October 14, 2019

Focus: Work-life balance

Dear Colleagues,

After finishing up some Kravis correspondence this weekend, I remembered that I had quite a bit of grading and prep to do before midterms. Did I work the whole weekend? No. But after putting away my work and lacing up my boots on for a hike, I remembered an article that a colleague had mentioned during the women's group meeting on Friday morning on work-life balance, Young People are Going to Save Us All from Office Life. Ok, so the article speaks primarily to those who hold office jobs, and as an educator, I know that there is always work to be done late at night and on the weekends during the school year, but could these millennials know something that I do not? Could they have a better understanding of the importance of maintaining work-life balance than someone of my generation? Perhaps.

"When kids are here, your light's on; when they're on vacation, you can turn the light off." This taxi-cab analogy was one of many bits of advice that I was given prior to my first boarding school job. As a young faculty member, however, my colleagues and I were quite successful at finding ways around this perceived mandate (there were not many bars in town, but we found them all).

I have come to understand that work-life balance during the academic year will never mean a 50-50 balance. As a Friendly's waitress (yes, blue polyester uniform, white platform shoes, and all), I did not take work home - perfect work-life balance. Does the fact that we have chosen to work in a residential school complicate this issue? Undoubtedly.

I think the irony is not lost on any of us that I am writing today about the search for work-life balance prior to midterm grades, comments, and family weekend. Balance on a boarding school campus may only be found in the moments that we take for ourselves, in the moments that we come up for air, or moments that we Take Thrive Time, according to Arianna Huffington. So, if you've read this far, stop. Stop what you are doing and write ten things that would allow you to take your mind off your work for even a brief period of time. Here are my top several: close my eyes; take a breath; put my feet up; take a walk; talk to a colleague (not about school); sip coffee and eat a muffin in the faculty lounge; take a walk around the loop; talk with friends; read the paper; read a book; do a crossword puzzle; write a haiku; meditate; read a book to a child; listen to music; get off campus; eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey. What do you do? This article from Western Governors University's education department provides even more ways to unwind.

The irony is that while the solution to finding work-life balance on a residential school campus can be exhausting and complicated, teaching keeps us young. I can't help but believe that millennials (everyone over 45 needs a mentor under 35: a topic for a later Monday Musings) are doing a great deal to help us understand that work-life balance may not be impossible to achieve after all.

Hey, and if you've achieved work-life balance, I have a Thursday morning PD time for you!

Have a great week, and remember to carve out a moment for yourself.

Sara, on behalf of the Kravis Center

On my radar...

(articles from colleagues)

What's on your radar?

From Mary Forrester: Young, white, afffluent, and learning about race. Marketplace

From Lena Sadowitz, Is it good to use e.g. Twitter to teach reading comprehension at school? Pedro de Bruyckere

From Scott MacClintic, Testing and Assessments: Looking in the Wrong Places, Faculty Focus

From Courtney Jackson, Trust, Belonging: Keys to Mental Health of Students of Color, Harvard Gazette

From Sara Deveaux. : Enough Leaning In, Let's Tell Men to Lean Out, NY Times

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Upcoming Internal PD

R.O.T.A.R. Discussion

Thursday, October 17, 8:00 Kravis Center: a follow-up to the Learning Resource Center / Kravis Center surveys which asked departments to identify which skills (Remembering, Organizing, Taking notes, Actively Reading, Reflection) faculty felt best aligned with their curriculum. Please come if you are curious about the origin of this initiative, which kills your department identified, and how these skills will further enhance your students' success. Is that Task really Higher-Order Thinking?

Open Classroom Week!

November 4-8: Open Classroom Week (OCW).As someone recently so wisely described OCW "it's the best, freest, PD that you can get." We are looking forward to an OCW gathering in the Lyon's Den on Thursday evening November 7 after dinner. Please sign up here.

PD Opportunity! CT Forum: Climate Crisis

The Alvord and Kravis Centers are excited to co-sponsor a two-part PD opportunity for faculty. Faculty who participate will attend the Friday, November 22 CT Forum on Climate Crisis in Hartford, during which panelists will engage in "a call-to-action conversation about climate change". Faculty will then engage in a morning PD discussion on Thursday, December 5 about how to leverage lessons from the Forum in our classrooms and around the Island. We have 10 spots available to attend this exciting and important CT Forum event. To secure your spot, please email Meg Stoecklin by noon on October 22.

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External PD Options:

Harvard Graduate School of Education has a plethora of online professional development opportunities on a wide range of topics.

Reminder! The link to the external PD opportunities is always available. Once in the document, click on the bookmark to find conferences that may interest you. Don't forget to add a comment/feedback next to a conference that you attended. Please excuse the "expired" dates. Most conferences do not update dates until January.

Tuesday, October 15 at 7:00 PM at the Renbrook School

"Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Own Learning"

"PBL is growing because it engages and empowers students to learn experientially and share that learning in new and unique ways that go well beyond the classroom." --presenter A.J. Juliani

This event is free and open to the public. Please use this link to register.

researchED national conference

November 16, Philadelphia

researchED is an organization designed to promote the research literacy of teachers.

Learning How to Learn - Learn & the Brain

November 22-24, Boston

Interested in learning more about advising or serving on a NEASC visiting committee? Take advantage of the CAIS professional development opportunities happening in October.

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Resources to bookmark

Vanderbilt's Center for Teaching is a resource that I consult frequently. Here is their link to the first day of classes. You will find a number of helpful links on their site.

Deans for Impact and the pdf of The Science of Learning - a must read on teh neuroscience of learning.

Academic Tenacity by Dweck, Walter, and Cohen The New Faculty Cohort (NFC) read excerpts for orientation. A must read on creating a sense of belonging and classroom motivation.