Teaching Creativity

Put Down that Phone!

We have to remember that God gave us our phones and computers, not to distract us, but to find a way to glorify Him.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Put down that phone, and pay attention!” We’ve heard it from our spouse, our co-workers, our children, and our friends. Sometimes, we use our phones to help us communicate with those around the world, but often times it distracts us from changing the world.

Now, we have to remember that it’s not a sin to spend time on our phones or our laptops, but when it takes our focus away from spending time in God’s Word or from the people that God gave us in our life then it’s time to refocus and realize that our priorities might be out of order!

We can get distracted by Instagram, hooked onto Pinterest, and engrossed by Google. These are all good tools, but when they become our focus they turn into an interference in our personal growth–tearing us down instead of building us up. We fall into traps such as comparison, discontentment, and often times self pity. We fail to see everything that God has blessed us with and start dwelling on what we don’t have.

I can tell you that I have recently heard the phrase, “Put down that phone,” many times. I’ve enjoyed watching videos, texting a friend, or scrolling on Facebook to see what’s going on across the country. And, although I’ve had a good time doing so, I’d have to admit that it makes me eager to go out on the next vacation, buy the latest outfits, or rearrange my living room. I start to forget my blessings and become distracted by discontentment. What can I say? Unfortunately, I’m only human just like you.

When this happens I have to remember to:

Put Down that Phone!

When I put down my phone, I erase the thoughts of comparison, jump out of the trap of discontentment, and escape the hold of distractions. When I put down my phone, I see the world around me.

When I put down my phone, God gives me a better perspective of all that He’s done and continues to do in my life. When I put down my phone, I notice those that want to spend time with me, make memories, and enjoy laughter. When I put down my phone, I understand that there are those who are begging for my eyes, longing for my laughter, and wishing for my smile, but it’s pretty hard when my face is hidden behind a screen.

Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “Put down that phone,” one too many times as well. Perhaps you’ve been so captivated by a television program, an internet search, or a phone conversation that you’ve unknowingly missed out on some of the most breathtaking moments with those around you. I think we’ve all done that at one time or another and later regretted it.

We can use our phones to touch and change lives, but we should not make them our lives.

In my last article entitled, “Dive Into the New,” I challenged you to try out some new things this summer, and now I’m challenging you (and myself) again. Let’s try something new and put down that phone. Let’s pay attention to the people around us! Let’s soak in all of the precious moments, the loud laughter, and the new experiences!

Don’t spend hours watching the screen! Instead, be mesmerized by what’s going on just on the other side of it.

Dive into Something New

How many of you love swimming, enjoy the ocean, or can’t wait to get into the pool? Or how many of you can’t stand getting wet, avoid the beach, or simply don’t know how to swim? If you belong in either of those categories, this is for you! Why? Because I’m actually not going to talk to you today about swimming. (Although I would have to admit that I am in the first category.)

Today we’re going to be talking about diving, but not into water. We’re going to talk about how we all need to:

Try Something New

The summer is a perfect time for trying out the new! Extra time plus extra creative teachers equals amazing new opportunities! Now, I know that the extra time will be spent with family, part time jobs, or on vacation but I really want to encourage you to find a new skill, hobby, or interest that you could get involved in. Why? Because hobbies give us all a much needed balance during these summer months.

Let me share a short story with you about when I was off balance. Being in Christian ministry, my pastor, as my boss, always had an open door policy for the workers if we needed advice. I remember once when I went into his office to discuss a situation that I was trying to handle on my own and realized that I just needed to get his input on it. At the end of our long discussion, after we had figured out a resolution to the problem, he looked me straight in the eyes and simply asked, “Do you have any hobbies?”

“Do I have any hobbies,” I thought. “Why of course I do! Do I? Yeah…sure. I think I do.”

It’s actually quite embarrassing how I mumbled through some of my hobbies, but couldn’t clearly recall the last time I had participated in any of them. “Um, yes. I like writing, knitting…and anything that involves crafts,” I answered. Although the answer was sufficient, the question seemed to haunt my thoughts as I left the building, “Do I have any hobbies? What do I do with my spare time? What are my interests and passions outside of teaching?“

At the time, I didn’t completely understand why such a question would be asked and why it seemed to bother me that I didn’t have an answer. Then I realized: Oh no! I’m off balance! My pastor was able to see right through me. He was asking me if I had any hobbies or interests because he noticed that I was spending way too much time in the classroom. I was so concerned with the needs of others and of my students that I was neglecting taking time out for my own growth and interests. How many of you have done that before? Made so much time for work that you forget about the world around you? Leave for work early and get home late? Yeah…that was me.

From that question on (I mean moment on), it was one of my goals to dive into some of my previous, favorite, and some new hobbies. I dove into drawing, played around with sketching, and enjoyed curling up with a book. I swam around with the thought of baking, immersed myself in hand lettering/sign making, and practiced some painting. I had decided to surface from business and submerge myself into balance.

Are you off balance? Do you have any hobbies? If not, the summer is the perfect time to find one! Dive into writing, play around with cooking, get into sports, or enjoy creating masterpieces. You’ll be so thankful that you did! It gives you time to relax, have fun, and learn something new.

