Category: Reflections

Reflections

Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching April Update

Mari Venturino

I’ve been in the Netherlands for 3 months now! I am very grateful for this opportunity and all the learning I have gotten to do. Here is my April update! (Here are my past updates: February update & March update).

Fulbright Inquiry Project

I have made progress on my Fulbright inquiry project! My goal for April was to figure out the direction my project will take, then start outlining my final project. I decided to create resources for teachers to help them get started with citizen science (personally, in their classroom, or both). Additionally, I plan to make three 5E lessons which use citizen science in some way. For the week of May 8-15, my work will be posted on our internal Fulbright Work in Progress gallery and will be open to feedback from my Fulbright DAT peers. I duplicated the post into a Google Doc–please take a look and leave any feedback you have. There are a few guiding questions at the bottom.

Adventures & Learning Opportunities

April brought even more school visits. The most notable were my two visits to schools with Technasiums. Technasiums are a program offered at many schools throughout the Netherlands. It is a STEM course where students work in teams to solve real-world problems. It is like problem-based learning meets MakerSpace. For example, one class I visited was creating visitor gifts for a local business. On the day I visited, the teams virtually met with representatives at the company and presented their prototypes; they received feedback on their design. Their next steps were to create a final design. This project will take approximately 8 weeks, which is typical for a Technasium project.

Workspace at a Technasium

I have been continuing my work on the “Introduction to Citizen Science & Scientific Crowdsourcing” offered by the University College London. I am almost to the end of the course and I have learned a lot in the process. I appreciate that it has taken me on a deep dive on what goes into citizen science projects, including ethical considerations and data management. While I do not plan to create my own citizen science project, I do plan to regularly contribute to existing projects on my own and with my students.

Science Perceptions Survey

I am still gathering some preliminary thoughts on science and scientists through this anonymous Science Perceptions Survey. I am hoping to gather data from a wide range of individuals. If you are comfortable, please share it with others, including family members, personal children, and students.

More Frequent Updates

I post more frequently on Instagram (@MsVenturino) as I adventure new places and learn new things. My research journal gets updated a couple times a week too; I created this to share with colleagues and family off social media and it has worked out really well. I am grateful for all the comments people have left to ask questions or just say hi.

Reflections

Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching March Update

Mari Venturino

I’ve been in the Netherlands for nearly 2 months now! My goal is to blog at least monthly to give an update on what I am doing and learning (February update).

Adventures & Learning Opportunities

March was dedicated to reaching out to schools and museums to organize visits and meetings. I successfully scheduled some school and museum visits, as well as meetings with the education department at two science museums. My school visits were quite interesting. I visited two MBOs (vocational school, community college level) and a primary school, and also met with a secondary school teacher. It was great to see a variety of settings and speak with teachers. Even though my work is not around vocational education, I was very impressed with the MBOs and how they are structured. It seems like there is a good sense of community among the teachers and students; from initial observations, it seems like students would have a harder time getting lost in the shuffle, versus the community colleges I am familiar with in California. At the primary school, I saw a grades 1-2 class, which translates to Pre-k/K. Of course, the cuteness factor was the best part!

In March, I was able to visit more museums, including several art museums, the beach, and a couple windmills. I even took a weekend trip to Germany. Unfortunately, I was also out of adventure commission for a little over a week when covid finally got me. Thankfully during that time, I was well stocked with groceries, tea, online tasks, and books! With our warm and dry weather (50s and 60s, almost no rain) in March, I have gone out on many bike rides to local parks and to two windmills. It has been lovely to enjoy the sun and get a break from the rain and gloom.

Lonneker Mollen in Enschede

I also started taking a free masters-level online course called “Introduction to Citizen Science & Scientific Crowdsourcing” offered by the University College London. It is an introduction to citizen science as an academic discipline and way to involve the community in science, and goes into much more detail on creating and managing citizen science projects. It has been very informative so far.

