Today's posts is about another out of the blue, inspired topic. What inspired me this time? Not on a very positive note, but I've been calling it (for dramatic effect) "that horrible thing that happens tomorrow." Going back to work to teach early Monday morning after a 2 week winter vacation is not really a bad thing, and I'm excited to try out some new ideas, however, the reality is, sleeping all day, eating whatever/whenever I'd like, binge watching TV, watching movies (Star Wars of coarse and Daddy's Home for comedic relief), and hanging out with family and friends was really very nice. Here are a couple of pictures of my husband and I in our celebratory elements.
A few nights ago, I was telling my husband how my sleep cycle is out of "wack" because of my vacation. I explained to him that I needed to go to sleep early and wake up early to prepare for "that horrible thing that happens on Monday." I have yet to verbally say "go back to work." Humorously, I have posted the following on my social media about returning to work:
Kevin Hart - How it feels to go back to work
So a few things came to mind when thinking about it. How do people get back into the "groove" of the work routine? I personally do not like routine, I like to do things in the moment, and just have a good time all of the time, without worrying about "time." The second thing I thought about was: if I'm feeling this way, I can only imagine that the students will feel similarly, and what am I going to do to get them back on track (to the not so fun task of writing a research paper upon their return)?
What my students must feel like:
Link to this Gif's quick meme creation
I searched on the web for "How to prepare to go back to teaching after vacation." Nothing I found was specifically targeted to teachers, but I found an interesting articles describing PTD (post-travel depression). Is that even a thing?! Since I did not really travel anywhere, I continued to search. I found 10 tips to ease back into work, and it had some helpful information about prioritizing, making a list/plan, and including some fun time back into the routine. I honestly felt this is not so easy to do in a teacher's world. Then I realized, other people post about post-vacation trials and tribulations as well. Even CBSNews talks about back to work stress and WebMD has an article regarding bouncing back into work fast. After perusing a variety of tips and tricks, here's my list of how to prepare for "that horrible thing that happens tomorrow."
1. Make sure to cross everything off of my "over-the-break" to-do list.
2. Tidy up the house
3. Set up my automatic coffee machine (the less I have to do in the morning, the better)
4. Prepare my work outfit and work bag. Double check that I have everything I need.
5. Review my lesson plans for tomorrow.
6. Get to Bed Early
7. Wake up Early
8. Get to work early enough to set up for the day's lesson. (I like to get there before other co-workers so that I have time to prep for the day's lesson as well as catch up on holiday reviews from co-workers as they come in)
Onto the next challenge: How do I make this as smooth of a transition as possible for my students? I searched "how to get students on task after break." However, that is assuming that they will be off-task. Either way, whether more for me, or for them, I want to make their return interesting and memorable while introducing them to their research paper assignments. If students take midterms or finals upon their return, this would be a great activity for a welcome back prep for finals activity, however, my students took their midterms before the break. There is a plethora of resources available regarding keeping students focused and getting their attention. Here are links for some of those:
http://www.minds-in-bloom.com/2012/04/20-ways-to-keep-your-students-attention.html
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/article/teaching-students-stay-focused
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/06/how-finland-keeps-kids-focused/373544/
http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/7-ways-increase-students-attention-span
However, my intention is to get the students interested in school, specifically, in science after a long break. Starting with an ice-breaker to get students involved in what they did over their break could be a great conversation starter, a time for the students to reflect on their break, and hopefully ease into the fact that they are in school. After searching for a few ice-breakers, I saw one that peaked my interest. A photo scavenger hunt with a twist. The link provides an idea for students to take pictures while they are away, however, in our social media world, how great would it be to incorporate it into the classroom. The students should be "friends, followers, etc." of other students in the classroom for this to work. Students are to get on their phones and write the names of their peers that they can find in the following pictures taken during the break:
Fun/Vacation
1. Student with their friends
2. Student with their family
3. Student in Miami
4. Student in Another State
5. Student in Another Country
6. Student in the Outdoors
7. Student on the beach/near water
8. Student in/near Snow
9. Student with pet
10. Student at NYE/Holiday Event/Party
Students will have a few seconds each to talk about their trip, if they choose, either as a whole, or with their classmates that saw their vacation pictures.
Next, to have students focus on the task at hand (research papers) they will need to find any picture on social media or any other internet site, and include those pictures on a google slide shared amongst all of the students, as well as on their sheet, they should write down the url that the pictures have been found on. The topics the students can choose from have been found through the Fairchild Challenge # 7
Research Paper
1. Alfred W. Crosby
2. Plants that have been brought to the U.S. from other countries
3. Urban Brownfields
4. Agriculture
5. Food Security
At that point, I think a quick round of rock paper scissors class challenge will be completed for a brain break, followed by the winner getting to choose their research topic first. The research paper requirements will be described and students will choose what they would like to write their research paper on.
