Here it is, the last May post of 2016. Overall I feel pretty good about how things went this year. I was talking with someone today about how writing a daily post each day is similar to NaNoWriMo, in that I’d need to show some progress on the project each day. In some ways it’s even more difficult, though; when you’re scrambling to write a book in a month, you at least have a pretty good idea as to what the book is supposed to be about. For daily posts like this, you need to think up a new topic each day. And they don't always show up gift-wrapped and ready to go.
To close off the month, I decided to take a little time for reflection. I started the month with the idea of linking these posts together as a loose narrative, telling the story of how I tried to fight my way out of teacher burn-out while a fairly dramatic spring trimester at school would be winding down. Thankfully I pulled out of that feeling, even if it meant the narrative I’d planned wouldn't be as cohesive as I’d originally thought. All the same though, I think some interesting ideas came up along the way:
*Being burned out is largely a choice you make. I think it’s safe to say everyone feels tired and frustrated by their jobs on occasion, and we’re all susceptible to sympathetic pain when we see the people in our lives going through difficult times. But we all get to choose how we react to whatever it is we feel.
*Music is a great way to get through the bad times.
*Honest appreciation is a wonderful thing. However it doesn’t come by that often, so it’s important to soak it up when it does. You’ll need it to remind yourself why you put up with all the frustrating and tiring things in the first place.
*It’s important to stay open to advice, particularly if it comes from sources you know and trust.
*Stay in touch with your personal history. Who you are now is very much connected to who you once were.
*Loyalty matters a lot — at least to me.
*Chuck Klosterman’s book Fargo Rock City is a benchmark work for the music fans of my generation, whether they realize it or not.
*Even when life seems to be going out of its way to kick the crap out of you, there are still good things happening. If you can find your way to recognize those things, they can help you achieve a sense of inner balance.
*Recognizing and acknowledging that you have a multifaceted personality and realizing different people will define you based on what they experience about you can go along way in how you build your relationships.
*As long as their choices don’t hurt anyone else, people should be proud to claim the things in their lives that make them happy.
*It could still be a very long time, if ever, before I even consider getting another dog.
*Even if I only have a toe-hold in the world of publishing and noticeable progress can seem painfully slow to build, I have made progress, and I’m still making it. And it’s worth being excited about.
*Friendships that develop based on proximity or convenience are no less valid than any other friendships, but they can be more difficult to maintain over time and separation.
*Everything about the coming year promises to be big.
One of the main reasons I write all of these posts in May is to give my Writer Brain a jump start before rolling into summer vacation. I’ll admit that unless I have a specific writing task in front of me that I feel responsible for, it can become too easy to let everything to do with school sap up my mental energy during the spring. (Wouldn’t it be magical if I didn’t have to think about allocations like this, and just WRITE???) Taking a month to force myself back into a strong and regular writing routine is a great way to prepare for all the time off I’m about to have. Things seem to naturally fall into place once the routine comes back; I even spent most of my Memorial Day weekend working on line edits for one of the manuscripts. Knowing I’ve got a summer ahead of me that will be like much of this past weekend was seems like great fun: randomly recording notes on my phone while I’m out in the world; taking an hour to tweak two or three paragraphs; pacing around the house talking to myself while I try to figure my way though some writing problem I'm struggling with, and keeping at it until it's solved. Which is probably why I willingly spend so much time doing this — because it feels so good when I get it right.
If you were one of the loyal readers who followed my posts even semi-regularly throughout the month — thanks! It always helps to know there’s an audience. The same really goes to all the people who have read or are waiting to read one of the manuscripts floating around. Writing doesn’t exist in a vacuum of course, and readers are needed to bring it all to life.
And on that note, I'm going to hit the 'publish' button up in the corner and bring the month to an end, which will also mean I'll be pulling back on the posting frequency for awhile. Plus with summer only weeks away, I have a new project I need to start putting together, which means that even if you aren't seeing daily blog posts gumming up your news feed anymore, the writing will continue. In fact, there will probably be even more of it going on.
And just wait until you see what’s on the way....
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Monday, May 30, 2016
Day 30: 4th and 5th Grade Zen
If you’ve followed the monthly blog posts this year, you probably noticed a few mentions of a lot of changes coming at the school where I teach. Several years ago our district went through a restructuring phase that involved the closing of a number of schools. As a result of the subsequent domino effect, our school opened a new ESL program. ESL stands for English as a Second Language; it’s also known as ELL for English Language Learners, depending on which set of initials you feel is more applicable.
