57 Small Changes

I think that I've talked about the site The Muse before. It's a great website for inspiration, advice, and general life things. I received this link in my email recently, and I decided to use it as a sort of New Year's resolution, fun, time-killer. I'll mark the ones that I already do in my every day life with a check mark. The ones that I think are beneficial goals, I'll leave, and the ones that I don't think apply to me will be crossed out. I'll make some comments on them as I go. These are more goal focused, so I'll do a post about New Year's Resolutions later. So here they are, 57 small changes you can easily make to improve your life, courtesy of The Muse:

1. Assume People Have Good Intentions √

Life policy. Period. 

2. Avoid Using Negative Words √

3. Avoid Spending Time with Stressed-Out People √

4. Begin Each Day with Expectation

I expect to hear some funny stories from kids, and maybe flop a lesson today. 

5. Breathe More Deeply

Adding to this, do more yoga. 

6. Celebrate More Frequently

I did this during the summer. I wanted to buy myself a Kate Spade bag when I graduated with my Masters, but I decided that it was pertinent that I buy one for getting a 4.0 for my first semester instead. 

7. Daydream More Frequently √

Sometimes I daydream that I win Teacher of the Year. I never thought it was an aspiration of mine, but I guess deep down it really is. 

8. Decide That You Must Achieve Your Goals √

9. Define “Failure” as “Failing to Take Action” √

10. Deflect Partisan Conversations

I don't know if it's because I went to Wooster, or because of who my friends are, but I love a good educated debate. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, because I know I can't, but I like to hear the other side. I (usually) tend not to take part in partisan conversations online because there are too many people, and things get taken the wrong way, and it's just bad news. I'll stick to face-to-face partisan conversations.

11. Don’t Waste Energy on Hate √

Something happens, and I'm over it. I'm too positive for this shit. 

12. Don’t Take Calls from Strangers

I'm a curious person and I want to know who is calling! Come on. 

13. Don’t Take Yourself Seriously √

I swing dance in public, I think I'm ok. 

14. Don’t Try to Win Every Argument √

Refer to number 10. 

15. Don’t Succumb To Malice or Gossip

I'm so curious about everything, that I want to hear gossip. I don't like to share it, and I hope I don't, I just like to hear it. If it's gossip that's being malicious, though, count me out. I'll try to be less interested in gossip altogether, though. 

16. Don’t Worry What Others Think About You √

17. Drink More Water

I tell myself to do this every day and I'm starting to make better choices. For example, I'm at the airport right now and instead of Starbucks, I bought water. I don't drink much of anything in general, so upping my intake is proving to be difficult.  

18. Eat a Big Breakfast √

19. End Each Day With Gratitude

I'm grateful for you. 

20. Exercise Your Eyes

The original post said this in terms of staring at a screen all day. I think I do this when I'm thinking, I stare off at something else. I'll try to do it more, though. 

21. Find the Right Job for You √

22. If It’s Scary, Do it Now

But I'm such a homebody. Ugh, fine. 

23. Know and Keep Your Personal Limits √

24. Let Go of Your Results √

I'm over my terrible GRE scores, but I'm going to hold on to my OAE results. No shame. 

25. Listen to Something Inspiring √

26. Make a Public Commitment

I publicly commit to nap daily. 

27. Make Peace With Your Past

I don't care that I didn't get into grad school for speech. I swear. I just have a slight bit of contempt for anyone who is an SLP or in school to be one.....I've found a new field that I love and am good at. I seriously need to get over it. 

28. Make Your Goals Pervasive √

Everything in my life should rotate around my goals. Done. 

29. Monitor Your Progress

Isn't this basically number 36? I suppose I'll measure things. 

30. Never Argue With Strangers √

31. Never Attend Agenda-less Meetings √

Better yet, I don't really attend any meetings. 

32. Realize That You Are Responsible for Your Emotions √

This is why I leave the news on and haven't deleted my Facebook. Other people's crap doesn't affect me. At least, not my self-esteem or how I'm feeling. I might feel bad for that person or that situation, but not myself. I really like that part of me, that I don't absorb negativity. 

33. Remember That Everything Will Change √

34. Remember That Rejection Is an Illusion

Not when it comes to graduate school applications. But I'm over it, I swear. 

35. Set Achievable Yet Inspirational Goals √

I'm not trying to be teacher of the year (yet), but hey, it could happen, right?

36. Set Measurable Milestones

If I've learned anything from lesson planning, everything has to be observable and measurable. This should be easy, though I don't really know what I'm measuring. 

37. Smile and Laugh More Frequently √

38. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others √

39. Stop Complaining About Not Having Enough Time 

The only thing I complain about not having enough time for is going to the gym. Whether or not there is truth behind it, I can't quite decide. 

40. Stop Listening to and Leaving Voicemails

Why? They're not hours long. No one really leaves them anyway. 

41. Stretch Regularly

My. Hamstrings. Are. So. Short. 

42. Take a Walk After Lunch

I learned to do this from my mom. I used to do it at work, but I've started taking shorter breaks (I have to stop that). 

43. Take Action Immediately After Setting a Goal

You mean baby steps, right? 

44. Take Power Naps √√√√√√√

Done, done, and done. They're more like 2 hour naps, though. 

45. Take the Stairs √

I try to do this whenever possible, as long as it's not more than 5 flights haha. 

46. Take Time to Plan and Prioritize √

47. Think of Rejections as Stepping Stones √

48. Throw Out Things That Aren’t Useful or Beautiful

I'm definitely going to do this when I move out. I'm sure I'll be able to purge relatively easily by then. 

