Student Laziness and Productivity

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Happy Friday!

Thank you for being an important part of the Why Edify community! You’ve inspired me to begin a new Thirty-Day Challenge, and I invite you to join me.

I'm going to give out thirty "Thank You" messages in thirty days to family, friends, colleagues, and students.

If you want to explore Thirty-Day Challenges further, this guide will set you on the right path: Thirty-Day Challenges for the Mind, Body, Spirit, and School.

Have a great weekend!

In today’s newsletter…

• Is student laziness a thing?
• Do we need better civics education?
• How can a single-point rubric support learning?

The News

Here are some articles and resources that grabbed my attention.

• Student Laziness - Are students getting lazier? Does this belief limit teachers' behavior? Laziness could be a symptom of much deeper issues. In a recent Education Week article, Kyle Coppes explains why he thinks laziness is a myth.
• Civics - “Schools alone cannot cure society’s ills, but they could do far more to rectify people’s ignorance about the principles, practices and origins of our democratic republic and the responsibilities and rights of its citizens.” U.S. civics education needs an update. As society grows more divided, schools can help by teaching about our democracy. Yet, revitalizing civics education is challenging due to political disagreements. Finding a middle ground to promote understanding and active citizenship is necessary.
• Grading - Single-point rubrics are changing how teachers assess student work. Instead of categorizing work, they focus on showing whether it meets, exceeds, or falls short of a quality standard. This easier method encourages deeper thinking, helpful feedback, and ongoing learning.
• Resource - Collazo Cove - Kim Collazo is a STEM advocate, picture book author, and retired elementary school educator. Her newsletter, The Tide, contains STEM Teaching resources and classroom tips. It’s well worth checking out.
• Resource - Maximizing Learning Opportunities: A Guide to Effective Class Endings
• Social - Would you rather earn more money or co-teach with a highly qualified partner? I posed this question to my LinkedIn connections, and here's what they said.

STRONG Teacher Toolkit

Here are some of my favorite resources, ideas, tools, services, and miscellaneous gadgets and goodies that keep me STRONG in both my personal and professional life.

WHY EDIFYJeremy Jorgensen

Growth

Personal Development and Wellness Resources

• Dialogue, Respect, and Empathy - Is society in a state of regression? Heated anxieties, escalating conflicts, and extreme polarization are signs of this. All of these factors can lead to increased reactivity and breakdowns in communication. Regression is a possibility. These issues can be counteracted by embracing open dialogue with empathy and fostering respect for diversity.
• Choose Your Own Productivity Adventure - Many systems and practices can increase productivity. Efficient systems can also help reduce stress levels. Teachers have never-ending to-do lists. Small changes can add up. Here are four techniques to get you started: Getting Things Done, The Eisenhower Matrix, Pomodoro/Sprints, and Agile Results.
• Less Serious - We don’t need to become stereotypical “serious” adults. Rekindle your childlike curiosity.

Inspiration

"Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit" — E.E. Cummings

Favorite Things

• Sunshine - The days are getting longer, and the sun is starting to shine. It's amazing how much this positively impacts my mood.
• Game - NeedleDrop - Can you guess the movie each Needle Drop was featured in?
• T-Shirt - We're all just a work in progress.

How am I doing?

I love hearing from readers and am always looking for feedback. How am I doing with Why Edify? Is there anything you’d like to see more of or less of? Which aspects of the newsletter do you enjoy the most?

Hit reply and say hello - I’d love to hear from you!

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