I don’t know everything. I can tell you though, that chances are you’d rather be where this picture is taken.
I was asked once, “what do you do for your ‘me time’?” Me time, I thought, is time that I took for myself where I really did nothing else.
But there’s a difference between me time and procrastinating on social networking sites. You have to set aside me time. Whether it be laying on your bed listening to music without thoughts or playing the guitar on your porch, you need this time for yourself. A simple hobby, gesture, or moment where you can relax and recharge.
I then thought that my me time was in my partner’s arms. That time was for me. It recharged me in a way that was unprecedented. Now, they’re my ex-partner. You have to rearrange your life around and then you forget time for yourself. As I reassemble the pieces of me time, I realized something - me time can be anywhere, at any time. It doesn’t have to be playing that song on the guitar every night. It can be high energy or low energy. One of my friends feels most at peace and in their element while walking down the streets of Toronto, one of the busiest places in the world. But hey, that’s for them.
Take breaks. Take that moment for you. Take life slowly. Life has a way of running you over without you even knowing it. All of a sudden, you feel like you’re buried deep in responsibility with no reward. Your reward shouldn’t be me time, because you’ll work your ass off so hard that you’ll forget why you’re doing it, digging yourself deeper into life. Me time should be part of your routine but open to interpretation. Embrace it, hold it as high value, share about it with others. So often do we do things for others, but you owe it to yourself to do that one thing that makes all the difference in your sanity. Take those few minutes, take that hour long walk with the dog. Most importantly, take it for you. Take it easy.
*Note: this picture was taken on the infamous Venice Beach. Behind me is the boardwalk, full of many interesting characters, “Muscle Beach”, and some good food, culture and shopping. Highly recommended if you’re ever in California.
Recently, I was involved in a class where we were encouraged to address the instructor by their first name.
I was shocked. Here I am, calling someone with numerous degrees by their first name. It felt wrong but strangely comfortable.
In hindsight, looking back at my high school teachers - I still refer to them as Mr. & Ms. I know their real names now - recall the days when finding out your teacher’s names and ages was the highlight of your day - but they’re still in this league of their own in terms of respect and authority.
When I decided to teach, I took a student’s perspective on it. I won’t give homework, I’ll be the cool teacher, and I will let them call me whatever they want within reason. After being in the classroom, I still feel this way.
Informal teaching. What does it mean? Informal teaching in it’s most basic sense transforms interactions. Informal teaching is not to be confused with laissez faire styles or sloppy styles. So often is informal teaching overshadowed by the stereotype of “lazy teachers”. There’s a difference between lazy and relaxed.
Informal teaching takes on interactions and puts them at the core of the course or classroom. Informal teaching takes formality out of education in favour of reflective, discussion oriented environments. Is it a style for everyone? No. But is it something that will be on the rise in the future? Certainly.
There’s a reason why gym teachers are loved. They get to wear comfy clothes every day. The way they teach reflects this accordingly. Gym teachers are seen more as allies and enemies, friends, brothers and sisters than teachers. They are seen as competition or your biggest asset to your basketball or dodgeball team. One time I tried to call a coach by their last name. He told me, “Come on now. We’re on the field. We are equals. You have just as much knowledge about this game as I do, so address me at your own level.”
This dramatically transformed the way my team interacted. We never felt that we were being watched or judged by a “Mister”. We were being guided by him, but propelled by our own relationships with our teammates. These relationships - created by silly jokes and a lot of goofing around - were enhanced because our coach took authority out of the question. If he wanted us to pay attention he’d send us for a run. If he didn’t, he’d sit back and let us be teenagers with each other. We played together gloriously.
The classroom is a place where this transformation can occur. Your students don’t want to be judged by a “Miss or Mister” but instead by someone who will support their ideas. Formal education asks questions looking for one answer. Informal educators ask questions and get many answers and questions in return. It’s cyclical and beautiful.
Informal educators are students allies. There will always be that fuzzy student/teacher line. But informal education is not about lines but rather bridging the gap of knowledge and power. By transforming the power into the hands of the class as a collective unit - not the person at the front of the room - a wonderful environment can be created. I urge you to give this a try. If you’re a formal educator, bring it in. Once a week, sit in a circle and share. Have your students take on a creative writing or reflection task. Have your students come up with discussion questions. Most importantly, ask a student who is looking sad how their day is going. Small steps bring big results. One discussion can transform four white walls into walls of possibility and creation.
Sometimes I sympathize with celebrities. I know me, personally, I strive for simplicity and balance. If people were following me all of the time, I think they’d be in awe at how boring I was and would stop following me.
Sometimes I think that I should have been born in a small town. I’d teach, find someone to love, get a nice house maybe on the lake. I’d just live in pure simplicity. At a point in my life, I had big city dreams. In my life now, I realize the big city is for amateurs that don’t know what they want in life. I know what I want.
Sometimes the most beautiful things are what meets the eye: nothing more, nothing less.
It’s a term I just pulled out of my educated ass. Sometimes people do that. They put words together with paradigm and all of a sudden it’s a windswept theory. However, that doesn’t mean that I have commentary on it.
Paradigm essentially means pattern. In my education, we understood paradigms according to shifts in the times, be it cultural, technological, economic or other. They are distinct patterns that have a marked impact on our living world. One of the biggest “paradigm shifts” came in 2001 with the attacks on the World Trade Center. I’m not American, nor do I agree with everything that this paradigm shift brought. However, the pattern of flight, foreign affairs, and domestic politics ceased to be “normal” from here on out. That’s a shift.
This post is about education, not politics.
The Apple Paradigm, per my definition, is about the traditional teaching and schooling system. The apple is famously associated with the entire profession. Apples used to be shown in appreciation of the teacher. I may have even brought a couple in for a teacher in my day.
What would happen if a kid brought an apple in today. What would we think? Is it poisonous? Times were simpler when the apple paradigm was created. What is the new teaching paradigm? To me, the new teaching paradigm is limited. Curriculum squanders creativity and individualism. I was lucky to survive the school system in my day. I think back and wonder, if that one teacher didn’t see me as “gifted” and introduced me to my first (and still) best friend, I would be down a completely different path.
Teaching now has things to confront head on. Multiculturalism, diversity, LGBTQ - they’re all “buzz words” in post-secondary education systems. However, in a post-modern world with pre-modern teaching methods and curriculum, have adjustments been made to keep teachers up to par?
Now, teachers are at a complete disconnect from their students, and the reverse is true. Yes, technology in the classrooms is great. But what happened to a good old fashioned conversation? I’m encouraged to use a powerpoint and a video in every class. Do I love a good lesson? Yes. But I love a good conversation way more. The best part about kids is that they love to talk. So let them talk. A wonderful professor of mine once told me that “all people want in life is to be heard.” When people want to vent, don’t give advice. Just listen.
So listen up,
What has changed in the traditional to modern schooling system? What has been lost? Can this be found?
Betty White, “I don’t care who anybody sleeps with. If a couple has been together all that time - and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones - I think it’s fine if they want to get married. I don’t know how people can get so anti-something. Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don’t worry about other people so much.”
About
just being myself and loving every minute of this beautiful life. Welcome to my silly little world :)
