But before that insanity, I've been enjoying summer school and some leisure reading. Here is what I've found interesting and relevant this week.
Isaac Rochel, a defensive end for the LA Chargers, has taken up the cause of social media distraction recently with this campaign called "See You On Sunday." Rochel found himself consumed by his phone and all of his social media accounts, thus he came up with the idea for the campaign, which is quite simple: it urges social media users to put down their devices for an entire Saturday and just go and enjoy life.
Rochel was just like every single kid we know today. He was active. He had friends. He was in sports, but then he got a cell phone and got hooked by social media. As he matured, so did his talent in football, which resulted in a scholarship to Notre Dame. That eventually brought him to the NFL, but the stress and anxiety, much of which was caused without him really realizing by this addiction and devotion to social media.
Rochel writes -
From then on, I began to observe the day-to-day relationship I had with my phone. I'd wonder this as I threw a "like" at one post or gave my friend's story a comment or sent my old teammates a few DMs. I realized I was inherently doing these things, without even thinking. I found myself unsure of what is actually important and what needs to be "left on read." This contemplation seemed to be going on every minute of every hour of my days. As my college career ended and another dream came true -- being drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers and joining the NFL -- this indulgent social media use only got worse. As a professional athlete, you learn one thing quickly: You will always be highly scrutinized by fans on social media, and there is an accompanying expectation for you to be perfect. An athlete might post a picture-perfect highlight reel of their life on and off the field to Instagram, but they are encountering and dealing with the same challenging emotions that any other user, or human, feels. Jealousy, anxiety, sadness, anger -- no matter how picturesque our lives might look, athletes deal with these emotions just like anyone else.
I would love to see us across ISD 564 take one day a week where we actively DO NOT use technology! I know this sounds insane coming from a guy who is on his technology as much as anyone, but I'm telling you, a break can be good. In fact, I think it's essential.
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My summer has been filled with this song. Every time we get in the car, Cash and Kenz request this one, "Old Town Road." Well, it's far better than "Achy Breaky Heart."
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Shane had a saying when he was running LHS - "Sometimes what's best for students is what's best for teachers."
This Tweet, which Coach Mumm shared with me this morning, reminds me of that. So much truth in here.
Treat your teachers well. Empower them. Appreciate them. And watch what amazing things will happen. This is true, too, for students. Why does this all happen so infrequently though?
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One of my favorite bloggers is Vicki Davis (check out her blog/website here). In this post, Davis focuses on one teacher's quest for summer rejuvenation (which I think everyone needs, regardless of your profession). Here is the link to Angela Watson's Five Step Plan for Teacher Rejuvenation.
Here is the quick Sparknotes run down of her five step plan -
1. Decide what you want your life to look like when summer is over. (I want to lose 15 pounds (KoKo's wedding is coming up). I want to hit the pool at least 35 for more times this summer, weather permitting, of course. I us to take a trip to Custer in early August, and I'd love to take the family to our first Twins game as well. I want to re-familiarize myself with the Wing-T (for football this year). I want to become far more familiar with Kyle Beers' Notice and Note Signposts. I want to build a research project in CC II around an action-research project the students develop on their own, and I want to finish my Teaching Thoughts for 2019/20).
2. List out your priorities (and list them in three columns - high, medium, and low - for example - high is getting to the pool as often as possible. It's great family time that I'll never get back with the kids. It's time together and away from technology. And we always have so much fun there. Medium - re-familiarizing myself with the Wing-T (I coached it for three years in college, so it should come back rather easily for me). Low - CC II action research (I've done this in the past too for UND, so it shouldn't be all that new. Plus I can take some time during the school year to develop this too).
3. Write non-negotiable dates on your calendar so you can see your busy times at a glance. This makes so much sense. If I keep putting stuff off, I'll look up and see that August is rather busy with football and the pool, then I know I better get to work. Likewise, if I'm swamped in June but look at the calendar and see a lot of open time in July, then I know that is when the time comes to get to work to accomplish what I need to.
4. Choose a theme or focus for each week of the summer, based on your highest summer priorities. I really like this one as it makes #3 even more effective.
5. At the start of each week, look at your focus and create a realistic to-do-list. I like this one for the word "realistic." Too often I've brought home a dozen books that I threw in a pinter box. I had full intentions to read them and do some writing about them, but they just kind of always sit in the box all summer. What I like about this is that Watson's list causes me to build an effective list, develop focus on my list, and then it gives me a chance to realistically accomplish it.
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Sometimes the best advice/criticism that is shared with us is the last thing we ever want to hear, but sometimes it's exactly what we need to hear (whether we want to hear it . . . and act upon it . . . is another thing completely). Thanks for sharing Courtney!
4. Choose a theme or focus for each week of the summer, based on your highest summer priorities. I really like this one as it makes #3 even more effective.
5. At the start of each week, look at your focus and create a realistic to-do-list. I like this one for the word "realistic." Too often I've brought home a dozen books that I threw in a pinter box. I had full intentions to read them and do some writing about them, but they just kind of always sit in the box all summer. What I like about this is that Watson's list causes me to build an effective list, develop focus on my list, and then it gives me a chance to realistically accomplish it.
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Sometimes the best advice/criticism that is shared with us is the last thing we ever want to hear, but sometimes it's exactly what we need to hear (whether we want to hear it . . . and act upon it . . . is another thing completely). Thanks for sharing Courtney!
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