49. Treat Setbacks as Success Signals √

They don't usually feel like success signals, but I suppose I usually look at them as "Well, it didn't work out this way, let's try another." I'd say it's the same thing. 

50. Turn Off Background TV

The original post said something about the main goal of TV being to sell you things. Ironically, I think that's probably the main goal of blogs. The shows I watch aren't trying to sell me things, and the noise helps me work. TV forever. 

51. Turn Off Depressing News

The news doesn't depress me. Yeah, a lot of the things going on in the world suck, but it's the life we live. You can't just pretend it's not happening. I like to be up-to-date on all things news, so I'm gonna keep it on. 

52. Turn Off Your Computer Alerts √

53. Use More Positive Words

I not only need to do this for myself, but for my students. I always use the word "awesome," and I really don't want to. I need to get more variation in my vocabulary when it comes to positive praise words. 

54. Use Technology to Stay Focused

Nah. Technology makes me lose my focus, even if it's meant to help. 

55. Work 40 Hours a Week (or Less) √

56. Write Your Goals Down on Paper

I frequently make To-Do Lists, so does that count? I guess I can write down my life goals, but I'm actively working at them, so I don't feel like I really need to write them down to remind myself to work at them. 

57. Write Your Goals Out Every Day

See above. 

These have been my reactions to 57 Small Changes You Can Easily Make to Improve Your Life. Do you agree with them all? Any that you have problems with? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. Sorry about the weird formatting. I'll try to fix it later, but right now, I gotta fly! Get it? 

And now I'm off to Silver Spring!

My Life of Eating, Sleeping, and Breathing School

Hello! If you were wondering, I am indeed alive and well. Classes and student teaching have taken over my life. I'm so engulfed in school that I even had a dream that one of my students was driving me around in a minivan as I was racing to get somewhere (where, I do not remember). My blogging skills have deteriorated, but I am updating you on things that have gone on since October, so bear with me as my mind flits around from topic to topic.

Student Teaching
My first semester of student teaching has gone incredibly well. Of course, there have been times when my lesson plans didn't quite go as planned, or the students were off the chain, but overall, I couldn't be happier at my placement. I truly enjoy each and every one of my students, all 33 of them! The ones whom I thought would be the most trouble have turned out to be some of my favorites, and I can tell that as much as I'm having an effect on them, they're also affecting me in so many positive ways. They are all a challenge in their own way, and to me, it's enticing to try to motivate every single student while meeting his or her needs. It is definitely the hardest thing I've ever done, though! My mentor teacher really helps me out and sets me up for success. It is difficult to teach in your own way in someone else's classroom, when you want to try to switch things up, but you don't want to cross boundaries or stray from what the children know. Finding a happy medium is an art in student teaching. Hopefully I'll get there soon. Starting in January, I'll slowly start taking over each subject, then in April I'll have full command of the classroom for the whole month. I'm nervous, but also excited! Also, since I'm in a Catholic school, we go to church every Friday. I have to say, it's quite nice. I think I've gone to church more this semester than I have in the past six years combined.

I've noticed that a lot of people I talk to don't know what student teaching is. Basically, it's an unpaid internship. I'm there 4 full days a week, and I am teaching, grading, and planning, all while attending grad school, and working on the side. It's a lot of work, but I don't even notice that I don't get paid (until it's time to spend money), so I really must be enjoying it.

Grad School
All I can really say about grad school is that this month long break could not have come soon enough. I think I've managed to hold on to my 4.0 GPA (woo!), but my motivation for grad school classes and their subsequent work went right out the window around October. I just want to teach and have that be the only work I need to do! But hey, I'm half way through my grad program, and to me, that is a success in itself.

Life
While I've been in school, I have kept my job at Seidman, only working weekends and some evenings. Right now, our floor is at half capacity, so I actually have a lot of time to get my schoolwork done, for which I am incredibly thankful.

Alyse moved to Florida in August (boo) to be with her boyfriend. She's always wanted to move somewhere warm, and she finally had a reason to actually do it. I now have a second closet, and a second room to store things. Thanks, Alyse! She's coming home in a couple of days, and I'm excited to see her and do all of the things we used to do together (aka eat Dunkin' Donuts and Taco Bell). We're going to go visit her in February as well. I hope I see an alligator!

About a month ago, I sat in on a webinar with the DC Public Schools about why I should go work for them. I was already interested in working there, but this webinar helped to make their goals as a district more clear. They have gone through a complete revamping of their school district and are looking for innovative and motivated teachers (I like to think I fit the bill). They also pay their teachers pretty darn well, not that that's why we go into teaching. Their hiring process for the 2016-2017 school year starts January 6th, so I'll be applying for jobs quite soon! I'm also going to look at surrounding districts and private schools because, of course, Adam lives there and has a full-time job now! So, as it seems, I should be moving to the DC area in the summer of 2016!

I really don't have too much more to talk about. I'm going to sign up to volunteer for the Republican National Convention, which, if you haven't heard, is coming to Cleveland this summer. If you know me, you know that I am one of the proudest Clevelanders around, so even though I'm a Democrat,  I want to volunteer with the RNC so I can show everyone else what's up! If I'm not in DC by then, my mom and I will be showing off the city together.

Christmas is three days away and I still have most of my gifts to wrap, so this is it for me. Hopefully I'll have more things to write about (and more time to write), in the following weeks. I foresee a dry spell again, but hey, I'm working here.

If you have things you want to hear about, leave them in the comments. Have a Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!