It's a new week!  Let's do this!!  

GREAT NEWS:  My Mindfulness Mondays with ROE #40 have six new dates.  Each is worth a PD Hour and you can attend as many as fits your schedule.  Feb 7, 14, 28 and March 14, 21, 28 from 3:30 - 4:00 pm on GMeets. Registration  All are welcome, and they're free. 

IDEA 

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony." ~Thomas Merton

I think that we live in a world of extremes for two reasons:  1) all things have an opposite because they wouldn't exist without it, and 2) our culture is obsessed (See?  There I go with a verb on the extreme end) with superlatives.  Things are the 'best' or the 'worst'.  People 'hate' or they 'love'. 

We need to keep ourselves in balance.  Once too much of one side enters our lives, we become out of balance, and we don't necessarily fix it by bringing in the other side.  For example, we spend too much time on Facebook which can make us jealous and unsatisfied - out of balance.  Instead of finding self-acceptance and gratitude, we fill the void caused by the imbalance with self-harm (in whatever way) and vitriol to our loved ones.  

This week, try this:  Pay attention to your negative emotions.  When you feel yourself at an extreme, stop, close your eyes and figure out what the opposite emotion is. That's it.  Just being aware that there is an opposite it the first step. ​

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RESOURCE:
SEL Conference February 4-6.  Pay What You Can.  Virtual.  Attend what you want. PD Hours available. I don't think you'll find a better bang for your buck, and some of these presenters are phenomenal.

JOKE:

Q:  How do math teachers scold their children?
A:  "If I've told you n times, I've told you n+1 times..."

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Have a great week!

Hello,

Let's get a jump start to this amazing week!

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WEEK #2:  HAPPINESS

"Happiness cannot be pursued.  It must ensue."  -Viktor Frankl

Happiness is what happens when you are in a space without desire for anything new or different.  You are content with everything just the way it is in that particular moment.  Unfortunately, these moments are fleeting, and new desires continually emerge - from something simple like, "I'm hungry," to more complicated like, "I wish I were 20 years old again." 

Dr. Bono, professor at Wash U. in St. Louis wrote of the Happiness Equation in his book, "When Likes Aren't Enough."  Happiness = What We Have / What We Want.  As long as we can keep that equation greater than 1 with our wants fewer than what we have, we are content.  We are happy.

Try this thought experiment this week: What wants and desires can you let go of in order to increase your happiness?  Try cleaning out just one drawer.

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RESOURCE:  CASEL's The SEL 3 Signature Practices

Many teachers fear that incorporating SEL is just 'one more thing'.  The good news is that many are probably already doing it because it's just good teaching.  CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning) advocates for 3 practices for each day or period:

1. Start with a welcoming inclusion activity, routine, or ritual.
2. Embed engaging strategies
3. Close with an optimistic closure

Check out page 4 on the link above for a quick overview, with the rest of the resources giving a lot of details.

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JOKE:  

Q:  Why did Adele cross the road?
A:  To sing, "Hello from the other side!"

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Have a fantastic week!

​Hello!


I get it.  We're all crazy busy these days and could use a little positivity.  As an SEL Coach, I've been trying to figure out a way to connect with people in a way that can scale.  Facebook? YouTube channel?  New podcast?  But like I said, we're all busy. So let's keep it simple, and have a weekly email.  

Back in the days of being a Tech Coach, I produced a weekly Tech Tip for my district over several years, and people found it useful.  Hopefully, the same will happen here.

The formula will be simple:

• a positive intention/quote
• a quick exercise you can physically do (breathing, movement, visualization, etc.)
• an SEL resource for either you and/or your classroom 
• a joke

Let's get started!

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WEEK #1:  SELF-ACCEPTANCE

"You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens."  -Louise Ray

Self-esteem can be wrapped up in self-evaluation and how you perceive yourself through the filters of your past experiences.  How did your family value you growing up?  Do you feel you make meaningful contributions at work?  Do you feel you belong in a social group?  Each of these questions requires you to compare yourself to an outside standard and the opinions of others.  

What about your opinion of you?  This is self-acceptance.  This is the root of your personal power. 

Try this mantra this week:  "I love myself, I believe in myself, I support myself." Put it on a post-it on your monitor or your mirror so you can start each day with positive self-talk.

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RESOURCE:  Moozoom

I recently had a tour of the Moozoom interface, and I was impressed.  It's new and out of Toronto, developed by an attorney whose daughter needed such a tool.  

Tagline:  Moozoom helps Elementary School Students learn how to handle everyday challenges in just 30 mins per week.

It fosters engagement (as much as a screen can) with choose-your-own-ending videos with real kid actors.  It would be best, I think, with a teacher following along in a whole-class setting (with the scripts they provide!), but it can also be assigned for individual viewing.  Moozoom is marketed for grades 1-6, but I think 3-6 would be more accurate.  It has decent reporting, and a great user interface/experience.  

The first module is free.  If you try it, and it's something you like, let me know.  The representative seemed willing to work out some bulk discounts even for you smaller schools who can't ever seem to get those discounts.

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JOKE:  

My teacher accused me of plagiarizing my paper.
His words. Not mine.

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Have a fantastic week!