Ride a Unicycle: A Mantra for Mastering Parenthood

If youai??i??re reading this, youai??i??re probably already a parent, or about to be one, or know someone who is. Congratulations. Parenthood is the hardest job of all because the responsibilities keep changing without letting you know.


So there really isnai??i??t one specific year that will test you the most because just when you think youai??i??ve figured out how you want to manage your responsibilities, the kid youai??i??re planning for changes again.

Seriously?

Yes, seriously, but youai??i??re lucky because there will be no shortage of advice to help you. And, because so many other people are also parents, lots of the parenthood advice will make sense and even work which is awesome.

Itai??i??s easy to pick one set of strategies and just go with it — use that one book or website as your Bible (so to speak) and refer to it often.

click image to learn more

Just like your first bicycle, itai??i??s thrilling to finally have something that takes you where you want to go faster than you could before.

Thereai??i??s a bit of a catch here though.

The difference with parenting over any other position with roles and responsibilities is that much of the work youai??i??re expected to do is done in isolation and by the seat of your pants.

Much of the advice youai??i??ll get will begin with ai???If your child does this, you should….ai??? Great, but whenAi??your child doesnai??i??t do “this,” you donai??i??t have the playbook.

Itai??i??s frustrating for sure, but you can be very successful if you learn how to ride a unicycle.

Riding a Unicycle

There is a natural progression that happens in the cycling world. First, there is a tricycle which is a cycle with three wheels.

The tricycle balances well, thank you two rear wheels. The tricycle has pedals to help it go faster which is fun, but your feet can always rest on the ground to make it stop which is nice when you need to feel in control.

Next, a person generally moves into a bicycle. This two wheeled cycle requires balance and some instructions, but is pretty easily mastered by anyone with decent gross motor skills.

And that, is where most people stop, but not the unicyclist. The unicyclist is a person with a drive to master complex skills independently.

Unicycles started as a circus act, but quickly gained the attention of ordinary people who wanted to feel the thrill of independently balancing on one wheel to accomplish what needs to be done.

It is this feeling of capability that you need to find as a parent so that you can pass it on to your child. It is impossible to teach someone how to ride a unicycle by explaining it or sharing written instructions. A person must experience unicycling alone which makes its mastery a confidence builder.

http://socialevents.events/2018/02/13/best-cannabis-seeds-bank/ Riding a unicycle will require trust, patience, and support. You must be willing to develop these three characteristics. If you learn more than this along the way, you can only get better at parenting. It is in modeling how to ride a unicycle yourself that will show your child how to ride his own unicycle.

But beware, riding a unicycle will not seem normal to many other people.

They will tell you it isnai??i??t necessary and, of course, they are right. Bicycles are everywhere and are much easier to ride, but you want to make the most of this one crazy ride donai??i??t you?

Look out for Potholes

For a bicyclist, bumps and potholes are troublesome, but not disastrous. For a unicyclist, bumps and potholes can feel like the end of the trip. There will be lots of people out there who are bumps and potholes, including your own children and especially your own parents.

These will be the same people who donai??i??t understand why youai??i??d bother to take on the complex difficult job of learning to unicycle when your perfectly nice bicycle is sitting right in the garage.

You must learn how to be like the spokes of a wheel when these bumps and potholes are in sight. Let the comments flow through the spokes and out the other side as you keep on pedaling your unicycle.

Learn how

You know itai??i??s going to be tough, you didnai??i??t take it on because it seemed easy, but it still might be hard.

There will be many times you will want to put your unicycle in the basement and let it gather dust. Donai??i??t.

I promise you that the complex path yields results that bring lasting joy and confidence in who you are as a parent and how your children turn out.

Here are some common bumps and potholes that you will encounter. Try to recognize them for what they are and use your body to lean away from them.

Navigate these Unicycle Potholes

Your Own Parents.Ai??Your parents are potholes because you love them no matter how poor their judgement may have been when you were growing up. Their way is so familiar that it may seem comfortable to do what was done with you. In fact, their parenting might have been perfect for you and thatai??i??s why they can be the pothole that stops you from doing whatai??i??s right for your child. Parenthood can be tricky this way.

Your BFFs.Ai?? http://ceburyugaku-philippine.com/cheap-diakof-syrup/ You love your best friends and their kids are incredible, so it makes sense that you want to use the same methods they are using. This is where you have to keep in mind that they are different from you and their children are different from yours. You need to do what works well for you and your child not mimic someone else and hope for the best.