Take the time to dive into the new. Immerse yourself in discovery and creativity and enjoy the swim!

Put Yourself to Bed

Have you been that older sibling who had to follow orders when mom or dad said, “Go put your brother(or sister) to bed.” You had to help them put on their pajamas, brush their teeth, and read them a story until they feel asleep. Or perhaps you were like me, the younger sibling, who got the help going to bed.

I remember my sisters helping me get to sleep and, let me tell you, I was never an easy case getting there. First there was the “I need water,” excuse, and then the “I’m hungry,” try, along with the “But it’s not that late,” plea. Then there was the legitimate fear of the dark, where I’d make one of my sisters hold my hand until I fell asleep. Yeah, looking back on it, I was a real pain to put to bed.

But, you know what? Now, during the summer, it’s our turn to put ourselves to bed.

Not only should we be grateful during these summer months (check out my last post for that one), but:

We need to get Rest!

This goes for anyone and everyone-teachers, students, principals, parents, secretaries, coaches, janitors, lunch ladies, directors, assistants, the random neighbor across the street, and so many more that I forgot to mention. WE ALL NEED REST! Did I say that loud enough?

Many times we revert to our childhood ways and make excuses. “I can’t today, because I need to prepare for ________.” “Well, I can rest next week because my schedule will be more open.” “I would love to, but I just have so much going on right now.” How many of you have said these statements before? Trust me, I certainly have.

I’ve made the excuses and sometimes I’ve even felt ashamed for resting. I bet you probably have to. We believe our schedules have to be packed, our laptops have to be open, and our phones have to be glued to our hands. It’s as if we take pride in being busy, and having no time to ourselves or for others.

When that happens to me I have to remember that even God rested! Don’t believe me? Well it’s completely true! After making the heavens and the earth, God rested on the seventh day. “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. “-Genesis 2:2

Now this isn’t because God needed it, but because He was setting the example for us to follow. He knew that we would be busy with our schedules, social media accounts, and accessorized electronics. He knew that we’d all be on the go with little to no breaks in between, but now that summer is finally here and classes are out of session,we need to follow God’s example: we need to set aside the lame excuses and we need to prioritize rest.

Now, how do we do that? Let me be clear: I am not advocating that you use this time to lay in bed all day-although we would probably all agree that would be nice. I realize that, even though the pace slows down a bit during the summer, some of us have part time jobs or perhaps children who are now staying at home 24/7 that we need to monitor and make sure they don’t destroy themselves (or anything else for that matter).

So what does rest look like? Yes, it is sleep, but it’s so much more than that!

Rest is a time when we can set aside the hustle and bustle of life to simply let ourselves enjoy the quiet moments God gives us.

Rest has many different forms such as reading a good book, to listening to our favorite music, or simply going out with a friend and just getting away. Maybe for you rest could mean spending time out in nature, watching a sports game, or cooking a favorite meal. For some it requires being alone with a nice candle and dim lights and for others it includes a large group with tons of laughter and excitement.

Rest looks different in all of our eyes. So what does rest look like to you? What things do you enjoy doing to relax and refocus? Make sure that during your summer adventures and journey that you take some time to “put yourself to bed” and get some rest. Don’t avoid it or pass by it. Don’t feel bad about it. Simply enjoy it and let it become part of what makes your summer so memorable.

Spring into Summer

Summer is the lovely word that all teachers and students look forward to. Summer means no grading, no lesson plan making, and no teacher-parent conference anticipating. Summer gives us those long naps, joyous vacations, and wonderful memories. Summer includes freezing popsicles tickling our taste buds and warm, sand between our toes.

Ready for it yet? Me too! So let’s do it together! Let’s throw the papers up into the air along with the students and run out the door!

But before we start our journey together, I have a few questions: What are we going to do this summer? Where are we going to go? How are we going to use our time? Let’s take these questions one at a time and enjoy each answer together. This’ll definitely be a test that we can’t fail.

First, let’s Decide to be Grateful!

Now, during this time of the year, it’s really easy to be grateful for the start of summer vacation. I’m not saying to be thankful for that (because we both know that you already are). I’m talking about being thankful for the memories that you have made with your students–all of the crazy moments, silly mishaps, heart-braking tears, precious hugs, memorable laughs, and beautiful smiles.

One thing that I absolutely love is looking back at some of the things that my students have said throughout the previous school year, for example:

“You and my sister are almost the same. You both like noodles.”

“Wed-nes-day makes me think of crying because it’s like your wedding day.”

(Student sees me coming out in gym clothes) “Miss Miller! What are you wearing?!”

Yep! I love my students! The 2nd Grade class can be the most entertaining and interesting group in the whole school. They make me smile, chuckle, and, often times, simply crack up laughing!

So, when you look back at this past school year, what are some things that you can find to be grateful for? What are some of the things your students have said? What are some of the fun activities that you’ve done together? What are some of the memories that you cherish?

Trust me. I love summer as much as you do, and I can’t wait to continue that adventure with you! But don’t rush into the summer so quickly that you forget all of the wonderful things that God has done for you and your class in the past. Let’s love the upcoming summer while also remembering the joy of the past semesters.