The Adventurer, The Tourist, The Staycationer- what’s YOUR learning style?

When it comes to trying new things, we all have our preference in learning style. Some people are the dive in headfirst kind, wanting to explore on their own without influence from others. Others are willing to get their feet wet, but only with support of a guide or someone who has tested the water first. Some prefer to stay on the side, comfortable where they are, needing to be convinced first how this new thing will benefit them in their lives.

As part of the Apple Learning Coach program, I’m developing my coaching philosophy and style while building skills with the #EveryoneCanCreate Apple project guides. Having coached for many years (both in the education realm and sports/fitness), I can attest to the personalization that coaching requires, as we each respond differently to learning and stretching outside of our comfort zone.

Meet the Three Personas: The Adventurer, The Tourist, The Stacationer

Energized by the thrill of the unknown and blazing new trails.

An avid traveler ready to see the sights, guidebook firmly in hand.

Loves the tried and true.

Adventurers are willing to take risks to get where they want to go. They embrace the idea of trying new foods and immersing themselves in new cultures and they don’t mind feeling like a fish out of water. They’d rather explore a city by getting lost in the labyrinth of side streets than by following turn-by-turn GPS directions. Yes, they sometimes that leads to the occasional dead end or bad meal, but that’s OK – it’s all part of the adventure.

Tourists love to explore and gather new experiences, but each leg of the journey is carefully planned and mapped out. They’ll try a new restaurant, but only after reading the reviews and checking the menu in advance. They’re disinclined to blaze new trails, but they’ll boldly go where someone else has gone before — even if that takes them out of their comfort zone. They’re willing to take the less traveled path as long as someone else is guiding them. They love getting out but hate getting lost. Sure, this traveler’s tendency to play it safe means they occasionally miss out on some hidden gems, but taking the well-planned journey is deeply satisfying.

Why risk a bad meal at the new fusion bistro in the city when you can get your favorite entree at the diner down the block? For staycationers, travel doesn’t mean straying far from home and launching into new and untried experiences — it’s about relishing the familiar and reliable. They thrive on the comfort of knowing the terrain. They’ll admit that there may be some new and exciting places to go out there, but they aren’t convinced it’s worth the hassle and stress of getting there and finding a place to park. Staying close to home means they know the ins and outs of their neighborhood like nobody else, making them local experts with plenty of insider knowledge to share.

All descriptors above are from the Apple Learning Coach program. Sketches are my own.

Who am I as a learner?

When I review the three personas, I think it really has to do with context. Just like in the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck, we learn that while our goal is to approach new challenges with a growth mindset, there are some activities we fall back into a fixed mindset. (Have you seen me play golf? Fixed mindset for sure!)

When it comes to most learning, I consider myself an Adventurer first, tackling new challenges head on by trial and error. I’d rather just get my feet wet, learn what works/what doesn’t, then go back in more of a Tourist approach and learn from a guide. Here’s an example:

Music:

In 2009, I bought a ukulele. I’d never formally learned an instrument prior to that, but teaching 5th grade and taking my students to science camp, where everyone seemed to play an instrument at the highly anticipated campfire night, left me feeling inadequate. From that day (only 3 months into my 1st year of teaching), I was determined to learn how to play the ukulele by the time I returned the following November for the next science camp field trip. I struggled my way through, discovering that the first few major chords (C, G, D, A, F) were easy, but that the real breakthrough comes when you can learn the more advanced chords (E, B, minor chords, …) that unlock a wealth of songs.

The TRUE testament to my Adventurer approach was the time I showed up to my first ukulele open mic night. While I knew I had the opportunity for 2 songs or 10 minutes on stage, whichever came first, I challenged myself to play the most challenging song I knew: American Pie by Don McLean. Not only did I think this would make a good singalong and crowd pleaser, I knew that if I mastered this song, with all its chords (and 8:37 seconds of lyrics!), I could confidently come back next week and play any song in my songbook. As the saying goes, “Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.”

Fast forward, I successfully played that song (while still getting teased that I didn’t even print the lyrics, just used my phone open to UltimateGuitar’s auto scroll in case I got stuck…), and it opened up possibilities for me to learn more. I was hooked, and for years I not only played in front of my 5th grade students or at school assemblies, but ventured into the public stage at coffee house open mic nights and even a Farmer’s Market or two.

I look back on that experience and realize that my learning style is really an Adventurer at heart. I like to try on my own and discover my strengths and limitations, and then reach out for help from a mentor or guide. I’m pretty self-directed once I’m hooked on a new hobby or learning opportunity, so a lot of my coaching has come indirectly, through the seeking of mentors online- researching on YouTube, networking on social media or in person to find inspirational peers also on a similar learning journey.

What type of learner are YOU? The Adventurer? The Tourist? The Staycationer?

While it may seem like one learning style is better than another, each persona has their strengths, their challenges, and requires a different coaching style.

While the Adventurer loves to try new things and may be innovative and open to new ideas, they also may want to do too much at once, or are fiercely independent, avoiding assistance and support.

The Tourist does well with clear directions and is open to guidance, but may be hesitant to invest time if they aren’t sure the outcome. (I know you tourists… willing to try a new restaurant but only after you’ve checked the Yelp reviews!)

The Staycationer has experience and knows what works well. This person is often consistent and goal-focused, but might feel overwhelmed when trying something unfamiliar, or doesn’t have the buy-in to trying something new when the old way works just fine for them.

