Saturday, April 25, 2020

Tired.

Friends, I'm tired. I'm tired of all of this - staying at home, staring at screens all day, and knowing that the next day will be pretty much the same. I understand and support why we are doing this, but I'm tired!

Our kids are tired.

Our teachers are tired.

Our whole educational systems are tired.

So, what? Clearly, I didn't need to write a blog post just to say that! My focus is on what we can do about it. Here are a few easy ideas that have brought me joy recently.

  • Send a hand-written note, letter, or card. It's been so much fun to receive notes, and I've enjoyed the opportunity to return the favor!
  • Host a virtual FAC or social hour. Although sometimes I feel like the last thing I want to do is to stare at a screen, sometimes just having time with work friends with no agenda, and the ability to share in this crazy world we are all in, can be refreshing!
  • Do something different. I think that part of my tiredness is feeling like all of the days stretch into each other. This week, I decided that I needed to have some fun and different, so I looked for a YouTube playlist of Just Dance videos. Whatever it is for you, try something small and new!
  • Organize something. I wish I could say I've organized my house, but in all honesty, it's been maintaining control of my email inbox. Having things labeled & put in order makes me feel like I have control over something in this time of uncertainty :-).
  • Be gentle with yourself (and others). Most of us are not at our best right now. I want to be able to do more work, to be nicer, to keep up my regular workout routine...but I just can't do it all. In fact, I can't even do as much as I usually do. Understanding that this is normal helps me cut myself some slack, and I want to extend the same grace to others!
How are you finding joy these days?

Saturday, April 18, 2020

On Grades, Motivation, & Ownership

My brain is all over the place, with it being day thirtysomething of social distancing, but in keeping with my commitment to blog through this time, I thought I would write a few snippets.

During this time, for the majority of our students, grades are no longer a motivating factor (we are handling elementary/middle/high school differently, but the majority of our students really can't fail classes or see their grade go down). Some students and teachers are really struggling with the "why" question now - "Why should I do this work, if it doesn't count for a grade?" It's really showing who loves learning for the sake of learning! On the other hand, I have a (straight-A) kiddo who is freaked out about going to pass/fail because there is no in between.

Motivation is another interesting roller coaster. I'm feeling it, just like the kids are - this is hard, it's tiring, and especially for our kiddos who are socially motivated, it's harder to want to get things done! On the other hand, some kids who struggle in the classroom setting are actually loving the motivation of "spend a couple of hours working really hard, and then you have the rest of the day free!" We are definitely learning more about what works for each individual kid.

Finally, I think we are really seeing dividends with the teachers who have given their students a lot of ownership of their learning, because now, we are relying on that! I even felt it myself, in my private violin teaching - when a student's E string is way out of tune, I usually just grab the instrument and tune it myself (with the peg), because it's so easy to break that string. This time, though, I had to coach my student online, and she did it! It was a great reminder to me that even though it's easier and faster when I do it, the better payoff is to let our students grow into independent learners who can handle themselves. This time is both a growing opportunity for them, and a time when a spotlight is shining on those who do or don't yet have those skills.

Hope you all are staying safe, healthy, and motivated!

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Love One Another

I have been disturbed by the reports I've heard recently of violence and hate against Asian people, on account of the virus. As a person who is half-Chinese myself, it feels close to home! I also know that there are other groups who experience this regularly, and I am just now getting a taste of how they might be feeling.

In a strictly clinical way, I get it. Stress is high right now. People are dying. It's easy to want something to blame. The virus was first detected in China. It's not that much of a leap to see how people would misplace their anger and lash out at anything that reminds them of this virus that seems to be defining our lives right now.

But, oh, how it feels! Friends, how can we be doing this? In a time when we have seen so many amazing examples of communities coming together, how are there still strands of hate running through it all? It's easy to think that we are "past" this as a society - of course are intelligent enough to know that the person of Asian descent on the trail next to us is not to blame for the virus, right? Then why are these things still happening?

So I'm writing today with one message: Love one another. On this Easter weekend, that message seems especially poignant. Please, please, spread love in your community, not hate. The world needs it right now!

Saturday, April 4, 2020

Working from Home...

...is not my favorite! But it's our reality right now, with good reason. Three weeks in, I wanted to share three things I'm noticing, three challenges I'm facing, and three benefits I'm seeing.

Three Things I'm Noticing:

1. My schedule is later than usual. I am waking up later, working later, and going to bed later.

2. My eating habits are really different. Rather than eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I am snacking or eating smaller meals all day long. Still trying to find the balance on this one - I don't think the different habits are necessarily bad, but I need to re-calibrate how much I should eat for larger meals, knowing I am snacking more in between.

3. I now know what my pet does all day. I say this tongue in cheek, but seriously, I've gotten the chance to observe my cat's habits like never before! At least, her habits with me being home - I wonder if it's different without any humans around? ;-)

Three Challenges I'm Facing:

1. It is really hard to "shut off" work for the day and move onto "me time". I mean, my work (computer) is sitting in the middle of the kitchen table, staring me in the face! But it's better than a couple of weeks ago, before I was able to get my work computer, and I was doing all of my work on my personal device - talk about no separation!

2. I'm tired of my chair! Sitting all day is hard, and especially when it is in the same chair, day after day. I noticed that my back was hurting this week due to some of the ways I have been turning to work on my double monitor (which I am SO thankful for), so I adjusted my setup. It helped, but still, I think I might have to find a couple of different places to with and work so that my body isn't in the same position all of the time.

3. So. Much. Screen. Time. I have never been a person who focuses too much on screen time (I believe that what you are doing on that screen is far more important than counting minutes), but by the end of the day/week, even social things like happy hours via Zoom feel like one too many activities on the screen.

Three Benefits I'm Seeing:

1. No commute! Seriously, this saves time and mental energy, leaving more of both for doing the things I really want or need to be doing.

2. More flexible hours! I've often found that I do well when I wake up early, work for a couple of hours, take a long break, and then get on with my work day. Right now, I can do that, and I've taken advantage of that several time!

3. More collaboration! As counter-intuitive as this sounds, we have been collaborating so much more. One of the barriers to this during "regular life" is time and space - it's hard to all be in the same place together. When we are all working from home, that barrier is instantly removed, and it's easier to get together virtually! I've been so energized by seeing how communities are coming together.

I know we will continue to get through this - here's to week #4!