What I’m doing
Trying to stay awake. In my well-rested, summer-induced hubris, since school started I had been going to bed after midnight and getting up before six and feeling fine… until this week. The sleep deprivation caught up to me and now I feel like a zombie. I fell asleep watching TV with friends tonight (shh, don’t tell).
Trying to take 10,000 steps a day because I have no time or energy for regular workouts. Because of this, I have been significantly less lazy. I will now walk across campus for small errands instead of consolidating my tasks into one trip. 1 point for health, 0 for efficiency.
Teaching characterization. For our warm-up the other day, I had students share two paradoxical traits that describe themselves. Mine were “chaotic” and “organized.”
What I’m reading
Honestly? Not doing much reading. Still midway through The Family Chao. I'm listening to Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network on audiobook before bed. (It’s fun, but check out Ian McEwan’s Sweet Tooth or Kate Atkinson’s Transcription if you like spy novels.)
I have watched a handful of shows and movies recently, three of which were very different in tone and quality but had similar themes:
The Adam Project - NOT a great movie, but the idea that it’s “always later than you think” resonated with me.
Season 3 of Never Have I Ever ended on a surprisingly poignant note.
Interstellar - believe it or not, it was my first time seeing this.
All share the idea that life is short and time with loved ones is precious.
Amen.
Also finished season 2 of Only Murders in the Building. Fun show.
What I’m thinking about
I finally encountered the name for a phenomenon every parent has experienced: the chaos and self-destruction that occurs after a child comes home from school. It’s called restraint collapse. At school, kids spend all day practicing self-control: they have to obey rules, squelch emotions, keep their bodies in line. When they get home, they can finally relax, which often means a breakdown. I mean, honestly, we do the same as adults. Just like with most things, it’s so helpful to name it and know it is a thing. Then we can accept the reality and move on.
Something else I’ve been thinking about that I’ve mentioned before: there are times when I feel like we’re in the Bad Place. I feel most like this is when my kids (or other people’s kids) experience hurt or fear. Suffering should not surprise me, yet sometimes I am blown away by how hard life is (even when my particular life is so relatively easy!).
I was talking with my friend/colleague J about this the other day, and he pointed out the distinction between believing in the kingdom of God as afterlife vs. as the kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. The belief or disbelief in the possibility of redemption in this life makes all the difference in whether or not one’s primal beliefs are rooted in hope or despair.
This was such a comforting reminder to me, because it means that one can stare suffering in the face and call it by its name without staying there. One can be cynical… and yet choose to hope. This is key, because how can one affect positive change without hope that things can be better?
What I’m learning
How to be a student again. I had to update a lesson on study skills for Advisory. Here are the tips most consistently cited as proven by research to work:
spacing out learning instead of cramming everything in one session
testing yourself as a way to check for understanding
teaching someone else what you’re trying to learn
interleaving
These tips are particularly relevant to me because… I’m a student again! I started Chinese classes last Saturday. How’s it going? Well, so far I’m realizing my Chinese is worse than I thought. It hurt my brain to go beyond the usual 30-second interaction. I am, however, very happy to be finally be doing something I’ve only talked about doing for a million years.
What I’m digging
My new laptop. We’re on a three-year replacement cycle at school and this year was my year for an upgrade. My old laptop, while not really that old for a Mac, was soooooo slow. When you spend a good percentage of every day on a machine, having it work is a game-changer.
S showed me how to make these oatmeal-peanut butter-honey+whatever-nuts-we-have-on-hand granola balls. They are delicious and satisfyingly filling (similar recipe).
What I’ve saved
“My Dad and Kurt Cobain.” (Hua Hsu, New Yorker) Can’t wait to read his book.
“Duplicitous. Self-serving. Cold-hearted. Vain, selfish, sadistic, narcissistic—even psychopathic. Turns out that the people who would be sorted into Slytherin have something else in common:” the enjoyment of some of my favorite treats, like black coffee, gin and tonics, radishes. YIKES. (Vice)
What it’s like to parent in Taiwan. (Funny story - Cup of Jo once worked with me to write this very article, and it was a disaster. I realized belatedly that I have a really hard time discerning between the cultures I’m part of.) Anyway, this feature is really lovely.
Until next week,
Kate