Naturalis Biodiversity Center

One of the highlights of this month was visiting Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden! It was unlike any other science or natural history museum I have ever visited. Rather than large open museum floors, I was guided along a path to see the history of life on Earth. I started deep under the ocean with a giant squid and made my way through water, land, air, the history of Earth’s structure, dinosaurs, the ice age, seduction, and death. I loved that I did not have to expend mental energy figuring out where to go next, so I relaxed into the journey. The ground floor of the museum also has a section called Live Science which is open to the public for free! In this area, there are scientists who are working on projects and are available to answer questions and share their work. This section also houses the Dino Lab, where scientists are cleaning and studying a triceratops skeleton. I loved speaking with one of the scientists and asking them lots of questions about their work, especially the interaction between their scientific work and the public. Naturalis also has many online resources; I’m planning to dig in more in April. (Check out my Instagram story highlights for the full adventure)

Complete T-Rex skeleton at Naturalis!

Science Perceptions Survey

I am still gathering some preliminary thoughts on science and scientists through this anonymous Science Perceptions Survey. I am hoping to gather data from a wide range of individuals. If you are comfortable, please share it with others, including family members, personal children, and students.

See More Frequent Updates

I post more frequently on Instagram (@MsVenturino) as I adventure new places and learn new things. My research journal gets updated a couple times a week too; I created this to share with colleagues and family off social media and it has worked out really well. I am grateful for all the comments people have left to ask questions or just say hi.

Reflections

2019 In Review

Mari Venturino

As I’ve done for the past four years, I have written my year in review (past year’s posts: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015). Overall, 2019 was a really great year! Even though there have been a few very difficult moments, I’ve tried to focus on the little and big positives. Not to go too deep into this, but this is not a case of toxic positivity (you know, the “good vibes only” t-shirt type life)–really, it’s about cultivating gratitude each day, recognizing that life isn’t perfect, and finding the beauty and growth opportunities in those more difficult moments.

Where I was (December 2018)

  • In December 2018, I was feeling hopeful that 2019 would provide me new opportunities and a fresh start. I was recovering from ending a 10 year relationship, and surrounding myself with people who were encouraging and hopeful. I wasn’t in a bad place, just reflective and looking forward to moving on.
  • Professionally, I was enjoying my work, although a little stressed over a few big changes, including the elimination of my Blended Learning Specialist (technology resource) period due to budget issues.

Where I am (January – December 2019)

  • My OneWord for 2019 was reclaim: I needed to reclaim my physical and emotional space and plant seeds for new opportunities and adventures. I redecorated my guest room and my office, bought some new furniture, traveled, went to concerts by myself, and rediscovered passions and hobbies that I had hidden away for years.
  • In February, I turned 30 and took myself to New York City. It was mostly a solo trip, although I did meet up with a few friends for meals and adventures. I felt so much joy in exploring a new city! It was a good starting place for some future solo travel.
  • In May, I started my EdD in educational technology and Boise State University. It’s 100% online, and has been great so far. I like my cohort and professors, and the workload is manageable on top of working full time.
  • The summer was filled with an incredible ISTE adventure that started with a visit to my good friends’ Jess and Sean’s house (love you both!). We took the train down to Philadelphia, and stayed at an awesome AirBnB.
  • In July I took a week at my family’s cottage in northern Wisconsin–my great-grandparents bought it in the 1940s. This was my first time having my own week (previously I’ve only ever gone with my parents) and two of my friends joined me. Per my mother’s wishes, my aunt “chaperoned” us–those of you that know me well, you know this is highly unnecessary; however, it was helpful for things like caring for the boat and such. I spent the whole week sitting on the dock, drinking coffee, reading, swimming, and enjoying being detached from the world. It was perfect!
  • Fueled by Coffee and Love: A Brew Perspective was published in July 2019. We celebrated with a release party at Project Reo Collective!
  • In September, I drove to Phoenix, Arizona for a Dave Matthews Band concert. I’ve always wanted to do a destination DMB concert, so as part of my reclaim theme this year, I did it! It was well worth the drive and heat. When I got home, I spontaneously bought a ticket to see DMB at Kaboo in Del Mar. I’m not a festival person, so this was super crazy for me!
  • November was the best adventure of the whole year: Iceland! Our friend Ingvi Ómarsson hosts conference every year for Icelandic teachers and brought a bunch of us in to speak. We saw the Northern Lights!!! Not only was the conference wonderful, but also I met some amazing new friends (love you Christine, Heather, Hildur, and Álfhildur!!). This was also the pivotal moment in my reclaim year because I realized how many opportunities and experiences I’ve put off due to fear or allowing other people to negatively influence my passions. I came home energized and antsy to push myself to do more.
  • Surprisingly, even with starting my doctorate, I finished a total of 60 books! (22 audiobooks + 18 books + 20 ebooks)