When this program opened, several ESL students were transferred to our building and have been a part of our community ever since. However, a new ESL program is opening at a different school next year, and since this school is right in the neighborhood where many of our ESL students live, they’ll be transferring there. Because of this, our school will be losing approximately sixty students.
Now, we’re not one of the larger schools in the district to begin with, so this drop in our numbers will be very noticeable. In fact, this is the engine behind why so many of the other changes we’re experiencing are taking place. Whenever a small school suddenly loses a large number of students, fewer teachers are needed on that staff, and fewer classroom sections are needed in each grade. Consequently, many people on our staff are being reassigned to new positions next year, including me.
To get you caught up, here’s what my last few years have been like: I taught fifth grade for eighteen years, then was transferred to third grade as the fourth grade teachers moved up to fifth grade for a second year with their students. The following year, my third grade team did the same thing and looped up with our students up to fourth grade. This all means I’ve now taught three different grades over the past three years. Next year I’ll be working in what’s being called a 4/5 split, which means I’ll be teaching math and science to a class of fourth graders for half of the day, then teaching the same subjects to a class of 5th graders during the other half. My partner, who is one of my closest friends at school and is widely recognized as one of the best teachers on our staff (whether she will acknowledge this or not), will be teaching all things language arts to the fifth graders while I’m teaching fourth, and then trading groups with me for the other half of the day.
As far as potential changes go, I personally see more pros to this arrangement than cons. My soon-to-be new partner and I are already moving forward, fully aware that our combined background knowledge, instructional experience, and creativity have the potential to redefine what can be done in the intermediate grades at our school. Our biggest hope is that whatever models we come up with will be successful and intriguing enough to compel the people we’ll be working with the most directly to be a part of what we’re trying.
Of course this does mean it’s entirely likely I’ll be teaching some students for the third year in a row as my current group goes from fourth grade to fifth. I’ll also have a new crop coming in as my fourth grade group. I’ve taught both grades before so there won’t be a lot of “new” for me as far as curriculum goes, which is nice, but managing two grades at once will likely present a few challenges…or, as Betsy and I are looking at it, new chances to put our creativity and divergent thought to use, and come up with solutions that won’t just be successful but will prove a benefit to everyone involved.
Two grades at once also means twice the Zen opportunities; it will just be a matter of which group will have the chemistry it takes to make those things happen. But they will happen, so watch this space. One way or another, there’s going to be an interesting and dynamic story to follow when the next school year begins.
When this program opened, several ESL students were transferred to our building and have been a part of our community ever since. However, a new ESL program is opening at a different school next year, and since this school is right in the neighborhood where many of our ESL students live, they’ll be transferring there. Because of this, our school will be losing approximately sixty students.
Now, we’re not one of the larger schools in the district to begin with, so this drop in our numbers will be very noticeable. In fact, this is the engine behind why so many of the other changes we’re experiencing are taking place. Whenever a small school suddenly loses a large number of students, fewer teachers are needed on that staff, and fewer classroom sections are needed in each grade. Consequently, many people on our staff are being reassigned to new positions next year, including me.
To get you caught up, here’s what my last few years have been like: I taught fifth grade for eighteen years, then was transferred to third grade as the fourth grade teachers moved up to fifth grade for a second year with their students. The following year, my third grade team did the same thing and looped up with our students up to fourth grade. This all means I’ve now taught three different grades over the past three years. Next year I’ll be working in what’s being called a 4/5 split, which means I’ll be teaching math and science to a class of fourth graders for half of the day, then teaching the same subjects to a class of 5th graders during the other half. My partner, who is one of my closest friends at school and is widely recognized as one of the best teachers on our staff (whether she will acknowledge this or not), will be teaching all things language arts to the fifth graders while I’m teaching fourth, and then trading groups with me for the other half of the day.
As far as potential changes go, I personally see more pros to this arrangement than cons. My soon-to-be new partner and I are already moving forward, fully aware that our combined background knowledge, instructional experience, and creativity have the potential to redefine what can be done in the intermediate grades at our school. Our biggest hope is that whatever models we come up with will be successful and intriguing enough to compel the people we’ll be working with the most directly to be a part of what we’re trying.
