Passion is Dying ...

Interesting title today, huh?  I was thinking about way back when ... when I first started working with kids, and that led to going back to school to become a teacher.  I had SUCH passion for teaching.  I felt like I had a true connection with kids and that I was unstoppable. 

Anyone ever feel like that?  Maybe when you first started your career?  So what happened?  For me, it wasn't anything I did that made the passion fade.  And truth be told, I still find that passion when I'm alone with my class and can talk about anything and really teach what I need to express.  

In fact since moving to my "specialist" position 9 years ago, I feel that my passion has reignited in some ways.  I don't have to follow the same rules and protocol as classroom teachers and there is a lot more freedom for what I do in the classroom and the curriculum I teach.  It has been a blessing over the past few years.

As I see my fellow educators struggling to follow the district and state protocols, I have seen passion fading.  We used to be able to follow a curriculum plan for the material we need to teach in a certain grade level, but now the protocol is so much more strictly governed - not only what to teach, but how to teach it, and when.  The creativity of teachers is being squashed, and their passion for teaching along with it!

What happened to the days where a teacher could actually make decisions based on the needs of his/her students and instruct in a way that best reflected their teaching strengths?  Teachers used to have more autonomy in the classroom to help their students in the way they knew best.  Now somebody else "knows best," without really stepping into the classroom.  No longer can we spend time for trivial activities, even though those are the ones students remember best and through which we develop meaningful relationships with our students.  Along with the passion, "fun" is dying in today's schools. Today we have too many administrators making double or triple the amount of money that their subordinates earn, making crucial instructional decisions without ever having met the students or the teacher.  

Somehow, I feel we were stronger teachers when we were left to design our lessons according to the way we taught best -- with our specific students in mind.  I must say, I am SO glad that I was able to transfer from classroom teaching to becoming a specialist.  In my particular job, I get to make the decisions about what to teach and how to teach it.  My students love coming to class and I am excited each and every day to see them learn and love learning.

If I were in the regular classroom still - with all of the regulations and stifling constraints - well, I wouldn't be teaching still.  It is too much like work, and whatever passion I had to nurture young minds would have been squashed long ago.  And if teachers don't have passion, how can they instill passion in their students?  We will all become a society of dispassionate automatons, lacking not only passion, but empathy and originality.

Why does this happen?  Why do we allow so much control from the administrators who were never in the classroom -- or if they were, saw it as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.  They're making the big bucks, so guess they feel a need to "earn" it in some way, but instead of making such confining decisions about what can be taught and how, maybe they should look for other ways to help teachers do what they do best.

I will admit, some teachers need more guidance.  They may have gotten into teaching for the wrong reason (summers off, isolated workspace, or (ha) they thought it would be easy.)  Some of these teachers probably need the district or state mandated protocols to help them get the job done.  But real teachers - natural teachers - just KNOW how to work with kids, and given a short list of the curriculum guidelines, are quite adept at writing their own lesson plans, pre and post assessments, and any activities to improve learning along the way.  With so much administrative "guidelines" (think procedures - or even worse, laws!) there is little left in the way of creativity or originality in teacher lessons, and this is slowly squeezing the passion out of our profession.

So, what's to be done?  Well, teachers can't do much about it because those that are making the rules have the power, and we don't want to rock the boat or lose our jobs.  So who?  Parents have a strong voice in the community.  They may not know it, but no one wants to see parents unhappy.  Some administrators will bend over backwards to make sure parents are happy - even to the detriment of the students involved.  So, if you are a parent and you are unhappy with the way your school is being run, YOU have the power to instigate change.  

I long for a time when teachers can make their own decisions about the curriculum they teach.  They can spend more time getting to know each child and their specific strengths or weaknesses, and develop strategies and tasks designed to improve learning.  Nowadays it is hard to catch a teacher truly happy in their classroom all the time.  Oh, we have our moments of glory, but they are spread out and too few to mention.  We cling to these, however, because it reminds us why we became teachers in the first place.  For the sheer joy of seeing a child "get it" for the first time - or observing creativity and love of learning as a student achieves success.  

