It has been a while since I have been on the blog and figured I should attempt to start the new year off right. So here is a series of updates and thoughts that have been rolling around my head presented for you in no particular order.
School...
As I write I am enjoying the tail end of a luxurious two week winter break. I have had a fantastic break filled with reading, yoga, running, couch/dog time, friends, family, and lots of time in front of our Christmas tree which I won't take down until the very last minute. At my school the start of winter break ends term one and the end brings the beginning of term two. I had a nasty cold (I think everyone did) in the very last few days of school, but otherwise had a truly delightful end to all of my seminars. I am excited to be starting a new seminar: Out in the Cold, which will focus on Wisconsin winter sports and recreation starting on Monday (tomorrow! yikes!). This is a co-taught and intensive class that will last for the next three weeks. Thank you, mother nature, for sending some snow in time for our seminar!
Some reflections on writing...
I started out the school year hoping to write about once a week. While I knew this was a bit ambitious for me, I thought it was also a good "stretch" goal. Initially I was able to post almost every other week, and would like to recalibrate to this goal for 2016. One of the really nice things that I noticed is that even though I haven't been able to write as much as I would have liked to, I think about writing a lot. I really think that just having a blog has made me more mindful and reflective - which is a great gift. One other small but cool writing challenge I have taken on with my friend Leah is a five year one line journal. We both started on January 1 and will write one line about each day every day for the next five years. I love looking back on my writing and think this is a great way to capture the day-to-day thoughts and events that make up our lives. Please join us if you are interested - here is a link to the journals that Leah and I have.
So... if you haven't been writing, what have you been doing?
Well... one of the major slowdowns in my blog writing came from some application writing that I spent a lot of time on in November and December. I am a notorious summer-over-booker, and while I thought I had learned my lesson, two opportunities presented themselves and I could not pass up their applications.
One of the applications I wrote went out to Breathe for Change. I was introduced to this program last year and - at the time of learning of it - had already filled my summer with other personal and professional commitments. Breathe for Change is an organization that improves the health of our schools and communities through yoga, mindfulness and wellness practices. The training I applied for is scheduled for June in Madison and trains educators to become certified yoga teachers. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to apply for this experience and am hopeful that I will be able to participate. Becoming a certified yoga teacher is always something I thought I would do at some time and it would be extremely exciting if that time is this summer! I don't want to get my hopes up, but I think this training and the Breathe for Change community could have a tremendously positive impact on my teaching and in my life. I should find out if I am accepted sometime this month and will be sure to keep you posted.
The second application that I wrote went out to the U.S. Department of Education's Fulbright-Hays 2016 Summer Seminar. This is a big one. The program I applied for is a five week trip to India and focuses on development, sustainability and democracy. I know several teachers who have participated in Fulbright programs of varying lengths and in a variety of locations. While I think I am a good candidate and am proud of my application, this is a very competitive program and would appreciate you keeping your fingers crossed, just for good measure. I am so excited about the prospect of this opportunity, but as someone who is quite good at getting her hopes up, I am trying not to get too carried away. Unfortunately, it is going to be a while until I find out about my application, but will post an update when I hear.
Books!
I love to read and have enjoyed some solid reading time during winter break. A student encouraged me to read Wonder by R.J. Palacio which I am going to finish today - what took me so long to read this?! High recommendations for this beautiful read. I also read Monkey by Wu Ch'eng-en, a traditional Chinese folk novel and the selection for UW-Madison's Great World Text program that I will be teaching in term 3. I also read American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (again... not sure what took me so long to get around to this one...) which I will use as a companion text to Monkey. Finally - and not specifically school/kid related, I read Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson and The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard which lead me to my new year's resolution...
In 2016 I resolve to...
Before I get to that, a bit about where this resolution came from. I am a huge fan of setting personal goals and also a huge fan of podcasts. I have been listening to the podcast Happier by Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft. In podcast #26 they talk about choosing a word or a mantra for your year instead of a specific resolution. I loved this idea and have spent a lot of time thinking and journaling about what word or mantra I would choose. Inspired by my Happiness Seminar class, I have become a critical observer of any area of my life where I sense I can bring about more happiness and the one that has been blatantly obvious is my spending and consumption. This awareness, in combination with what I have learned from The Story of Stuff and Zero Waste Home, helped me focus on my word / mantra for 2016: less. In 2016 I resolve to live with less, purchase less, consume less so that I might have more time, happiness and a life more in line with what I really want. That sounds a little hippy-dippy, but wait until you see me with all of my reusable jars at the co-op :) For me, "less" is also about "more", just a more mindful "more" than I am in the habit of. More to come on this as I am sure it will continue to challenge me.
Thanks for reading and the happiest of new years to all of you.
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