Where I’m going (January 2020 and beyond!)

  • I’m looking forward to continuing to grow as a teacher and person. I still have a lot to learn about this world so I can drive change in my school and community. Got any book recommendations?
  • This year, I want to focus on taking advantage of opportunities and figuring out solid short- and long-term goals.
Goals, Reflections

2019-2020 School Year Goals

Mari Venturino

I’m already 4 weeks into the school year, and I haven’t yet posted my 2019-2020 school year goals. I’ve been blogging a ton at my Mari’s EdD Journey blog, mainly because I was taking a blogging course, and felt like I’ve been blogged out lately. Not burned out, just a lot of effort directed to blogging for a different purpose.

That being said, I am hoping to maintain both blogs this year. I know it’s a lot, and my goal is to post weekly, and alternate blogs each week. I enjoy sharing, and I like to think I have something of value to add to both spaced (edtech/teaching in general and the EdD process).

This year, I am only teaching 7th grade science. It’s a huge difference from the last few years, where I’ve had 1 class period of technology resource plus 8th grade AVID. It’s strange to have 5 sections of 7th grade science and nothing else.

Science

One thing I am most excited about with science this year is that, since our enrollment is low (not a positive), there are only two of us teaching 7th grade science. The other teacher and I had a rocky start when he joined our team about five years ago, and since then, we’ve really worked hard to collaborate better. Now, we’ve built a solid friendship and partnership; I’m grateful to work with him!

Another thing I am looking forward to is supporting student teachers this year. I will have at least one student teacher placed with me, and I will be supporting two intern teachers (they are contracted .6 and .4 teachers of record, in lieu of student teaching) as a coach. We have a district grant that funds Residents and Resident Coaches to provide additional coaching and support to enhance the student teaching experience.

Ultimately, my goals in science are to help my students love science, help them collaborate effectively, and teach them how to write claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) paragraphs. If I can achieve that, then I’ll be happy. All of this comes with loving my kids to bits, and making sure they know how much I love spending time with them.

EdD program

As I shared previously, I started an EdD program in May (read more here). I just finished up my second summer course, and I start fall semester in a couple weeks. I know it is going to take a lot of intentionality to balance the demands of work and being in school. Luckily, I have other friends in masters and doctoral programs, so I’ll have some weekend coffee shop study buddies.

I’m excited for this new adventure. I plan to blog about my learning, research, and reflections on the program on my Mari’s EdD Journey blog.

Ultimately, I want to have fun, relax, and do great work! It seems simple, and I know it will take a lot of time and effort. My kids are worth it!

Reflections

ISTE 2019 Reflection

Mari Venturino

Another ISTE in the books! As I have for the past three years (2016, 2017, & 2018), it’s time to reflect on my experiences.

Sarah Thomas and me!

Seeing all my friend’s social media and blog posts, I noticed we were all talking about appreciating the people around us. I especially appreciated Sarah Thomas’s approach to ISTE in her recent post “One Thing I Did Differently at #ISTE19” where she explains how she prioritized her own needs by saying “maybe” to all social invites, and not pressuring herself to attend anything.

Fueled by Coffee and Love authors and friends meetup

This year, my personal ISTE theme was relationships! I spent the majority of my time with old and new friends. There were so many hugs, squeals of excitement, and selfies!

It’s so easy to get caught up in trying to find all the people, especially the educelebrities (oy, that word makes me cringe, sorry y’all). Find the people who are going to stretch your thinking and build you up, not the people selling you their brand.

