Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts

Saturday, December 1, 2018

My Relaxing 5

Good morning, colleagues! I am part of a teacher blogging group, and one teacher, Mari, encouraged us to blog about our "relaxing 5." This stemmed from Brian's post about "Putting Yourself First." As teachers that have stressful jobs, we need to find ways to relax and take care of ourselves. I always likened this to airplane rules - put the oxygen mask on yourself before your child. You can't be a good teacher and take care of students unless you care of yourself. This blog post is all about the five things that I do to relax after a long day (or week) of teaching.

Read a book. I've blogged before about my love for reading. I'm currently reading book #51 for the year. Reading is often how I wind down before bedtime. I make time to read each night from 8 - 8:30. I change into my PJs, spray my pillow with sleepy spray, and tuck myself in under the blankets. If I'm lucky, one of my cats will join me on the bed. Once I've read for a half hour, I'm usually sleepy and ready to go to bed. It's also a way for me to let go of my day and "escape" into another world for a while.
Meet with friends and grab a drink. I have fabulous friends here in the Springs, but because most of us are stressed-out teachers, we don't meet up as often as we should. Sadly, last week, one of our friends passed away (she was also a former colleague and my mentor during my first year at Skyview). The week of Thanksgiving was rough, to say the least. We've all discussed how we really, really need to get together more often, whether it's for a game night, a movie night, happy hour, dinner, or coffee. No excuses - these ladies are my people, and I want to enjoy every moment that we can together.

Take some photos. I am an amateur photographer. Recently I've been taking pictures of my travels (Steamboat Springs, Iowa, New York, Belize, Guatemala), but I know that I need to get out more often and take local images. I've recently been lucky in that someone posted on Reddit about a cool bridge in town. I went out to take pictures of the bridge, and it was super snowy (instead of pretty fall leaves). It was also foggy, so I drove to Garden of the Gods to see what it looked like. It ended up being a lucky opportunity because the conditions were stunning. BUT I made the time to drive around and take pictures. I NEED TO DO THAT MORE OFTEN!

Attend a hot yoga session. Literally, all I can think about is how hot I am. I cannot think about my day, about tomorrow, or about anyone else in the room. I'm purely focused on not dying. Then, once done with the session, I feel detoxed and relaxed. I also feel like I can conquer the world!

Listen to music. This sounds pretty normal... but I'm kind of a weirdo when it comes to music. Do you make a ridiculous amount of playlists for specific feelings? Probably not. But I do. Sometimes I can calm down and relax when I recognize my emotions and then build a playlist with songs that will change that mood. Need a good cry? Boom. Relishing your summer? Enjoy. Unwinding on the back deck? Cheers. Happy about something? Dance it out.

These are #myrelaxing5. What are yours? I'd love to hear them in the comments because I'm always on the lookout for #myrelaxing10 or #myrelaxing20.

Thanks for reading! I'll see you next week :)

- Rachel
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Saturday, May 6, 2017

The most beautiful sentences in literature

Hello, colleagues!

Are any of you counting down how many days of school left? No? Me either, although I keep hearing this number whispered in the hallways, "15."

It is times like this that I need a dose of inspiration to make it through. I am currently teaching a unit on Reconstruction, and the students are pretty into it. The students find it fascinating how racist the North was during that era... that it was not just the South hampering Reconstruction efforts. So at least, I hope, I will have their attention (and may just inspire them) for the next two weeks.

Though my class is working through a sound unit, I need more motivation. The weather is too beautiful (Spring fever is alive and well), I am thoroughly exhausted from track season, and the thought of two months of freedom is sucking out my soul. I woke up this morning with these words in my head, "I am, I am, I am." I decided to share with you some beautiful photography and beautiful words to get you through your Saturday, your weekend, or your last few weeks of school.

 

 

 


 

 

Namaste. I'll see you in two weeks :)

- Rachel
My Teacherspayteachers website
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Saturday, October 22, 2016

Historical Wanderings

Hello, colleagues! I have returned from my East Coast trip and am still processing my vacation! I was lucky enough to have one of my sisters move to Eastern Pennsylvania. She is close to Philadelphia and Washington DC, two cities I have never visited. It is rather embarrassing to admit this as I am an American history teacher! Our district has a modified year-round schedule (nine weeks on, two weeks off), so we get a two-week break in the middle of October. It is the most fantastic break in the schedule! Flights tend to be relatively cheap, so my husband and I were able to fly directly to Philadelphia round trip for less than $300. Trust me; this is a steal.

We spent a day in Philadelphia, two days in Washington DC, and a day at Gettysburg. It was an amazing experience! I appreciated these places more as an adult because I could provide context for myself - I knew the magnitude of these places and felt honored to be there.


As I walked around, I asked myself (and talked about it out loud to my husband and family) if I could imagine bringing my students to PA and DC. One of my colleagues takes students to different locations around the world - taking them to the East Coast would be easier, right? It can't be that hard, right?!

While we toured, I saw many school groups out and about. The common thread through each set of students: they were loud and were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. The teacher in me (and my husband) wanted to yell at them for their disrespect. I also wanted to talk to their leader and ask what on earth they were doing. But as I thought about it, I wondered if I could do any better with my students. Could I get my students to care about these places? If so, how? What does it take to get students to connect to the past?


What stood out to me was:
1. The teacher had thirty or more students with them at any given time. Often, it was more than fifty.
2. The teacher had the students move at their individual pace
3. The teacher often stood to the side away from the students

I decided that if I took students out east, it would be a select group of students (preferably twenty or less). I would not attempt to take all kids because one person cannot adequately monitor nor connect with a large group of students. Secondly, I would not just watch my students; I would guide them through the exhibits and locations and would guide them with a purpose. I'm not sure I would give them a handout, but I would have tasks for them and activities that help them connect. Students relate to others through feelings and emotions, so they have to have some context to understand the magnitude of why they were there. Third, I would pick select locations based on what my students study in the classroom. For example, I would skip the Vietnam Memorial as we only study early American history. That is a memorial that the tour groups seemed to struggle with the most - they ran around, talked loudly, and Snapchatted while I watched a woman leave a gift for her deceased father while sobbing. There was no connection between those kids and what was happening around them.

In the end, I had a fantastic trip. I was able to see some incredible locations, learned some new things about history, and get some great photos. I am incredibly grateful for my journey out east. I am also thankful that I was able to see those tour groups so that I will think carefully about classroom field trips in the future.

Thanks for reading! I'll see you next week :)

- Rachel
@historicalipad
My Teacherspayteachers website

Interested in purchasing my photography? Check out my store on Redbubble.
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Saturday, October 8, 2016

Fall Foliage

Good morning colleagues! Fall break has just landed in my district and I have the next two weeks off of school. After ten weeks of school, my brain is pretty fried. With the week that I had, I am burned out of education right now. Instead, I am going to post some images of pretty fall foliage from here in Colorado. Enjoy :)
















Thanks for viewing! Interested in purchasing my photography? Check out my store on Redbubble.

I'm out and about for the next two weeks, so my next blog will be in three weeks!

- Rachel
@historicalipad
My Teacherspayteachers website
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