Expect the Unexpected

I like to consider myself a planner. I am efficient, reliable, and capable of making decisions that will ultimately have a large effect on my future. However, often times the unexpected happens. I am beginning to realize that there are many things in my life that have been unexpected but tremendous. I often stumble into situations or people that will in turn affect my life forever. I am learning that instead of analyzing the situation to death and basically shredding it to pieces with my girl emotions, it is better to enjoy the moment and to expect the unexpected. There are reasons why some things work out and others don't. There are reasons why people enter your life at the precise moment they are needed, whether you realize they are needed or not. For example, there are reasons why a sweet man will come into your life and heal your broken heart just as you are starting to lose your faith in men. See? Unexpected but tremendous :)

There are reasons why teaching is challenging but extremely rewarding. I went into student teaching expecting a much different experience then the one I am currently having. And in all honesty, I wouldn't have experienced student teaching the way I had originally thought. This experience is much more fitted to me and what I need. Often times the unexpected is what we least expect because we haven't yet realized that we need to experience it. The unexpected is often more thrilling, challenging, and uncertain--but in the end it is the most rewarding, fulfilling, and instrumental in bringing us closer to discovering who we are. 

I am grateful for the unexpected, it keeps me humble and teachable. I expect to continue to have unexpected tremendous moments to carry me through this life. 

Hearts of the Children

I am currently teaching special education. I have somewhere around 40 students that I service daily. They are split up into groups and we push into the classroom so they can stay integrated and so we can service many more students. I teach reading, writing, and math daily. There are days (especially like today) where I feel like I am dragging my feet and can barely sit up straight. Days where I think to myself: "if I have to say 'Sit on your pockets', or 'stop touching my things', or 'wait for my signal' one more time, I think I might just lay on the floor and cry". However during those moments and those days there are little tiny moments that build or happen throughout the day that remind me how much I love this profession. Moments that whisper to me "this is why you are here". 

Today one of my students, a second grader, was doing math with the group I was teaching. We were working on a problem and he became frustrated. He looked at his paper and said "I'm dumb." I gasped audibly and said "Look at me. You are not dumb. I am your teacher, and you are definitely not dumb." I proceeded to ask him if anyone had said that to him recently, etc. He didn't respond. I looked at him and said, "You listen to me, if anyone ever tells you you are dumb or you start thinking you are dumb, you tell them 'My teacher, Ms. Horne, says I am smart, and that is all that matters.'" He put his head down and began to cry. I'm not sure if it was from the shame of being called dumb, or gratitude that he felt for my confidence in him. Whatever it was, it was too much emotion for an 8 year old to handle. 

Another child from the group spoke up and said that sometimes on his way home from school people call him dumb. My heart dropped as I looked over these beautiful and capable children in my group. I realized how tender hearted and fragile these children really are. They may act tough and sassy, but they are really only 8 years old. 8 years of living in this life and on this earth. Only 8 years of experiences, and they are already being called "dumb" or in other words incapable. 

I would not have it. I stopped my lesson, only for a moment, and said "Every one listen to me for a minute. You are all smart and capable children. You know how I know that? Because I am your teacher and I work with you every day. I SEE how smart you are!" I then told them that if anyone called them dumb they were to say 'No I am not. My teacher says I am smart, and that is ALL that matters.'

They all sat up a little straighter and repeated what I said. We continued with the lesson and the original little boy wiped away his tears and was able to complete the problem. 

Be careful with the hearts of the children, they are our future. Don't be a cause in what can sometimes be permanent damage. Everyone is capable of success. 



Ms. Horne in Kindergarten :)

Never Doubt Yourself

I have had the time recently to think and reflect on what I love and what makes me tick. In other words what makes Karla Thelma...Karla Thelma. Here is a list I have composed:

1. I love my family more than words can describe, being away from them leaves me with a little empty feeling

2. I adore slow dancing, it is one of my favorite things. Oddly it makes me miss stake dances when that cute boy would come up and ask you to dance. It also makes me miss going up to the wallflower boys and scaring the daylights out of them as I ask them to dance--yes I was THAT girl

3. Disney-need I say more? Disneyland, Disney Movies, Disney Princesses, Disney Princes, Disney dress up, DISNEY DISNEY DISNEY 