So which learning persona do you most identify with? In what context? While I may be an Adventurer with tech, I’m definitely a Staycationer when it comes to baking. Why change grandma’s homemade rolls recipe when it’s tried and true to rise to perfection?

Comment below and share your thoughts! 🙂

How Do You Learn From Others?

As you may have read in my last post, I’m currently enrolled in a program called Apple Learning Coach. It is for teachers/tech leaders to learn about Apple’s apps while also learning the art of coaching.

One of my favorite parts about the program is that we learn by doing. In order to get our certification as an #AppleLearningCoach, we must demonstrate our skill competency through projects and submitting a portfolio.

One of the projects include creating a SKETCHNOTE. This was my jam. As you’ve seen in other blog posts, I’ve been sketchnoting for years, and continue to explore ways to improve my visual thinking and note taking skills both analog (pen/paper) and digitally.

For my sketchnote of “How I Learn From Others” I took a non-traditional approach… not really looking at “what” others have taught me, but more HOW mentors and leaders have supported me in different ways. Some have planted the seeds in my mind, others provided space to grow, or helped remove barriers/“weeds” that might get in the way. Others provided stability and guidance. Some were the “marigolds” who nurtured and made me better, just by being in their proximity (see Cult of Pedagogy’s blog post: Find your Marigold- the One Essential Rule for New Teachers)

I like to think of my mentors who have coached directly (staff members, administrators, etc) as well as the indirect coaching/inspiration (authors, instructors, peers, many of whom I’ve never met) and how my growth is all due to the many supports I’ve had to get me to where I am today.

That is a big reason why I coach, why I lead trainings, why I design materials and resources, to mentor and give back by serving others. A pay it forward so to speak, helping others unlock their unique, buried gifts.

Sketchnote Breakdown

While my go to digital sketchnoting apps tend to be Procreate or Notability, I opted to try out the recommended Tayusui Sketches School app for this project.

I was pleased to see some familiar features from the other digital sketching apps I’m used to:

++ Brushes were easy to use and the visual nature of them felt natural, like grabbing a new brush from a physical art set. While I love Procreate app for it’s wealth of digital brush options, essentially a digital art store at your fingertips, it can also be quite overwhelming and lead to choice paralysis. The brushes on Tayusui allowed for variety yet still some constraint. In this sketchnote I explored the watercolor brush for background, pen/marker for details, and some light pencil for initial sketch/layout.

++ Layers are a paid feature (just $5.99 for pro version) but worth it if you’re used to this style of art process. I like to use layers because it helps me break down each component I add, testing it out for style, size, layout, and if I don’t like it… simply delete that layer, without having to erase all the hard work below.

+ Color options. There is a built in standard range of colors, option for building color palettes, as well as the opportunity to set the brush to a specific color hex code if you’re looking to match specific colors to theme/websites. I loved all these options but with the color picker in the bottom right corner of the screen, I found myself accidentally bumping the color section with my palm, switching colors unexpectedly mid-stroke. I imagine like most apps that I might be able to move the tool bars around, but for a first time use, I’d like to check out this feature more in depth.

Have you used Tayasui Sketches app before? What do you like about it?

I’m looking forward to exploring this app more and learning the different features and brush options.

Want to build your sketchnote skills and find your support group?

Come join me on Doug Neill’s Verbal To Visual Sketchnote Community on Mighty Networks. In this global community of over 1,000 members we learn the art of sketchnoting, share our progress, give each other feedback, and mentor/inspire as we build our visual thinking skills as related to our various fields of expertise! Find YOUR people who support your learning.

Annual Review- What resonates from your 2020?

For a few years now I’ve been following Doug Neill over at Verbal to Visual. He has a great YouTube Channel and Mighty Networks group (sketchnoting courses and global community) that I’ve had the privilege of watching grow over the past few years.

Each December, he reflects on his new learnings and achievements by sketchnoting an Annual Review (click the link here for his 2018->2019 video). As this year I didn’t get my Christmas cards out ontime and didn’t want to totally scrap the tradition, I opted to sketch out my year in review to send in some packages to friends and family across the US.

Like most things on this site, I decided to split it into two categories, WORK and LIFE, because each influences the other so much in the tug of war pull we try to think of as balance. While this did not capture a comprehensive list and I opted to “skip” some of the negatives… ie family health issues, lost jobs, global pandemic… you know, the things we couldn’t avoid this year, I did want to highlight some bright spots. Most essentially, reflecting and realizing what I had gained this year by choosing to be intentional about screen time (after Zooming all day) and making better efforts with daily fitness and creative outlets.

What makes the cut for YOUR Annual Review?

New habits or hobbies that arose from sheltering in place for months?
New skills or ideas that have had major impacts on your teaching?
What mindsets, realizations, or new traditions were born out of survival this past year, that may stick with you long after 2020 is just a distant memory?

I know we’re only a few days into the new year with an uncertain future ahead, but fast forward 12 months from now. It’s December 2021. What will you want to see on next year’s Annual Review? What habits, goals, or intentions might you set now as you kick off a fresh year?

Whether you choose to share with an audience or keep it on lock in Dear Diary, take 10 minutes out of your day to write or sketch out your annual review. We spend so much time reading about others’ histories. Why don’t we take the chance to record our own? You never know, it may end up a primary source document as it captures the life and times of a 2020 citizen.

And if… just if… you have the confidence to share with an audience, I’d love to see your annual review! Feel free to share in the comments below, email me, or tag me on Twitter @AlishaZare.

Hello 2020. (A New Year’s post that never posted.)