Your Neighbors. Sometimes we do things differently because other people are watching. We all do that, am I right? Iai??i??ve been known to yell at my kids to be quiet because other people were shaking their heads at their behavior even though my kids hadnai??i??t been bothering me a bit. So, it might happen, but keep your eyes open to avoid this bump when you can.

Your Childai??i??s Teachers.Ai?? http://kunar.com.tr/purchase-synthroid-without-prescription/ These amazing people will know a different child than the one who lives with you. The way they manage to get your child to do something will have little to no bearing on how you will get your child to do something. Be grateful that theyai??i??ve figured out their own keys to parenthood and cycle merrily away knowing you do it the way you need to.

Click the image to learn how

Random Strangers. These challenges will appear frequently when your children are very young which makes them dangerous. You havenai??i??t quite figured out how to balance.

Youai??i??re still developing your parenting strategies and random strangers have a way of saying things that stay with you for, like, ever. Think of random stranger comments as gravel. Itai??i??s everywhere and you must learn to look straight ahead and focus on yourself.

ParenthoodAi??Experts. You must even be careful of people like me and everyone else who writes about parenting because, after all, Iai??i??ve already told you that unicycling canai??i??t be taught. So if we follow through with my metaphor, parenting canai??i??t really be taught either. Trust yourself, listen to how others have done it, and take only parenting advice what works for you.

Be especially careful when attending storytime at the library, sporting events where your children are competing, and restaurants.

These are the places where your unicycle will have the most trouble.

Storytime mothers will gasp when you plop a pacifier in your childai??i??s mouth, your seat will start to come loose when you donai??i??t yell at your child for not making a goal, and your wheel will bump into table after table in that crowded restaurant.

click the image to learn more about Mantras

When in doubt, stay home where you can be in control and gather your bearings before heading back out again. No one ever regretted quiet time with their children at home over grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

Use an always-updated GPS

There are cool tools to use when you are a parent. Some books and apps are going to seem like the straight path to perfection. They will work, until they donai??i??t. Unless youai??i??ve been there, this is one of those things youai??i??re going to have to trust me on.

When I first moved to the town I live in now, I used my GPS to get everywhere. I was all, who needs to remember directions or landmarks? Not me! Until my GPS wanted me to take a left into a statue. I was so angry. ai???Thereai??i??s a statue here!ai??? I yelled and shook my fist at the GPS on my phone.

Then, I turned around, thought about where I was, and drove myself to the place I needed to go.

Tools are great, but donai??i??t expect them to do your job.

In this same vein, donai??i??t harbor resentments against the bumps and potholes that get in your way. They all mean well. No one is out there trying to make your parenthood fail. It might have worked for them or they might have heard that it could.

Click image to look inside

Listen, maybe even try some things out, but keep your balance. Use the three pillars of trust, support, and patience to grow your confidence.

Riding a unicycle might sound like an outrageous and ridiculous idea when there are so many perfectly usable bicycles lying around at your disposal, but youai??i??ll be psyched once you've tried it.

Because nothing about parenthood says cool more than the parent who rides her unicycle into school to pick up her kid at the end of the day.


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Cool websites

    Sifting Through Internet Noise with Google Alerts

    Google alerts seem like a simple, not-so-sophisticated tool. You format alerts so that Google can mine information and email it to you.

    But how do you use Google alerts for education? What can a teacher, principal, or superintendent do with alerts, to empower all stakeholders?

    In Hacking Google for Education: 99 Ways to Leverage Google Tools in Classrooms, Schools, and Districts, educators and Google gurus Brad Currie, Billy Krakower, and Scott Rocco explain.

    The podcast episode above and the book excerpt below provide more details about the power of Google alerts for educators.

    THE PROBLEM: PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA WHEN SOMETHING THEY ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IS MENTIONED ONLINE

    The internet has too much information to sift through. As a case in point, try Googling the word “alert.” We got over 715,000,000 search results. Who has time to go through that many results? In this age of digital information and social media, it’s imperative that teachers, principals, and superintendents stay current with the school-specific information that is out there on the Internet.

    For the most part, the days of clipping out articles from local, state, or national newspapers are gone. Everything is posted online, which makes it difficult to keep track of news that might highlight or mention you or your district.

    Teachers can have students use Alerts as a research tool for a project. Principals can use it as a way to tell their school’s story. District search committees can use Alerts to research their next Superintendent.

