Week 3 Term 4 - EXIT WELL

As the final term for 2020 progresses a sense of fatigue, laziness, burn-out and feeling drained looms. This is the time of the year where for some, the pressure of trying to fulfill all of the 'new years resolutions' and work commitments continues to mount up. This pressure, for some is the catalyst for success as the added pressure helps some work well. For others (like myself) the pressure can at times feel a little overwhelming and you just want to sit back and hope that every will magically fall into place. Good luck. Nine times out of ten this is usually not the case and as the pressure increases you eventually cave in and spend a few days cramming what should have been done throughout the year, all in the span of 48 hours (yep, I have been there many times!)

I know how to start things well - a conversation, a prayer, a late night 'dinner' of noodles - but finishing the task can often be something that I either rush or leave in the air hanging. I like talking, like deep and meaningful conversations. Finding a way to close the conversation or make connections when I go off topic can become a bit of a barrier for me and I get nervous or awkward and the conversation often sits in a strange place. I love prayer - this is my time to reflect, to give thanks, to nag, to be open and to celebrate - I always find it hard to finish my prayer. I overthink it and think that I need to quote scripture or I forget family members that I need to pray for because I have spent the most part praying for myself, so it all ends up in a fumbled mess and I start apologizing to GOD. Noodles - we have all had them. This is my go to when I am hungry and can't be bothered going to the shop or actually making something worthwhile because it requires real effort (HA). Noodles is the quick fix - for me the process to making noodles is really simple and at first my intentions at the start are great. Waiting for the noodles to soften then to add the flavoring and mix it all - somewhere in the process I get fed up waiting and just rush it all. The result is usually a strange slodge of overcooked noodles, clumpy flavored powder and uneven splashes of soy sauce. 

Now in writing and reading over this, I can acknowledge that I can be very awkward, lazy and impatient when it comes to conversations, prayer and making noodles - but underneath my strange examples of inadequacy I am seeing that my approach and attitude to a 'process' is flawed. It can be better. It has to be better. How we finish, how we close and how we exit any process is important. The exit to anything we have our name next to can determine how we experience a process. It will either bring closure or it can create confusion. My wife shared an article with me about this very thing and I am going to reshare it to my students - with some much adjustments to make it relevant - because it is a vital message - HOW to exit well. I have been telling my students to finish the year well, do not waste time - all of that and more. I think they need to know HOW to do this in order for this to work. 

So here are the 5 steps on HOW to finish the year well that I have taken away from the reading that I want to share with my students. 

1. OWN YOUR PIECE OF THE PIE

Great things come from honest conversations in which people take responsibility [Carey Nieuwhof]

When we are on the verge of finishing the academic year, it is so easy to place blame on anyone and everyone with our failures and never look inside. 

I want to encourage to students (my Year 11 students in particular) to have those conversations -either with me or their teachers - to see what their problem is and how this might relate to others or even more importantly to their learning. Reviewing what the issues were in their learning and owning their part of the pie too.

2. TALK TO SOMEONE

Too many people leave without a conversation [Carey Nieuwhof]

I spoke earlier about not being able to finish my conversations well, I tend to fumble at the best of times especially with my students. I can bring up an issue that happened two years ago and go off in a different direction, only to remember that the conversation was initially focused on how many credits do they have? Regardless - communication is important. It can bridge two completely different worlds and although the understand might be murky, the communication is there. 

I want to encourage my students to talk to their teachers - understand what they need to do finish, understand what they can do better and understand what has been successful. Finishing assessments and getting the credits is great and it is crucial. Talking to the people that have helped them and supported them is just as important. Teaching is about relationships. It is about people. Communication is needed. 

3. CLARIFY THE PROBLEM

A misunderstanding can be clarified. More information, an apology, or a new perspective can often move a person from being upset to being at peace quickly [Carey Nieuwhof]

The focus of the article I read was focussed on people wanting to leave the church and how to exit well. Often when people leave something that they have worked in, an issue is often the crux of the exit. For my students, I am not going to assume that everyone has had a huge problem or issue. But I do know that everyone's learning journey has had it's fair share of issues, barriers, problems and challenges. 

Clarifying what the issue to their learning is and understanding what their place is in it can really help shift the perspective. It can help them understanding their place of blame with their failures or challenges does not always sit in the hands of others but that they are responsible as well. 