Disclaimer: I wrote this post on the first day of the new year. There seemed to be a bright future ahead. No one could have known that as of October 2020 we are starting our 7th month of “sheltering in place” (aka work from home). As of this week in the SF Bay Area, school is still being taught remotely (and will be at least through December, if not also into 2021). Gyms are only open at 10% capacity, meaning many fitness classes have chosen not to resume yet until it is profitable to have enough customers to cover at least the baseline instructor/operating costs. While I’ve yet to experience it, I’ve heard that restaurants *just* have started opening “indoor” operations for 25% capacity or less, meaning most eating is still happening on side walks and in the parking lane of downtowns. Our church services have all been online through Zoom, with limited capacity outdoor services, held in the parking lots when air quality permits.

While I had all intention to “get back into blogging” in 2020, hoping to Learn in Public and share some of my thoughts and reflections as I journey through this new phase of my career- teaching, sketching, adventuring… as we all know, 2020 hasn’t exactly been the year of intention. At times it’s been the year of feeling like so much is out of our control. The year of waiting. The year of hoping. The year of feeling discouraged. While I won’t go into the ups and downs, the lessons learned (so far), and the obstacles still waiting to be overcome, here’s a post from my pre-pandemic self. I’ll share about a challenging digital sketch and a reflective mindset of where I was January 2020. Enjoy.

A new year. A new decade.

Over the holiday break I got inspired to continue an online course from @dougneill called “Learning in Public.” In the course he shares about documenting your skill development in public, rather than in private. I tend to be an avid learner (opting for books, podcasts, experiences rather than tv watching) and like challenging myself with building a growth mindset. While I make a lot more than I share, I am challenging myself to reflect more publicly, should it benefit anyone who also is struggling in the journey. I learn from so many others, and hope to return that favor as well.

A skill I’d like to improve this year is digital sketchnoting. For years I’ve done visual note taking with pen/paper, but last February I bought an iPad Pro so I could start to go digital. I had my first every workshop proposal accepted for a local CUE-affiliate teacher conference. I was presenting on sketchnoting but only knew paper/pen style. Feeling like a “fraud” for presenting at a tech conference without any form of tech, I opted to buy an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to see what all the rage was about. I soon learned that the advantages of digital included having all my notes in one place, having access to more tools/colors than I could even imagine, and the ability to share my sketch notes easily with my friends and colleagues.

What I hadn’t realized as I started “going digital” was how much the creative constraint of only having a few pen choices made it easy to go with the flow of whatever got on the page. I’d simply get an idea, try to represent it visually, and turn any mistakes into purposeful components.

The Paradox of Choice

Switching to the @procreate app is like having access to all art mediums (pen, paint, airbrush, …) in ANY color, and the ability to ERASE. Imagine walking into Michael’s craft store with an unlimited budget and every color imaginable at your fingertips. At first it seemed like every artist’s dream. And then… the paradox of choice started to turn into paralysis.

The moment an eraser is an option, I find myself doubting every pen stroke, falling back into the traps of perfectionism I’ve been battling for years. What used to not take mental energy now turns into decision after decision. In this article, Too Much Choice (Psychology Today), the author shares that unlike our Western culture’s belief that the freedom of choice can “increase our wellbeing and happiness,” it often can lead to decision paralysis, disappointment, and self blame. While this all can seem a little heavy for a self-imposed task like doodling, the paradox of too many choices has shed light on some of the worst characteristics of my personality and habits. While it is great to be detail oriented, and people often praise others’ work for the execution and attention to every aspect of the task, what you don’t often see is a window into the mind of that perfectionist. You don’t see their self-doubt, their insecurities, their frustrations. You don’t always know that those creatives often weren’t “satisfied” with their outcome, just gave in to a deadline or external (or internal) pressure, to finally publish what they’ve been over analyzing for so long.

So, for this year, as I re-surface some old perfectionist tendencies through the challenge of learning in public and being vulnerable, I hope to journey some of my work and my reflections along the way.

In this initial stage, I’m liking the options Procreate has to offer, but the best advice I can give when trying any new app is start small. Get to know a few tools and features. Master them, and then scale up to include the “fancy” stuff. You’ll thank yourself later for the hours of choice paralysis you’ve saved by ignoring all the bells and whistles your first few goes around.

@dougneill @ianbarnard @hollypixels #foilballoons #procreateart #ipadpro #applepencil #NewYearsResolution #LearninginPublic

PS- Thanks to all the digital artists who have posted “foil balloon” art tutorials on YouTube. You saved me a lot of time in wondering how to get that to look even somewhat realistic and 3-dimensional.

For those of you who look at a static digital art piece and go… “wait, someone drew that?!” Yes- it’s a drawing. One that took A LOT of layers and patience.

Teaching to Strengths (Trauma-Informed Teaching)- a book-summary sketchnote

“Half the students in U.S. schools are experiencing or have experienced trauma, violence, or chronic stress.” – Teaching To Strengths (Zacarian, Alvarez-Ortiz, Haynes) That statistic came from a national study in 2012. Fast forward 8 years to mid-March 2020… and let’s update that statistic: “ALL students (and teachers) are currently experiencing trauma, and possibly chronic stress.” Welcome to life in a global pandemic. The book, Teaching to Strengths: Supporting Students Living with Trauma, Violence, and Chronic Stress, cannot be more appropriate for a back to school year. The text starts out with the foundations of strengths-based (vs. deficit based) teaching theory, and breaks down key criteria for setting up not only your classroom, but creating a school community that fosters a strengths-based approach. Some major categories explored in the video:

Preparing for working with diverse learners
Creating a strengths-based learning environment
Scaffolding student-to-student relationships
Fostering family/guardian engagement

Want to learn more? Click the links below!