My love for PearDeck is peary obvious! Eric Curts agrees

I filled my ISTE time with social events and meetups. I loved having a Fueled by Coffee and Love authors and friends meet-up. I got to meet some of the authors in person for the first time, and share some exciting new things coming for the book project (follow @fbcalbook, announcements coming soon!)

This year, I intentionally limited my presentations to just one, and reserved the rest of the time for informal learning moments. While it can be fun to be super busy, this year I chose to build relationships, not my portfolio. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with presenting multiple times and being super involved. This year, that style of ISTE wasn’t for me, and I had to respect my own energy.

What matters most to me is the quality of people around me; I love my friends, and I know they always have my best interests at heart. After the year I’ve had, I spent many conversations talking about the changes in my professional and personal life, and where I’m going from here. I heard so many words of encouragement from my friends, and it means the world to me to have these quality people around! Personally or professionally, there’s nothing better than a friend saying, “I’ve been there, I got through it and so will you.”

Seriously, I love y’all so much! See you next year in Anaheim!

 

A bunch of us went to a Phillies game on Friday night before ISTE!

Reflections

2018-2019 School Year Reflection

Mari Venturino

This is one of my favorite blog posts of the year! I love reflecting back on a whole school year, seeing how I met my goals, and how I’ve grown as a person and as a teacher. Plus, it’s an excellent opportunity to look back on 2017-2018, and see areas of growth and success.

When I set my 2018-2019 school year goals, I had no idea what this year would bring. Though I planned to be more reflective, I didn’t regularly come back to my goals throughout the year. However, when I read back on what I wanted to accomplish, I did a fairly good job of meeting my goals. Next year, I’ll have to put my goals in a more visible place.

Working at work, relaxing at home

At this time last year, I was borderline burned out. I know I wasn’t fully burned out because I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel or search for a different job; however, I recognized that I was exhausted and needed to make a change. I did so much better with leaving the majority of work at work. Overall, I felt much better and more relaxed this year! I reversed a lot of the burnouty feeling, and kept up my energy better.

I love this quote painted on the wall at Robert Anderson MS (Anderson 5 district, Anderson, SC)! 

I was thrown a curveball in December when a teacher in my department decided to resign and left us scrambling to cover the classes. This, paired with the district cutting our resource positions, left me teaching two additional classes, including a new prep: AVID 0 period, 4 sections of 7th grade science, and 1 section of 7th grade science elective. It was exhausting, but I loved every second with my kids. With the added load, I somehow managed to complete the April No-Work Challenge again this year.

Additionally, there were some serious personal ups and downs this year. I had a huge life change in the fall, and spent the better part of December – February rearranging some pieces. In February, I turned 30 and celebrated by committing to work on myself and invest in my own happiness. I celebrated my 30th birthday with a solo trip to New York City!

Building relationships

Of my seven years of teaching, this year was one of the best, relationships-wise. I built strong relationships with my classes. It was tough to gain two new classes at the semester, and it took a while to build a functional relationship; the time and effort was worth it, and we ended the year on an amazingly positive note. I often received random hugs from my kids, and we ended most classes with, “I love you, bye!”

Google Expeditions AR in 7th grade science!

For the entire year, my fourth period class was a dream. They were this unique blend of students who figured out how to work well together, asked great questions, and knew how to transition between joking and serious–you all know that’s a huge deal in middle school. Academically, they weren’t the most skilled, but they made up for that in determination and joy! In fact, when I did my last day of school thank you speech, a few raised their hands and contributed their own thank you’s.

On the other hand, I really struggled with my third period class for the first two-thirds of the year. There were multiple behavior challenges, and students negatively fed off of each other’s energy. Teaching that class made me exhausted and a little frustrated; it was a great opportunity to model restorative practices and being honest about my own emotions. But, I didn’t give up! In late February, they began to turn a corner and became a goofy, empathetic, and productive bunch.

Finally, this year my first group of 7th graders graduated high school! I attended graduation with a few colleagues, and I’m so proud of my former students! It was great to see so many familiar (and grown up!) faces, and cheer for them and all they’ve accomplished.