4. LEAVE WITH GRACE

Say goodbye well. Don't burn relational bridges. [Carey Nieuwhof]

I want to encourage my students to be grateful for the opportunities that they have in school, to appreciate and affirm the good in what they see and do in school. For some it will be a hard pill swallow but it is important to remind that at some point this year, they thought school was awesome and they enjoyed it. "If you really want to know what the standard is for exiting with grace, ask yourself: Five years from now, what will I wish I had done? That question clarifies so much." [Carey Nieuwhof]

5. FIND + COMMIT TO MORE GOALS

Your goal is not consume the church but to be the church [Carey Nieuwhof]

I want encourage my students to continue to be inspired and to really focus on their goals when it comes to their learning. To not think that learning stops at school but life-long learning is what it is all about. Learn from failure, learn from others, to follow before you can lead. 

This message can often get lost in the the everyday hustle and bustle of administration, data reviewing etc that comes along with the job of teaching. But it is important for me to make this clear. At the end of the day, these credits and the experience of school is for the students. I want their experience to be one that is fun but also meaningful. 

Week 2 Term 4 - EVERGREEN - an Unfamiliar Text

The older I get the more I understand and embrace the notion that there are just some things that are not worth holding on to. Whether it is letting go of things that I have left in storage for years or accepting that a friendship has run it's course, I know that there is a season for everything. Some things in life are rooted deeply into the very fabric of our lives that it will simply remain. In contrast there are things that are only temporary moments, moments that are meant to teach us something or steer us in a different pathway. I understand this now and I can see that there is nothing wrong with this. It is the things in life - for me it is my faith, my marriage, my family, my friends, my values and my 'work' - these aspects in my life that I have some time of retention in my life. They are unwavering pillars in my life, like an evergreen - constant and remaining. 

EVERGREEN

relating to or denoting a plant that retains green leaves throughout the year

A song that I have stumbled across this year [which has been on repeat ever since] is Yebba's 'Evergreen'. Born in in Arkansas in 1995, Yebba [Abbey Smith] came into the music scene in 2016 and since then won a Grammy in 2019 for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song 'How Deep Is Your Love' with PJ Morton. In 2017 she released her debut single 'Evergreen'. The song is a tribute to her mother who passed away due sudden death. "A touching tribute to her late mother, YEBBA’s “Evergreen” is an account of her time of grieving and finding peace in dealing with the absence of a woman so important in her life" [Urban Soul]. The song's simple but haunting arrangement paired with soulful harmonies and a grieving but altogether solid lead by Yebba, makes 'Evergreen' a beautiful listen. 

We all experience some type of grief and loss in our lives. I think about my journey and the grief that I have experienced. I think about the hope that is found in grief - that our loved ones who have passed on are watching over us, they are with us in spirit - this is the type of hope that grief provides. Finding this hope is reliant on how you choose to experience your grief. This song is depiction of Yebba and how she is finding peace in her grief. This is the type of text that I love to use in class with my students. Whilst the topic of the text is one that we can all relate, the richness in the language - figurative and emotive language features - is what makes it a great text to read, listen and unpack. 

Verse 2

Standing at the water's edge

The Mississippi's overflowing

Hold your current in my hands

You bring the meaning to my moments

'Evergreen' is a song that full of metaphors, rhetorical questions, symbolism and personification [a treasure trove for any senior English teacher!] The way that the metaphors play off each other, the way the rhetorical questions press on knowing that the answer is something that we will never from our loved ones who have passed, the symbolism of the 'evergreen' as is alludes to heaven or life-after death - all of this - takes the listener into the journey of grief. The imagery in the metaphor of 'water's edge' and 'overflowing' alludes to the waves of grief that we experience - one moment we are nervous or anxious, the next moment we are overwhelmed by emotion and pain. The beauty of metaphors is in the imagery that it paints for any reader. It can bring two different ideas, concepts, visuals and despite any contrasts a metaphor can show some type of relationship. 'Hold your current in my hands, you bring the meaning to my moments' - comparing the idea a current, something that is powerful beyond control especially in the human ability to physically hold and then pair it with the notion of 'you bring the meaning to moments' - to images that are so vastly different but again, metaphorically the relationship between the two highlight the power and density that our love for our loved ones have on us and how meaningful this is. 

Chorus: 

So will you wait for me?

My evergreen

I know it's just as hard in heaven

So will you wait for me?

My evergreen

The rhetorical question boasts 'will you wait for me?' Understanding the context of the song, the listener understands that the answer, the voice and the response we WANT to hear will never be reached. This the harsh reality with loss and grief - things will never be the same when you lose someone, physically the dynamic has changed for everyone. 'My evergreen' is the response - almost echoing Yebba talking to herself or reassuring herself of her mother 'evergreen'. The repetition of the rhetorical questions acknowledges the questioning of self, of others, of WHY when one is dealing with grief. The cycle one goes through when thinking about 'WHY' did this happen? What does my life mean now that I have lost my loved one? It is a very simple but notable effect in the use of repetition. 

