#ditchsummit #wearecue Days Two and Three

So I went back and caught Roni Habib's video and it was great. So needed. Again, I can't really give you the lowdown, I am not eloquent and I'm out of the blogging habit. You need to watch it! (I think you can still sign up? Not sure. Google Ditch Summit 2019 and check. Burned In Teacher said on her stories that she had checked and it was a yes). The main thing is what people need? A safe place to land. Sharing mindfulness doesn't take away from classroom instruction time because the kids (and staff) are actually THERE. Distracted and disconnected? A huge reason why the last years have not felt as awesome as the years previous. For me, anyway. Just trying to figure it out.

(For as much time as I spend looking at images and skimming how tos ... and A. Spark making it easy tech wise ... I can't say I love any of them that I've created. Must work on the spark of creativity and design, I suppose! :P)

S'more notes.
POSITIVE EMOTIONS
ENGAGEMENT (Flow)
RELATIONSHIPS
MEANING
ACCOMPLISHMENTS (Intrinsic)


Dr. Sheldon Eakins works in all sorts of ways for equity digitally and on a tribal school outside of Pocatello, Idaho. I'm sure he did experience some ... culture shock isn't exactly the right word but it's all I can come up with, at 0.8%, as lovely as the area is (I'm pretty familiar with at least a hundred or so miles away where my grandparents lived). I'm not a teacher of color and it was "still" an interesting presentation. Retreat and recharge ... and then go back it. Take care of yourself and then go back at it. That's what he said. He talked about black families having "the talk" and that made me sad, especially after just having finished Ghost Boys.

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes


This might be one of the hardest kid’s fiction books I've ever read.
And I'm not really any closer to knowing what to do with it next year. It needs to be shared with lots of kids ... but it needs context and discussion. So many of them will just see the word "ghost" and think "ooh, scary story" and then the actual topic will be so NOT what they are expecting.

It was also hard to read because I have a brother in law enforcement. I guess that is exactly it, though. So many people have dealt with prejudice for nothing but what they look like. I don't want people to think my brother thinks terrible things because of a uniform he puts on. They don't want their kids to be hurt because of the color of their skin.

#ditchsummit #wearecue Days One and Two

Hey! What better way to return to the blog world than a post about a teacher wellness online summit. It's a topic that has affected me a lot the last while. The better served the teachers are the better they can help the kids, you know? To repeat an overused phrase ... Put on your own oxygen mask first.

But you know what? It's true.

The first video I watched was by Brad Montague. He is pretty awesome and much of the voice behind Kid President. He talked about so many different things but I guess the main things I will take away from it are 1) it's OK to say no (you go Eric Carle!) and 2) to a kid simple is what they need. They don't need huge. Which makes filling their expectations and needs much easier. He says it all much more eloquently. Go watch KP's Pep Talk. 44 million views and counting. I've never seen him anywhere else. Have you? That's not the only thing he's ever done.

The next video I watched was Amber Harper of Burned In Teacher. I listen to her podcast and participated in her small group last spring so I was already familiar with a lot of her work. Having the hard conversations ... it's not the same thing as venting. It's looking for help and for fixes and action. If all you do is ever vent you will burn out ... and drive yourself into a dark place for sure away from education and also in terms of emotional/physical/mental health. But look for action? For real feedback? That's where you'll find your own power and be able to do the most good.

I have taken her quiz. A little bit of all of them. Burned and Over It ... obviously not over because I'm still trying. But definitely don't have the same rosy glasses I used to. My campus has been through a lot of changes the past couple of years and everyone acts differently. Burned and Unbalanced was definitely me a couple years ago. I definitely used to take on WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more and freak out if it wasn't perfect. Health issues have stopped much of that. Burned and Bored ... definitely. My job has changed a lot the last several years. That's one reason I don't post as much. I don't feel like I have as much interesting to share. I do a lot more that feels mundane. But I'm working on it, Internet. Your best imperfect step is better than nothing. It's still a spark.



More to come tomorrow. There's still another video to watch today (Roni Habib) and then tomorrow's. I know Dan Tricarico is one of them (The Zen Teacher).



I've been reading. Check out Goodreads and Instagram for some of that ... a mix of picture, middle grade, YA, adult fic, and some PD/personal growth.