Category Archives: general

19 for 2019

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Last year inspired by the podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, I made an 18 for 2018 list and loved it! For some reason this stuck way more for me than New Year’s resolutions, even though it is pretty much the same thing. I accomplished 14 of the items on my list, including flossing every single day, going on a date with my husband at least once every month, hosting a dinner party, and learning a new song on the guitar. It was a fun and practical way to get things done I had been wanting to do. And I’ve still flossed every day since January 1, 2018!

So, this year I knew I wanted to make a 19 for 2019 list and loved hearing on the podcast that many other people were inspired to do so as well. As I brainstormed, I knew I wanted to keep a couple things on my list from last year like going on a date night each month and going camping. However, most of my list is new.

After some brainstorming, I wrote out my list in my new Erin Condon planner. (Aside, thanks to Sarah Hart-Unger and her podcast Better than Before, I found this awesome planner to use for the year from Erin Condren!) Here is my list for 2019!

A few to highlight

  • Run 365 miles: Last year on my list I had to run a half marathon. I trained for the summer and was planning to do one with a colleague in September. But then a few weeks before my knee was hurting so badly I could barely make it two miles. I ended up not running the race, which was the right call for me. This year I thought I would add a running goal again, but one that I could track in a whole different way!
  • Organize a playdate with Owen’s friends: Sometimes I am aware of how much of a second child Owen is. We do playdates for my older kiddo and her friends, but I haven’t organized one for him…yet.
  • Meditate regularly: I like Dan Harris‘ idea of daily-ish in meditation. I signed up for the Calm app for free through their educator program. It has timers, body scans, guided meditations, and master classes on various topics. My daughter loves their meditative sleep stories too!
  • Go to Canada: We live so close to Canada it’s fun to take advantage of heading to a different country for the weekend. This was on my list last year and we never went, so I’m determined to make it happen this year!

I’m excited to work my way through this list and see what comes in 2019!!

Productivity Pro Tip: Set a Timer

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I love learning about productivity and time management, through books, podcasts, blogs, conversations, whatever it may be. One time management tip that comes up a lot is to set a timer. This tip can be used in so many situations to help teachers. Here are some examples from my life:

  • When I am having a hard time starting to grade, I set a timer. Maybe for 30 minutes, then be done. Or even for just 15 minutes and then I can decide if I want to continue or switch tasks.
  • When I’m planning a new lesson I’ll often set a timer so I don’t get lost planning and spend 3 hours planning for a 45 minute lesson.
  • If I want to challenge myself to be super productive, I’ll set a 5 minute timer and see how many emails I can respond to in that short amount of time.
  • During lessons I often set timers (or have a student set a timer) for group time or individual work time. It’s amazing how off I can be if I just guess how long it’s been for an activity 🙂

Ideas for timers

I generally use my phone for a timer so I can set it and just leave it across the room or on a corner of my desk. If you like websites, two easy ones are:

e.ggtimer.com/

Egg Timer has a simple look to it that is clearly visible either on the page or in the title bar.

onlinestopwatch.com

More research

If you want to read more about the benefits of setting a timer, here are a couple blogs with great ideas:

Life Hacker: Use A Timer

Time Management Ninja: Set A Timer

Life Hack’s summary of a Pomodoro Timer

As you consider this productivity pro tip, when would setting a timer help you to be more productive? Have you tried this? Did it work for you?

The First Post!!

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Hello there! I’m Marianne and I love teaching. I love learning about teaching. I love talking about teaching, and schools, and teachers, and learning. I’m in my 13th year of teaching and am still learning more and more each day.

the hubs and I

For the past 13 years, I have taught in high school religion, including World Religions, Scripture, Morality, Church History, and Social Justice. I also help with student life leading activities such as retreats and community service. I love the combination of working with students both in and out of the classroom. Before I had kids of my own, I coached volleyball for many years! It really brought out my competitive spirit, which is not all that hard to do.

As much as I love teaching, I really do love being a student. Over the years I have earned a Bachelors in Theology, a Masters in Secondary Education, and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership. Although I am done with formal degrees for the foreseeable future, I still love learning. This past summer I took an online class focused on organizing your digital life and LOVED it! Bringing together the worlds of organization, productivity, and technology was my jam!

In this blog, I intend to share thoughts and ideas about teaching, learning, technology, productivity, and other topics that seem valuable to have in the blogosphere. I am passionate about instruction, collaboration, reflective teaching, leadership, and focusing on engagement. I also love reading research on teaching and seeing the practical implications of that research in classrooms and schools.

In a world of so many blogs, I appreciate you stopping by and spending some time here! Feel free to leave me a comment or question. I’d love to hear from you!