I will open a discussion thread on our class webpage (we call it our portal) so that students can post questions, make suggestions, and voice their thoughts, interests, likes, and dislikes regarding the research paper.
Now it's time for me to follow my own advice and prepare for "that not so horrible, potentially fun, kind of exciting, thing that happens tomorrow."
A few nights ago, I was telling my husband how my sleep cycle is out of "wack" because of my vacation. I explained to him that I needed to go to sleep early and wake up early to prepare for "that horrible thing that happens on Monday." I have yet to verbally say "go back to work." Humorously, I have posted the following on my social media about returning to work:
Kevin Hart - How it feels to go back to work
So a few things came to mind when thinking about it. How do people get back into the "groove" of the work routine? I personally do not like routine, I like to do things in the moment, and just have a good time all of the time, without worrying about "time." The second thing I thought about was: if I'm feeling this way, I can only imagine that the students will feel similarly, and what am I going to do to get them back on track (to the not so fun task of writing a research paper upon their return)?
What my students must feel like:
Link to this Gif's quick meme creation
I searched on the web for "How to prepare to go back to teaching after vacation." Nothing I found was specifically targeted to teachers, but I found an interesting articles describing PTD (post-travel depression). Is that even a thing?! Since I did not really travel anywhere, I continued to search. I found 10 tips to ease back into work, and it had some helpful information about prioritizing, making a list/plan, and including some fun time back into the routine. I honestly felt this is not so easy to do in a teacher's world. Then I realized, other people post about post-vacation trials and tribulations as well. Even CBSNews talks about back to work stress and WebMD has an article regarding bouncing back into work fast. After perusing a variety of tips and tricks, here's my list of how to prepare for "that horrible thing that happens tomorrow."
1. Make sure to cross everything off of my "over-the-break" to-do list.
2. Tidy up the house
3. Set up my automatic coffee machine (the less I have to do in the morning, the better)
4. Prepare my work outfit and work bag. Double check that I have everything I need.
5. Review my lesson plans for tomorrow.
6. Get to Bed Early
7. Wake up Early
8. Get to work early enough to set up for the day's lesson. (I like to get there before other co-workers so that I have time to prep for the day's lesson as well as catch up on holiday reviews from co-workers as they come in)
Onto the next challenge: How do I make this as smooth of a transition as possible for my students? I searched "how to get students on task after break." However, that is assuming that they will be off-task. Either way, whether more for me, or for them, I want to make their return interesting and memorable while introducing them to their research paper assignments. If students take midterms or finals upon their return, this would be a great activity for a welcome back prep for finals activity, however, my students took their midterms before the break. There is a plethora of resources available regarding keeping students focused and getting their attention. Here are links for some of those:
http://www.minds-in-bloom.com/2012/04/20-ways-to-keep-your-students-attention.html
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/article/teaching-students-stay-focused
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/06/how-finland-keeps-kids-focused/373544/
http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/7-ways-increase-students-attention-span
However, my intention is to get the students interested in school, specifically, in science after a long break. Starting with an ice-breaker to get students involved in what they did over their break could be a great conversation starter, a time for the students to reflect on their break, and hopefully ease into the fact that they are in school. After searching for a few ice-breakers, I saw one that peaked my interest. A photo scavenger hunt with a twist. The link provides an idea for students to take pictures while they are away, however, in our social media world, how great would it be to incorporate it into the classroom. The students should be "friends, followers, etc." of other students in the classroom for this to work. Students are to get on their phones and write the names of their peers that they can find in the following pictures taken during the break:
Fun/Vacation
1. Student with their friends
2. Student with their family
3. Student in Miami
4. Student in Another State
5. Student in Another Country
6. Student in the Outdoors
7. Student on the beach/near water
8. Student in/near Snow
9. Student with pet
10. Student at NYE/Holiday Event/Party
Students will have a few seconds each to talk about their trip, if they choose, either as a whole, or with their classmates that saw their vacation pictures.
Next, to have students focus on the task at hand (research papers) they will need to find any picture on social media or any other internet site, and include those pictures on a google slide shared amongst all of the students, as well as on their sheet, they should write down the url that the pictures have been found on. The topics the students can choose from have been found through the Fairchild Challenge # 7
Research Paper
1. Alfred W. Crosby
2. Plants that have been brought to the U.S. from other countries
3. Urban Brownfields
4. Agriculture
5. Food Security
At that point, I think a quick round of rock paper scissors class challenge will be completed for a brain break, followed by the winner getting to choose their research topic first. The research paper requirements will be described and students will choose what they would like to write their research paper on.
I will open a discussion thread on our class webpage (we call it our portal) so that students can post questions, make suggestions, and voice their thoughts, interests, likes, and dislikes regarding the research paper.
Now it's time for me to follow my own advice and prepare for "that not so horrible, potentially fun, kind of exciting, thing that happens tomorrow."
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