SnowOwl

Sounds like you are finding some really interesting new possibilities in your career. Also, sounds like a good plan not to jump in too soon, but to try it out on the side first - baby-steps. Salads are always one of the hardest things for me to "cook" for myself.

Friday - finished parent teacher conferences! Quests went ok, no fitness though. Guests arrived next door so we spent the afternoon visiting and catching up. Saturday - rough day, but both my husband and I both survived and got the car all packed Sunday - Leaving early for Eastern Oregon. I'll check back in when we get back next weekend. Have a great week everyone!

Wednesday - All quests went ok, but I was tired and went to bed without updating. Did some very basic BW exercises. Thursday: I was trying not to let conferences derail me, but then shark week snuck up on me and that combo may be more than I can battle right now. I'm also behind on everyone else's threads...hoping I can catch up tomorrow night. Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Did I do something kind or inclusive for her today? Yes. She came in and went over some terms I used in my interview that weren’t the exact ones I should be using when discussing education - such as “word calling” instead of whatever I said about students reading fluently but without comprehension and math strand instead of math topic, because apparently topic is only used in Language Arts settings. I behaved like a good interested student. Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Did I complete a task today that he would have had to do or did I do something special for him? Yes, I helped with dinner and I stopped what I was doing to be an attentive listener when he needed to talk about his day. Quest #3: Take care of myself. (run, walk, BBWW) Did I follow the plan? Good enough - I took my dog for a nice walk when I got home. Cramps are a legitimate excuse for me to alter the plan. Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Did I follow the schedule? prepare good lessons for tomorrow? prep my room? complete grading before bed? Yes. Lessons ready; my desk was looking good, but chaos attacked it the past couple of days - must fight back before I leave for break tomorrow afternoon; no grading today!

I'm not sure how it went. It's odd to interview for a job you are already in and with people who already know you (they were required to ask me the same questions as the other applicants). One of the interviewers (a coworker I really like) actually started to fall asleep while I was answering a question - seriously, eyes rolled back in his head, lol...I'm taking this as a good sign that he felt the interview was unnecessary and wants me to get rehired (because obviously must keep a positive attitude). It was so hard to answer the questions and stay focused knowing that most of the interviewers already know what I do - like what my schedule "might" be like if I am hired. My favorite question though was how would I explain this math concept to a student who is confused and it was the exact skill I taught this morning! (and thanks to my be a better teacher goal, I taught it well this morning with a hands on activity). They also asked me where I plan to be in 5 years. I said hopefully right here still teaching 5/6, but otherwise, I guess sleeping in? My quests are off again. I'm going to try not to let parent conferences (starting at 7:15am tomorrow!) be an excuse for slacking off the rest of the week. The interview was a necessary disruption, conferences would be an excuse. And I need to finish this week strong as next week is spring break and I will be away all week. So tomorrow I need to run, unless it's raining hard, then I can sub in BBWW. Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Did I do something kind or inclusive for her today? Yes. We fixed some assessment reports together, she gave a few of my kids make-up tests, and then she was part of my interview committee this afternoon. I think our interactions all went well today. I’m not feeling threatened by her helping at all anymore. I’m just glad for the help! Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Did I complete a task today that he would have had to do or did I do something special for him? Yes, I helped him with dinner, cleaned up after dinner, and gave him space as he needed quiet alone time this evening. Quest #3: Take care of myself. (run, walk, BBWW) Did I follow the plan? No. I took a very short walk with my dog when I got home though! This is something I need to start doing every afternoon to take better care of my sweet boy. Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Did I follow the schedule? prepare good lessons for tomorrow? prep my room? complete grading before bed? Yes. Lessons for tomorrow - whole school movie day, then early release fro conferences! (plus a few short lessons mixed in); my room looks pretty good, but my desk needs work while the kids are at the movie; no grading today - end of term!

I think it went well. I am really liking my goals. I think you are right that I need to talk with her, but probably not about my goal as it might seem like I am having to force myself to be nice to her because she's so difficult. Sunday was a resting day. I should have done some yoga at least, but I went to snuggle my friend's new puppy instead - so cute!!! Monday: Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Did I do something kind or inclusive for her today? Yes. I listened in a friendly way while she told me about some things I already know. I think she is getting stressed out and losing track of all the things she’s juggling. I turned down an offer for help this afternoon as she seemed like she did not need another task added to her plate today and I actually felt like I could get it done without stress. Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Did I complete a task today that he would have had to do or did I do something special for him? No, but he has asked me to rub his neck before bed and I’ll probably do that. Quest #3: Take care of myself. (run, walk, BBWW) Did I follow the plan? No. I took a very short walk with my husband and then worked the whole evening. ( I have an interview tomorrow to keep my job and prepping for that was my highest priority tonight.) Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Did I follow the schedule? prepare good lessons for tomorrow? prep my room? complete grading before bed? Yes. My schedule is becoming second nature. Lessons are ready to go. My room is much tidier. Grading is complete except for three math assignments from kids who were absent last week and those I grade in the morning because the math book is way too bulky to carry home.

