You Just Revise

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this space for me to share my corner of the world.

My sister Janis and I are only a year (and 19 days) apart in age.  When we were little, our mom would dress us alike, and people would ask if we were twins, although we looked and acted nothing alike.  We still don't look and act anything alike, contrary to what many people say.

My daughter, older sister, younger sister, and me! (l to r)

Four years after I was born, my brother was born, and my little sister came along five years after that.  Janis and I shared a bedroom from the time I was born until the year she went away to college.  We had a huge bedroom, big enough for two twin beds, two chests, two desks, and two nightstands. Plus room to draw an imaginary line down the middle to designate "my side" and "her side."  Walking in, a person could immediately tell which side belong to whom. Her side was neat as a pin, and my side had piles and piles.

Fast-forward many years, and today a person could tell which house belongs to which sister.  In her house everything is in its place, and in my house everything is in its pile. It is funny to see how those behaviors or personalities still exist.  

And given our personalities, I don't think it is a coincidence that she is a math teacher and I am an English teacher.  

We have many, many conversations about teaching.  The other day she was talking about how she gets frustrated using Jigsaw because she has to change her groups depending on how many students she has in each class.  When she said, "They don't always work out the same for every period" I started laughing.

She asked me why I was laughing.  I replied, "Because I am an English teacher and when groups don't work out...you just revise!  Groups aren't suppose to be an algorithm with one right answer like math."

I guess there are some things in life...or in people...you just can't change!