Planning for a Better Tomorrow

Day 8 of #btbc16
Planning for Tomorrow

     Today is supposed to be book club day on #btbc16, and while I love Ralph Fletcher, I do not own Live Writing.  I probably don't own it because I splurged on a planner that I have wanted for three years.  Yes, I bought a Life Planner from Erin Condren.  And, because +Michelle Brezek  is probably one of the biggest reasons for my planner envy over the years, I figured that would be my blog topic for today.  

My new Erin Condren planner,
with photo courtesy of Jessica McKnight Photography

     I just wanted a planner.  One that was kind of pretty, but mostly because I need a spot to write things down.  I use my phone for day to day scheduling, but once I get to the actual events on my calendar I have realized I need one place to write things down.  My memory is not as great as my ambition.  I need to start taking notes.  I kind of wanted to do a bullet journal, but I have it in my head that I need an actual calendar too.  So, my plan is to use the horizontal planner as a note taking bullet journal.  I will still put all the scheduling pieces in my phone, but use the planner to take notes from the meetings and make bullet lists on the weekly pages of the planner.  That's my plan.

    And then Michelle spent hours watching "Plan With Me" You Tube videos, and suggested I look them up.  Last night I decided that I kind of want to use stickers.  But in a rational way. Then, slowly, my visions of stickers were replaced with visions of terrible news via Twitter.  Again.

     To be honest, the news this morning is full of sadness.  Reading CNN and my social media feeds was causing me anxiety.  Rather than be sad and depressed about our world, I walked away from my phone and took out some stickers.  I wasn't really sure what else to do.  I decided to try and plan for a better tomorrow.

    Here is my nice, simple, yet kind of pretty layout for next week.  It is SUN kind of wonderful, to quote a sticker.  :)  So far, it is filled with possibility.  Not terror.  I hope it stays this way.

     I then decided to decorate the first week of school.   The news is filled with sad endings, and perhaps the beginning of more sad endings.  I was hoping to focus on some new, hopeful beginnings and make me feel a little better about the future.  New Teacher Week is a fresh start where I get to meet the new faces that will change my teacher life for the better, and ends with Institute Day (which is like a family reunion of sorts).  So, that's the week I fancied up in my planner.  Also, I really wanted to use that pineapple sticker.  

(Did you know that pineapple are a symbol of welcome?  Thanks, Jennifer Gonzalez, for teaching me that.)

(Also, if I waited for the Sunday before Institute Day to prepare it, it probably wouldn't be so full of optimism and possibility.  :(  Sad, but true.  An alarm clock is not my favorite thing in this world.)

     If I come to meetings with my planner in the fall, do NOT expect fancy pages.  They will *most likely* be factory design.  But, if I come to my meeting and I say I am going to do something and I don't write it in my planner, gently remind me.  Thanks.

     And now time for a little social commentary...

     Remember to act with love and empathy in this world.  We don't have to agree with people.  We have the right to disagree, or partially agree.  But, we have to be mindful of how we show our disagreement.  Between the presidential race and Americans taking sides with each other on so many things, we have to remember that violence only fuels more violence and hatred.  As teachers, we can teach our students to make choices that are well informed and see bias, and to act with empathy and love.  Covering standards (be it CCSS, NGSS or C3) is not our most important job as educators.  It is teaching kids how to be better citizens of our world.  

    The future is ahead.  Let's make it a good one.