My husband really wanted to take me out to try mt. biking again since we didn’t get anywhere last time. So I went, although I wasn’t quite up for it. I was almost in tears by the time I made it up (some biking and some pushing the bike) and then a tick bit me, but after some hugs I was ready to go again and did much better on the way back. I’m still not sure this activity is for me, but I’m going to give it a few more tries - it’s not really fair to judge when I’m this out of shape. Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Did I do something kind or inclusive for her today? n/a weekend *At the carnival last night, she came up and introduced herself to my husband and said "I'm sure you've heard about me." in a way that sounded like she was sure I was saying how crazy she was making me. I think I need to make sure she knows that I am not so frustrated with her anymore. My behavior should show that, but I'm not sure it's enough to overcome the struggles we had early on (although I hope I wasn't behaving rudely to her even then). I need to think about this more. Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Did I complete a task today that he would have had to do or did I do something special for him? Yes. I rubbed his neck when he woke up with a headache this morning and had patience with his low/irritable mood. Quest #3: Take care of myself. (run, walk, BBWW) Did I follow the plan? Yes. I didn’t follow the plan but had a really good workout mt. biking today. Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Did I follow the schedule? prepare good lessons for tomorrow? prep my room? complete grading before bed? n/a weekend But, I got most of my end-of-quarter grading done, just have some virtual assignments to collect tomorrow as I gave my kids through tonight to finish. I also did some planning for parent conferences next week.

The school carnival was this evening, so I came home for dinner and then my husband and I went back to the school. It was very cute and fun. One of my kids taught me to twirl a rope and I won a pencil roping a plastic steer. I also did a minute-to-win-it race and while I did it, a fourth grader beat my time - he was so excited! I had a fun surprise for my kids today. Today was guest reader day, so I invited their old teacher (who I took over for in October) to Skype in and read to us from New Zealand. So, overall a pretty fun day today, although my quests took a backseat. I’m not bothered though other things took precedence today and my husband and I had a unique evening out together, Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Did I do something kind or inclusive for her today? Yes. She came in and offered help again today, so I asked her to give two of my kids make-up vocab tests. Also chatted briefly at the carnival this evening. I think I’m starting to like her! lol, I would never have thought this quest would have been that effective. I thought I was just trying to learn to make the situation more bearable. I am actually amazed that my attitude was such a big part of our stressful interactions. (Not that the situation hasn’t changed and improved too, but that is only one piece of the issues we were having.) Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Did I complete a task today that he would have had to do or did I do something special for him? No, but he came to my work event with me and we had fun together. Quest #3: Take care of myself. (run, walk, BBWW) Did I follow the plan? No. I didn’t get home until 30 minutes before my usual bedtime, so I took a hot bath and just relaxed. Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Did I follow the schedule? prepare good lessons for tomorrow? prep my room? complete grading before bed? Yes. Schedule was followed; lessons are ready for Monday; my room is still messy, I will need to stay late Monday and get this taken care of, but copies are all made and organized; I did some grading before leaving school, but the rest will be over the weekend. I have extra grading this weekend as report cards go out next week so today was the last day for late work to be turned in and I have writing samples and things to prepare for parent conferences next week.

Good job recognizing a potential problem and planning for it!

You are so impressive!

lol, now why would ask him what is actually most helpful? Getting his input is a good idea. I tend to do things I feel need to be done and call them helpful to him. I do know that dinner is a big one though and keeping the table cleared off, those are both things that really matter to him, along with head and back rubs. Although in line with thinking differently on long work days, he would also appreciate my staying off the internet for an hour so he could stream one of his shows in HD and relax by himself. *We are really good at the hugs and how was your day, so that is happening everyday already. Thursday Today was a good day. Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Did I do something kind or inclusive for her today? Yes. We met today to try out an online learning site and it went well, it was actually almost fun. She also popped in this morning to ask if I needed any help with anything today (end of term - grading, conferences, report cards, etc.), I accepted her offer and was going to have her do an assessment on a kid who had been absent, but he was gone again. Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Did I complete a task today that he would have had to do or did I do something special for him? Yes. Again it was very small, but I helped make dinner with him. And, since reading @Manarelle's comment, I also supported his decision to go in the other room by himself and watch his shows. Sometimes I'm not so supportive of this since I miss him after being at work all day. Quest #3: Take care of myself. (run, walk, BBWW) Did I follow the plan? Yes! (well not the plan, but a good exception from the plan) My husband attempted to take me on my first mt. bike ride today! We made it .6 mile up the hill when his chain broke, repair attempts failed, and we coasted .6 mile back down, lol. Still a big accomplishment for me as it was a very scary thing for me to try. Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Did I follow the schedule? prepare good lessons for tomorrow? prep my room? complete grading before bed? Yes. Schedule was followed; lessons are ready (although I have to adjust a bit as our guest reader just emailed me that she is going to be an hour later than we thought - each class is having a guest read a story tomorrow as part of reading month); my room is still messy but it is prepped for tomorrow; I did some grading before leaving school, but I am out of time to finish this evening. I need a better grading plan so I’m not grading every evening, or (honestly) not getting it done every evening.

