this weeks whiteboard via Austin Kleon
this weeks whiteboard via Austin Kleon
About teacher shortages… let’s approach the issue from a different angle in this post by asking: why do teachers stay?
Huh. That’s an idea.
I often say that I am following my dad who was a Maths teacher in a single school for 25 years. Who was first in and first out. Which means he was always home early - which I think we took for granted at the time. He only moved up the ladder to increase his pension. Similarly, this is my 13th year in the same school and I’m quite happy being ‘just’ a teacher. This is why I started in this career.
I found myself looking forward to the hour where all the voices in my head went silent and I could just count reps, listen to myself breathe, and dig into the physical effort of exerting myself to the edge of my ability. Then seeing those edges expand further than I thought possible.
This touches on two of the big reasons, maybe the biggest reasons why I exercise too. It allows me to step out of my life for a bit and focus on moving in whatever form the exercise takes that day. As well, I like the idea that it allows me to push a little and I like that.
Like drinking mango sticky rice, still ok even with the lowest amount of sugar.
Because am I enough for everyone? Probably not. But can I show up and try my best, yes. Can I plan something every day that is one part of an expansive path that will expand these readers and authors? Can I teach strategies, offer practice, and pull them into the magic of what it means to read and write and leave the door so wide that even the most cautious of children can bumble through. Yes. Always yes.
A haunted house, treasure, ghosts and zombies…
This weeks listening. Recently, I’ve been trying to go into New Music on Apple Music and listen to whole albums but it’s difficult and often I get trapped, stuck on the first few tracks. These are the albums I’ve been enjoying this week. These are YouTube links and the first tracks.
Also but this is from last year.
LISTERS: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching - YouTube
I liked this comment about this documentary about birdwatching because it is about birdwatching but also made me think about lots of other things too.
“I want my brother to watch this because this film is about brothers; I want people who play outside to watch this because this is what it’s like to play outside; I want folks from all over the world to watch this because I feel like there is so much great American culture in here; I want artists, adventurers, and dreamers to watch this because this is all of those things. This is remarkable, and it really has made a great impact on me. Thank you for making this and sharing it with us.”
This makes changing teaching while teaching extremely difficult. The lesson already absorbs the teacher: change diverts their attention, causing mistakes elsewhere. Teachers are swept along by existing habits, even when they mean to change. Lessons rarely allow space and time to teach effectively and to change teaching at the same time.
I like to joke, without students I’d have the time to plan such amazing learning, to maintain a tidy desk and classroom, to further my own education. The potential!
The Cutoff follows the runners at the back of the pack during Cocodona 250. While most race documentaries focus on the winners, this film tells a different story. A film for the rest of us.
I enjoyed this.
Also from Kottke, Things That Are Good to Do — Quarter Mile
The ability to pause or take a break before reacting isn’t just good parenting advice. It’s something all great leaders practice. They don’t fly off the handle. They pause. They reflect. They choose their response.
The annoying thing about climbing is that Touch ID doesn’t work for a couple of days after I’ve been.
A Little More Heart - Lynsey White
How easy it is to move through a busy day thinking about what needs doing, where we need to be next and what hasn’t been finished yet. But these moments matter too. The tiny moments where someone needs you to stop, listen and be there. Just to be present.
I try to think about this, to not like the wave of all that I need to do rise up and over my head. I feel it when my patience is tested, that I’m worried that not everything will be done. But what is it that’s important?
My daughter’s alarm when off at 5:50am on. Sunday. She didn’t stir but I couldn’t get back to sleep. Kids.
Dj Gummy Bear - You make me feel loved
A friend sent me this laid back track. Love it.
Baby, you make me feel loved.
A couple of photos from a trip downtown today. Some computer faffing, fried noodles, coffee, more coffee, a walk, some sights. A nice day.
They don’t need perfection. They don’t need some grand gesture. They need effort. They need attention. They need to know that the family you say matters most to you actually gets the best of you, too. They just want you to try.
Safety first.
New Slow Horses! 📺
Left my computer at home. Second time this term. Makes me realise how much I “sit” at it. Just wish there was a middle ground
When Upward Feedback Becomes Futile - Lynsey White
People do not simply speak to leaders, they calibrate around them. They edit their thinking before it is fully formed. They remove uncertainty, soften edges, and present only what feels safe enough to survive the interaction. Over time, you stop receiving the rough draft of reality. You receive a carefully edited version of what people believe you are willing to hear.
Feels obvious really. Definitely something people talk about when talking about leaders.
And though I’m not a leader, I am a parent and a teacher and it does make me think about my own children and the children I work with.
KFC flavoured Oreos. Weirder than the Oreo burger than I had recently. The filling definitely tastes a little like chicken but also a bit like a ginger biscuits. The biscuits taste overpowered it unfortunately. Kids liked them.