4. Tulips. I dream about going to Holland to run through fields of tulips (it's Holland right?)

5. The ocean, being out on the ocean, there is nothing like it

6. Children, they are the light in my life. They remind me to be free! I don't know what I would do if I couldn't teach. 

7. Sending mail, not to mention receiving it as well

8. Blasting oldies music and being proud to know almost every single song that comes on the oldies station--let alone knowing what the oldies station is by heart no matter where I move

9. Dressing up--for no reason at all

10. Building forts

11. Cuddling up in a big sweatshirt with a book, or just cuddling

12. Yoga pants, not yoga...just the pants

13. Teaching

14. Bathing suits...wearing them all day in the summer so you are ready to swim at a moment's notice

15. The "after Thanksgiving a coma" where my whole family and extended family piles on the couch in front of a Disney movie. Then waking up an hour later with someone's foot in your face and head on your shoulder

16. Harry Potter

17. Watching murder mysteries with my grandma :)

18. Pugs

19. Dancing in the rain

20. Rocking a baby to sleep, feels like you're with an angel

21. The peace of a river or stream

22. Laying in the sun and falling asleep, then coming in with red lines all over your face from the grass

23. Being barefoot, everyday, everywhere

24. Cabins

25. Falling asleep to movies on the couch with my brother laughing like a mad man

26. Heart to hearts

27. Pillow Talk

28. Cramming into a twin sized bed with my best friend and not feeling squished at all

29. Love. No matter what type, it always fascinates me how powerful one little 4 letter word can be. Never ever take it for granted, more people in this world need love

30. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is my rock. 


There are many more things that I love and would write about, but I would rather let that become more of a mystery discovery process. I am unique. We all are. Be proud of who you are, what you are like, and what you are capable of. Some of the best advice I ever received was to "Never doubt yourself". I have followed that as best as I know how.  And you know what? It's true. 

Lessons from Disney

We all grew up watching Disney, at least most of us did. I breathed Disney, I played Disney, I loved Disney, but more than anything I watched Disney. Today as I was sick in bed the only thing I wanted to watch was Disney movies. As I lay in bed watching Toy Story 3 I thought of all of the lessons I learned from good old Walt.

Disney taught me the following:

If you sing while walking alone in a forest you will find the man of your dreams (literally)

Toys do have feelings ( I knew it)

Seeing someone for who they are inside softens even the toughest of beasts

If you rebel against your father you get to marry a prince and become human (huh)

To be a princess you can only have 1 parent

If you eat food from a stranger a prince will come wake you up from death

If you tell lies your nose will grow to unnatural lengths

Attaching balloons to a house will make it drift away to precisely where you need to go (how convenient)

You can sleep for 100 years and wake up in the exact same state you fell asleep in...perfect

Monsters only scare you for their job, they are actually quite cuddly 

Dogs can fall in love over spaghetti, and Tramp is just a name, not a derogatory term

If you kiss a frog you actually turn into a frog (boy have I had that backwards for years!)

Mice actually befriend elephants not scare them

Little boys can be raised by wolves...and panthers

Love can be found in an instant, or in a glass slipper

If you have big leg muscles you can basically surf up and down trees no problem

Chanting "I do believe in fairies" brings fairies back to life

Sharks can control their hunger for fish, so why not humans?

Women can pass for men as long as the other men wear buns and armor



The most important lesson I learned is that dreams do come true, and Disney allows that to happen, no matter what age you are. I mean what other place would there be full grown adults pushing past little kids in a parade just to see their favorite princess? (ok maybe that is just me). Or what other movie would bring tears to your eyes as love blossomed between prince and princess or between toy and boy? Today I am grateful for Disney, where dreams come true, and I never have to grow up. 

A Backwards World

This world is backwards. People that should be recognized are not. I am obviously talking about teachers. Teachers shape the world. Teachers inspire, develop, nurture, and encourage the leaders of our future. Teachers' are the leaders of today. Yet, they are not noticed. They are not given proper funds. They are not recognized for the backbreaking and heart wrenching details that play into the life of a teacher. Doctors and lawyers are important, and should be recognized and well paid. But what would they have become if they had not had a teacher? A teacher who cared enough to help them succeed? Where would you be without your teachers? Yes, "boys and girls", teachers is plural. There may be one or two teachers that stand out above the rest, but we have all been touched by many many many teachers. I estimated and by the end of high school I had had over 60 teachers. By the time I finished college I had had over 100 teachers throughout my time in school. From age 5 to 21 I had had over 100 men and women affect my life for better. 

