5 things/routines that help move into fall semester
academic seasons are my favorite seasons
This week, my family went back to full-time school. Every day, full days of driving and picking each other up (we have one car), navigating new classes and learning management systems, finding books, and dealing with little unexpected twists and turns. We are exhausted but overall happy with what we are learning and with whom.
I reflected on the week and made a short list of highlights. I want to remember the things that worked exceptionally well as we shift gears.
*I bought a watch!
A $25 cutie that has already helped with distraction.
In my classrooms, we put away laptops and phones (like out of sight) for the duration of class. We handwrite, talk, move around, and sometimes look at slides. My problem is that there are NO classroom clocks! I remember spending most of my school career looking at the clock, willing the hands to move faster. But, no more. I have been using my phone as my clock, which is legitimate but also undermines my commitment to focused work. Now, my phone is silenced and put deep in my bag. I even share with my students why I have adopted a wrist watch and encourage them to look for similar strategies in their own lives.
(ideally, I would find one at a thrift store, but that was not happening, so I caved and bought from you know where.)
*reading time scheduled
I arrive at one of my classes an hour and a half early (because of dropping off kids). I could use this time to prep or grade, but decided that it would be a dedicated reading and studying time. I do my prep on the weekend and admin work right after school, so this deep reading time helps set my cognitive tone for the day, and I am a happy teacher. Right now, I am reading Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World by Anne Laure Le Cunff. It is really good, and I am taking copious notes and writing reflections as they arise. Total game changer for my routine.
*picking out clothes for the week
Boring, and maybe everyone does this. Each Sunday night, I choose my outfits and have them on hangers on my door ready to go. I have limited alertness in the morning, so taking this choice off the docket is wonderful.
*a few new pens
Well, who doesn't want new school supplies every year? I certainly have enough at my house, but I always like a little something new for the semester. I picked up a set of Pentel EnerGel pens in red, purple, pink, magenta, and lavender. These write fast and buttery and are perfect for marking up papers in a cheerful manner. I need to use colors that stand out, but red is so coded. One year, I only used green. I wonder if a study has been done on how students respond to feedback in different colors.
*game night
Lastly, we like to play longish games every week or so. Catan is still a favorite, but my daughter picked up Plinko, and it works as a warm-up game. This thing is, the cards that feature the prizes are horrible. (Itch cream (ok it’s a joke), a Keurig, an air fryer, a queen set of sheets?). So we made our own set of cards, and they are so hyper-specific and weird that the game is way more fun. Who wouldn’t want to win a high rating on Chess.com or a hangout session with Timothee Chalamet’s Timmy Tim character, or a BBL? We also made cards for a dog turd (because that makes some people laugh a lot) and a communist card, where you have to share all your winnings by putting them back in the community deck.
This reminded me of when we were younger and made new house rules for games or created our own games from the trinkets and mechanics of other games - so creative and expansive.
Even Catan has specialized cards you can order that add new categories and ways to win points. Remixing games, changing rules, or creating entirely new experiences.
This is a reader-supported newsletter. When you join, you get an additional post on Wednesdays that includes creative prompts and readings. Last week was an 18-page zine about fire! This week, I am sending a slide show with prompts all about home and domestic spaces, something I teach about at the university.
I love what you shared. I do something similar with clothes. I have a system of wearing them in order that they are in my closet to take the thought out of it.
I also use a virtual color spinner a lot to meal plan and plan exercise for the week. Various types of exercise are color coded so whatever the wheel says is how I organize my workouts for the week.
And I pulled out this card game Fluxx recently to play with my mom and remember how much I like it. It's a game that involves cards that can be played to change and add rules as you go. It also seems like a good game for my mom's aging mind because it is new to her and involves a different kind of brain work from the games she typically plays.
I learned this week that sunflower pollen helps honey bees fight Varroa mites, the most serious threat to healthy colonies.
Also you look super cute in those glasses and green sweater!