Thank you! I meant to join and totally forgot. I even put my name on the list. Wednesday I ran today! First time since the fall and it even sprinkled on me at the very end and I finished anyway! Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Did I do something kind or inclusive for her today? Yes. She came in at the end of the day and offered to take over my class to get some things done (pack up my science kits) while I took my reading group to the library and I said sure, thank you. I’m trying not to read anything into her actions but helpfulness. Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Did I complete a task today that he would have had to do or did I do something special for him? No. I had to work late today and just ran out of steam. This may not be a realistic goal some days, or I just need to think smaller - put just a few things away maybe. *I did that so I’m going to say yes for today. Quest #3: Take care of myself. (run, walk, BBWW) Did I follow the plan? Yes! Day 1 of C25k (I started the app over, it got me to my 5k last year, it can get me there again.) Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Did I follow the schedule? prepare good lessons for tomorrow? prep my room? complete grading before bed? Schedule was followed, still need to get a science lesson prepped for tomorrow, my room is a mess and papers are not graded. Today I wasn’t out of meetings until 4:45 and I just couldn’t stay and work any longer. Tomorrow I shouldn’t have anything after school so I’m hoping to get my room tidied up, grading done, and science lessons planned for Friday. EDIT: Thankfully realized that I do have science planned for tomorrow! I forgot we didn't finish our lesson from Tuesday, so that lesson is all ready to wrap up tomorrow.

I like this idea, may have to think about it for myself...

Tuesday Today was a good day. My kids were really chatty, but we did get some good work done too. My energy was better today and I'm sure it is related to finally starting to exercise again. Unfortunately I didn't keep up with that today. I need a better routine so I don't have to think and decide anything, I just have to follow the written plan. And I need to remember that the day after bodyweight I might be sore! Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Did I do something kind or inclusive for her today? No. I disagreed with her in a meeting and while I didn't think about it at the time, I should have just left it alone and smiled politely. There was no reason for me to argue, it didn't matter to what we were meeting about. I need to work on keeping my mouth closed when it's not important and just let her have her opinion, it only causes tension between us and we have been making progress. (I still feel like today was a success because I'm learning so much from this.) Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Did I complete a task today that he would have had to do or did I do something special for him? Yes! He was feeling down so I made dinner tonight and rubbed his head a bit. Quest #3: Take care of myself. (run, walk, BBWW) Did I follow the plan? No, but I will do some (a tiny bit) stretching before bed. I think I need to add yoga in on the days between BBWWs. Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Did I follow the schedule? prepare good lessons for tomorrow? prep my room? complete grading before bed? Yes, I had an IEP meeting for 1.5 hours after school so nothing got done. But, I followed my schedule and I have lessons ready for tomorrow. I forgot to grab assignments on my way out after the meeting, so grading will have to wait. My room is messy, but 10 hours is enough time at work for one day!

I'm glad you are still working hard even though your Big Why is missing. I've been lacking motivation for while now and I'm not sure what's going on, but I think maybe I need a Why that I care about more. I know working out is good for me, but that's just not enough to make me do it. I think I need to at least find a small Why to get me going while I figure out the bigger stuff. I'm starting to really notice the lack of IRL support too. Do you have that?

I love your creative journal!

Monday: Today went well. Being prepared and having a routine/schedule sure helps the day go more smoothly. Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Did I do something kind or inclusive for her today? I didn’t see her much today, but was kind and polite in the interactions we did have and I scheduled a meeting with her to review the technology tools I’m currently using. Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Did I complete a task today that he would have had to do or did I do something special for him? No. Quest #3: Take care of myself. (run, walk, BBWW) Did I follow the plan? Yes! I only made it through one BBWW rotation and not even half of Day 1 of my pull-up app, but it’s a start! Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Did I follow the schedule? prepare good lessons for tomorrow? prep my room? complete grading before bed? I followed my schedule perfectly. I have good lessons prepared for tomorrow. My room is still a little messy, but all materials and copies are ready. Grading is done!