Slide Deck used in the video

PDF of Sketchnote Summary

Behind the Curtain… how was it made? Welcome to “hopefully” a new series of blog posts I’ll be sharing that go behind the scenes and look at the process, obstacles, and aha’s as I “learn in public”. I intend to use this space to hold myself accountable to sharing my new learning as I go, rather than only posting after the final product (so that you can see more of the raw trials and revisions, not just the select few I feel are “ready” for publishing. As a #recoveringperfectionist, this has been a New Year’s Resolution for some time now, but it’s all about action, not intent. So here it is… the first behind the scenes look!

1- Read

First I skim the book, making note of the table of contents and what’s to come. This makes for a sort of “mental filing cabinet” by knowing how the book is organized and what to look for in terms of major content and subtopics. It is easy to dive “too deep” by over highlighting and annotating so sometimes I intentionally skim first then dive deeper on a 2nd read.

2- Summarize

A technique I used to teach my 4th grade students to help with recall was to put a post-it on the first page of each new chapter BEFORE reading the book. This intentionally slowed them down from speed reading without taking time to process what they just read. So post-it served 1. as a physical barrier from starting the next chapter, and 2. as a small space to capture a few main ideas while it was fresh in their mind. When I know I am reading a book with the purpose of sharing the main ideas with others, I tend to use this post-it summarizing trick to help keep a record of the main ideas since it typically takes me a few weeks (or months!) to read through teacher texts such as this one.

3- Synthesize

Next, I take those chapter summary post-it’s and scan for major categories or main ideas. For this sketchnote, I opted for that WHY-WHAT-HOW categories in order to summarize the founding research and principles (“start with why”) then invest the majority (top half of the Sketchnote) on the how… the practical ideas and takeaways. This stage is when I often thank myself for taking the time to do those chapter summaries. I often look back to the text for quotes/details, not main ideas since I already documented them.

4- Conceptualize

This is where YOU shine in this process. Anyone can do a basic summary. Anyone can read and outline a text, but your creativity, your organization, and your icons/fonts/flair (if you’re sketchnoting) is where the true personality shows. Deciding how to conceptualize an entire multi-hundred page text in a “one page” sketch is difficult. You have to take an Essentialist approach in identifying the key gems and cut out the extras. For this sketch, I opted to take Doug Neill’s recommendation and try out the app, Concepts. I learned it in my Digital Sketchnoting online course and decided to try it out after learning about the “infinite canvas” ability that allows you to keep sketching in any direction. Usually I have to intentionally sketch within the confines of a page, and have to be intentional about size/layout so I don’t run out of space. This mind mapping app actually allowed me more flexibility, and I opted to start in the center and branch out in more of a radial approach. You can see more of my initial thoughts on the app/sketching process on my Instagram post.

5- Vocalize

Lastly, while a sketchnote is great, a static image is elevated so much more when you get to hear the commentary behind the visuals and text. I found that panning through/screen recording the mind map actually led to some serious motion sickness from the zoom in/zoom out needed. Instead, with this one I opted to screen shot and sequence the sketches by putting them in order on slides. This text was a required reading for the EDUO 9944 Compassionate Classrooms professional development course I taught this summer, so the initial audience was the 39 K-12 teachers in the class. In the hopes to share with a larger audience (my school district + PLN on Twitter), I decided to re-record and post to YouTube. This is newer for me to share my videos and work but I hope that the investment in reading/sketching/sharing helps YOU with taking a strengths-based approach with your teaching and inspires you to learn more about the topic!

To my fellow sketchnoters- what is your work flow for synthesizing big ideas? Do you have a preference in mind mapping or sketching apps? Share a comment below! 🙂

“I hate running… I love having ran.” The Groan Zone in a nutshell.

A study of the “groan zone”. Pushing through the challenging parts of process in order to get to the side of accomplishment.

“I hate writing. I love having written,” Kelly Boswell says as she leads a room full of eager teachers at her writing workshop seminars. This saying has always stuck with me because the feeling is mutual. I hate writing (or at least have strongly disliked writing for many years). That said, upon contemplation, I realized there are actually quite a few things I “strongly dislike” doing in the moment, some of which I consider favorite activities. Here’s the main one that comes to mind:

I HATE… running.

An odd comment to say for someone who loves playing sports. Basketball? 4 quarters of back and forth sprinting. Soccer? Essentially a 90-minute test of endurance and willpower. But when it comes to running… the treadmill, a neighborhood street, the trail… I always come to the same conclusion. I hate it.

Here’s how a typical run goes. Welcome inside my thoughts:

Initial thought- “I should go for a trail run! I’ve been sitting all day, it’ll be good for me, and if I’m tired, it can always just turn into a hike.” (Notice how I trick myself into having an out. Mistake #1.)

1 mile in- “Ooh, this is a little harder than I thought it would be. I’ll just take a little walking break. No! That’s wimping out. Would I encourage the (basketball) players I coach to give up at the first sign of fatigue? No way. It’s only a mile. Pull it together and keep going.” (I tend to have a “tough coach” persona motivate me through the early stages.)