I hope our schools smarten up a bit and get back to letting our trained teachers do what they do best.  If teachers are teaching without passion, what motivation do our students have for learning?  The rules and regulations have left us barren and lacking joy.  Enthusiasm is painted on, not experienced from within.  Let teachers find their passion by allowing them to be more autonomous in everyday teaching decisions, and watch the students grow and learn more, developing their own passions as well.  

Postscript:  I didn't intend to make this all about teaching.  I think that many professions today have become over regulated and have killed the passion of the people.  We do our jobs more like robots than people because we need the job and we do what is necessary to keep working.  Administrators in all fields need to do everything they can to keep the passion alive.  (And not all administrators kill the passion -- but it seems the higher up on the food chain, the more power they have, and the more power they wield - for the very purpose of flaunting their position.)  So, if you find passion is slipping away... it's time to rejuvenate and renew! Or find a new profession.

What Time is It?

Ironically, this post is late.  I don't mean to be late, but I seem to always have a lot going on and time slips away.  Pair that with a foggy brain, and I don't even remember what I forgot.  Anyone with me here?

Why are some people chronically late, and others annoying early?  What is it in our DNA that makes us so different?  You may laugh or scoff, but there have been studies about this, and I take comfort in knowing I'm not just an ass.

First off, from what I researched as I was sitting in the car dealership waiting for my oil change, which, yes, for which I was late.  (Okay, that really wasn't my fault as I got up three hours early, took my shower, and then proceeded to be bombarded with unexpected events.) 

Anyway, I actually liked what I discovered.  People who are late tend to be Type B - more laid back, versus my punctual Type A friends.  Another study claimed that those who are late are more creative, and tend to multi-task.  Oh yeah, I'm the QUEEN of multi-tasking.  I had the whole day planned out -- errands, oil change, shopping, play, and more after dinner.  But with the unexpected texts and calls, my time was sucked up and timeliness suffered.

In one article I read, it was determined that Type A and Type B personalities actually perceived time differently. 

Over three previous studies Conte found that, for Type A individuals, a minute passed in 58 seconds, where as Type B people felt a minute pass in a leisurely 77 seconds. 

Hmmm, that explains a lot!  My minutes are longer than yours?  Maybe that's why I think I can accomplish more than I can.  Just a couple more minutes and then I'll move on to the next task, and the next before I have to get to my next meeting.

Another article actually stated that being late might be a desirable trait, because of the link between these Type B personalities who exhibit optimism and who can multitask - at the office and at home.  They claim that these traits lead to more successful lives and careers. I can live with that. 

Okay, another truth.  Since I wrote the last paragraph, it's been four days.  More irony?  The guys in the service center said I needed some minor fixes, in addition to my oil change, and I said I needed to be out by 12:00pm at the latest.  Well, they beat that time and I had to stop writing.  Too much multitasking prevented me from getting back to this until now.  SO, last week's post is now this week's post, which means Thanksgiving Day.

SO, before I forget and run out of time ...

Happy Thanksgiving!  Thank you all for reading my blog and supporting me!

Love,
Linda

https://www.mydomaine.com/running-late-creativity/slide2

https://www.inc.com/wanda-thibodeaux/if-youre-always-late-you-might-be-more-successful-heres-why.html

https://www.sciencealert.com/chronically-late-personality-type-scientists-study 

Failure on the Way to Success?

I skipped last week.  Sorry.  I was not feeling well and was a little frustrated that my oils were taking longer to work than usual.  And now, this week.  I could have written something for the past week, but I'm out of ideas.  But keep reading, I'm sure I'll think of something!
Ha ha!

So, I've proclaimed on this blog that I was going to eat healthy, exercise, and lose weight.  You know - improve myself and my health.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to stay true to my word - a promise I have broken not so much to you, but more to myself.  I am pretty disgusted at my inability to take control of my life, prioritize the things I need to do, and make self-care the main focus in self-improvement.   Anyone else in this boat with me?

Why do we always know what we should be doing, and yet it is such a long, hard journey to actually get 'er done?  Well, I do realize not everyone "knows" what they should do, as I have seen so many people putting the worst things in their body (and on their body), but for me, I must admit, I do know what I should be doing.  I am educated and I am continually researching and reading to find out more.  

