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Dear Subscriber Name, Happy Tuesday! This newsletter comes a day late because after grades were due last weekend, I was slow getting into the week. I chose watching Monday night football with my husband and journaling, and I have to say I feel more refreshed going into Tuesday. How are you on this Tuesday? Are you doing okay or are you barely hanging in there? Wherever you are, I hope you are finding small moments of motivation to keep you going. I wrote this quotation down in my traveler’s journal this week: “You often feel tired, not because you’ve done too much, but because you’ve done too little of what sparks a light in you.” -Alexander Den Heijer What is giving you light? As the first six weeks of school came to a close last Friday, I wanted to take some time to share some lessons I am learning in this whole process of teaching from home and teaching English Language Arts online. I think key moments of reflection are going to be important as we figure out how to move forward through all of this and even after this time period. Reflection is the key to finding light right now. Big lessons so far: While there is a lot of technology available, keep systems and strategies simple. Google Classroom is used best when I am using just a regular Google Doc assigned to my students. You can’t do everything for all people at one time. I said “no” to a lot of committees this year, and I am also saying “no” to feeling like I can do it all for my students. In previous years, I have had 8 items on my list of non-negotiables for teaching. Now, I am focusing on choice reading, creative writing, and the power of the read aloud. I am doing what I can and that is enough. Engagement is a process. For everyone. When I am finding myself disengaged, how do I realign? When my students need more engagement, how do I realign activities to make it more interesting? I am pretty sure the idea of “homework” is now a thing of the past. If I am struggling with my own ability to find and select books, I can only imagine what my students are going through. I am thankful we have an author visit coming up so I can begin to feel rejuvenated about reading. I have done a ton of reflection on grading, but I still had to revisit grading practices last Friday when faced with the numbers. Again, I don’t think I will ever return to the categories I used before. Grading is linked to fairness and equity work. How are you assessing students during this time?
Even if you aren’t a teacher, when was the last time you sat down for a check-in to see how it was going for you in your life? These types of “life audits” both personally and professionally are key for helping me not to feel burnt out. Where can you find some light? Here are some journal prompts to guide a check-in if needed. This week’s journal prompts: “I smiled today when…” “I am grateful for…” “The last time I celebrated was…” "A time when I surprised myself was..." "One time when I was brave, I..." "One time when I was joyful, I..." "I cry thinking about..."
Brew some coffee or tea, grab a pen or your computer, cozy up with a blanket, and write. Happy reading and writing, Stephanie
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