Goodbye for Now

I believe that it's impossible to say goodbye with the gravity it deserves. I always walk away wondering what I have left unsaid, not finding the right words, and feeling sort of empty. Which, I guess, is correct. Saying goodbye is a kind of emptying of the relationship well.

Thank you all for your incredible spirit and generosity - especially when there are so many other things going on. Your willingness to step outside of your day-to-day responsibilities and contribute is inspiring. My experience as the Wellness Matters coordinator has forced me to put myself out there and stretch my abilities (and in most cases, grow new ones), but you are the ones who really make or break the program, and I look forward to being part of it again 'from the inside.' I encourage you all to stay engaged with it, grow with it, and to let it continue to support you. We deserve it. Happy summer!

If you didn't get a chance to fill out the Wellness Matters Survey, please help us by doing so HERE. 

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0df5E-uUKI

BEING HUMAN

Has anyone else read Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari?

 

It's a 'readable' history of us. What does it have to do with AISC (you may ask)? Well.... here's one interesting part: there's a semi-magic number of 150. If you're in a group of less than that, such as a family business, you can function fine without a board, without a CEO, without a hierarchy. But go beyond 150, and you need something more. That something more is maybe the reason for the rise of homo sapiens - and it resulted from a cognitive revolution that allowed us to think in terms of abstract ideas, about things we couldn't see, hear, or touch. Other humanoids were stronger, and some might say "smarter," but the homo sapiens' cognitive advantage served us well. Another way to think about it is that it allowed us to hold beliefs (such as spiritual beliefs and mission statements) - and to change beliefs as needed. We, as a faculty and staff, number well over 150. What holds us together as a community is not really our paychecks (you can get paid in other places) - it's our belief in our students and the direction of education as practiced and believed at AISC, and our ability to change our beliefs as we evolve. We're never really 'done.'

For those of you sticking around for another spin around the sun, thanks for all your abstract thought and plain hard work as part of our family. For those of you heading out the door, thanks for your ideas and the participation you leave behind - it's already impacted our culture.

STUFF

Have a good 2nd to last week everyone. Don't forget that next Wednesday, May 29, there will be a Wellness 'Clean-Out-Your-Refrigerator' Breakfast with yummy food and filter coffee in the Unity Courtyard, starting at 7:45.

Emotional Wellness: Megha shared this post about giving yourself permission to Let Go of the People Who Aren't Ready to Love You.

Sometimes we need help from other species.

https://youtu.be/7na_-LfGfpE

Music and Wellness

Listening to Music - How It Helps Keep Us Well:

Library, London. Wellcome Images images@wellcome.ac.uk http://wellcomeimages.org 

Drs. Michael Roizen, M.D. and Kathleen Hall (Preventative Medicine) share the benefits of listening to music. 

• distracts from pain
• simulates the release of mood-enhancing chemicals in your brain
• may help decrease blood pressure, ease anxiety, and lower heart rate
• increases Interluken-1 in the blood - improving the immune system response
• soothes people in hospitals and nursing homes and leads to less pain medication and anesthesia
• increases productivity in the workplace

So I think it's really cool that we have this core group of musicians amongst us that so generously share their talents. You know who you are. Thank you AISC music teachers and musicians, for being a big part of our Wellbeing Culture and living it so beautifully for us and our students.

Coming Up:

Mark you calendars for a Wellness Matters light breakfast on May 29, 7:45 - 8:30. You can pick it up in the Unity Courtyard and take it or hang out and visit. 

GUEST BLOG WEDNESDAY!

Confession: There's a part of me that cringes when we use the word 'passion' with respect to our students. Sure, many of them already have, and have acted on their passions. But I would wager that a lot more of them are still growing their passions and/or haven't even had the opportunity to experience the tiniest zygote of its existence. After all, they haven't been on the planet all that long. But I trust that they'll get there. And what about those of us who move from one endeavor to another? Is it less valuable that having one true passion? Call me EASILY BORED, I'm OK with that. I believe in the value of experimenting with your super powers, or as my colleague calls it, 'hustling.' Thanks entrepreneur teacher Greg for this guest blog. Carry on... (and don't miss the obligatory cat link):

How I Learned to Stop Working and Start Hustling

By Gregory Israel

I love side hustles. Usually, when people are talking about side hustles, they mean finding a small side job to bring in some extra income. In this context, however, I mean finding a new hobby or skill to develop (bonus if it ends up leading to some extra money in your pocket*)

