Battling Self-fulfilling Prophecy

I haven't felt 100% at all this week, and this morning was worse than the others. A little voice in the back of my head said I wasn't going to make it through the day. I just have the all-over yucky feeling I always seem to get right before I get sick. I've been working hard all day to not fall victim to self-fulfilling prophecy and let that little voice win. I've been keeping my head up and working hard to not believe what that that little voice is trying to make be believe.

"Hair-ly" Understood

This past Wednesday I was fortunate to meet up with some of my favorite Moms. My church hosts a Moms group Wednesday mornings, and since we didn't have school, I was able to go. Two of the women there Wednesday have naturally curly hair, very curly. Another mom there is currently going to cosmetology school. For about 15 minutes, these three ladies were tossing around names, techniques, and places related to the cutting and treatment of extremely curly hair. I had NO idea what they were really saying! This is a good example of semantic noise for me. I asked a few questions that helped with clarity, but I was definitely relieved when the conversation switched to topics I was more comfortable with.

Cultures change...but some stay the same

I identify with a lot of cultures. Up until I had my daughter, I identified strongly with the running culture. I used that as the culture I shared in this class. It's not that I don't still enjoy running; I'll get back to it, but creating time to run with two kiddos just isn't happening for me so far. Walking into my classroom, one could easily see many of the other cultures I identify with. For example, I have KoMet stuff on and around my desk. I have Stitch figures as well showing that I am part of the Disney fandom. I have Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts posters on my wall and my door showing that I am a Potterhead. There are books and quotes to show that I am not only a teacher, but an English teacher that appreciates quotes and literature. I have pictures of Duluth all around my desk, too, so I see myself as a big fan of Lake Life and the city of Duluth, which gives me two other cultures. What other cultures do you see me representing?

So Much Noise

Today as I was trying to check Chapter 1 Notes Guides and book covers, there was a lot of interpersonal noise happening in the room. Physical noise was getting in the way of my being able to hear the students directly in front of me. All the disruptions and interruptions were affecting my ability to think, so I was experiencing psychological noise, too! Fortunately, students were able to get settled and quite by test-taking time. Phew!