Of course this does mean it’s entirely likely I’ll be teaching some students for the third year in a row as my current group goes from fourth grade to fifth. I’ll also have a new crop coming in as my fourth grade group. I’ve taught both grades before so there won’t be a lot of “new” for me as far as curriculum goes, which is nice, but managing two grades at once will likely present a few challenges…or, as Betsy and I are looking at it, new chances to put our creativity and divergent thought to use, and come up with solutions that won’t just be successful but will prove a benefit to everyone involved.
Two grades at once also means twice the Zen opportunities; it will just be a matter of which group will have the chemistry it takes to make those things happen. But they will happen, so watch this space. One way or another, there’s going to be an interesting and dynamic story to follow when the next school year begins.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Day 29: Ten Things I'm Looking Forward to About Summer
Memorial Day weekend has become widely recognized as the unofficial start of summer. I only kind of agree with this. On one hand, I’m not going to consider it truly summer until I reach that first morning when I wake up knowing I don’t have to go to school to teach anyone or pack anything. On the other hand, any days at school that follow Memorial Day have a very different feel to them since summer break is tantalizingly close.
Each summer break is different from the ones before it, but there are always a few things about the season that are at least similar. I don’t yet know what moments or events will eventually come to define whatever this summer break will be, but I do know there are going to be some things about it that I’ll enjoy, because I do every year. Here’s a list of ten of those things that have me looking forward to finishing off the last two weeks of the school year. As always, in no particular order:
1. Catching up on television
My Netflix account has been all but dormant these past several months, and I know I’m going to more than make up for it when it comes to summer binge-watching. I also have a number of series saved on my DVR that I never found the time to watch during the school year, and I’m seriously thinking about doing a “West Wing” series re-watch this summer as well. And all of this is to say nothing of another summer of “Big Brother,” my summertime guilty pleasure (and I do feel guilty about enjoying it), starting up in a few weeks.
2. Family events
Just as I spend a lot of time with friends during the school year, I always seem to spend more time with my family during the summer. This year we’ve got a high school graduation, two weddings, and the annual trip to the Turtle Lake fair coming up. Plus there’s still the Cousin Movie Night I want to see happen (Paul, we need to get started on the logistics for that!).
3. Home improvements
There are always some jobs around the house that could stand being done, and summer is a perfect time to take care of them. I’m not talking about major construction or anything like that, but more things like organizing, cleaning, or small bits of decorating. I like having a home where I feel comfortable and relaxed, and I don’t mind setting aside some of my summer to put in the time and thought it takes to make it that way.
4. Games
Yes, I play video games (as you probably do as well, even if you want to call them 'apps' on your phone), and yes, I own an Xbox One. I don’t have the stamina to spend marathon amounts of time playing anymore, but when I find a game (or two) that really captures my imagination, gaming can be a great way to fill a lazy afternoon or a sleepless night.
5. Writing time
In summer, I don’t have to schedule in the time to write. I can just do it. I can plan, prewrite, write, revise, edit, proofread, and work on different projects at the same time if I want. If I ever catch a wave of flow state, I can just ride it out as long as I want without having to worry about other commitments. It’s wonderful, and one of the reasons I would happily leaving teaching behind if the opportunity ever came together. Since I can think of at least three different projects I’ll have going, I’m planning on this year being a very productive summer.
6. Afternoon movies
Maybe it’s an introvert thing, but I think the absolute best time to see a movie in the theater is to go on a hot summer afternoon. You don’t have to worry about crowds, or lines, or some knucklehead five rows ahead of you playing Candy Crush, or the people who sat in the seats right behind you even though the theater was only half full talking through the whole stinkin’ movie. If you time things right you can even get the whole place to yourself, and then pretend you’re a billionaire watching a private screening in the full-size movie theater you built in your basement. If anyone wants to tag along sometime and see how great it can be, let's talk!
7. Reading time
What’s a summer reading list without the time to enjoy it? Every year I have at least one day when I set aside everything else and just read. It’s beyond amazing. And even though I already have a fairly extensive reading list, you can bet there will be at least a trip or two to Barnes and Noble in my future.
8. Working on the fridge
This will only be my second year of having a refrigerator door covered with colorful Post-It Notes making up a to-do list of summertime adventures. I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with checking items off a list, and I learned last year that having the visual prompt of ideas and the motivation of being able to take them down are great ways to keep my days occupied.