Perhaps that is the issue?  I have to get away from the research and just choose something and follow through.  What's the issue?  Here are some choices...
1.  Addiction
2.  Laziness
3.  Lack of mental clarity
4.  Peer pressure
5.  A weakened resolve

I believe it is probably all of these - and more.

1.  Sugar Addiction
I've talked before about the addictive power of sugar, and I believe I am addicted.  Some days the urge to indulge is stronger than others.  Why is this so?  Probably because so many of us are emotional eaters.  We're bored.  We eat.  We're upset.  We eat.  We're stressed and short on time.  We eat.  When we're having a bad day, the enemy, sugar, knows it and strikes for the kill.  So we give in because we're having a sh!##y day and it makes us feel better -- temporarily.  

Ooh - sidenote!  I was reminded of an interesting fact that I saw on a video I was showing my fourth graders about the immune system.  Did you know that when you overindulge in sugary treat (candy, carbs, sodas & fruit punches) that your body stops producing stem cells for a full five hours.  What?!!!  And it will also stop your white blood cells' production of antibodies.  So eating more sugar can not only make you fat, give you heart disease and diabetes, but it can make you more susceptible to germs.  Yup.  It can make you sick!  (Sorry, I just find that fascinating and had to let someone know!)

2.  Laziness
So addiction is one of the culprits, but I give full credit to laziness, too.  However, I think the two are related.  We all know that sugar is a quick pick me up when you are feeling sluggish, but it doesn't last long.  SO, you need something to get you through to dinner, when you plan to make a healthy meal, but after the sugar rush recedes, you're too tired to make that healthy dinner and end up eating whatever looks good in the fridge.  Or maybe the thought of prepping, cooking, and cleaning up after dinner is just too much.

3.  Mental Clarity
I blame mental clarity.  I have read SO much about healthy ways to eat and care for your body.  This diet versus another, or don't eat this food and be sure you include that one in every meal ...  it is truly overwhelming and after a while it all melds together into one big pot of an unidentifiable mess.  Was it kale at every meal or don't eat too much kale?  What day is it?  Is coconut oil good or bad today?  What about food specific dietary plans?  Gluten free or keto?  Paleo? Dairy free?  Butter or margarine?  (Parkay!)  There are just too many theories to keep track of and when it comes down to it, eventually I give in to #2 again and just eat whatever's in the fridge.  Once you do that, however, you've blown the program and anything goes.  Yeah, I was on that program, but now I'm just eating "sensibly." (Until I need a sugar hit or am too lazy or busy to prepare something healthy.)

4.  Peer Pressure
After all of that (and I am exhausted just thinking about it), you're ready to jump at the chance to go out and have some fun and eat whatever you want.  All bets are off when your bestie says, "Let's go out for Happy Hour," or "Shopping and dinner?"  It's not enough to go out, we have to really ENJOY ourselves and order drinks, delicious food, and maybe even dessert.  Well, you can't say no to a friend, can you?  Diet totally blown, you drift through the days thinking about getting back on track, but stuck in an ugly cycle of sugar, laziness, and not knowing where to turn.

5.  A Weakened Resolve
Now, mind you, this is not an ordered list.  One can happen without the rest, but if you were following this path to hell, by now you don't even give a damn.  And that is weakened resolve.  So, what does that look like?  You pretty much eat everything that comes your way.  If it looks yummy, you take it and shove it in.  This is where we start believing those skinny people who say, "Life is short.  Buy the shoes.  Eat the cake."  Yeah, well, at this weight I can't wear the shoes, so what the heck.  I'll eat the cake.  Except unlike those skinny bitches, I wear the cake.  On my thighs, butt, and belly.  Oh well.  Pass the donuts.

And so it goes ...
Please tell me I'm not alone here.  Anyone else living in this horrifying life cycle of the sloth?What advice do you have?  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I've heard it.  "Just do it." I do, but it never lasts.  Seriously.  I'm thinking I need to divorce my husband because he is such a good cook.  (A good cook

who doesn't think about whether anything is healthy or not -- just that it tastes amazing!)  Let's make a list of "to dos" and "not to dos" and see where that takes us.  Are you with me?  Maybe we can conduct our own research here and become rich and famous for the secret to permanent weight loss and good health.  Yay!