Lyrically this song shows readers how to really finesse metaphors. It allows the listener to understand Yebba's grief and also encourages us - through her approach - how to find peace in whatever we are suffering in or from. Finding texts that are not just relevant to my students but ones that I can enjoy and really unpack is part of the fun when it comes to teaching. I intend on using this song as a text to focus on when going through unfamiliar text for the external preparation. The unfamiliar text paper is notoriously known for providing texts that have no relevance or connection to the student - something that is out of my control as a classroom teacher. However what I can control is the unfamiliar texts that I can offer to my students and in hope, giving the students different, rich and powerful texts that can help them comprehend and unpack what they have read. But more importantly texts that are thought provoking and makes them reflect on their own journey. That is powerful. 

Week 1 Term 4 - Spring Clean

SPRING CLEAN

a thorough cleaning of a house or room, typically undertaken in spring

Term 3 holidays was a break that I think all teachers appreciated. My intentions for the holiday was to unwind and relax. What happened in reality was the exact opposite. I spent the majority of my break spring cleaning my house and my classroom. Initially it started off with the garage at home. This was a space that became a dumping ground for everything. A collection of empty boxes, old personal belongings, photo albums, tool boxes, numerous painting tools, old paint cans, suitcases, Christmas decorations, a BBQ and unused car - the space was room full of nothing. Clearing out the garage was a great opportunity to sift through what did not need (which was a lot) but it was an opportunity to see what we wanted to keep (which was also a lot). I came across old photo albums, school awards and certificates that before the spring clean, I had totally forgotten about. The end result (after 6 hours of cleaning) was a more organized and open garage. 

Finally my garage is organized! 

Tackling my classroom followed the next day. I have inherited my classroom so with anything inherited, you adopt everything that comes with it. I spent most of the day (during study class) clearing all the rubbish and boxes. The back room was particularly messy - much like the garage, there was whole lot of nothing in the room. In clearing through the mess I did come across some gems - class photos, teaching resources from my first year (cringe!), teacher planning books (remember those?!), static image folders from 2009, my old tutor class folders. In revisiting these ancient artifacts I did feel a little nostalgic and a little 'older' - especially when I found my old high school photos! The boxes of resources, the old photos, the toolboxes - everything that I had brought out of hibernation was a reminder of how much I hoard (HA!) but also how much I have been blessed with.

Classroom (side note: coffee table made by former student Jimmy Timoteo :D)

Reorganized my backroom. 

It was a little confronting at first, to look at the amount of 'stuff' that I had amassed over the years - in my garage, in my classroom - but to go through it, throw it away and appreciate the story or the journey behind what I have kept has made the 'spring clean' more than just about clearing out mess and more about prioritizing my 'space' (physical, mental and emotional) and making sure that I enter this new term in a space that open and not so cluttered. Making time to clear out what I did not need and make space for what I wanted to keep and preserve was in a strange way, therapeutic. Even more so going through the boxes, bags and suitcases gave me a sense of gratitude, in that I was thankful for the different relationships, personal experiences (both good and bad looking at my ball photos haha) and learning experiences that I have encountered. 

Going into this term I feel more settled, I think that this is largely due to the fact that I have cleared out the rubbish and I feel like I really 'own' my space my now. Not that I did not before, but I think something that many people can relate to is that we tend to hold onto 'things' whether they are tangible things or not and these things pile up. We end up holding onto relationships, experiences, expectations, boxes of old newspapers (yes I had a box of them in my garage) - just 'stuff' that we hold onto because we can. I have learnt that it is OK to let things go. Letting go could be a catalyst of allowing something new into your life?

I have shared this experience with my Level 2 students. I found myself trying to find a way to make my 'spring cleaning breakthrough/Ah Ha' moment relevant to my 16/17 year old students. In terms of our student's learning journey - the mistakes, the failures, the fear, the doubt, the pressure and the laziness that comes with the final term of the year - is something that they can afford to cut. Focusing on what they need to do, when they to do it and the actual fact that they CAN do it (complete internal and external assessments) is important. For me, the physical act of removal of my mess and junk has made room for me to see what I need to see, understand my space and how I can fill it (or try not to when it comes to my garage). It sounds incredibly self-serving and to some, a bit overexaggerated, but I am grateful for my spring clean. It has been a good physical experience and learning experience.