Passion Projects and Questions

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Happy Friday!

Homecoming, totaled minivans, toilet paper misuse, whooping cough, antibiotics, and a rough first field trip of the year all happened this past week. Here's all I can say about that.

Do your best and let the rest go.

Here are some questions to ponder as you read this week's newsletter—bonus points for sharing your answers in your social media community. We can connect here. You can also comment at the bottom of the online version of this newsletter.

Reflection Questions:

1. How can you incorporate one of your passions or hobbies into your teaching methods to create a more engaging learning environment for your students?
2. What strategies can you implement to overcome emotional barriers and consistently track your progress toward a personal or professional goal?
3. Reflecting on Chloe Neill's quote, how can you cultivate resilience and maintain a positive impact on others, even during challenging times in your personal or professional life?

Have a great weekend!

Here's this week's Friday Five.

1

Passion Projects

Unlock the hidden power of passion projects and hobbies to revolutionize your teaching career and personal life! Engaging in activities you love boosts your mood and resilience and enhances your professional skills, fostering creativity and leadership abilities that directly benefit your classroom. By integrating your passions into your teaching methods and overcoming common challenges, you can create a more engaging learning environment for your students while experiencing personal growth and satisfaction.

2

Power of Questions

Use the power of questioning to bring your class closer together. Structured and progressive self-disclosure activities can help students build trust and connections with their peers. This is also an excellent opportunity for students to practice their listening skills.

3

Keeping Score

Tracking progress is a powerful tool for self-improvement. It works for many goals, but people often avoid it due to emotional barriers. These include thinking it's pointless or fearing uncomfortable truths. However, consistent tracking provides clarity, motivation, and insight into patterns. This leads to significant personal growth across various life areas.

4

Do It Anyway

"The world isn’t perfect, and some days it wears you down. You can either accept that, and face it, and be a help to others instead of a hindrance. Or you can decide the rules are too tough and they shouldn’t apply to you, and you can ignore them and make things harder for everybody else. Sometimes life is about being sad and doing things anyway. Sometimes it’s about being hurt and doing things anyway. The point isn’t perfection. The point is doing it anyway." —Chloe Neill

5

Teacher Commuter Playlist - Work It Out by Jurassic 5 ft. Dave Matthews Band

Choose Your Own Adventure

• I had fun making this one. You'll understand if you are a teacher with multiple sections to teach.
• Book Suggestion: Robert J. Marzano's "The New Art and Science of Teaching"* presents a framework of 43 elements for effective teaching based on extensive research. The book offers strategies to improve student achievement and engagement, serving as a resource for educators looking to enhance their classroom practices.
• Our 8th graders visited Camp American Legion. They learned about the camp, asked how we could help, and marked maple trees for veterans to tap in the spring. Service learning can be powerful.

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