Sunday Update: It was beautiful and sunny out today, though still coat weather. My husband took me on a hike. It was great to spend time together outdoors. I still have a bit of a cold, but otherwise am feeling much better! Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Did I do something kind or inclusive for her today? n/a - weekend! Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Did I complete a task today that he would have had to do or did I do something special fro him? Yes! I cleaned the bathroom sink and countertops and I also helped clear off the kitchen table and made dinner! Quest #3: Take care of myself. (run, walk, BBWW) Did I follow the plan? Yes. I didn't run, but an (almost) 4 mile hike definitely counts! Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Did I follow the schedule? prepare good lessons for tomorrow? prep my room? complete grading before bed? n/a - weekend (I did some great prepping today, but I did not get math grades finished and will have to do those in the morning)

Saturday! Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. n/a weekend! Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Yes. I gave him a nice back massage today. Quest #3: Take care of myself. Yes. Still too much sitting around, but I did go off on a nice walk with the dog this afternoon and my husband has outdoor plans for us tomorrow. I may try for some simple bodyweight exercises or yoga tonight. Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Yes. I did some planning and grading today.

Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Yes. I did well again today. It was easier as I didn't see her too much today. I included her in a brief conversation with a parent and asked her how to start the special education referral process. Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. No. Quest #3: Take care of myself. I'm starting to feel better today. I should be able to do a simple workout tomorrow. Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Yes. My room is a bit messy, but I followed my schedule, I have ok lessons for Monday, and my copies are made. I did some grading tonight.

Thank you! I needed a nice welcome in a place I feel accepted today. Processing my thoughts... Anyway, an update for today on things I did do: Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Yes. She was challenging for me to deal with today, but I was friendly and respectful. I listened calmly while she explained the new thing I am supposed to add to my days and while she lectured me on the level of detail she expects in my documentation. Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Yes. I am a mess this evening and unfortunately he had to care for me more than I was able to help him, but I did rub his back for a few minutes. (He injured it somehow the other day.) Quest #3: Take care of myself. N/A - not well enough for exercise yet. I did walk around the school yard while my kids were outside completing an art activity today, so yay for getting some sunshine! Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Half yes? I'm counting it since I'm starting slow this week. I followed my schedule. I have decent lessons ready for tomorrow. My desk and copies are "sub-ready" for tomorrow. I did not get my grading done this evening.

Wednesday Update: I'm sick and exhausted and a bit overwhelmed and stressed and lots of other not so good things, but I'm starting anyway! Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Yes. I was friendly and welcomed her in to teach a lesson to my class today. (She is a really good teacher! I didn’t know that.) Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Yes, I let him sleep and I got myself off to work this morning. Quest #3: Take care of myself. N/A - not well enough for exercise yet Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Yes. I didn’t do perfect today, but I did pretty well. I graded and got things entered into the gradebook and all my copies are ready for tomorrow.

I’m recovering from strep. I spent the whole winter sitting. The snow is melting, it's time to get moving! I’m getting my quests up now, but will be starting them gradually depending on how long it takes me to get over this illness. Quest #1: Be kinder to my teaching coach. Background: What this looks like: Including her in my planning, asking her for advice, listening respectfully, completing things she wants me to try. How I know I’ve done this: Did I do something kind/inclusive for her today? Quest #2: Be more helpful to my husband. Background: What this looks likes: Cleaning the sink, tidying the living room, taking out the trash, walking the dog, rubbing his neck or feet. How I know I’ve done this: Did I complete a task today that he would have had to do or did I do something special for him? Quest #3: Take care of myself. Background: What this looks like: Exercising everyday. I will start running again. At least once a week until the weather is better and the days are longer, then 3x a week. I will use the c25k program. I will also restart my pull-ups app using it in place of the rows in the BBWW, which I will do at least two days a week. (Initial Plan: run, walk, BBWW+pull-ups) How I know I’ve done this: Did I follow the plan? If not, and I had a good reason, did I make it up the next day? Quest #4: Be a better teacher. Background: What this looks like: Having and sticking to a strict daily schedule. Making sure I am prepared for each lesson throughout the day. Having everything laid out and ready for the next day before I leave. Getting grading done and entered into the grade book within 24 hours. How I know I’ve done this: Did I follow the schedule? Do I have good lessons prepared for tomorrow? Is my room ready for tomorrow? Is my grading done before bed? *Note: I will have Spring Break during this challenge. My goals for break are simply to relax and go with the flow.

Sending so much love and hugs. I'm so sorry.

Yoga last night! Day 2!

I did yoga before bed yesterday! Day 1. I also met with my supervisor today and things went much better! She really does want to help me be better at my job and we are starting to find a better way to work together to help me improve. For one, I started interrupting her and giving her information rather than listening to her tell me things I already know, so we can use our time better. And she realized that she was throwing way too much at me at once. One step at a time, but improvement. Off to squeeze in yoga before bed! I sure wish you lived near me!