Skip to main content

Using Summer and Family to Recharge and Reflect


One of the really great benefits of being a teacher is having the ability to have the summer off to grow professionally, spend time with family, and to relax and recharge for the following school year.  While I absolutely love my job as an educator at Lawrence school, it is necessary to have that time to reflect, play, and grow personally and professionally.  This past summer was filled with opportunities to do just that.  

Let’s start at the beginning.  Our first order of business was to take a trip across the country to Colorado to visit friends and then on to Phoenix, Arizona to visit family.  If you have ever traveled with very young children on an airplane, you can empathize with the challenges of packing, escorting, and most importantly feeding everyone along the way.  A hungry 3-year-old is a hangry 3-year-old.  I think some adults can relate as well.  Once we got past the logistics of traveling, we were off on a great adventure and had many great experiences in both the mountains and desert.  

The rest of the summer was spent either going to the lake by our house, commuting to Columbus for my wife’s job, and me trying to squeeze in as much golf as possible.  We even took our first stab at growing a garden, which was to our surprise, successful and delicious!  Professionally, I read many great books, such as The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros, which helped my refocus my teaching and learning for this year.  The learning part is the most important.  I am so excited to be blogging alongside my students and modeling what my love for learning looks like.

 
I do not think it can be overstated just how important that time with family and friends is over the summer and throughout the year to gain perspective and clarity for the following school year.  I relished the opportunity to go for long walks or runs in the morning with my son or take my daughter to the beach, swim out to the dock, and see her take a risk by jumping into the lake. Periodically getting some perspective on the things we value the most in this life, such as family, allow me to empathize with the things that my students value as well. My goal is to start with learning what interests them and where their strengths lie.  It is going to be an exciting year, that is sure to be filled with challenges, celebrations, and chaos. However, we will face these events head-on and enjoy the journey.

Comments

  1. Rama JanamanchiAugust 21, 2018 at 8:16 PM

    It sounds like a wonderful summer - both for the travel and for the time with family. I still remember packing and traveling with little ones. Even the simplest trip felt like an adventure. Looking forward to blogging in the Red Commons. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousAugust 24, 2018 at 8:21 AM

      Yes, even packing up to go to the lake or the zoo is quite the ordeal, but so worth it!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Habits of Success

In a moment of vulnerability, I would like to explore the idea of self-belief. This has not always come easy to me. Self-doubt so easily creeps into our minds on a daily basis and can cripple our productivity. When we believe the lies about ourselves, it is difficult to move from the impossible to the probable. Rather than thinking about ourselves as not talented enough, not athletic enough, not smart enough, we should focus on our strengths and developing the right habits. I have always been fascinated by grit and persistence, which I will blog more about later. However, I recently came across a tweet by author and motivational speaker, Jon Gordon . Gordon speaks in great detail about positivity and using our strengths to propel us forward. As you can see from the screenshot include in this post, Gordon speaks to those habits we can control rather than the arbitrary skill that is assigned to each of us by the world. Even if you don’t have the most skill, you can be on time, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Finding Positivity in the World Around Us

In my quest to find positivity and kindness in the world, I have had to be more intentional about paying attention to the inspiring stories in the news. The stories are there, but you have to look carefully. In the past two weeks, I have come across two stories in the news which have helped boost my spirits about the power of positive and generous people. They were both about people that don’t have to choose the attitude that they have. Michael Phelps and Stephen Curry could just as easily escape back into their money, notoriety, and blissful life. They could pridefully view past successes and find discontent in aging. But, they don’t. Both have a different but compelling and admirable story. Michael Phelps spent the better part of two decades dominating the swimming world, winning 23 gold medals and setting countless world records. Karen Crouse of the New York Times caught up with Phelps recently to discuss the loss of a couple of world records he had lost. Instead of feeling ...
Post a Comment
Read more

It Takes a Community

I gave my class the following prompt this week: Is it better to say the right thing or do the right thing? Or, in other words, do actions speak louder than words? Many times during our class discussions students have brought up that it is so hard to be kind and do the right thing sometimes. However, they do not give themselves enough credit. The field trip last Friday illustrated this beautifully. Last Friday, all of the seniors took a trip to Lorain County Community College for some climbing, high ropes, and team building. There were nerves, fear of heights (including yours truly), and excitement to get out of the classroom. Some students were literally shaking at the thought of climbing to high heights in front of their peers. Some resisted participation at first. Even I was not eager to give it a go. However, something magical began to happen as the students were taking on the various challenges. They began to cheer for, encourage, and motivate each other to higher heights. You coul...
6 comments
Read more