What’s behind… (1 thing you already know to make everything better right now)
I know saying there’s a silver lining to every cloud is cliche.
I like to think about what’s behind the cloud. Behind these dark clouds, there is still a blue sky.
With the storm of this school year coming, it’s easy to look at the numbers.
COVID numbers are increasing in parts of the country.
Schools are opening and now closing.
Colleges are going online.
People still have to go to work, and now there are child care issues.
There are conspiracies about why, and when, and how things are happening within the countries of the world.
You can’t stop scrolling through your News Feed.
What’s behind this cloud?
You still have loved ones. You still have your health. You still have the ability to read this and think. Not all is lost, and whatever is lost right now can come back.
Our brains are wired for certainty. We need routines and habits. We need to know what’s coming next. As an educator, you need to know the next step in the curriculum. You need to know what developmental stage the student is at so that you may help them move forward. Information is crucial to be your best and to do your job.
In our lives outside of the classroom, uncertainty means death in the primitive parts of our brain, so we seek information to confirm or dispel our notions. This is where scrolling through your News Feed can literally disable you. Now, the information you seek discourages or prevents you from moving forward. The routine of looking at your phone or iPad or computer during down time is hampering you.
Put your phone down. Put your iPad away. Don’t open your laptop yet.
Stop scrolling through Facebook and Google News. These tools are designed to keep you in information silos that prevent you from seeing other sides of a story. Granted, you can think for yourself, right?… But seeing the same thing over and over can work to disable your rational thinking.
You already know this: limit your time in social media and news sources.
Yes, it will make you feel better. Yes, you will have more time for pursuits that will make you better. Yes, you will have more time for family and friends. Yes, you will be more present. Yes, you will sleep better.
You’ve read this before, and you know it already.
So, whether you’ve started your school year or not, do what you know already. Limit your time and see what’s behind that dark cloud on the horizon.