Seriously.  I know what we'd find out.  The answer to weight loss.  
You've always had the power to change.  You just had to believe it, and it is this...










Just do it.

What Price, Rewards?

This might ruffle a few feathers, but I mean no disrespect to anyone.  These are just observations ...  take them as an opinion, but without judgement.  

I'm not sure what prompted this -- probably a commercial, or maybe I overhead a family talking.  What am I talking about?  The ways the we reward our children for good grades, good behavior, doing what they are supposed to do.  Think about it.  What do we offer for getting kids to do what we want?

• McDonalds, KFC, Arbys, etc.
• Candy, Cookies, Donuts
• Treats in the lunch box
• Ice cream
• Video games or "screen" time

I've heard families talk about McDonalds like winning the lottery.  Isn't it great?  McDonalds!  Yeah, so glad you are filling your family with processed, high sodium, high sugar foods.  What a prize!  And here, wash it all down with a coke and later we'll stop at Abbott's for an ice cream.

See anything wrong with this?  Oh, again, I'm not judging.  I am guilty of this, too -- both when my kids were young, and even on the rare occasion I see my 5 year old niece.  We all want to give our kids something nice, or fun, or sweet.  A special treat!  Yay!   But when we reward with junk food, sweets, or processed yummies, we are saying that it's okay to have these things when we deserve them.  My new view is that it's not really okay to ever have them - and if we deserve a treat, why not make it something that is good for us, and not something that will help to deteriorate our bodies.  

I know.  It seems an extreme reaction, and as I said before, I'm just as guilty.  But if I had rewarded my kids with a different kind of reward, perhaps none of us would be striving to lose weight or cut down on sugar.  Sugar is addictive - far more than any drug - and it feeds cancer cells.  Now sugar is what the brain needs to function, too, but the catch is how much.  If we have a surplus of sugar, then our brain stops functioning effectively.  

High blood sugar can lead to diabetes and inactivity, which can also lead to heart problems.  The things we reward our kids with often do the most damage to them long-term.

And maybe you're someone who truly does limit sweets and other goodies.  Do you have control at school?  At grandma's house?  And are your growing kids making healthy choices for themselves?  If so, congratulations!  You've succeeded at a miraculous feat!

I'm not going to get into video games or screen time at this time - only to say that limiting screen time is important for everyone, and I even need to set limits for myself.  When we sit in front of the computer, iPad, smartphone or tv, we are probably not having a conversation, or reading a book -- two activities which don't have negative consequences, and can actually be good for you.

So how do we fix this vicious circle?  I know I treated my kids to candy and other sugar treats, just as I was treated.  I'm hoping that any future grandchildren I have will not be treated in the same way.  We have to see these things for

what they are -- a rare treat that we must choose for ourselves.  Yup, I'm willing to gain a few pounds and lose a few brain cells over that Tiramisu Cheesecake ...  But only once a year.  However, I don't have the right to kill the brain cells of children in my care.

I bring apples to my classroom once a year and every student gets an apple that day.  You would think I had given them a pony.  They are so excited to choose an apple and

then enjoy it in class.  Really.  An apple.  They LOVE apple day.  So kids aren't really the problem.  We have instilled this on them, that candy is a treat and to be coveted.  No wonder we have an obesity epidemic in our country.

The fact is, once we wean ourselves from our sugar habits, we cease to crave it.  If only I could get to that stage!  But my point is, let's stop using something so damaging as sugar to reward our kids.  It sends the wrong message and builds unhealthy habits for the future.  Instead, plan a family fun day, play a board game, or just spend quality time with your child.  It will be a reward for you, too, because your time with them is limited.  (And as an empty-nester, I know how fast it goes!)  Why not spend quality time with your kids and build your relationship.  Give the gift of you.  It is far more valuable and it doesn't cause any nasty health issues!