Teachers' see and hear some of the most heartbreaking and life shattering life stories. Stories that you should never hear, especially because they are so often told about the students that you care for and love every day in your classroom. Teachers work tirelessly to ensure that EVERY child benefits, that EVERY child is being serviced to reach his or her greatest potential. Teachers raise the children of today. They are team members with parents. Teachers are advocates for a higher and better society. Please don't stand in their way, don't bring down all of their hard work. Please don't demean or judge a woman or man who chooses to be a teacher. When you do you are demeaning all of the hundreds of men and women that you praised as "teacher" throughout your life. The men and women who helped you grow to be who you are today. Please don't underestimate the power of a teacher, for this world is backwards. Those that work in the dirt are creating the most beautiful flowers. Don't step on our garden.

My name is Karla Horne. I go by Ms. Horne, Miss Karla, Karla, Horne, Hey you, um, but most importantly "teacher". 

Love Month

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have found my one true love the first time around. Then I think about all of the experiences, loves, losses, and wonderful friends I made over the dating process and realize each person that came into and out of my life was there for a reason. I realize this might be an odd blogpost to write, but it is how I am feeling. I have been thinking about love and the many forms it takes, especially because we are so close to Valentine's day. "Love month", as I like to call it, is approaching, and yet there is so much more than just the romantic love that should be celebrated. These are the types of love I consider worth celebrating:

1. The love of a mother for her child
2. The love of a father and his baby girl
3. The love of a blossoming romance
4. The love of siblings that is often expressed in quarrels and made up in cuddles
5. The love of a best friend, who knows that no matter how far a part you are, or how little you may talk, nothing could ever break or harm the friendship you hold
6. The love of a teacher for her students, a kind of love that so often goes unappreciated or unnoticed except between the teacher and student themselves.
7. The love of a mother and a father for each other. I feel that this love might be so very different from the love of a young couple. The love of parents for one another is a deep bond that I look forward to experiencing one day.
8. The love of an old couple who has been together through it all and back again. 
9. The love of a grandparent for their grandchildren. It's often hard to describe but so easy to feel
10. The love of relatives for relatives, no matter how distantly related you may be, family is family
11. The love of a pet and its owner, the looks of love and adoration, the comfort received, the loyalty
12. The love of guardian angels protecting us from the other side of the veil
13. The deep love rooted in human nature to be charitable to one another, even the strangers we meet
14. The love of a religious leader and his or her congregation, something that moves deep inside of them and whispers "protect them"
15. The love of our Savior, Jesus Christ, when He gave His life so we could live

But most importantly...The love of a Father in Heaven, who gave His Only Begotten Son so He could have all of His children back. A Father who never leaves our sides even when we leave His. A Father who desperately longs for us to choose the right and to return to His loving embrace. A Father who turned His back on His Son, even Jesus Christ, as He suffered for the sins of mankind.How hard that must have been for Him. 

That, my friends, is love. That is the love that should be celebrated not once a year, but each and every day. This Valentines day I challenge myself and whoever continued reading this post to find someone new to love and to express that love to everyday. Whether it be a long lost friend, a stranger, a family member, a significant other, or your Heavenly Father. Express it in your words and actions. Love is an expression of understanding. When we love we express to others that we understand our relationship with them. It expresses gratitude and charity. One of my favorite movies Dan In Real Life states "Love isn't a feeling. It's an ability." 

What a powerful statement. Take the time to enable yourself to love, and love in many different ways. 

I am constantly surrounded by love. Why not show it a little more?

Birthday Birthday

I turned 22 years old yesterday. I was born to my sweet parents on January, 30th 22 years ago. It's funny to me how when birthdays arrive it doesn't really seem to feel any different and yet another year has flown by. When you look back over the past year it seems as though so much has changed. What baffles me is that isn't a year such a little amount of time? Isn't it so short in comparison to the large scheme of things? And yet, in the past year I was able to finish my last three semesters of college, watch my brother leave on a mission, fall in love, break my heart, learn to mend it again, see those I love through hard times, and begin my career as an educator. All of this and so much more in a year. A simple, tiny year. The ability that humans have to accomplish things is incredible. I am grateful for the past year and looking forward to the new one to come. Although I know this year will bring so much sadness, challenge, excitement, and joy--I look forward to it all. It makes me stronger each year. Here is to being 22! Young, beautiful, and more and more in touch with who I am becoming.