of 2025 graduated, I wrote out a list of advice on my blog-

Some parting words of wisdom…or…whatever was rolling around in my brain.

This year, for all you 2026 graduates, I don’t have a list of advice, per say. Rather, earlier in this writing, I gave you three smell lessons I’ve learned. 

Those were apps- the chips, the queso, and the guac- before the entree. 

This entree is simply a phrase that encapsulates one of the most important things I can tell you from my life experience (limited though it may be).

I want to kick it off with a story because, kiddos, you know I love telling a story just about more than anything. 

Seven or eight years ago, I was helping with a shower at church. 

It was for one of my church friends (I’m sorry to admit that I can’t remember who it was for specifically). The shower took place on a Sunday afternoon, which, if you’re involved in church, always makes for a long day. 

I enjoyed the shower because I love my people, and I love to celebrate. 

But, truthfully speaking? I didn’t really want to be there, solely for the fact that I had a full list of to-do’s breathing down my back. 

Sunday lesson planning, exercise, prepping for the week, grocery shopping- all the things. I had a lot on my plate. 

This shower was just an added check-off for the day. 

While I was standing in the refreshments room, an older (WISER) woman walked up to me and said something I will never forget: 

“I miss this so much. When we were younger, there was a party every weekend. Now we’re older, and we don’t have parties. This is so much fun.”

Oh look! A brake-check from God Himself. 

There I was, having a mini panic attack because of a to-do list: I was approaching the shower as yet another thing I had to do, rather than an opportunity to celebrate, honor, and fully enjoy a friend. 

That woman’s comment was a timely word of both encouragement and accountability. I didn’t know I needed it, and she didn’t know she gave it. 

Here’s the lesson I learned that day and have seen reinforced almost daily:

Have a get-to attitude, rather than a got-to attitude. 

This isn’t a new concept…or I don’t think it is. If I’m the first one to come up with that, put a trademark on my name. Here…

Get to, not got to.™ 

That’s better. 

In all seriousness, I’m not wise enough to come up with that, and it’s simply a five word phrase that harkens to the most life-changing tool you have at your disposal:

A good attitude. 

You will be amazed at the opportunities a good attitude will open up for you. 

You will be shocked at how difficult a good attitude can be to maintain. 

You will be astounded at the frequency and potency of the opposite approach. 

A good attitude begins with humility: 

It’s seeing oneself rightly. As you start to do this, you’ll have the lens to see the blessings God has poured out over you. Moreover, you’ll have the vision to see your lack of deservedness for these blessings.  

These two realizations are key to a good attitude.

High school is a distinct place. 

I know it’ll surprise you, but I, too, was a high schooler once. 

Things have changed since my time there: you all typed in your lunch number, rather than saying it, and the lunch ladies serve chicken, cheese, and rice, rather than steak nuggets. 

There is a Chromebook cart, rather than 3 desktops at the back of the classroom. 

The parking lot is filled with a lot of nice cars, rather than the beaters you’d see BACK IN MY DAY. 

But one thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that a bad attitude is considered, to some degree, cool. 

Now, I know no one would ever come out and say that, but teenagers are notorious for apathy, rolling eyes and smacking lips, and, it can seem, the race to the bottom. 

Many folks share the same, “I hate this place” and “I can’t wait to leave.” That’s the norm in high school, and though it annoys the stew out of me, it’s commonplace. 

It’s expected when it comes to teenagers. 

You’ll find That this is not the case outside of school. 

There is nothing more draining than a bad attitude. If it does anything to the positive effect, it excites…other bad attitudes. Complaining has a snowball effect. 

And for this reason, I present you with the ‘get to’, rather than the ‘got to.’

My hope and prayer for you, graduate, is that you will realize the grace granted you in every situation. You get to decide whether different events, drags, and routines in your life are obligations or opportunities.  

I’ve got to work out? 

I get to workout (because I have a body that works and muscles that want to be stronger). 

I’ve got to walk the dog? 

I get to walk the dog and get my shoes all wet (because God has blessed me with a healthy dog and shoes to wear in the first place). 

I’ve got to go to work? 

I get to go to work (because I’ve been given an opportunity to make both a paycheck and an impact). 

I’ve got to do this assignment? 

I get to do this assignment (because I have the chance to further my education and prepare for a career).

I’ve got to get up early? 

I get to get up early (because God’s given me a new day and a sunrise to kick it all off).

You get my drift. 

There is always a reason for positivity. There is always a reason for a positive attitude. 

There is always a reason for a get-to, rather than a got-to. 

When you choose the get-to mindset, you show gratitude and humility, and there are no two more attractive qualities. 

My hope for you is an abundant life. 

Please know that abundance cannot come without pruning: discomfort is always the key to growing.

Personally? I would tell you to choose discomfort when you can: this makes the discomfort God chooses for you easier to stomach. 

In both ease and discomfort, I pray you will have a get-to mindset: that you wouldn’t look for problems in the easy, and that you’ll always seek the joyous in the difficult. 

You have been a delight to me, and I will always cheer you on. 

I praise God for this career and the way He’s intersected my life with yours. Be smart, make good decisions, and always try to make it right when the decisions you make aren’t so good.

Remember that you only have one go-round in life, and it would be a real waste to spend life speaking of your ‘got-to’s’, rather than praising the Lord for your ‘get-to’s.’

To some degree, you all are a part my life’s work- a part of the career God designed me for. As teachers, we have poured ourselves into you- go make us proud and become the examples we tell future students about.

I’m a better woman because of you. Congratulations, graduates!