This has been another strange week but I guess it’s just another day in the life in 2020. The highlight, as always, is being able to share some great blog posts from Ontario Edubloggers.
MAINTAINING BALANCE & THRIVING DURING COVID-19
Welcome a new voice to our blogging group – Gonul Turkdogan. She shares this post with us on the TESLOntario Blog.
I know that we hear a lot of advice about balance in these extraordinary and unique times. Actually, in education, we’ve always heard about it. Usually, it comes from someone who has things in check and therefore thinks everyone else should as well. That part is interesting and we certainly do need to hear it now, maybe more than ever.
It was the “thriving” part that really got me interested in this 11 point blog post. While all are good points, there were three that really stood out for me.
6. Currently, I am a volunteer with TESL Ontario as an Exchange Video Moderator.
For one thing, I didn’t realize that there was a moderator for things like this although it makes sense when you think about it. It’s a volunteer position and Gonul is thriving by giving back to her community in this manner.
8. I have also found it extremely satisfying to do presentations, webinars, and posters
I get this completely. There was a time when I would be a passive audience member and I got some things from sitting in a presentation. But, my world changed and my understanding grew exponentially when I started doing presentations myself. You never understand anything as deeply as you do when you teach someone else.
10. But don’t forget getting some physical exercise!
These days, exercise usually comes in the form of dog walks. There’s just something special and rewarding about turning off everything else and devoting my mind to paying attention to other things. Even something as simple as parking at the furthest distance to the school or shopping centre and hoofing it can be so rewarding.
That’s but three pieces from this post. It’s rich in advice and I would suggest reading it from top to bottom at least a few times.
And, finishing Gonul’s post with exercise leads nicely into Lisa Corbett’s Slide of Life post.
She has taken upon herself to do some walking, setting new days in a row records for her. She’s currently at 166. That’s impressive and I enjoyed reading how she had one goal and then just kept stretching it. For her health and mindset, I hope that she keeps stretching.
She’s set a limit of -25 for the temperature that puts a halt to her walking. That’s legitimate and also reveals the challenge that walking is for teachers who are typically working during the warm part of the day.
My adversary for the winter time is snow ploughs. It’s always a good idea to walk facing the traffic when there are no sidewalks like around here. Except when a plough is coming.
I’ll bet that ploughs are more frequent in her world than they are in mine.
The best insight I ever had was
“Teaching is the greatest job in the world – except for the marking”.
I think that, like most people, when I first started teaching marking involved mounds and mounds of paper all needing a number or letter assigned to it.
We’ve become more sophisticated over the years. The biggest revelation is that not everything needs to be marked! And, we’ve taken a new turn on the concept and put more emphasis on the notion of assessment and the options/benefits that it offers over traditional marking.
Click through to read Diana’s thoughts about:
- Plickers and Clickers
- Self- and Peer-Assessment
- Google Forms
- Rich Assignments with Long Completion Times
- “In-The-Moment” Marking
I’ve done them all – the big game changer for a variety of reasons for me was the last point in Diana’s list.
Self-preservation, in the time of Covid-19
Deborah Weston never leaves anything on the table in her posts. This time, it’s a personal story of her walk through COVID and teaching at times.
Many people attempt to put a bow on many things when they talk about how teaching these days has impacted them. This post is anything but.
I’m sure that she’s sharing the sort of insights that many people have had for these past months. Her experiences in the Spring and the Fall. I think that most people feel like they’re on the end of an “easy pivot”. As we know, it’s been anything but.
That sad part in this whole post is that Deborah does share some of the health challenges that she’s had to deal with as a result. It’s a brave person that is able to that so publically.
Running a Marathon to Support the Peel Learning Foundation
Teaching and Learning has continued, as we know and Rob Ridley is sharing part of what he’s doing to keep something special in his area of the world alive.
He’s running his 41st Marathon!
This is no small feat, to be sure. I’ve seen people running these days with the goal of being able to compete in a virtual half-marathon. This takes the running concept to a whole new level.
The Foundation provides support so that students can get clothing, food, soap, deodorant, bus tickets, school supplies, backpacks and many other things. They help students in some of the hardest times of their life – and give them a hand getting through the challenges they face.
Wellness- Time to Set Priorities
Elizabeth Lyons shares her thoughts about Wellness. As regular readers know, instead of one word for 2020, she’s elected to go with one word a month.
And Wellness is her word for November.
Again, being brave and out in the open, she shares her thoughts about her own personal COVID scare.
Click through to read her post about the steps and life changes that she’s making to address it personally. If you’re feeling the pressure, you may be inclined to do some of what she’s doing.
Any blog post that involves dogs and dog walking get my immediate attention!
For Anne-Marie Kee, she finds enjoyment and a break from walking her dogs. What’s not to like?
The balance of the post talks about the challenges she faces in her school, including the creation of a task force to deal with wellness. I like the concept described for a Wellness Wednesday approach.
Her life includes a couple of things that I’ve never experienced.
- being a headmaster
- working in a residential school
There really is another world out there and I appreciated reading her thoughts and action items. There was an important notion about wellness there – it’s one thing to talk to others about it and quite another to look inwardly to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself.
Part of my motivation is writing this weekly post. I’m inspired by the thinking of others. I hope that you can find time to click through and read these wonderful posts.
Make sure you’re following these bloggers on Twitter.
- Gonul Turkdogan – @turkdogan_gonul
- Lisa Corbett – @LisaCorbett0261
- Diana Maliszewski – @MzMollyTL
- Deb Weston – @DPAWestonPhD
- Rob Ridley – @RangerRidley
- Elizabeth Lyons – @mrslyonslibrary
- @AMKeeLCS – Anne-Marie Kee
This post appears on:
https://dougpete.wordpress.com
If you read it anywhere else, it’s not the original.
doug -- off the record 
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