There are many articles which espouse the benefits of having a side hustle. Here are a few to get you started:

https://onestepoutside.com/8-benefits-of-starting-a-side-hustle/

https://www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com/side-hustle-benefits/

https://everythingfinanceblog.com/21394/side-hustle-benefits-hidden.html


Here are some of my favorite non-monetary benefits of side hustles mentioned in the articles linked above:


A CHANGE OF PACE

“Side hustling can provide an opportunity… to focus on new goals, ideas, and relationships. Pursuing a passion project’ in your free time will provide a break from your 9-5 routine while introducing variety into your daily activities.” (personalfinanceforbeginners)


THEY’RE A CREATIVE OUTLET

“If there’s another part of your life that your passionate about, a side hustle can provide you with a way to use your creativity. Whether it allows you to write and blog, cook, sew, or design, your side hustle can allow you to utilize skills that would otherwise go to waste.” (everythingfinanceblog)

A STEEPER LEARNING CURVE

“This brings you all kinds of new skills and experiences that will challenge you and make you stronger and more capable as a result. There’s a huge amount of growth and development that comes from stepping out of the comfort zone of the job description that you have now and have probably had for a while.” (onestepoutside)

SELF-AWARENESS AND DEVELOPMENT
“Exploring and working on your own ideas can teach you all sorts of things about yourself and about what you like and don’t like… You’ll also be investing in your own personal development.” (onestepoutside)

A SENSE OF PURPOSE
“A common feeling that people get when they’ve been in a role for a long time is that they have lost the meaning of their work. Having a side hustle will reinvigorate you with a new sense of purpose and energy as you focus on something you’re really passionate about.” (onestepoutside)

“A side hustle offers all of the major components you need to stay motivated and provide satisfaction: autonomy (control over your work), competency (the need to master new skills), and connection (with mentors, peers, or customers).” (personalfinanceforbeginners)

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

“Finally, while it may feel like adding more work to your plate will create additional stress and reduce your free time even more, ironically, it can actually help you achieve that elusive ‘work-life balance’. Now that you have something to ‘get to’ after work, something you’re passionate and excited about, you’ll be better able to set boundaries and make sure that you’re not letting your office job spill into the evenings and weekends.” (onestepoutside)

“A side hustle… can provide you with an opportunity to dabble in an art or passion you might otherwise not have and create career inspiration that you never thought possible.” (everythingfinanceblog)

Here’s what side hustles look like in my life.

For the past two years, I have been attempting to leave my teaching work at school at the end of the workday**. I have shifted the time I used to spend grading and planning at home to work on some side hustles.

I launched a Kickstarter campaign for a little book I wrote. I tried to learn how to code. I’ve also been working with my better half (the lovely Kate Wentworth!) to launch an Etsy shop for jewelry we’re designing and making.

What I discovered is that trying to mark papers after teaching a full day is a bad use of my time. When I’m a tired teacher, I’m not an accurate and consistent teacher. When I’m a tired teacher, I’m not a great lesson planner or rubric maker. I have limits on how much quality work I can produce as a teacher each day.

When I change gears to work on one of my side hustles, I give myself a much needed mental and emotional break from teaching. When I return to school the next day, I find myself better energized and better able to focus on my teaching work—which helps me be more productive at work, which leads to fewer things needing to be done outside of work.

Working on these side hustles forces me to learn a bunch of new stuff, which reminds me what it’s like to be a student:

Trying to figure out where to start when you don’t even know what you don’t know (all of my side hustles).

The frustrations that come with repeated failures (I’m looking at you, CSS!!!).

The moments of joy when you achieve a goal you’ve set for yourself (thank you, Kickstarter).

Learning to work with others (you rock, Kate).

Learning to ask for help when you get stuck (every side hustle I’ve attempted).

These experiences as a learner filter back into my classroom and make me a better teacher because it is easier to put myself in my students’ flip flops.

So stopping working so much and find yourself a side hustle.

Obligatory cat reference: http://mentalfloss.com/article/53466/12-jobs-people-decided-give-cats


*Legal disclaimer: If you’re an expat, I’m pretty sure you can’t have a second job in India while working at AISC. Don’t break the law.


**Honesty check: I still do school work at home. I’ve found it impossible to separate work and home completely, but I’ve definitely found much greater work-life balance.

