Drive Like Your Kids Play Here: Teach Like Your Kids Learn Here

"Drive Like Your Kids Play Here" This powerful reminder has been living in my mind since my previous post where we discussed using the summer months for self-reflection and improvement. I wrote that post to suggest that the summer months are a perfect time to form strong habits that can follow you into the upcoming school year. Making the most of the quiet, non-demanding days of summer, we can focus on ourselves and ways to form positive habits for healthy living all year long.  This practice would not only help us to become better teachers, but also to just be healthier for ourselves. It seemed pretty simple and obvious to me...and so I sent it off to encourage others to consider what habits they might like to cultivate for themselves.

It might be hard for those of you reading today to believe that I received some super-snarky comments about that post, one person flat out saying, "You go ahead and use your summer that way. I'll be on the beach with a Margarita." Wow. OK. Thanks for reading...(insert happy wave and big smile). 

Let me assure everyone, I don't generally reply to comments like that, and I don't take offense. They are a great reminder that I am not solely surrounded by like-minded educators, and that I am not everyone's cup of tea. That's OK. I just let them slide on by and chuckle in my mind. That is, until one takes root and fuels the next post. To suggest that self-reflection and personal growth is a waste of one's time, well, I just can't quite wrap my mind around that from a teacher perspective. I mean, I will have my time of relaxation and enjoyment this summer. I will spend time lounging and enjoying the non-stress of summer, reading too much at times, soaking in the summer sun. And that's just fine. However, I will balance that alongside the work I will do on myself. 

So, I want to personally thank those commenters for today's post. TEACH LIKE YOUR KIDS LEARN HERE! When I look back at my own growth as a teacher, there was a distinct shift in my mindset when I had children of my own. I wanted to be the teacher I'd want my children to have: I wanted to have a striking balance of intelligence, empathy, curiosity, self-worth and confidence. Knowing my children would learn as much from observing a teacher's habits as from absorbing their lessons, character and kindness were paramount. The teachers I admire are those who are life-long learners. They model self-reflection and attempt improvement at every turn.  

And so, I am here to applaud those teachers who Teach Like Their Kids Learn Here. Thank you for being an example of all that is wonderful about teaching and learning! And my friends with the snark, I am pretty sure you are here again, thanks for continuing to be intrigued by what you might learn by being around positivity and lifelong learning. I toast you with a Margarita of my own, send you a smile, and commend that little part of you that just had to come back to see what we were talking about on here. Let's spend this summer becoming the teacher we'd want to have.

Enjoy reading what I write? Copies of my book, Connections Across the Student Desk, are available on Amazon: LINK HERE  or Barnes and Noble: LINK HERE

Here...Together...Now...Sharing & Supporting Summer Intentions

I am a pensive and contemplative person by nature, and as such I enjoy odd realizations in my mind from time to time. 

Here is today's: In all the world, in all time, people and places that have existed, you and I are here right now, together, embarking on the summer months of 2025. Think about how many people have lived on this planet! Consider that countless summers have existed, each holding their own enormities, each with their own stagnated struggles, confronted challenges and extraordinary achievements. But in all of that, here is where we, you and I, find ourselves. Together, on the precipice of these months of summer, prior to the 2025-2026 school year. What will we do with this time we have to share?

I have ideas...but first, some seemingly random backstory...

Dogs need to be trained in quiet circumstances so that they can then practice gradually increasing levels of distraction until the command is generalized to all areas. For example, dog owners do not wait until there is a threat of the dog running into traffic to introduce the "stay" command. Yelling "stay" to an untrained dog who is intent on chasing a squirrel on the other side of a four-lane highway will prove useless. My dogs, we have three, all know the "sit" command, as well as the "stay" or "wait" commands, provided: 1. we are in the house, 2. their two canine companions are outside, 3. all is quiet, and 4. I am dangling a piece of steak in their line of vision. However, have a guest walk through the door, or introduce the world of the "outside", and all bets are off. They have not yet had enough practice in a calm atmosphere to generalize successfully following the commands in other circumstances. And so, we continue to practice, practice, practice. We gradually introduce distractions so that they can build their skills over time and eventually be able to adhere to the commands regardless of the surrounding events or circumstances. 

Why am I talking about my dogs? Because, and please don't be insulted, we are not very different from dogs in the realm of training. A personal example: I work diligently to control my mind and my thoughts. I practice not allowing worry to seep into my mind unless I have invited it. I use affirmations and strong one-word reminders to bring my mind back to reality and calm. I have gotten adept at not worrying...when the stakes are low. I can actually at times convince myself that I have become an expert at controlling my thoughts and quelling my worry. And to be true and fair and self-appreciating, I have increased my ability to control when and how much I allow my mind to turn and churn on items that concern me. However when the going really gets tough, I might find myself down the tunnel of worry where I experience difficulty in putting troubling thoughts aside. My heartrate increases as my mind and thoughts spiral out of control. And as I work to reign them in, I am reminded that I have much work to do when the stakes are low, to practice for when they have been raised to higher levels.

Here we find ourselves, together at the beginning of Summer 2025. As so many before us, we look ahead with anticipation and hopefully feel blessed with the pause in our school routines. Because summer is a time of reduction in distractions and responsibilities, it is optimal time for us to work on those items in which we need to train. What challenges you throughout the school year that you can use these calmer weeks to work on? The answer will be different for each reader, and so I ask you to give it some thought. 

If you need some ideas, here are some intentions I plan to use the summer weeks to improve for myself.

Compartmentalize my worry: I eluded to this above. As my children move through their teens and into adulthood, the worries morph and shift. I find that during the school year it is difficult to put my thoughts at bay and let them rest. Knowing there is little I can do to alter anything, especially from 300+ miles away, I must be able to give brief thought-time to my concerns and worries, then let them lay low.

Daily morning physical care: As I enter this summer, I want to acknowledge and appreciate the 50+ years my body has been working with me on this earth. It needs me now, more than ever, to honor it with some physical awareness; sleeping an adequate amount, stretching for mobility, eating what it needs and taking time to align it properly for the day ahead. 

Reaching out to others through mail: I have a long list of people who mean more to me than my absence in their life would indicate. It is easy for me to dismiss writing to people when the responsibilities of school demand my attention. I hope to make a habit of writing and sending notes during these quieter months, so that I can continue to practice doing so when school arrives in the Fall.

I am honored to be here with you in this time together. Please be assured of my support of your growth toward your intentions!  Sharing your intentions here as comments, or on the platform where you found this entry, might help others find ideas for growth and support. I hope your ideas help you feel you are embracing the months ahead and appreciating them for the unique and glorious gift they are to us in Summer 2025!

Enjoy reading what I write? Copies of my book, Connections Across the Student Desk, are available on Amazon: LINK HERE  or Barnes and Noble: LINK HERE