2 miles in- “This was a stupid idea. My ankle is still sore from when I got kicked in the soccer game two months ago. Now I’m going to be too tired to work out tomorrow. I’m only 2 miles in. How pathetic. I am not a runner. I should just call myself a hiker.” (Oh boy, does the negative self talk come out… it’s not healthy, nor is it productive, but more than a mile in, it sure makes itself known. Despite how many times I’ve played this game, that nagging voice still comes out. The difference in moving forward is whether I choose to listen.)

Welcome to the GROAN ZONE.

The groan zone is that point where you feel so stuck and down that you seriously consider turning back and giving up. In a run, it’s the point before what you’ve determined as halfway (be that time or distance) where you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, so negativity tries to outweigh the soon to be achieved benefits.

I first heard of the “groan zone” when introduced to Sam Kaner’s Diamond Model of Participation, during a teacher leadership workshop held by my district. It was going to be my first official time as lead facilitator for a group of fellow educators (little did I know that the experience would lead to my full-time role as an instructional coach/Teacher on Special Assignment, but that’s another story). Since then, it has always stuck with me as a reminder of the phases we go through, be it collaborative or even a solo project.

The Diamond Model- a quick summary:

You and your teammates are faced with a problem. As you start to brainstorm, you collaborate and welcome diverse perspectives (divergent thinking), even ones that do not fit within the constraints. In design thinking, this phase is the space for wild ideas. Just like improv, it’s the “Yes and…” game where quantity rules over quality. You’re still optimistic at this point because the journey has just begun.

And then WHAM! The emergent phase happens. Enter the Groan Zone. In collaboration, you’re at a phase where your team is tasked with making some tough decisions. Which idea(s) do you prioritize? How do you facilitate the shift from sticking by your opinion (because obviously yours is “right”) to truly seeing and hearing the opinions of others? How do you rank which idea to pursue? How do you move from divergent thinking into convergent thinking in order to reach a solution, a place of closure? Do you just turn back, call it a day, and pick up the project tomorrow? Or worse, scrap the project and start something new?

First step- Recognizing you’re in the groan zone. Too often when challenges come up, we tend to not accurately identify them for what they are. When you know you’re in the groan zone, you can switch from all of that negative self-talk, and instead switch to productive action steps to help move along in the process. Carrie Cappel has some great strategies in this blog post on moving from groan zone to growth zone.

In the Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making, Sam Kaner shared,

"When people experience discomfort in the midst of a group decision- making process, they often take it as evidence that their group is dysfunctional. As their impatience increases, so does their disillusion with the process. Many projects are abandoned prematurely for exactly this reason. In such cases, it's not that the goals were ill conceived; it's that the Groan Zone was perceived as an insurmountable impediment rather than as a normal part of the process."

While my process of running was a solo venture, unlike Sam Kaner’s suggestions for collaborative tasks, I believe the “groan zone” is well and alive all the same. Instead of misidentifying struggle as “evidence that their group is dysfunctional,” in personal matters, the negative self-talk that comes with struggle often leads to negative mindset around identity. “I’m not a runner. I should just stick to hiking.” These statements are untrue, and with even the most basic knowledge of growth mindset, we know better than to limit ourselves just because we’re faced with some struggle. If anything, new discoveries in neurology tell us the exact opposite, that brain plasticity means that anyone can learn new things to high levels. See this article by Stanford mindset mathematics professor, Jo Boaler, for more on that topic.

So, what groan zone are you in right now with your life?

What goal have you started that has led you to feeling stuck? Maybe you’re feeling unmotivated given the current stress of shelter in place. Maybe you’re scared to take the next step because it requires a leap of faith. Maybe it’s just that you’ve lost sight of all of the steps you’ve taken this far in your journey and you’re quick to see the mistakes or hardships as walls, not simple hurdles to pass.

I’m here to tell you that the time is now. Whatever it is you’re in process of, know that it too shall pass. And when you’re on the other side, the place where a task has been accomplished or a problem solved, you’ll know that the groan zone was fully worth it.

Find your ___-ing, whether it’s running, studying, working, organizing, creating… the -ing is just the process. There will inevitably be struggle. You will be faced with failures, challenges, and mistakes. But that does not mean YOU are a failure. So take the first step. You’ll feel better once you’ve reached your destination.

Push through.

You got this.

Having ran. Done. Terminado. Finito. The feeling when you crossed the finish line. That is the reason you run in the first place. I hate running, but I love having ran. Sometimes you just have to push through the process to get to the end point.

In a “Pickle”—> The search for an affordable place to call home

This could easily be a #runandrant but instead I write this cozily from bed on a Sunday morning looking up at the Cupertino hills. A deer roams in the backyard (canyon) and I take a second to pause and enjoy this moment because I know it’ll soon be gone. The short term rental with “mountain living” feel comes to a close when the lease is up in two weeks.

In a Housing Pickle- Worth the Risk?

In baseball, a pickle (also known as a “rundown”) is when a player is trapped between two bases. They may have the intention of running to 2nd, only to find that it’s safer to run back to 1st. The Bay Area housing situation is like being trapped in a “pickle” wanting to try to move on up to a nicer place, only to realize what you can afford is back where you came from.

