dacialene

Wife of a biker, mom to 6, trade school instructor, and author in waiting ... :)

[daciawilkinson]

Get-To-Know You/Me Quiz Thing. Come on - For Fun's Sake.

Get-To-Know You/Me Quiz Thing. Come on – For Fun’s Sake.

Quizzes are most fun! Yes, that poorly written and it’s great!  … My former boss posted this Get-to-know ya quiz on Facebook! I have to do it! Am compelled! 1. Are you named after someone? Nope … found my name in a baby book they did.  From previously chosen Deborah Ruth to Dacia Lene’ I became.  💥 2. When is the last time you cried? Yesterday.  Teared up over something undeserving of tears.…

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[daciawilkinson]

This is me in a group of peers, in a crowd of strangers, at the theater, in the middle of a grocery store ... if you're gonna laugh ... GO BIG!

This is me in a group of peers, in a crowd of strangers, at the theater, in the middle of a grocery store … if you’re gonna laugh … GO BIG!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UctRZ91m9XA&feature=share

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[daciawilkinson]

The Writing an Essay Worksheet

The Writing an Essay Worksheet

For several years, I’ve used a home-grown worksheet in teaching essay writing – as I could not find one online or in any textbook to my own liking.  Today as I taught Position Argument essay, without my worksheet in hand for my Comp II course as I’d neglected to bring it to class, I pulled it all from memory … and oh boy … adjustments needed! For instance – in class I preach that the audience is…

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[daciawilkinson]

Didn't Realize the Color of My Skin Should Determine My Political Leanings ...

Didn’t Realize the Color of My Skin Should Determine My Political Leanings …

Not surprised, but in a state of “shake my head” at the hateful and emotional rhetoric I’ve read across the internet today. So much based in ignorance [meaning without knowledge] and blindsightedness [often intentional because one side does never seek to understand the other], and I can only but choose to remain somewhat silent in response to the spewing of fear-laced words and hate that’s…

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[daciawilkinson]

"If you wouldn't be on your phone so much, these kinds of things wouldn't happen." - What the Tow Truck Driver Said to my 17 Year Old Daughter.

“If you wouldn’t be on your phone so much, these kinds of things wouldn’t happen.” – What the Tow Truck Driver Said to my 17 Year Old Daughter.

The phone call from my daughter wasn’t for me, though she called my phone.  It was her father whom she wanted to inform that her tire went pop while she was driving, and that she was stuck on the Rock Road, that she’d gotten the car as far as she could. Thinking it merely a popped tire, he sent me to get her and take her on to school, leaving the car there in the parking lot of the Cig-Liq while…

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[daciawilkinson]

370 Employers in Attendance at the Fall 2016 Ranken Job Fair! Incredible!

The days leading up to the Job Fair flew past.  In those days, I scrapped lesson plans in favor of preparing my students to have top-notch resumes and job fair skills ready and set to go. Two and a half hours per group of students.  Spent writing and re-writing resumes. Going of all do’s and don’t.  Discussing how to use the Job Fair as a networking ground whether looking for a job or not.  All…

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[daciawilkinson]

NaNoWriMo word update Day 1 ...

NaNoWriMo word update Day 1 …

So … the decision made, the 2016 NaNoWriMo text is the Three-Quel to The American Queen. Ran all my ideas past a favorite reader and she hands down chose to know MORE about Alice.  So …. at the end of day one, I am pleased to announce my NaNoWriMo word count sits at … 5,726 Whew! Now … it’s Day 2.  What will Day 2 bring? And no … I will not share the text here … as it is the third book in a…

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[daciawilkinson]

NaNoWriMo ... it's tomorrow!

NaNoWriMo … it’s tomorrow!