Mentoring new teachers

Even though there weren’t many science student teachers and I didn’t have one placed with me either semester, I spent some quality time informally mentoring new teachers. We had the most awesome

Celina (history student teacher) came to observe during a science lab. Safety first! 

right-out-of-college first year teacher at our school this year, and she and I really hit it off! I enjoyed teaching science in her classroom, sharing advice and silly stories, and providing some support. Additionally, we had an incredible history student teacher; she and I spent quality time together, discussing teaching, life, and kids. I am grateful for these opportunities to give back and live the “it takes a village to raise a student teacher” idea.

Back to school!

I’m excited to share that I was accepted into the 2019 Boise State EdD in Educational Technology cohort. We started our first class in mid-May, and it has been non-stop work since then. With an expectation to devote 18-25 hours per week to school, I have had to be more proactive with my self-care and balance. Despite it being a significant time investment, I love the work I’m doing, and I’m grateful for this opportunity. It’s a much different feeling being in school because I want to, not because I have to.

Overall, I’m thrilled that this year was so successful. Looking back at all my photos, it’s fun to reminisce on the fun memories, activities, and journey we had together. Even though I am excited for next school year and making to-do and goals lists, I know I need to take this time to enjoy some sunshine. I’m grateful for summer break! I am looking forward to more schoolwork, relaxing, and a few fun adventures!

Reflections

One Word 2019: Reclaim

Mari Venturino

This post has been a long time coming. It’s taken me two months to sit down and finish it. In fact, I’ve hardly blogged or tweeted at all in the last two months. There have been so many changes in my life, most of which have been positive.

In the last two months, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and reflecting. I’ve known my 2019 word since December, though I’ve only shared it privately with a few friends. I’m now ready to share it with the rest of my friends:

My word for 2019 is RECLAIM.

As I shared in my 2018 in Review post, I ended a 10 year relationship last fall. While picking up the pieces hasn’t been terribly difficult, I’ve realized how much I need to reclaim myself as a human and as an adult. I’m feeling very positive about the new direction of my life, even through the tougher moments.

On top of it all, we lost our resource positions due to district budget cuts, so I gained another class, plus a 6th class to cover for someone on leave–that’s 6 classes and 3 preps (4 science, 1 science elective, 1 AVID). Included in all of this is my 0 period, so my school day is 7:19 – 3:15, pretty much nonstop. I have a “prep” period on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but that’s the 7th class period. It’s exhausting. I love my kids so much, and they’re worth it.

Oh, and I turned 30 in February!

So, I’ve taken a step back and spent time focusing on myself. I’ve enjoyed making lots of plans with friends, taking a solo trip to NYC, and spending time with my doggie.

New York City solo trip in February 2019! 

Part of reclaiming for me is learning who I am. There have been a lot of opportunities to explore what I truly like and how I fit into this world. I’ve spent time thinking about both my short-term and long-term goals, while not allowing the future to create unneeded anxiety. It’s much easier said than done!

I’m grateful for so many phenomenal friends who have stood with me on this journey. Throughout the past few months, I’ve had so many insightful conversations with friends that have challenged me to think deeper and step out of my comfort zone. Thank you all!

Additionally, I’ve been reclaiming my physical space, which has taken a lot of time and energy. I’m in the process of re-doing my 3rd bedroom, which I’m turning into my office with an awesome navy blue gallery wall (I’ll post pics when it’s all done). I bought new bedroom furniture and lamps, which instantly made me feel calm and happy. It’s amazing how much making some updates and changes to my physical space has made me feel like a new person.

So, here’s to new possibilities and new opportunities as I reclaim in 2019!

Books, Reflections

What I read in 2018

Mari Venturino

I love reading and talking about books! It brings me so much joy to share this love with my friends and students. Last year I shared “What I read in 2017” to highlight my favorite books of the year.

2018 Reading Data

It’s crazy to say I achieved my 2018 reading goal of 100 books. Of these books, 42 were audiobooks and 58 were books (24 physical & 34 ebooks). I always try to read more than I listen. I read a total of 19388 pages, and listened to approximately 191.35 hours of books (rounded to nearest 15 minute, and divided by 2 since I listen on 2x speed). If I had been paying a little more attention to page data, I would have pushed myself to hit 20k pages.