Sustainability

Volleyball Tournament Spring 2019
(framed photo in the Wellness Oasis)

Bollywood In the Balkans

With the observance of Earth Day (and beyond) several different school-wide, student-centered initiatives focused on sustainability. I've been inspired by our students and staff who share their shiny hope for a better future. Thanks to all the faculty and staff who helped shepherd these student actions. I wondered how other organizations connected sustainability to wellness. Obviously, there are needs for clean air, water, adequate sanitation, and freedom from that which Harvard University calls, "chemicals of concern." There are also human factors that might seem less obvious: overconsumption, war, inequity of education, and human rights abuses. Here's another kind of human factor: Swedish autistic teen, Greta Thunberg. At 16 years old, she's been nominated for a Nobel peace prize for speaking truth to power and initiating a global environmental movement that's led to serious change at the highest levels of government. What she teaches me is that it is up to each of us as individuals to be agents of change. I believe that when you're a change agent, it's important to take care of yourself so that you have resources to fall back on. Otherwise, you burn out. This is the main reason we have Faculty/Staff Wellness at AISC. We have hard jobs - and everything can tend to feel urgent at this time of year. Take a breath - we're in it for the long haul, and 'wellness' isn't a one afternoon kind of thing.

https://youtu.be/FwY06xE24Es

Coming Up: May 29 - Wellness Breakfast offered in the Unity Courtyard. 7:45 - 8:20

Check out these hot weather tips from our Health Office that were linked to the HOS notes.

Love and Happiness

I will admit that I have always struggled with the notion of happiness and its semantic subjectivity. What does it mean to be REALLY happy? And can you describe yourself as a happy person if you also value your unhappiness? Obviously, this will be felt and interpreted differently by just about everyone. Author Emily Smith noticed trends in her own investigation into the differences between a 'happy' life and a 'meaningful' life. She notes that a meaningful life will likely be a hard life (because you're giving back and sacrificing), and that is somewhat different than what we typically consider a happy life. 

After reviewing research and questioning lots of people, she suggests 4 common "pillars" of a meaningful life: 1) having relationships that are defined by a sense of belonging, 2) having a purpose or something worthwhile to do with our time, 3) crafting narratives that help us understand ourselves in the world, and 4) having experiences of transcendence or self-loss. This sense of meaning isn't handed to us, we have to search for it on our own. Smith says:

"The key in meaning is about connecting and contributing to something beyond yourself. If you’re busy because you have two different jobs, you’re raising children, I would say that the way to find meaning is to ask yourself how are the things that you’re doing supporting the people and the communities that you love? Even if you don’t find the nature of your work meaningful, you can find meaning by adopting this kind of service mindset."

So it's not about doing something 'lofty', it's about realizing that what you do is meaningful, even if it's the most mundane task there is. It's about understanding that a life of integrity involves service, and that there's no shame in just doing what's necessary for you, your family, or for our collective humanity. 

I saw another take from Tim Herrera, where he talks about a Mayo Clinic study that found you only need to love 20% of your job to be happy with it. Even people who loved 50% of their jobs didn't show a marked improvement in happiness over the 20%ers. So, you don't have to love ALL of it (I am romantic enough to hope that you can find more than this minimum), for those days that you 'wonder' if it's all worth it, try finding your 20% and digging in. 

Happy Wednesday! Hope you all have a great WELLNESS AFTERNOON. Don't forget to find us under the stairs for a 2:00 snack before heading off to your first session (2:30). Check the link below for your session location. :

WELLNESS AFTERNOON SESSIONS

Thursday afternoon at 4:00 everyone is invited to attend and debrief the Sri Lanka tragedy in the Wellness Oasis. It will be closed to all other activities during that time. Please feel free to just drop in if you feel moved to do so. 

Building Creativity

Building Creativity

We all know by now that creativity is the 'work skill' of the future, especially as we have entered into a more technologically-centered world. I mostly love what technology can do, but technology can't dream (yet).

"...the fact that technology brings about change is not new. In fact technology of the past has also brought about change. And as is with any change, it can be viewed as both positive and negative. But, the key to staying ahead and participating in the creation of the future is our own creativity." -Anna Powers, entrepreneur, advisor, and an award-winning scientist

Creativity is a skill, not a talent. Some of my artist friends would argue that it is a way of life.

Here are some simple ways to care for your creativity muscles: keep inspiration nearby, tap into group genius, and sketch your thoughts to make your thinking visible. A friend of mine who became a famous cartoonist was continually called out by teachers for doodling during class. He looked like he wasn't engaged, but he was just processing and doodling helped him integrate information (he went on to work for NASA). It also turns out that a little ambient noise might also be good for creative tasks, as opposed to silence, which is good for study. Finally, and this is the less intuitive one, do something that you have absolutely no interest in. Sometimes we define something as 'boring' just because it lies outside our area of practice or expertise. Let yourself be in a position that you are open to surprise. When the next Wellness Afternoon rolls around, I know it's tempting to pick the activity that basically allows you to clean your desk before you go home - and please hear me on this: I absolutely think that can be the best choice for Wellbeing (at times) - but consider building your creative muscles by doing something brand new - you might like it and you might get an opportunity to hang out with new people too.

