My stress pyramid: Code Green

So it’s been a while since I’ve posted. If I look back, I am sure that the patterns are similar across the years. Suddenly, after a long dry spell and around spring break, I “find the time” to post. For me, “finding the time” is probably a bit of a lie. I have plenty of time once the kids calm down and go to bed. I have plenty of (or at least some) time as I sit at nights and check Digg or read e-mail or check out xkcd or read the blogs from my rss feed. I have the time.

What I don’t seem to have is the peace of mind that allows me to process what has gone on/is going on in my day.

So, after ruminating for a while, the logical/sequential part of my brain has put together a chart about the effect of stress on my life/profession. (It took an entire week of spring break to get here… boy, much like drinking, I just don’t bounce back like I used to…) I’m probably throwing a bunch of analogies at the wall here… we’ll see if any stick.

The shape of the triangle represents the quantity of stress I have in my life (or the inverse proportion of how much time I have to just “think”). The larger the piece, the more stress I have. The descriptors (swimming analogies) are where I am in my life/job when I have that level of stress.

Many people talk about “just surviving” when times get tough in the land of teaching.

For me, that’s the bottom of the light (dare I say “grass”)  green box: treading water. I’m able to (sometimes barely) maintain order in my class, my life, and my curriculum. I’m (sometimes) able to correct things within a legitimate amount of time. I don’t plan ahead. I don’t improve my lessons. I’m just getting by. But, yes, I am alive, and yes, I am surviving.

Beneath that is a place that I’m sure we all have when we get to those stress levels. It’s probably coming dangerously close to the “big D Depression”. Those are the times when I’m glad that I’m dressed and in building. (One without the other constitutes a Fail, IMHO.) I’m a zombie all day and, honestly, I just hope to have a neutral effect (keeping it positive enough to just not be negative). I don’t like it when I go here, and I hate seeing it in other teachers as well… but I’ve seen it in quite a few others as terms and (sports/activities) seasons come to an end.

Moving up in the world, swimming is when life starts to get fun again. We swim along, we have some fun, we learn. Lessons get changed, activities are tried, Moodle is updated.

Stroke refinement (and movement in that direction) is when I can look at the broader spectrum: ask those essential questions, figure out those enduring understandings, plan for the whole instead of just the part. I get into the deepest depths of this calming blue in the summer. I really enjoy this time whenever it comes my way. It brushes my brain and my intellect in a way that revitalizes me.

So how can I stay out (and help others stay out of) of the reds and move into the calming greens and blues more often? (Much like a 90s mood ring.)

That, dear friends, is the question of the year.

How do you do it?

Does any of this even make sense? Maybe I need another week off.

Happy Spring Break!

Know Yourself

He who knows men is clever. He who knows himself is wise.

To Thine Own Self Be True.

Throughout many of the major religions of the world (and time), it has been clear that one of the biggest journeys we go on is the journey into truly knowing ourselves. I might (shudder) dare to say that it could even be a universal truth.

It seems that dy/dan is finding some truth about himself: finding what works for him in the form of classroom management. He discusses many fantastic ideas such as being the “teflon teacher” so kids can’t pin you down (long enough for you to show them “that you c*re”).

My concern is that Dan is masquerading what works for him as some sort of universal truth. I have no doubt that he is a fantastic teacher and that his students are lucky to have him… and that he has found a great way to relate and conect with kids. But simply calling it “The teacher your students want” doesn’tmake it a “just add water” formula.

What works for him would probably be silly if I were to try it.  Bill Fitzgerald commented on Dan’s post with something very wise: Never pretend to be something that you’re not. This is sage advice for the readers out there who might feel ashamed because they’re just not like Dan, or, worse yet, might throw away what they already do (that works) to try to be someone they’re not.

It’s what we would hope for our students, to be uniquely unique and change the world with their uniqueness… so why should teachers fit a cookie-cutter idea of “The Ideal Teacher Profile”?

So, who am I? That’s probably Teflon: hard to pin down. I might tend a little more toward the “soft edges and kittens” than the “cruel teacher”… but, ultimately, I want my students to know that they are worthy of my time and consideration… in the same way that I am. So we have fun, laugh a lot… and get a lot of learning done. The most important part, though, like Dan says, is to show them how much I care.

Honestly? I’m still pinning myself down. Who I am, who I want to be… I think it’s probably a long journey ahead.