Daunted. That’s how I feel.  Can I do this again? Yes, I can.  I know I can.  Will I?  Well, putting it that way makes it sound weak not to try.  So … have to get  myself to undaunted.  On board. Fired up. National Novel Writing Month starts tomorrow! 50,000 words in 30 days. And why? All my students want to understand the Why …. to which I reply, BECAUSE. Just because. Because I want to…

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[daciawilkinson]

Invitation to Application

This morning I walked into Harmony Stl – truly a non-denominational community of believers though the outdoor sign says Methodist – only half knowing what to expect. I’d been informed the atmosphere was coffee-house-ish and that the worship time was meditational. Warm. Friendly. Coffee-shop like. I fell in. Finding comfort in the smiles, in the welcomes, in the community openly existent in that…

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[daciawilkinson]

Toxic Culture No More

I’m reminded this morning of how much a life can change in 5 months.  Liz Ryan posted an article to LinkedIn which drew my eyes because of the word ‘toxic’ in the title.  Ten Unmistakable Signs of a Toxic Culture. Just a few months ago, I existed in that type of environment. It is soul-crushing … Lack of smiles.  Negativity. Dark energy. Titles. Hierarchy. Status. Rules. Policy. Fear. Separation.…

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[daciawilkinson]

Omg! Vulgar Talk? 

I hear it all day, everywhere I go, and all I can continue to think is what a bunch of hypocrites we ALL are! This “shock” going around the country over some Trump guy speak is unbelievable to me.  Omg.  Get a pair.  Grow up.  Take the log out of your own eye while you point fingers at another’s eye speck! He’s a guy.  Most guys I know say those exact things … the one-upping they do.  It starts…

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[daciawilkinson]

Mrs. Dacia, You're a Black Girl ... ❤️

Mrs. Dacia, You’re a Black Girl … ❤️

Best compliment ever. One of my former students said this to me after our times together in the English course I taught at a trade school. Learning, laughing, growing.  Finding that differences aren’t that different when souls connect and humanity blares its presence. We are people. Alike. Yet not. And those words from my student impacted me forever.  We connected at a human level and these were…

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[daciawilkinson]

“You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by GOD. You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That's right—you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, GOD, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I'd never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I'm going to do what you tell me to do; don't ever walk off and leave me.”

“You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by GOD. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, GOD, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me.”

Psalm 119:7 MSG http://bible.com/97/psa.119.7.msg This is a wow for today. The verses that smack you in the face like an ice-packed leather glove … you know how that happens. The Holy Spirit saying “Hey, Doofus, do you hear me now?” Stay the path, Girl. Stay on the path.

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[daciawilkinson]

How to Not Feel Verklempt Whilst Writing a Cover Letter

It is not necessary to feel verklempt about writing a Cover Letter.  In fact, it is more than unnecessary – it is irresponsible to sit in front of the computer screen nervous about words and language and being chosen for the interview based off of those anxiety-driven word choices. Unnecessary and Irresponsible. This is my firm stance on the topic. In mid-August, the company for which I’ve wanted…

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[daciawilkinson]

When you know you're getting through ...

When you know you’re getting through …

Each week my student’s write a journal about class – what they’ve learned, etc. I received this today …. “This week’s lessons were simple and helpful. I would’ve never thought that learning how to write proper sentences was something you learn in college. Most people are taught how to write proper sentences in middle school, but the way Mrs. Wilkinson taught it this week was jaw dropping. She…

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[daciawilkinson]

LinkedIn Recommendations - My Heart is Full

LinkedIn Recommendations – My Heart is Full

Keep in mind I am an INFJ.  Tears come easy and I’ve wiped a few. This morning, my former boss and I exchanged recommendations on LinkedIn.  It was my honor to write these words for Robert Donnell … “If you could choose the person you’d work for a career lifetime, who would it be and why? If that question were posed to me, the answer is Robert “Bobby” Donnell. The “why” began in October 2010 when…

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[daciawilkinson]

The Gardener .... written by My Son

The Gardener …. written by My Son

The sun will rise, And it will fall. Let the moon rise, So that the night will follow In an open field there are dark times, But the dark hours are short, In comparison to the hours that are bright. The field is my garden. This field is my home. Keeping it plain, and the grass short So I can see if I am alone. The garden is combed daily, to find what might have grown. Mostly weeds, but sometimes…

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