Attention Crisis

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This was my last full week of school with students. For the past couple of days, I had to lie down for a few minutes the moment I arrived home. I'm pretty sure I could have just stayed there until the following morning.

In just a few days I will transition from middle school teacher to Summer Time Painter. This will be my 24th year painting houses in the summer. A summer of painting is just long enough for me to really appreciate being a teacher.

What's on your bucket list for the summer?

Have a great weekend!

In today’s newsletter…

• National Teacher of the Year Rebecka Peterson's story
• The Importance of technology education in Schools
• Personal development and wellness resources, including tips for improving focus and movement

The News

Here are some articles that grabbed my attention.

• Staying Power - My first year of teaching was really challenging. I was questioning my career choice. I’m glad I stuck with it, and have enjoyed 23+ years of ups and downs. Each teacher’s story would make a great book. Here’s the story of the National Teacher of the Year Rebecka Peterson.
• Smart Tech - Some schools prioritize appearances over substance in their technology offerings, leading to questionable adoption of technology, wasted money, and superficial learning. Technology education is essential to understand modern life better and should be mandatory, but it is often viewed as optional. Educational technology is part of the learning toolkit to be used in balance with the other tools.
• Memorial Day -  Each Memorial Day we honor and remember those who have died while serving in the nation's armed forces. Originally called Decoration Day, it was first observed on May 30, 1868, in remembrance of the soldiers who died in the Civil War. Today, Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday in May and has become a day to remember and honor all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. You can explore these teaching and learning resources for Memorial Day and ten interesting facts about the holiday to learn more about its history and significance.
• Resource - If you are a Google for Education user you might find one of these 15 ways to use Google Forms useful.

Growth

Personal Development and Wellness Resources

• Get Moving - The idea of needing to take 10,000 steps a day for good health is not based on science, but rather a marketing gimmick. Recent studies have shown that some movement is good, but the benefits taper off at some point. The total number of steps taken matters more than the speed at which they are taken. Focus on adding more movement and steps to your routine rather than just reaching a specific step count. The bottom line, adding more movement to your daily routine will improve your overall health.
• Back in Time - A new study shows that lifestyle changes, including changes to diet, sleep, and exercise, paired with interventions like relaxation exercises and supplements, could reverse the aging process. In this study, six women underwent an eight-week program and five of them showed a reduction in biological age of up to 11 years, with the average participant experiencing a 4.6-year decrease.
• Attention Crisis - Our modern environment is affecting our ability to focus. Our attention is being stolen by many factors, from technology to our work environments. How can we reclaim our minds? To improve our focus, we can make changes at an individual level and band together to take on the forces stealing our attention, such as social media companies and employers who expect their workers to be available well past the end of the normal working day.

Inspiration

“This, over time, has become my philosophy of living. Pay attention to the good stuff that happens every day and enjoy what is, not what should have been or what might be.” - Enjoy Every Sandwich* by Lee Lipsenthal

Favorite Things

• Shower Thought - In a decade our children will be asking how we survived before AI. [source]
• Museums - It's pretty amazing how much mobile phones have changed over time.

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