International Day of the Girl

This is a blog that has been percolating in my brain for a bit, and I realized that International Day of the Girl was the perfect time to write it.

If you are just finding my blog... Hi, I am Andrea and I am also known as a busy bee (that is how you can find me on social media is @akbusybee)  I have been in education for 17 years.  I have a bachelors in interdisciplinary studies from West Texas A&M University.  The first 12 years of my educational career I was a special education teacher in various LIFE (learning in a functional environment classrooms). I received my first masters for Lamar University in Instructional Technology.  I was an ITS for 3 years.  I then received my masters from TWU and became a librarian.  Over the summer not only did I move houses.. but I moved jobs too! I had spent 16 years in elementary and this year I moved to middle school!  I am also a Lifetime member of Girl Scouts and was a recipient of the Girl Scout Gold Award.

But, this is about International Day of the Girl.

Photo I posted to various social media sites.

I have been a Girl Scout since I was 5 years old (guys, that is almost 33 years!)  I grew up with Troop 209 and had the most amazing leaders and support through Girl Scouts! Growing up in Troop 209, I had an AMAZING leader (Nancy-aka-Nuglet) and also my parents were leaders. I remember my dad helping with badges when it came to checking the oil in a car and my mom bringing in guest speakers to talk to our troop. When I was going into 6th grade, I found my love for volunteering through helping at our local Girl Scout day camp. I also would not be the person I am today without the support and leadership that Girl Scouts showed me.

One of our last campouts and me as a Brownie

Girl Scouts Taught Me:
-The value of learning something new.  There were many times that our troop leader had us try something different or new.  Did I always like what we tried, of course not, but I appreciated the opportunities to experience different things.
-The value of not giving up.  Nuglet was the troop leader that showed you how to complete a task, gave pointers, but understood that it was important for the girl to accomplish the task themselves.  It is okay to fail and it is even better to try again!
-The value of being a sister to every Girl Scout.  We live in a society today that we don't always agree with everyone.  My troop and Girl Scouts taught me to listen to others, give my opinion, but also know when it is okay to disagree.
-The value of recognizing and celebrating people
-Being at the middle school now gives me a chance to attend football and volleyball games (I know that I will be adding to my list when more seasons start) and cheer students on.
-I love attending choir and band concerts and celebrating the work that students have done
-I love finding the good in people, when so often we are able to easily find the bad.
-I love celebrating people when accomplishments have been made.
-Realizing that every person has a story and every person deserves the chance to make a difference.

I recently was able to see the CEO Sylvia Acevedo speak about her new book Path To the Stars. I took so many things away from that evening, but the main thing was this:

Sylvia talked of the teacher who asked her why does she keep practicing basketball when she knows she won't be able to play.  She replied that it gives me joy.

Most importantly Girl Scouts Taught Me:
-The value of being involved
We all have busy days and I do not fault people who are not involved (now, if you sign up to be involved with something and you don't follow through.. I might give you the side eye)
Being involved makes my heart beyond happy.
-I LOVE being a Destination ImagiNation Team Manager.  Those kids drive me crazy, but I love seeing them work challenges out and work together. I also love that I am able to be able to coach students in hopefully being better team players which will in turn make them better contributing members to society.
-I LOVE being a sponsor for various clubs (ukulele and K-Pop right now) because it gives an extra space for students to feel as if they belong.
Most of all, I LOVE being a troop leader.
My husband and I have tried for over 10 years to start a family.  When I finally realized that my path was going to be different than what I planned, I started the 3rd generation of Troop 1810.
Although I do not have any children of my own, being involved allows me to help shape (hopefully for the good) the next generation of thinkers, creators, and leaders.

I am so very thankful for how Girl Scouts has provided me opportunities to continually grow as a better human being and hopefully change the world just a little bit.  I can't wait to see how my girls in Troop 1810 are going to change the world!