LOOKING AHEAD -

Curious about more Yoga Opportunities? Check this one out about Sivananda Yoga. They have several new instructors and are welcoming AISC faculty, staff. and families. They are offering 30% off - including a summer kids program.

Wednesday, April 24 - is our next early release, Faculty Wellness Afternoon. Please join us at 2:00 for snacks under the main stairwell. Activities begin at 2:30. The sign-up sheet will be editable this Friday morning, beginning at 8:00 am! Here's a preview.

instagram: cutecatsco

It's World Autism Month

Wellness: Covelong Beach Surf School last Saturday

In the US there all kinds of 'causes' that have claimed various months. April is a big one. It claims National Jazz Appreciation Month, National Pet First Aid Month, National Soft Pretzel Month, National Emotional Overeating Awareness Month, National Pecan Month, and my personal favorite, National Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month. But high, high up on this list is WORLD Autism Month, which is, as the name implies, international. 

I've decided to get personal because I really believe in the need for us to integrate these special people- and it comes from personal experience. I have a unique adult daughter who falls on the autism spectrum (Autism is generally referred to now as ASD, for Autism Spectrum Disorder), and I know first hand how challenging and rewarding raising an atypical child can be. There are so many gifts that come from raising a child who sees the world in a unique way. Did you know that this road sign is really a man in a tophat taking a bow? 


She was my first, and it didn't take long for me to realize it wasn't going to be this happy hippy dream where my baby would just be attached to my hip and everything would go on pretty much as it had before, except that I would have this adorable accessory that increased my own self-worth. She was in the hospital for the first 5 months of her life, as they brought in specialist after specialist to figure out why she wouldn't eat. The range of reasons ran from me not loving her enough to an enlarged heart (it's not, except euphemistically). In the end, they brought in a developmental psychologist who did a couple of tests and said, "Oh, she has what we used to call minimal brain dysfunction." This is an obsolete term (thankfully) that was used to describe children with a wide range of neurological differences - almost always leading to learning disabilities. On the one hand, I was happy to get an answer and on the other hand, I wanted to put it out of my mind so that I wouldn't create it. By the time she was in the first grade, though, we knew something was different.  What followed was a whole lot of sensory integration training, assessments, consultations, remediation, and long nights at the kitchen table with ridiculously long spelling lists, where we both dissolved into tears. To be clear, she did have excellent public school support, which ended up being-----me. But with all that, nothing was as hard as witnessing her social awkwardness (you know, I don't actually have a handle on that, myself). But I noticed all kinds of interesting things. For example, her best friend (still, to this day) was a "gifted" student who was equally awkward. My daughter was never content to just go through the motions. She had to deeply understand everything before she could accept it. This sounds great, but consider how much we expect our kids to just accept stuff at face value so that they can move on through the curriculum? It meant she was always frustrated and "behind." Of course, the payoff was that when she learned something, she REALLY learned it. Changes in routines led to major melt-downs, and efforts by us to elicit delight with surprises were NOT appreciated. At some point, I realized that she was aware of all of these differences and that she had completely accepted them in herself, even if it made her life harder. She had surrounded herself with people who accepted her, she had forged her own path to success, and sometimes, even though she was also experiencing lots of rejection and cruelty, I realized that she was comforting and protecting me. Anyway, long-story-short, she got married this past summer and has a masters in Library Science, and I can say that right now she's just fine (I feel so much for the families where that kind of experience will never be possible). What I know, and just about everyone else who's met her knows, is that she is one of the most accepting, open, weird, and loving people ever. As a learning support teacher (big surprise), I reflect on our family's experience, and I feel grateful to be part of a 'growing' school. As we change and refine our procedures and goals, we continue to put a lot of emphasis on Social Emotional Learning, Personalization, and Inquiry. These are the ideals that actually allow us to be more inclusive. And we definitely SHOULD be inclusive. There are a lot of special student-people out there that we can make welcome. Sometimes we realize it is the students we already have. They make our lives richer. Some things we do for Wellness are straight from the ASD playbook (what is our Wellness Oasis but a big 'quiet room' where we reset our neural pathways with brain breaks?). As we begin to expand our culture of Wellbeing we also engage in behaviors and attitudes that are good for ALL humans. Embracing neurodiversity and these quirky, funny, and sometimes difficult people force us to grow as educators, contributes to our wellbeing, and makes us better people. 