Further reading

• It’s Up to Us, Not Our Kids, to Change the Food Environment
• Soccer Mom on a (Nutrition) Mission
• No More Skittles: School Snacks May Get Healthy Update
• What Rewarding Kids with Food Looks Like 20 Years Later
• The Sugar and Cancer Connection: Why Sugar Is Called “The White Death”
• No Sugar, No Cancer? A Look at the Evidence

No More Coupons!

I used to be a coupon collector.  You know, buy an extra Sunday paper just so you can collect more coupons ...  I had a whole system for organizing them,  and I remember taking a whole box full to the grocery store each week.  I was so proud to save my family money and loved finding the best deals!

That was probably 25 years ago.  I continued to clip coupons for several years, but then I realized I was buying stuff we just didn't need, simply because we had a coupon.  I started to cut down on the coupons, only clipping the ones for products we currently used -- or for something we wanted to try.  Sounds like a good plan, right? 

I enjoyed the feeling of saving money, and I still clip a few to this day, but it is pretty rare.  What's the change?  Well, did you ever notice the type of products that have coupons?  There are some trends - mostly because a particular company wants to push their merchandise.  So, Keebler pushes their cookies and crackers, Clorox Co. gives you a dollar off their cleaners, and Proctor & Gamble pushes shampoo, soaps, and other personal products.  What's wrong with that you may ask?  

Recently, I paged through a coupon circular that is delivered every week in a pile of junk mail.  I came to the realization that just about everything offered is either full of sugar and artificial ingredients, or full of toxins that can really mess with your body systems - especially your endocrine system.

And who do these coupons target?  Families with limited income who try to make ends meet by using coupons.  But now, they are buying foods full of sugar and low on nutrients.  Not good for anyone.  And since sugar is something that cancer cells feed on, the health implications can be devastating.

Detergents, cleaners, and other household products can be bought for SO cheap at the Dollar Store, but if you have a coupon, you can get the name brand and save!  But nearly every single one of them (name brand or not) is full of harmful toxins that linger long after the scent fades away.

And the shampoos, conditioners, body washes, soaps, deodorants, and baby products offered are just as bad - maybe worse.  So many chemicals and synthetic ingredients that these become toxic to our bodies.  Whatever you put  on your skin DOES get into your body, so this is no joke.  Our bodies are great at detoxing, but when we are bombarded by artificial ingredients and toxic chemicals, we can't keep up.  And we purposely stop ourselves from detoxing, too!  Don't know what I mean?  Americans don't like sweat, so we plaster our underarms with antiperspirants.  But we need to sweat in order to release toxins.  When you

stop perspiration, you force your body to hold in those toxins.  That's when disease sets in and our health deteriorates before we can even know what's happening.  It's the reason a person may seem perfectly healthy, and yet find out the next day they have cancer.  

A quick note - use an all-natural deodorant for sweat.  You will still sweat, but you won't stink!  

Moving on!  So, I don't use coupons anymore, unless it is for something healthy and clean and not something that will affect my body in an adverse way.  Perhaps I can do this because instead of one income back 25 years ago, we have two and can afford to make better choices.  Perhaps it is education.  In several articles I scanned, it revealed that eduction is a factor in good health.  The better educated, the healthier, and vice versa.  I certainly do still have my own nutrition challenges, but I know what's healthy and what's not.  It's the sugar devil inside me that contributes to my health issues.  But it is something I am aware of and struggle to make work each and every day.  And why I make the choice to avoid coupons - and the temptation to buy one of those delicious looking, whipped cream covered heart attacks in a plastic stay-fresh wrap, coming 10 to a box.

It's also why I spend my money on good quality, non-toxic products for my household and personal use.  I figure I put enough toxins in my body by accident (or not by accident, as I shove something "forbidden" into my mouth...), so I am doubly sure not to add to that by using products I know are harmful.  It was a pretty easy switch to make.  I don't have to worry about what something tastes like - these are products I use on my body or clean my home with.  And, the best part is, they all smell great!  No chemical smells - just beautiful scents from nature.


So, I'll avoid the free sugar crap by not using coupons, and keep buying my non-toxic, essential oils infused personal products and cleaners, and just keep working to free myself from sugar.  Yup.  Still working on me.