    In addition to monitoring their digital presence, people need a place to store and display the content digitally. There’s no limit to the great district events you can promote, especially through a Twitter feed, Facebook page, or Pinterest board. Promotion obviously starts with having the information to share in the first place. The best way to track information on the web in a timely fashion is through a little-known feature called Google Alerts.

    THE HACK: ACTIVATE GOOGLE ALERTS TO STAY NOTIFIED OF YOUR WEB PRESENCE

    Make sure that you are signed into the correct Google account by using your Gmail account username and password. Scroll through the Google Alert homepage to become familiar with its various sections. You will notice that there are three sections starting from the top and working their way down the page: Search Box, My Alerts, and Alert Suggestions.

    Check out 99 hacks for Google Classroom & G Suite

    How the Search Box works

    Where it says “Create an alert about…” type in something that you would want an Alert about. For example, Brad Currie or Evolving Educators or #Satchat. Your selected searches will wind up in a feed just below the Search Box in a place called “My Alerts.”

    Explore the My Alerts area to understand how it functions. You will notice a gear in the upper right hand corner. Click on it and you will see two options titled “Delivery Time” and “Digest.” The “Delivery Time” feature provides you with an opportunity to select a time of the day that you want an Alert(s) to show up in your Gmail inbox.

    The “Digest” feature provides you with an opportunity to receive Alert(s) in a Gmail inbox of your choice on a daily or weekly basis.

    Also browse the Alert Suggestions area. Maybe there are certain things that interest you, like Google Updates, that you want to stay on top of. If you select “Google Updates,” you will receive a Gmail inbox Alert every time there is news mentioned pertaining to the topic called “Google Updates.” Once selected it will give you an Alert preview and from this point you can choose to enable the Alert or not.

    Check out hundreds of FREE resources in the Hack Learning Toolkit

    The Alert Suggestions section enables you to quickly add Alerts pertaining to trending topics, organizations, or people. Click the “+” to add the item to your Alert feed.

    Click the garbage can icon next to the topic in the “My Alerts” section to stop receiving notifications. You can also click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the Alert in your Gmail inbox.

    WHAT YOU CAN DO TOMORROW

    • CLASSROOM: Students can use Alerts to research a particular person, place, or thing for a project. Say for example students are creating a Google Slide presentation on the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They could set up an Alert for a one or two-week period that will then push out content to their Gmail inbox every time there is a newsworthy mention of Dr. King on the internet. This hack would be particularly useful around the time of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day when information on celebrations and programs are being disseminated. These Alerts can enhance opportunities for students to learn about him in class.
    • SCHOOL: Principals and teachers can keep track of school-related news by setting up an Alert. For example, Brad keeps track of all things Black River Middle School (BRMS) by setting up an Alert. Every time BRMS is mentioned in a newsworthy sort of way online he gets an Alert in his Gmail inbox. He will then push out these newsworthy links onto his school’s Pinterest board, Twitter feed, and Facebook page. This is a great way to acknowledge and archive all the amazing things that are going on in your school. It also makes it very easy for school stakeholders to find important news items.
    • DISTRICT: School board members or a district-wide search team may want to keep track of candidates for a future superintendent opening. Once a list of candidates is compiled, Alerts can be set up for those specific people and the current schools they work for. Over the coming weeks and months Alerts about news pertaining to the candidates will be sent to a specified Gmail inbox. Any items of interest can be forwarded to the decision makers on the committee. It’s a great way to collect artifacts to support informed decisions.

    Google Alerts has many benefits for educators. District search committees can use Alerts to research their next Superintendent. Are there any negatives or obstacles associated with Google Alerts? Sure there are.

    Your inbox could be flooded with alerts that have nothing to do with the topic you selected. There is more than one school with the same name. On the rare occasion you could foreseeably receive an inappropriate alert that looks like spam.

    Overall, Google Alerts is well worth the investment. It will save you time and pinpoint searchable topics for all to enjoy.

    Check out 96 more ways to leverage Google tools in classrooms, schools, and districts.

    Subscribe to the Hack Learning Podcast

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    Engaging Learners With Role Play and Simulations

    Listen to “54-Morph Student Identities…Starring Spencer Cappel and Josh Kent” on Spreaker.

    I’m guessing most teachers have employed simulations and role play in their class. It’s a great way to learn. This Hacking Engagement Podcast episode demonstrates how you can combine role play and simulations with my favorite student activity.