One of my favorite parts is that I keep fairly extensive reading data. I used to use Goodreads, but found that I like entering and analyzing my own data. Make a copy of my book spreadsheet. Each year, I add a new tab and track the same data. It’s fun to see my trends and graphs as the year progresses. And yes, Harry Potter has its own category–do the math, 100 total books and 7% Harry Potter–yes, I did a full series re-read in November and December!!

There are a couple books that I technically read more than once this year, but only counted once. For example, 3 of my classes and I did a read-aloud with We Are All Made of Molecules (Susin Nielsen), but I only counted it once. And, all the edits and such of Fueled by Coffee and Love: The Refill probably equate to reading it at least 5x all the way through.

chart (3).png

As you can see from my graph, I read a ton of YA. I truly enjoy this genre, and I appreciate the complexities of the stories as well as the self-discovery. Plus, there are so many talented authors out there writing for my students, and I want to pass along these recommendations.

Some of my favorite books from 2018 are: 

  • Love, Hate, & Other Filters (Samira Ahmed)
  • Rebel Seoul (Axie Oh)
  • Dear Martin (Nic Stone)
  • Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda (Becky Albertalli)
  • Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
  • At the Edge of the Universe (Shaun David Hutchinson)
  • The Porcupine of Truth (Bill Konigsberg)
  • I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Erika Sánchez)
  • Children of Blood and Bone (Tomi Adeyemi)
  • The Poet X (Elizabeth Acevedo)
  • Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit (Jaye Robin Brown)
  • March, Book One (Andrew Aydin and John Lewis)

Even though I don’t blog about every book I read and I’m super far behind on blogging, I do enjoy sharing about some of my book highlights on my “What is Mari Reading” blog. It’s all just for fun, and a great distraction from chores and such.

This year I don’t have any big reading goals, other than to finish at least 52 books and read more than I listen. I’m also intentionally reading more diverse books, specifically LGBTQ+ YA novels and novels written by authors of color. I didn’t track this data in 2018, though skimming my list it’s over 50% of the books I finished.

As always, I’d love your book recommendations!

Reflections

2018 in Review

Mari Venturino

I’ve been putting off writing this post for the past week. I usually love writing these reflective blogs (past year’s posts: 2017, 2016, 2015), but this year, not so much. Out loud, I’m blaming the busyness of ending school on December 21st, then immediately diving into all the holiday crazy. However, internally I’ve been finding plenty of other things to do instead because I want 2018 to be a thing of the past and I don’t want to dig back into the less great things of 2018. It’s necessary to reflect and learn, so, here goes!

Where I was (December 2017)

  • A year ago, I was very intentionally navigating the never ending challenge of work-life balance. It wasn’t easy, and thankfully I have amazing friends around me who constantly check in.
  • Professionally, I was coming off of a fulfilling year. And personally, I was having a bit more of a rough time. But, I was hopeful things would get better (spoiler: they didn’t get any better until the very end of 2018).

Where I am (January – December 2018)

  • I was so fortunate to participate in our district’s Teacher Leadership Academy, led by the amazing Amy duo, Amy Hunt and Amy Illingworth! I learned a lot about being an effective teacher-leader, working with Difficult People, and how to say “I’m not going to take that on.”
  • Fueled by Coffee and Love: The Refill was published in July 2018, and I had the opportunity to share a bit about it on KUSI’s Good Morning San Diego and host a release party at Project Reo Collective.
  • I had the opportunity to share my love of teaching and technology all over the US at various summits and professional development opportunities. Some highlights include Atlanta, Nashville, Phoenix, Chicago, and Greenville, SC.
  • “Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.” – Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I did a full re-read of the Harry Potter series in November and December, and I loved immersing myself in the magic again. It was so helpful to escape reality and the stress of life. I had to make a big choice this fall, and ultimately decided to end a 10 year relationship; though there are moments of sadness, overwhelmingly I feel happier and healthier. Along the way this year, I’ve had so many friends encouraging me and sitting down to have heart-to-heart chats about relationships and life. Thank you, friends.
  • I ended 2018 at a freezing cold New Year’s Eve party, surrounded by friends! I couldn’t ask for more (except maybe a heated blanket).

