A bit of mental space

Hi readers,

Like all good teachers, I spend a fair amount of time perusing educational advice blogs (it's a great procrastination strategy-check out some of the best education blogs of 2017 here).  One of the best posts I have read lately was advice from a tutor on how to be effective with your students.  Her number one piece of advice:

Give the kids some mental space

The advice resonated as I nudged my stack of 55 ungraded long-response tests around thoughtfully on my desk.  I opened a new window to google mental space, forgot what I was doing and started googling "alien light beams" and "the new jersey shore" and "how to grade tests faster", checked my work email and realized....

You know who else needs some mental space?  

Me.

I think mental space is one of those nebulous concepts that probably means something different for everyone (note: I don't know for sure, because I forgot to google it.  The Jersey Shore thing really took up a lot of time.)  For me, the things that create mental space change all the time.  I think to genuinely feel "space", you need to engage in something new so that old, familiar walls and habits don't start building up. 

Mental space is NOT mindless pouring through the same (well basically the same) Women's Health articles every day. 

Just every few weeks, with the New Yorker in between ; )

I'm off to do my newest mental space thing--exercise! Just in time for New Year's Resolutions.....