Many people I know are faced with housing and job decisions every day in the pricey Bay Area, and it’s not just teachers. My roommate, a UX designer, is moving to Seattle for better job prospects there. My boyfriend, a personal trainer, is currently on the housing search only to be disappointed by the 4,000+ views on a single bedroom rental posting on Facebook marketplace or the strict living conditions laid out on a Craigslist housing post. Tech workers and teachers alike are moving out of the Bay Area due to the rising cost of living (According to this USA Today article from April 4th, 2019, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA TOPPED the list of “America’s Most Expensive Cities”)

When I moved to Silicon Valley 10 years ago to start my teaching career, I knew I’d have to be smart about how I spent my money. That first salary of $45,000 a year would need to stretch across rent, utilities, food, and a few local adventures. But in my early 20s, living with a roommate and living modestly was never an issue. It was simply an extension of college living. Fast forward ten years later, having moved 5 times to keep up with housing prices/appropriate commutes, I’ve had 8+ roommates and have kept the dream alive of one day being able to rent my very own 1 bedroom apartment. Any time my lease is about to renew, I check the local listings to see if “this year” it is possible to have my own space, and once again, the dangling carrot just gets further out of reach.

According to RentJungle.com, an average 1 BEDROOM apartment in Mountain View goes for $3,063 a month (April 2019). That’s $1,572 MORE a month than the average price 8 years ago of ($1,491- April 2011), or over double the earlier rent. Yes- we are in a tech boom. Yes- there is inflation. But the reality is people are not actually getting richer, they just have to spend more for a worse quality of living.

As my boyfriend is looking for a place to move to, we decided to do some investigating of what’s available for about $1,000. We came across some interesting finds…

An unfurnished converted living room space, complete with a 6 foot divider for privacy. Hope the ideal candidate is a heavy sleeper and can ignore the 4 other roommates coming to and fro throughout the apartment!

This is not uncommon… many people are trying to squeeze too many people into one home, as in this 2 bedroom apartment with 5 people.

Or this “one bedroom” complete with twin bed furnishings:

This setup may work for 10 year old girls, but professionals in their 30’s… not so much.

Or my favorite… the shared living space with the following limitations, including but not limited to:

No cooking
No guests
No alcohol

So much for “adulting.”

So… what do we do about it?

Through this whole search, I don’t have a solution to the problem or an answer for “how to make it” in the Bay Area. But this is my home, it is where I was born and raised, and for at least the time being I’d like to make the most of living here.

Instead of trying to “steal second base” and splurge on a 1 room apartment that cuts into a significant amount of my take home paycheck, I’ll head back to “first” and settle for roommate living, just like most other single or unmarried professionals in this area.

Hopefully those extra pennies I’m saving at the end of the day by having “cheaper” rent can be put to good use in being able to enjoy this beautiful place I get to call home. Thanks to all my easy-going roommates and accommodating landlords that have helped keep me in the Bay Area for the time being.

Will the housing bubble “pop” ?? Possibly. But now it’s simply a waiting game.

For now, I simply wait and enjoy the moment each day.

And I can’t complain… while other parts of the country are suffering from crazy heat or wild thunderstorms, blue sunny skies shine into my room on this moderate 65 degree day. Should I head to the City (San Francisco)? Or the beach? Hike in the redwoods? Maybe even visit wine country? Decisions. Decisions.

Oh yeah… that’s the real reason we pay the big bucks to live here.

Your Thoughts??

Bay Area Residents- what keeps you living here?

Teachers- Where are you will to “splurge” and where do you “save” when budgeting?

Comment below or on Twitter @AlishaZ143!

Can you build a hand? 4th Grade Adventures in Building a 3D Prosthetic!

Can you build a hand?

Cumberland 4th graders wondered that exact question after reading a Scholastic News article about Jordan Reeves, a girl born with limb differences who designed her own 3D printed prosthetic that shoots glitter! Upon reading, the wonderings started a buzz of class discussion.

Can anyone build a prosthetic? How does the hand work? How does a 3D printer work? These inquiries led the class on a journey of research to find out more.

In the process, they learned about a nonprofit called e-NABLE, a global network of volunteers who design/print/ship 3D printed prosthetics for those in need. Since the organization is open source, the designs for the prosthetics are available for free online, and even could be printed from home 3D printers.

Realizing that the class was hooked on this topic, I decided to turn it into an authentic PBL (Project Based Learning) experience, guiding student's inquiries through research and ending with a product/projects for an audience. Since Cumberland has converted the former computer lab into the school's Makerspace, teachers have been adapting their curriculum and lessons to include opportunities for students to design and make. Riding on the motivation and curiosities about 3D printed prosthetics seemed like the perfect opportunity to foster design thinking skills.

But one problem... I don't know much about 3D printing! In former years, I may have resorted to simply showing some videos or having the students do some research. But with such high interest in the topic, I realized it was time to call in some community experts! In an effort to have simply a guest speaker or someone to share more expertise with the students, I put out an all call to our class community, staff, and PTA, as well as reaching out to educators on Twitter.

Email to the community:

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A Personalized Field Trip

It sure pays to ask for help! To my surprise, we not only settled for a guest speaker, but a few parents reached out to share that they could help us PRINT some 3D hand parts! We found out that one parent, Ron Li, even worked for a local company called Carbon, a leader in revolutionizing 3D printed solutions. He connected us with their education coordinator and they offered to design a personal field trip for our class to come to visit and see 3D printing live at their Redwood City headquarters!

We now had a few extra layers to add to our once small project. While students were working on sharing their research and low-tech 3D hands for the science fair, parents were also 3D printing the parts for hands that we could assemble at school, while also planning a field trip to Carbon!

