Skip to main content

Behind The Scenes


5/29
I keep mentioning how life is unfolding in my videos that focus on my struggle with anxiety and depression.  I thought I would share with those who were curious what that phrase actually meant.  Just prior to videoing the last installment (number 7)  of My Struggle with Anxiety and Depression: A Teachers Story I had a very difficult 72 hours.  My mother-in-law fell, who lives with us,  in the early morning hours. and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. A student who had become very much like family to me decided to keep a stash of weed in my classroom inside her purse.  On my way home I discovered my mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer.  A friend of my son's tried to commit suicide in my house, she is better now.  And in the evening my mother had a stroke and is in the hospital on the same floor with my mother-in-law.  

Needless to say I am worn out.  My wife is exhausted and school just keeps moving forward  at a relentless pace.  When I talked about the main thing that keeps me going, I was and am very much practicing what I preach.  I know good things when I experience them and I make a point to live in the glow of those things as much and and as fully as possible do that when dark days like these happen, and they will always happen, I can remember the great feelings of the days int he past.

Keeping a physical list of achievements and events that have made me feel great helps a lot.  The Encouragement Wall I keep also helps.  I'm not going to lie.  It is hard to stay focused on the good things when so much is going on at the same time.

6/24
Life keeps rolling fast.  After one Chemo treatment my mother-in-law chose to go into hospice care on Thursday 6/13.  she passed away Friday morning 6/14.  I immediately began teaching summer school and I continue to feel detached from all that is happening around me.  It's like I'm just floating through all of this.  Summer school ends 6/27.  I will actually have break.  I just hope it is not a "break".  that is where I am for the moment. 

On the bright side my channel hit 340 subscribers.  I have over 40 scripts for future video projects.  Trying to be as productive as I can.

Managed to post a new video this past weekend...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qvmXolaqbI

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Room and The Yearly Wind Up

Today I learned where my new room will be.  I had the chance to look around a bit at my new "home" and did some initial video of its current condition. It has three accordion walls.  this is not my favorite thing, but I will make it work.  That's what I do. I really enjoy this time of year.  In our district, we have two weeks of in-service prior to the arrival of students.  The first week is district curriculum and content based.  The second week is focused on our home campus and taking care of all of the nuts and bolts that go into making a campus run smoothly. My curriculum week is highly structured and very organized. It provided much-needed information and solid tools to help us succeed as teachers.  I enjoy this week.  It is like a week long convention of teachers networking and sharing ideas, techniques and theories all focused on the same content area.  It's free to attend, I get to sleep in my own bed...

Dress Professionally

Hello again.   Be sure and  Check out the current videos. Things That Work I find it interesting how much our behavior as teachers can, at times, mimic that of the students we teach.  Unfortunately, this phenomenon tends to favor attributes that are less than endearing. For instance, here is an excerpt from a video script focusing on tips for the first day of school that I am working on. Dress as professionally as you can. Students will only take you as seriously as you take yourself.  I do not get to go with the tie and coat until day 2 because our campus is required to all wear the same red polo staff shirt and black slacks or skirt.  It looks good, and that is all students have to go on is how it looks.  Day 2 I am dressed to the 9s.  I stay in a tie for most of the first grading period. I have presented this to other teachers in private conversation and in group settings. Invariably I am met with rolled eyes from some a...

Pushing myself

So in the last 24 hours, I have completed 5 short videos.  Admittedly one is a short push for this BLOG site, but it still required editing and making it look good, which takes time.  I am pushing my abilities because I want the transition into the school year and my making vlog entries to go as smoothly as possible.  Check out the current videos. Things That Work Of all the four videos I posted today, my hope is that the "Danger: October is Coming" video will help the most people. October is a scary month. My first year was almost my last because of events that unfolded in October, and I knew about the "October Blues" in advance.  I hope this helps some one some time.  If not, I will never have to say, "I wish I had told people what to expect in October while teaching." Enjoy your day I like learning with you.  I like teaching with you, and together we can take over the world. Chris