Monday Motivator #11 2021-22

 

How To Cut Your Preparation Time And Lower Stress

August 29, 2020 by Michael Linsin

https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2020/08/29/cut-your-preparation-time-lower-stress/

Because of Covid-19 and the staggering amount of preparation time required to start the new school year—whether online or in person—teachers are under enormous stress.

There is so much to do, and not enough hours in the day to do it.

There is, however, a helpful solution.

In the late 1980s, an Italian software developer named Francesco Cirillo created a way to shorten work-related tasks while producing better results.

And it’s remarkably effective. It’s called the Pomodoro Technique.

The way it works is simple.

Step#1

Decide on the work you need to accomplish. Make a list if you wish.

Step #2

Set a timer for 25 minutes. This block of time is called a pomodoro.

Step #3

Start the timer and then focus without distraction until the time is up.

Step #4

Take a 5-minute break.

Step #5

Repeat.

Step #6

After four pomodoros, if you need that many, take a break for at least 30 minutes.

Pro Tips

1. During each pomodoro, do not get bogged down. Keep the momentum going.

2. Do not work during your break under any circumstances. You need to recharge.

3. Go for a short walk, eat a snack, or do some light stretching between pomorodos.

3. It’s okay if your break lasts longer than five minutes, up to ten minutes is fine.

4. Protect your pomodoros at all costs. Let nothing short of emergency interrupt you.

Why it Works

The Pomodoro Technique works because it creates a powerful sense of urgency that is both highly motivating and maximally efficient. It keeps you sharp, fresh, and clear-headed.

It also guards against a phenomenon known as Parkinson’s Law.

Parkinson’s Law is the tendency to expand a task in complexity in relation to the time given for its completion. It’s the chief reason why we work harder and become more stressed than we ever need to.

Finally, because the Pomodoro Technique ensures that you’re at your best, and relying on your natural genius instead of ruminating over every decision, the product is much better.

You’ll find the technique tremendously helpful right off the bat.

Over time, however, and what is so cool about it is that it actually trains you to become smarter, faster, and more focused.

It trains you to devour the buffet of tasks that keep piling up on your plate, so that you can put them out of sight and mind and get on with your life.

Monday Motivator #10 2021-22

 

A Time to Cut Back

The purpose of pruning is to improve the quality of the roses, not to hurt the bush. —Florence Littauer

https://choiceliteracy.com/article/october-222021-building-community-beyond-the-classroom/

I have a plant that sits on the corner of my desk in my classroom. It has been with me since my first day of teaching 15 years ago. It has moved to three different classrooms and two different buildings, and it has survived it all.
I keep the plant in my classroom during the summer break and go in once a week to water it. This past summer was difficult. I may not have been as diligent in keeping a watering schedule. I may have neglected it, as I have neglected many personal areas in my life this past year.
As late July arrived and I began to set up my classroom, I noticed the plant was not doing well. Most of the stems were leafless, and what leaves it did have were limp and looked like wet tissue paper. I was afraid I had killed it, and I was devastated. Through all the changes in my teaching career, this plant had remained the one constant.
I had two choices: let it die or do something drastic. Because of our long history, I chose to do something drastic. I pulled off the dead leaves, cut back the stems, and added some fresh potting soil. It looked pretty silly—kind of like Medusa with green snakes crawling out of the pot. But I knew if I wanted to save it, I had to help it focus its energy on growing, and cutting it back was the only option.
For months, the plant just sat on the corner of my desk barely alive, yet I continued to water it. One day I noticed something green coming from one of the stems. As I looked closer, I also saw tiny tips of new leaves pushing their way up through the soil. I began to see new growth.
We all have our own set of challenges to face. We may have struggled to water and nourish ourselves. We may have neglected our own self-care until we have turned into a plant with limp, brown leaves and in need of pruning.
How do we nourish ourselves in times like these? How do we take care of ourselves when we are pulled in so many other directions? How do we continue to grow even when we neglect ourselves?
After seeing those new green leaves reaching for the light, I found an inner strength. Walking and eating better became my focus of energy and a way to nourish myself. I began to say no to things I didn’t have the time for. I found time for unexpected creativity. Most importantly, I realized sometimes we have to give ourselves permission to cut back, to prune the busyness and responsibilities of our daily lives in order for new growth to happen.

Shine on!
Leigh Anne Eck
Featured Contributor

Monday Motivator #9 2021-22

 

Monday Motivator #8 2021-22

 

How do you make workshop work?

Ruth Ayres

Gretchen Schroeder

Grow Their Legs

One May evening I was backing out of the driveway when my daughter Sophie let out a little yelp. I immediately hit the brakes as she said, “Mom, what is that up against the garage door?” At first glance, it looked like a crumpled brown paper grocery bag. But when Sophie added, “Is that a baby deer?” I realized that she was right. We immediately got out of the car to take a closer look. It was so tiny—maybe about 18 inches curled up—with light brown fur dotted with white spots. It appeared to be peacefully sleeping, which was an unusual sight since we live in the city. We wondered what we should do about it, but since we had softball practice to get to, we had to get back in the car and go.
When we returned home that evening, the baby deer was still there. The next morning it was gone, but a day later it showed up again, this time staying for almost eight hours, just sleeping and seemingly abandoned by its mother. My daughters thought we had a new pet, but I was more skeptical. I wondered whether there was something I should be doing to help the little fawn. 
I was relaying the story to my mom when she told me that she had recently read an article about this phenomenon of baby deer being found alone in residential areas. It turns out that it is quite normal for mother deer to leave their babies alone while they go off to forage for food and that we should just leave the fawn alone.  When they are very young, the fawns cannot keep up with their mothers and are susceptible to predators, so mothers leave them in places where they will be safe, which is usually in tall grass or bushes, but can sometimes be out in the open like our driveway.
This mother deer thought that our driveway was a safe place for her fawn. She is not unlike the caregivers of my students who send their sons and daughters off to school hoping that they will find a safe place in my classroom where they will be nourished and “grow their legs.” This is especially true for me as a teacher of high school seniors. My students are almost ready to move on to the next stage in their lives. They still need encouragement and coaching in their reading and writing lives. 
On the other hand, there is something to be said about giving students space within a safe environment. Being left alone to make their own choices about what they will read and what they will write is its own form of nourishment. We’re often quick to intervene when we see students struggle, but within a safe environment some independence will help students to develop those strong legs that will allow them to enter the world and keep up.

Monday Motivator #7 2021-22

Some great tips and reminders for parent-teacher conferences, especially some language tips on the last two pages.

Parent Teacher Conference Tips