When it was time for the field trip, Carbon was so accommodating to answer our students' questions while also taking their knowledge and wonderings to the next level. When we got to Carbon, students received printed guest badges with their names (How official!) and students got to hang out in the front lobby. We were taken to the board room first, where students received a presentation about Carbon's history and technology for 3D printing. Seeing the dangling feet in the large board room chairs just reminded me how "little" these 4th graders are, but that their curiosities at this age may spark a future career! Next, Carbon's education team split our class into three groups for some exploration and deeper learning. One group stayed in the board room and got to learn about all the textures that could be printed using Carbon's special technology. Students got to touch and feel the peculiar textures and even got to squish the lattice design that is used in Adidas's newest FutureCraft 4D footwear and Riddell's revolutionary football helmet liners. The next group got to tour the facilities and see Carbon's employees in action. Students learned that it was definitely a team effort with support from all aspects including the programmers to the chemists to the marketing team who promoted their products. A student's favorite experience was getting to see "The Vault." The Vault is a special room that housed all of Carbon's prototypes from the early years with little funding, to more recent designs with millions of dollars of investments. If you've had the privilege of stepping foot in a Silicon Valley workplace, the high presence of creative whiteboard art, snacks galore, and even dogs at work got these students excited to get a job! Finally, the highlight for most students was seeing a live 3D printing in action. Unlike most 3D printers that use additive technology (think layer by layer melted plastic, so to speak), Carbon uses Digital Light Synthesis in a process that utilizes UV rays to cure liquid resin into solid parts. We got to see a bone model go from digital design to 3D printed structure in about 5 minutes! WOW! The trip even ended with a special visit from Carbon's CEO, Joe DeSimone, who gave students some great advice about never giving up and always staying curious.

Was it worth it?

ABSOLUTELY.

As a teacher, I had to debate... do I stick with my original plans according to our curriculum map, or jump on this wonderful learning opportunity that was student driven? I chose the latter. Does it mean we totally stopped everything else? Not at all. Our typical routine of novel studies, book club discussions, and math investigations continued. But for those few months, our informational reading and writing were woven into research about 3D printed prosthetics. Our science and engineering practices came through the method of learning about the human hand and how tendons control our fingers' movements. Students designed low-tech prototypes of hands that could hold or grip an object in our school makerspace as we learned about the design thinking process. Our history learning expanded beyond typical 4th grade CA history and delved into a global history of prosthetics (Did you know that the first recorded prosthetic came in the form of an artificial toe found on a mummy from Ancient Egypt?!) and timelines of the history of 3D printers. Our technology integration came through the form of finding the right Google tools to share student research. Would it be a slideshow? A doc? A spreadsheet? Students have learned all of these Google apps attached to their SESD gmail accounts and now had the opportunity to apply their learning for the purpose of sharing information about their research and project. Selecting the right tool for the purpose and audience is key, and such an important skill to build in our growing technology age.

The entire process was a hit! Students who might not be engaged in typical academic reading/writing tasks were now asking if they could research during their choice time. Students who have struggled with perseverance and growth mindset now spent hours meticulously using tweezers to string elastic through 3D printed fingers. Students who have argued out on the playground at recess collaborated side-by-side on prototypes since there was a shared goal and product to create. This 3-month inquiry project touched on so many teachable moments ranging from academic skills to social-emotional learning.

Our 3D printing project has been the highlight of the year for students, and one of the most memorable experiences in my ten years of teaching. It all started with letting go of perceived expectations ("we're supposed to work _____ at this time" or "But it's not a topic covered in state testing") and instead opened up teaching and learning to be responsive to student curiosity and motivation. Students probably did more learning in these past few months based on discovery ("How do I...? What does it mean...? What happens if...?") than if I had tried to directly teach those same skills with standard 4th-grade content. Most importantly, they got to see an idea come to fruition, with hard work, patience, and asking for help. These are the skills of an innovator. These are the traits we want for the next generation.

Teachers- if you're debating whether to take the risk... just do it. Dive in! If you learn alongside your students and ask for help, you won't be going at it alone. Modeling the learning process is exactly the growth mindset we hope to foster in our students, so we have to give ourselves permission to do the same. You'll make mistakes. You'll adventure through uncharted territories. You'll stretch yourself as a teacher AND learner in ways you couldn't have imagined. But most importantly, you won't be disappointed.

Parents- If you're wondering, "What should I do to help my child be successful?" Start with an inquiry. Find a topic they're curious about. Help them research more about the topic (Newsela is a great resource for adapting news articles to children's reading levels). Simply let them explore and prototype. When they build/make and fail, they get to reflect on what worked and what didn't, and how they might re-iterate to improve on their design. Don't stop your child from experiencing the struggle. When we as adults jump in and rescue too soon, we deprive children of the learning opportunities of reflection and fixing their mistakes. And finally, give them an authentic audience. Let them design and share with someone. Let them reflect on their learning and teach about their new knowledge and skills to someone else. Being successful in school doesn't have to mean worksheets and test prep. It could (and should) be authentic tasks that require students to step outside their comfort zone, seek information, build skills, and share their learning.

Want to Learn More About 3D Printing/Prosthetics?

Jesus Huerta did this project with his class and created a website so YOU CAN TOO! Check out his work at --> mrhuertasclass.weebly.com
He's leading a workshop this Saturday, June 1st for FREE for Bay Area Educators. Check out the STEM Summit at KCI (Krause Center for Innovation) -->
Valerie Perez also did the same with her students. Check out her Twitter site. Both of these amazing educators are worth a follow!

Here's the sketchnote I created to document our experience!

Enter the discomfort zone.

I like to listen to audiobooks during my commute or trail runs, and choose nonfiction books that are mentally stimulating, that inspire me, that make me look inward.