Where I’m going (January 2019 and beyond!)

  • New year, new me, right? For once, it really feels that way. After the stress of 2018, it’s as if a huge burden has been lifted. I’m ready for new opportunities and adventures! In the fall, someone asked me what 1 year in the future Mari would want for current Mari; that helped me put a lot of my life into perspective, and helped me make both hard and fun decisions.
  • In February, I turn 30, a gigantic adulting milestone. As my gift to myself, I planned a fun trip to New York City! I’ve never been, and it’s time I do something awesome just for myself.

As I planned out this post, I scrolled through my entire year on Google Photos. It’s fun to reflect back on the fun adventures I’ve had, and remind myself that, despite some setbacks and dark clouds in 2018, overwhelmingly it was filled with incredible friends. I’m really looking forward to 2019!

Goals, Reflections

#MyRelaxing5 – My Commitment to Take Time for Myself!

Mari Venturino

I love a good group blogging challenge, so I’m starting this one: let’s all share out 5 ways we commit to relaxing as we close out 2018. Please share out and tag #MyRelaxing5!

Lately I’ve seen a lot of us talking about work-life balance, and how we make sure we spend time to relax away from teacher lives–especially without feeling guilty! Shout out to Brian Costello for writing “Put Yourself First,” which inspired me to write this post. Despite what those on social media and trumpeters of eduspeak say, a good teacher doesn’t equal putting our 24/7 into teaching. Rather, it means putting our whole heart into our work, then stepping away to attend to our heart’s health (physical, social, mental-emotional) outside the classroom.

Each Friday, my teaching neighbor asks me what I am going to do for fun over the weekend. With the [annoyingly pointed and I-really-need-to-listen-to-this] caveat that presenting PD and snuggling my dog don’t count! Cue the total exasperation. But, it’s made me really think about how I spend my non-teaching time. And, I’m more aware that there’s a big distinction between “I’m having fun doing my work” and “I’m doing something fun outside of work.”

The #MyRelaxing5 are 5 non-work things that we will commit to doing for ourselves before the end of 2018.

Here’s #MyRelaxing5!

1. Crocheting — This keeps my hands busy and brain creative. Usually, I crochet while watching sports or something else on tv. The best part is, I can’t also be playing on my phone or computer while I’m crocheting. And, it’s always rewarding to finish up a project, especially when it’s a gift.

2. Baking & Cooking — I enjoy being in the kitchen and cooking, especially when I can share what I make with my friends! As the holidays approach, I love trying new dessert recipes, and bringing them to work where I always have a captive audience. Last weekend, I successfully made a beautiful lemon meringue pie, entirely from scratch, and brought it to work to share with my friends. .

Beautiful lemon meringue pie I made from scratch. My work friends and I enjoyed it at lunch on Tuesday!

3. San Diego Zoo / Safari Park — I have an annual membership, and it’s easy to go for an hour or two. A bonus of my membership is I have a +1, making it the perfect friend adventure. There’s something so peaceful about walking through the zoo, enjoying the animals and plants, and chatting with a friend.

4. Beach time — I live in San Diego, there’s no excuse for not getting to the beach every so often. The weather will be at least warm enough to walk on the beach, even if it’s not warm enough to lounge.

5. Make it to the gym — I’ve totally fallen off the workout wagon, and I desperately need to climb back on. It always makes me feel better after I go to the gym. So, by adding this to my list, I am officially committing to getting some more exercise. It’s easier to convince myself to go when I know I can get a free hydromassage after.

Ok, now that this post is written, it’s time to make plans to accomplish my relaxing goals. I know that I need to prioritize myself a bit more, especially facing the stress (even if it’s positive and fun) of the holidays and end of the semester.

What 5 things will you commit to as we end 2018? Remember to tag #MyRelaxing5 when you share out yours!