    I love Socratic seminars! They’re the embodiment of self-directed learning and student collaboration.

    Kids take a complex topic, learn about it, and then sit in a circle with their peers and apply it, discuss it, explain it, and ask questions to one another.

    My experience has been that concepts, events, and topics covered in this fashion leads to deep understanding and significant engagement. But everything, even things you and your students love, will get old if you don’t alter it occasionally.

    I faced this dilemma in teaching the incredibly complex topic which is the Syrian Civil War. I wanted students to engage in a Socratic Seminar, but I wanted it to be different.

    We had conducted a number of such seminars and I felt the format was getting a bit stale. So, I decided that in order for my students to understand the Syrian Civil War, they needed to become the powerful actors involved.

    Josh Kent and Spencer Cappel help me in this quest.

    Josh Kent and Spencer Cappel

    These are two outstanding young folks who will serve as this episode’s original sources. I love a lot of things about these guys, but I particularly appreciate the intellectual depth they bring to my class.

    One silly note about this episode is I’ve always called Socratic seminars Socratic circles. I try to call them Socratic seminars in this episode, which I’m only partially successful doing, and it totally confuses my guests. Whoops!

    Here’s a link to an earlier blog post where I explain exactly how to produce a Socratic seminar!

    The Problem

    Your go-to learning activity needs an upgrade.

    The Solution

    Morph student identities for your next Socratic seminar.

    What You Can Do Tomorrow

    1. Settle on a topic.

    2. List the important players.

    3. Assign students roles.

    4. Prompt kids to research.

    5. Encourage students to be their role.

    Socratic seminars are wonderful learning experiences. Keep them fresh and engaging by forcing kids to be somebody they are not!

    For more student engagement strategies, check out Hacking Engagement today.

    Hacking Your Students’ Screen Time Obsession

    Listen to “53-Entice Kids to Confront Their Phone Obsession and Actually Look Up…AT YOU…Starring Nahom Buckles” on Spreaker.

    It’s so discouraging! You’re preaching the gospel of education, enlightenment, self-improvement, promoting humanities’ greatest ideas, but then you notice that many kids are staring intently down at their laps. Unfortunately, you know why.

    They need to put that sweet pair of shoes on their Amazon Wishlist before you notice this screen time obsession and redirect them.

    As a contemporary instructor, I’ve felt this profound burn. I’ll bet you have too. Some teachers are totally hard-nosed. They don’t give the kids an inch on phone use during instruction. If that’s you…RESPECT! However I, like I suspect many teachers, am not so stern when it comes to students and their phones.

    Plus, kids are darned adept at subtle screen time.

    And let’s not forget, students can use their devices in class in the pursuit of knowledge. While I’m uncomfortable with prohibition, I’d certainly love to see kids to stare at their phones less during strategic moments of instruction.

    Nahom Buckles

    I promote enlightenment over prohibition. I do this with the Moment Screen Time Tracker App. As I explain in the show, I’m more comfortable giving students tools and information, have them apply it to their existence, and then hope it makes an impact. The Moment Screen Time Tracker App tracks daily screen time. Of course, I applied it to myself first.

    I’ve read various stats pertaining to average daily phone use. Most data pegs usage at around 4 hours! That seemed exorbitant till I started measuring my usage. I was horrified! Check out March 31st:

    At least April 3rd wasn’t bad. Unfortunately, I’d only been awake for 30 minutes!

    I knew darned well that I had to expose my kids to this app. We were working through a unit on Buddhism. I was particularly interested in kids applying the concepts of non-attachment and impermanence to their lives. Our first blog prompt was on burning a mandala they drew on a square sheet of paper. Our second prompt promoted the Moment App.

    Appearing on the Hacking Engagement episode above is a wonderful young man, named Nahom Buckles. Nahom will talk about how this student-led learning activity was enlightening and potentially transformative. Please don’t think this lesson must be limited to social studies.

    I’ll bet with a little thought you could easily work a screen time obsession prompt into your curriculum!

    The Problem

    Your kids are obsessed with their phones.

    The Solution

    Enlighten them about the extent of this obsession with the InTheMoment App.

    What You Can Do Tomorrow

    1. Download the app and track your screen time.
    2. Create a prompt based on your curriculum.
    3. Challenge students to track their phone use for 1 week.

    Perhaps, a great way to manage screen time addiction is simple awareness. While it might not convert all your students, I’ll wager that many of your students, like Nahom, will become determined to make changes!