Can’t Stop Me by @davidgoggins is doing just that. It’s raw and honest. He reminds us not to settle for the victim mentality. There are no shortcuts, only hard work and effort. If you want to make change, you have to step outside your comfort zone and face reality. It’s about small changes each day… aka stacking tables or getting one step closer towards larger goals.

At @tbc_mountainview 🥊 tonight, our instructor Kim shared the same message. “Leave your excuses at the door.” “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.” “Quitting is not an option.” “You get energy by giving energy.” One of the best parts of today was being in a class of strangers, high-fiving gloves while doing high knees between rounds. It was consistent and although between rounds is usually our active rest or break time, doing this simple act of giving each other acknowledgement was what I needed to recharge and know I could make it through the next round. To not give up. To know that it was only 3 more minutes of kickboxing until the next set of high fives.

Do something today that steps outside your comfort zone. Push yourself past your usual limits. Don’t just give in to your “feelings”… they often lie.

People don’t always want to hear it in our modern world where comfort and emotion often overrule reality and logic.

But take what you want. I’m going to challenge myself to do something that’s difficult… that extra run, share my writing I’ve been too scared for others to read, build that habit I’ve been pushing off…

Thanks for holding me accountable. Anyone want to join?

#discomfortzone #pathofmostresistance #canthurtme #impossibletask #accountabilitymirror

2019: How will you spend your 8,760 hours? Four books to kick off the New Year!

Ahh, January 1st. Maybe you were bundled up cozy in bed after an eventful New Year’s Eve. Or possibly you’re the go-getter type, and started day 1 of the year with a hike or healthy habit. Are you thinking of what made last year’s New Year’s Resolution list and is back on for a second, third, maybe even fourth time?!

With the days turning into weeks and the weeks turning into months, we’ve all looked back in shock wondering… how did another year go by in a flash?! But when you really nit pick… it didn’t. We had the same number of days, the same number of minutes, and the same chance as every other year to turn our decisions into habits.

In 2019, how will you spend your 8,760 hours?

Before you look forward, you must first look back.

Were you constantly feeling “busy” with a long to-do list, without actually getting much done?
Did you set goals for yourself only to find yourself falling back into the same poor habits from the prior year?
Were you dragging every Monday, stressed that another weekend flew by?
Did you miss out on opportunities for fear that you weren’t good enough, prepared enough, or ready for the challenge?

If you answered yes to any (or all) of these questions, I challenge you to read one of the books below.

They were among some of my favorites for 2018 and challenged me to look at how I spent my time and how I could change my behaviors in order to meet my goals.

Book #1- The One Thing by Gary Keller

Turn to your to-do list and you’ll see how you value your time. Like most of us, you probably put the easy things on the top, saving the important items for when you’ll have better energy. If you’re like my college self, you value the quantity over quality aspect, even putting on a few items you’d already completed just to convince yourself you’ve “done” a lot (Don’t lie, I can’t be the only one who has done that!)

But, like most times, you never get to the core items due to being tired from all the menial tasks that were simply busy work. Flip that model around, and The One Thing by Gary Keller teaches you to evaluate your priorities and find, “What is the ONE THING such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?

“It’s not that we have too little time to do the things we do, it is that we feel the need to do too many things with the little time we have.” – Gary Keller

Most of my life I’ve taken pride in being a busy-body, a multi-tasker, someone who was always working. It wasn’t until I was on the brink of burnout with last school year that I realized how important prioritizing my time was for my health. Like too many of us in this modern fast-paced world, most of my to-do items revolved around my work, rather than seeing all of the other areas in my life I needed to give attention as well. So essentially, it is not a “What is the ONE THING such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary…” for work alone, but all the essential aspects of life as seen below:

What is the ONE THING for my…

Spiritual Life?

Physical Health?

Personal Life?

Key Relationships?

Job?

Business?

Finances?

My favorite quote from the book has helped me see why it was so important to re-evaluate my priorities in where I was spending my time and energy:

“Work is like a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls – family, health, friends, integrity – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.”

– Gary Keller

This quote rung a bell. How often had I put all my time and energy into my students, my lessons, my grading (aka “work”) — only to be left sacrificing my own health and having to skip out on being fully present with my own family and friends? Like the first post of this site, Your mask first, you must first take care of yourself in order to take care of others. Work– the people, the responsibilities… it’ll bounce back. It’s just like how much time and energy goes into a sub day, only to realize that the class was able to carry itself fine without you (hopefully due to all the prep in setting up those routines and autonomy in your students! Not there yet? Go check out 40 Hour Teacher Workweek from Angela Watson)!

But your health? It’ll “shatter” due to inattention or inactivity.

Your family and friends? They’ll stop inviting you after too many times of you saying “No,” or “Sorry, I’m too busy,” (sadly had to learn this one the hard way).

Your integrity? I’ll answer that with one of my favorite quotes from the late John Wooden- “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” Your integrity matters as much as the rest of the more tangible aspects.

In closing, The One Thing by Gary Keller helped expose a lot of my misconceptions about productivity, reminded me to diversify my time with the multiple areas for goals rather than hyper-focusing on what I had spent my time on– work, and helped identify my ONE THING each day to make the rest of my to-do list easier or unnecessary.

How will you spend your January? Simply busy? Or productive?

A year later from first reading the book, I can’t say I’ve “mastered” the ONE THING mentality, but like any new habit, it takes intentional practice, which leads me to my next book…

Keep posted for Part TWO, coming soon…

Book #2- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

(Here’s a sketchnote sneak peek!)

Energizing Educators