T.G.I.F. Teacher Newsletter | Show Me The Money

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Hello Friends and T.G.I.F.

It took most of the week for me to get back into the groove of teaching after a greatly appreciated winter break. In some ways it does feel good to get back into the routine.

One of the highlights of this past week was creating One Word Resolutions with my homeroom. It was my first time doing this activity and it worked so well I'm going to add it to my yearly traditions. Here are some One Word resources if you are interested in trying it out.

Happy Friday - Have a great weekend😄!

Here are some things I thought were worth sharing this week.

The News

Here are some articles that grabbed my attention.

• Say What - Is there too much jargon in the education world? I think so. In a September 2022 Education Week Survey respondents identified the most irritating buzzwords. Words such as “rigor,” “fidelity,” “grit,” “learning loss,” and “accountability,” topped the list. The jargon can get in the way of parent understanding, and might even be off-putting. A case could be made that replacing some of the jargon with simpler terms would be more inviting to parents and the community at large.
• Safe and Calm - One of the biggest challenges in education is the thing that colleges struggle to teach effectively - classroom management. Vague guidelines and suggestions are not as useful as specific guidance and strategies. I learned more about classroom management working as a summer camp counselor than I did in my teacher preparation program. Explicit instructions will improve classroom management.
• Show Me The Money - The American Teacher Act was introduced on December 14th in Congress. It would make the minimum teaching salary $60,000 for U.S. teachers. According to the National Education Association, the average starting salary in 2020-21 was $41,770. It remains to be seen if The American Teacher Act will receive bipartisan support.
• Resource - If you use Google Classroom you may find one of these 15 tips helpful. One of my favorite tips in this list is the numbering of Google Classroom assignments. Students can find the assignments they’re looking for much faster.

Growth

Personal Development and Wellness Resources

• Habits - New habits are hard to build. If good habits are established it takes less willpower to resist temptation. Science can help. Good habits are also contagious, so spending time with people who have already succeeded will speed up your own habit building.
• Reflection - The image you hold of yourself is what you will become. You can change your image through action. The worst thing to do is nothing at all. Become the person you were born to be.
• Compassion - Its benefits are well documented. Practicing compassion makes you happier, calmer, and more attractive to people. It’s also something you can offer yourself. Here are 10 easy ways to cultivate compassion.
• Finance - Teachers work hard for their money. I’m thankful for mentors who gave me great advice on how to save my earnings. This guide offers solid saving and investing advice for teachers.

Inspiration

Here is a quote I’ve been revisiting this week:

"People have a habit of inventing fictions they will believe wholeheartedly in order to ignore the truth they cannot accept." - Libba Bray (The Sweet Far Thing - Gemma Doyle, #3*)

Favorite Things

• 🌈 Full Rainbow - In case you need another word game in your life.
• 📰 Article -  The Human Screenome Project uses Screenomics to track human-computer interactions. The data from this project can be used to analyze how screen usage impacts over time.
• 📓 Journal - I just ordered this LEUCHTTURM1917* -Dotted Hardcover Notebook in an attempt to go offline for some of my journal entries. We'll see how it goes.