9. The procrastination checklist
I’ll admit I procrastinate. It’s not a chronic thing, but if I have a job in front of me that I really don’t want to do, it’s too easy to find different ways to spend my time. After awhile though, those boring-to-unpleasant tasks start to hang over your head. Summer is a great time to take care of at least some of them, which not only gets the stupid job out of the way but also provides a little dopamine charge for the reward of finally getting it over with. Achievement unlocked!!
10. Naps
Maybe not every day, but several times a week. Most are pretty short, but the beauty is they don’t have to be.
So that’s part of my list. How about you? What are your favorite things about summer, whether you get eleven weeks off from your job or not?
Each summer break is different from the ones before it, but there are always a few things about the season that are at least similar. I don’t yet know what moments or events will eventually come to define whatever this summer break will be, but I do know there are going to be some things about it that I’ll enjoy, because I do every year. Here’s a list of ten of those things that have me looking forward to finishing off the last two weeks of the school year. As always, in no particular order:
1. Catching up on television
My Netflix account has been all but dormant these past several months, and I know I’m going to more than make up for it when it comes to summer binge-watching. I also have a number of series saved on my DVR that I never found the time to watch during the school year, and I’m seriously thinking about doing a “West Wing” series re-watch this summer as well. And all of this is to say nothing of another summer of “Big Brother,” my summertime guilty pleasure (and I do feel guilty about enjoying it), starting up in a few weeks.
2. Family events
Just as I spend a lot of time with friends during the school year, I always seem to spend more time with my family during the summer. This year we’ve got a high school graduation, two weddings, and the annual trip to the Turtle Lake fair coming up. Plus there’s still the Cousin Movie Night I want to see happen (Paul, we need to get started on the logistics for that!).
3. Home improvements
There are always some jobs around the house that could stand being done, and summer is a perfect time to take care of them. I’m not talking about major construction or anything like that, but more things like organizing, cleaning, or small bits of decorating. I like having a home where I feel comfortable and relaxed, and I don’t mind setting aside some of my summer to put in the time and thought it takes to make it that way.
4. Games
Yes, I play video games (as you probably do as well, even if you want to call them 'apps' on your phone), and yes, I own an Xbox One. I don’t have the stamina to spend marathon amounts of time playing anymore, but when I find a game (or two) that really captures my imagination, gaming can be a great way to fill a lazy afternoon or a sleepless night.
5. Writing time
In summer, I don’t have to schedule in the time to write. I can just do it. I can plan, prewrite, write, revise, edit, proofread, and work on different projects at the same time if I want. If I ever catch a wave of flow state, I can just ride it out as long as I want without having to worry about other commitments. It’s wonderful, and one of the reasons I would happily leaving teaching behind if the opportunity ever came together. Since I can think of at least three different projects I’ll have going, I’m planning on this year being a very productive summer.
6. Afternoon movies
Maybe it’s an introvert thing, but I think the absolute best time to see a movie in the theater is to go on a hot summer afternoon. You don’t have to worry about crowds, or lines, or some knucklehead five rows ahead of you playing Candy Crush, or the people who sat in the seats right behind you even though the theater was only half full talking through the whole stinkin’ movie. If you time things right you can even get the whole place to yourself, and then pretend you’re a billionaire watching a private screening in the full-size movie theater you built in your basement. If anyone wants to tag along sometime and see how great it can be, let's talk!
7. Reading time
What’s a summer reading list without the time to enjoy it? Every year I have at least one day when I set aside everything else and just read. It’s beyond amazing. And even though I already have a fairly extensive reading list, you can bet there will be at least a trip or two to Barnes and Noble in my future.
8. Working on the fridge
This will only be my second year of having a refrigerator door covered with colorful Post-It Notes making up a to-do list of summertime adventures. I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with checking items off a list, and I learned last year that having the visual prompt of ideas and the motivation of being able to take them down are great ways to keep my days occupied.
9. The procrastination checklist
I’ll admit I procrastinate. It’s not a chronic thing, but if I have a job in front of me that I really don’t want to do, it’s too easy to find different ways to spend my time. After awhile though, those boring-to-unpleasant tasks start to hang over your head. Summer is a great time to take care of at least some of them, which not only gets the stupid job out of the way but also provides a little dopamine charge for the reward of finally getting it over with. Achievement unlocked!!
10. Naps
Maybe not every day, but several times a week. Most are pretty short, but the beauty is they don’t have to be.
So that’s part of my list. How about you? What are your favorite things about summer, whether you get eleven weeks off from your job or not?
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