"Remember, it’s not going to be easy – it’s going to be worth it.” (Quote by Art Williams)

Newsletter #7

Truth For Teachers by Angela Watson

Angela Watson’s Truth for Teachers podcast was the first one I had ever listened to. I started around 2016, I think. I was immediately drawn to her perspective on the teaching job, her knowledge of the realities (stress, systemic issues, unrealistic expectations), and her empowering ideas to become more efficient with the work. Hearing Angela speak each week gave me comfort and also made me feel seen and understood.

Once I started listening, I began to make changes in the way I approached my job and tried to streamline and focus my time and energy in a realistic way. I joined her 40 Hour Teacher Work Week club, which provided weekly content to help me reduce the amount of hours I spent working by batching tasks and re-thinking how I spent my planning time. This gave me the freedom to choose the times I wanted to work longer so that my everyday routines could eventually become shorter.

Because of Angela, I began the trajectory of becoming a perpetual work in progress, continually learning new ways to work on myself, improve my time management, and enhance the quality of my life. If you’re a teacher, I highly recommend the 40 Hour Teacher Work Week or any of Angela’s books, particularly Fewer Things, Better. Seriously worth the nominal cost, the time to listen/read, and the effort to make small changes that lead to big results.

Is there an area in your home or work life that you’d like to improve, and do you have suggestions for others who may want to do the same? Or have you already made changes and want to celebrate the wins?

Book Report: MOMMY’S HOMETOWN

Written by Hope Lim

Illustrated by Jaime Kim

I love the way this story is told from a child’s point of view. When Mommy describes her childhood, her son visualizes the rural area where she lived and the carefree lifestyle she had. So when they return to Korea and he sees a busy cityscape, his shock is palpable. Page after page, we can almost feel the boy’s mind churning, trying to make sense of what once was and what now is. This technique is such a great one for readers to become immersed into the story and wonder just like the boy does. Hope deftly writes about the concept of home that invites conversation of what home means to different people, and Jaime’s art juxtaposes the past and present in a beautiful, seamless way. I love how the story ends with the young child understanding what home means to him.

Themes: immigration, history, home, intergenerations, memories

Discussion Ideas:

1. What is the meaning of home for each of the characters in this story? How do you describe home for yourself?

2. How do communities change over time from rural to urban landscapes and what are the pros and cons of each environment?

Mentor Text For:

• life long ago and now

• communities: rural, suburban, urban

• word choice: descriptive language, vivid adjectives, strong verbs

• making inferences

Link to Teacher Resources: Teacher Tips

Buy the book!

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

This scene shows so well the old with the new, including the river and mountains in the background that played a big part in Mommy’s childhood. You can see the technological norms of contemporary life and the child’s confusion as he grapples with this city.

Weekly Progress Report

This is a section for “stuff I did” that relates to my writing career. I believe in celebrating all wins, big and small alike.

• met with my online critique group

• critiqued 2 stories

• revisited my quarterly goals and made new ones for the next 3 months

• created an updated vision

• listened to several episodes of the Book Marketing Simplified podcast

• watched a webinar replay called Worthy Websites

Sending you courage and grace in all you choose to do,

Susan