Sign up on the link below to teach or lead an afternoon session for our Wellness Afternoon coming up on August 24! We are especially looking for arts-related sessions. 

https://goo.gl/forms/2RtjbF9Q9gQf5tjY2

@cutecatsco / Instagram

Seema, Our Confessor April 3

Recently, I was in a car ride home from school with 3 other AISC friends. I don’t know how or why, but we got on the topic of food from the iHUB and our consequent relationships with Seema. It was amazing how similar our stories were! Seema sees it all. One mostly-veg friend did say that she notices if my friend buys meat, but what with the categories of ‘everyday choice’ and ‘lifestyle choice’, etc. it’s easy to assign a lot more meaning to Seema’s looks than what is really there. The thing is, Seema doesn’t judge...at least not negatively. A couple of weeks ago I had a ‘bad day’ and went down there to buy a bag of Kettle Chips, which I am sure are fried twice. I boldly told her that I was having a bad day and that I might come back later for ice cream. This false bravado, was, of course, a cover for feeling guilty, and so I spilled my guts. She just nodded and looked wise. But let’s be clear: my neurotic guilt is not Seema’s fault. I have heard her say, “once in a while is OK,” several times - when it obviously was more than once-in-a-while. In fact, if anything, she might enable us a teensy tiny bit on very rare occasions, when she can tell we’re having a particularly tough day: "Are you sure you don’t want a cookie with that?" What was funny to us was the level of projection that we put on Seema just because of our complicated relationships with food. So Seema, I want you to know that if we act strangely or seem guilty around you, it most likely has nothing to do with you - it’s just us being us. Thanks for understanding and for just being there.

And speaking of feeding ourselves, a friend of mine share this YouTube channel with me, dedicated to "Peaceful Cuisine." Take a look at some of Takashima's videos if you relate to the comforts of (as in my friend's case) the ambient sound of coffee pouring, the thunk of the knife chopping vegetables, lids banging, or the simmering sound of things cooking on the stove. 

LOOKING AHEAD -

April 6 - COVELONG BEACH surf lesson 

April 24 - is our next Faculty Wellness afternoon. We especially need sessions for arts and crafts. If interested, please fill out this form:

https://goo.gl/forms/2RtjbF9Q9gQf5tjY2 

Spring Break

The celebration of spring isn't a modern era thing. We know that Greeks and Romans did it - but did you know that Spring Break, as we kind of know it now, started with the building of Fort Lauderdale's first Olympic-size pool in 1928?

fortlauderdale.gov

It was considered HUGE at the time and was a place where the city's top competitive swimmers could come when they were between classes. It evolved into a place that LOTS and LOTS of students could go for a 'break.' Sadly, what might have been a testament to wellness descended into debauchery and Fort Lauderdale's mayor had to publicly disinvite "Spring Breakers" in 1985. We just have so little self-control. So, it's almost Spring Break, on Friday, at 4:00 pm, go have fun before you' get yourself disinvited!

LOOKING AHEAD -

April 6 - COVELONG BEACH surf lesson

April 24 - is our next Faculty Wellness afternoon. Want to host or teach an activity for your peers? If you've been holding back, this is the time to take a risk. You will gain major brownie points and admiration from your colleagues, including me. Please fill out this form:
https://goo.gl/forms/2RtjbF9Q9gQf5tjY2 

April 20 - NEW!! Heartfulness Meditation Workshop  (sign up HERE)

NINJA GOAT (Instagram: cub.animals)

Happy Wellness Wednesday, March 13, 2019

PICS OF THE WEEK

Foodie Tour

International Women's Day 2019 10K: We'll show you how to finish!

Our World Language Students want to help us with faculty and staff wellness, and should you want to brush up on your French, here are some health tips from HS French 2 student,Yejune, gr. 9:


Suggestions pour rester en bonne santé


Want to share your "go-to" places and services in Chennai with next year's new staff? Feel free to add to this document. Just add away (don't worry, I made a copy) - I will clean it up before sharing it with newbies. 

LOOKING AHEAD: 

April 6 - COVELONG BEACH surf lesson

April 20 - NEW!! Heartfulness Meditation Workshop  (sign up HERE)

April 24 - Wednesday Afternoon Wellness - A lot of you have already signed up to teach something, so THANK YOU!

 

Thinking you might want to host or teach an activity for your peers? If you've been holding back, this is a low stakes way to try it out! Please fill out this form: https://goo.gl/forms/2RtjbF9Q9gQf5tjY2