Non-Negotiables

Every time I hear the phrase "non-negotiable," I think of the staff at Teacher's College. I am not sure who I heard it from first (Lucy?), but it is a phrase I really appreciate. What is non-negotiable?  What am I not willing to budge on?

This morning, a group of teachers met to discuss non-negotiables in Reader's Workshop -- what belongs in a book box, how often students should get new books, what should a class library look like, how long should students be reading, per trimester, per grade.  We each shared what we value (the student) and how we can best meet the needs of all of our students. We created a list of non-negotiables that we could all agree upon.

Tonight, I am considering other non-negotiables. What is non-negotiable in my personal life?  The health and well-being of my family.  That's the big one that I can not, will not sacrifice.

But this feels a bit more blurry than the discussion this morning.  My husband and I are balancing a lot of things right now - my brother's health and long-term care, aging parents, our daughter's upcoming ankle surgery. All of these involve the health and well-being of our family. How do we determine what we are not willing to budge on?  There are so many factors that we have absolutely no control of that.

I have complete trust that we will get through this - because there is one other non-negotiable in our life - -our faith. At, bottom line, that is the one we need.

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for the opportunity to share this slice of my life.