Big Girl Pants On… LMFG (y02w39)

Guys, it is amazing how different my headspace is this week. It’s like I let myself have a pity party for the past two weeks, and now I have adjusted.

This happens to me every semester, so I’m not sure why I still struggle with the transition. Although I think my age and the current cultural and political climate are definitely giving me a completely different perspective.

That said, I decided to pull up my big girl pants, and I’ve been becoming a bit of an activist lately. The way I see it, I can keep complaining and be beaten down by the current systems in place, or I can fight to change them and make positive contributions to my institution and students.

First, for my own sanity, I started a journal on LinkedIn where I share what is and isn’t working in the classroom. I’ve done this intermittently in the past, but I decided to commit to writing regularly. Because if there is anything I have learned about myself in the last 50 years on this planet, it’s that I am MUCH happier and more adjusted when I just write and share about my experiences. Hence… I am here. 🙂

Speaking of the classroom, today was an ABSOLUTE success. I walked around two of my classes with a smile from ear to ear, watching my students happily make websites. We listened to the playlist they all contributed to, and they were creating, asking questions, expressing themselves… and seriously, I am tearing up thinking about it.

I have shifted my entire teaching approach to inspiring them to create more and consume less. As a technology teacher, I have come to realize they have no idea of the power they hold in their hands with their phones and their computers. They have been trained (not sure what other word to use here) that technology is for consumption and entertainment. Even the few who know it can be more have had no introduction or instruction on how to use these machines in a meaningful way for themselves. So that’s the lens through which I teach now, and it all comes from personal experience.

I have been using and learning about technology for thirty years, and my knowledge of it is what allows me to do things like maintain this site, share my passions online, launch little projects like WastelesslyDelicious (which I have no time for at the moment 😢), and even use it to make mini apps for my own use.

I want my students to know they have this power too. And with a little intellectual curiosity and passion, they can create whatever they want! That’s the energy I am bringing into the classroom, and so far it’s kinda working. I have more engaged students this semester than ever before, and that is helping me not get so frustrated at the ones who won’t engage or aren’t ready to.

On the flip side, I have also decided I will be a force for positive change at the college. I went out on a limb and expressed some of my concerns to the Provost, and we now have a meeting scheduled. I also raised concerns with other departments, and I am getting even more involved at higher levels. This has required me to speak my mind more than ever before, and it’s a little stressful, but honestly, I am starting to feel comfortable being a disrupter. I can’t complain about things I am not willing to at least try to change.

On a personal note, Mom is doing much better after her surgery. Recovering has been harder than she expected, but every day I can hear in her voice that she is feeling better.

As for my goals, they are pretty much all on hold at the moment. I have been baking about once a week, I painted yesterday (see image above), and my training is going well since it’s the first thing I do most mornings. Oh! And on that front, I also have some big news: I decided to compete at the USA Weightlifting Finals this December! More on that soon!

I’m in a good place at the moment, so I’m gonna acknowledge that and do my best to remember this feeling for those times when life feels like too much to handle, because I know it will again. That’s just how it goes.

P.S. Just in case you don’t know what LMFG means. 🙂