I always blog at least once a week, but this past week, I didn’t write anything. I have all kinds of ideas swimming around in my head, but I knew that I needed a break. With changes in routine, special days, excitement about the upcoming holidays, and uncertainty around COVID (and what the newest variant will mean for education and schooling come January 3rd), the last week of school passed in some kind of holiday fog/swirls of crazy. When Friday finished, I shut down my computer and didn’t turn it back on until today.
The last week of school before the holidays, I realized that I was exhausted. I slept until my morning alarm on most days, and I rarely wake up with an alarm clock. Hardly ever. Apparently I needed a little extra sleep. In alignment with my #oneword for October and November, I spent a lot of time observing in the classroom. Yes, I observed kids, but I also observed adults. I watched my teaching partner Paula, our principal Tracy, and even our teacher candidate Miranda, interact with students. I saw them getting down with kids, talking with them about what they were doing, extending learning when possible, and not necessarily having a device there to capture it all. While I still documented as I often do, I found myself putting down the iPad more frequently and even plugging it in at times. Sometimes I would take photographs and videos that captured the whole classroom instead of just small groups of kids.
Our daily blog posts still contained many photographs and videos, but maybe a few less than in the past. Even on days when I had meetings or other appointments, I found us publishing these posts earlier than usual, and me even getting into bed and opening a book, much earlier than I usually do. This made me wonder, am I craving some extra quiet and a little me-time right now?
And so, for the month of December, I’ve decided to prioritize quiet. For the first few days of the Break, all that I’ve done is read, watch movies, get in some extra doggy time, and try to book a booster shot — which proved to be far more challenging than I anticipated.
I’ve currently read 160 books this year — check out #avivaandfriendsrecos on Instagram for many of them — and maybe with a little extra quiet time I can make it to 170 before the new year. It’s hard to know what January will bring, and with stories of Omicron and additional closures around the world, I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t worried/anxious/stressed with all of the unknowns. Will a little extra quiet, some more reading (sans social media), and a much-needed Break help with whatever comes our way in the weeks ahead? I hope so. How are you finding your quiet this month? Never have I been so happy to be a reader, as good books will definitely put me in a great mood for the remaining days of 2021. What about you?
Aviva
Aviva: I hope you have a quiet, relaxing, safe, healthy, fun, book-filled holiday season. I am in awe of the wonderful teachers our system is blessed to have. And the students who are coping with things we never imagined. And (surprise!) the parents/caregivers who have to balance so many things while keeping their head above water. Actually, I guess the last one applies to all.
I have a book for you. Your blog title made me think of it. When I read it a few years ago I thought it should be on every teacher’s reading list. It’s not about the “quiet” you describe but it’s important. “Quiet” by Susan Cain.
Be safe and well. Replenish yourself. -Nancy
Thanks for your comment, Nancy! You made me think about something that I didn’t mention in the post, but I think is important to mention now. I am quite privileged to be able to find the quiet that I seek, especially since I’m not balancing needs of kids at home in addition to myself. I’m thinking about our wonderful families in addition to other ones, who must be juggling so much right now while also contemplating the uncertainty of what the next few weeks might bring. I hope that they can find some quiet of their own.
Strangely enough, I thought about Susan Cain’s book as I wrote this post. I haven’t read the book yet, although I have read excerpts from it and blog posts about it. Maybe I do need to add it to my list. Thanks Nancy! Have a wonderful holiday!
Aviva