The way to beat distraction is to become captivated by something much bigger and much better, such as purpose and joy.
―Bob Goff
Are You Looking for the Good Around You?
In the spring of 2022 I read the newly released book Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose. Rediscover Your Joy by Bob Goff. I read it because I was stuck on the couch, icing and elevating in an unsuccessful attempt to speed up the recovery process from a broken ankle. Our oldest daughter, Hannah, was struggling through Marine boot camp; Jordan had just turned 17 and was racking up speeding tickets and losing jobs at an alarming rate; Sam was a sophomore who hated high school more each day; and we were hosting an exchange student.
Admittedly, I struggled to keep a positive attitude.
It was the right book to read when life seemed all wrong. It was a mantra to live undistracted in a world where chaos attempts to swipe our attention. Do not drift was a mantra Bob encouraged readers to claim. It is easy to drift from our goals and plans for a well-lived life…and often we don’t even realize “the drift” is happening.
Bob offers readers an invitation to get a countdown clock as a shrewd means to note the passing of time. By realizing how quickly time passes, we can be committed to living each day with joy and purpose.
I wasn’t feeling very joyful at the time. I just wanted the difficult season to be over. This stormy season felt like a sucker punch after an already long and difficult run. I was exhausted and tattered and ready to move on.
I bought a countdown clock instead.
I set it to count down to our 25th wedding anniversary, because at that point all of our kids would have graduated from high school. It was a ridiculous number of days—something like 767. I placed the countdown clock next to my bathroom sink and watched the days pass as I brushed my teeth twice each day.
I was determined to finish strong as a momma raising kids in the final years of becoming young adults. I would not drift. I would find joy. I would not wish away time, no matter how difficult the season.
Do you know what happened? I found goodness and joy. The circumstances didn’t magically morph into unicorns and dreamlands. Today the countdown clock reads 33 days, and I realize my outlook has changed.
We find what we look to discover. Like honeybees will always find sweet nectar while buzzards search for dead things, we will always find what we are looking for.
Look for the joy. Time will always march on, even in the seasons where it feels like it is stomping on our hearts. Get a countdown clock and use it to remind yourself to find the joy and purpose in every single day.
This week we look at finding joy as educators—plus more, as always.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Bitsy Parks shares the celebration within the publishing process. Learn to find the joy in uplifting young writers’ approximations by sharing their works with a larger audience.
Gwen Blumberg joins the Boston Roller Derby for a series of skills classes and immediately makes connections to the way students must feel when learning the complexity of reading. She shares how the importance of learning something new (especially something we aren’t good at) helps us remember the importance of joy to learning.
Sarah Said encourages us to restore the joy in teaching. It can be tough to find a way toward joyfulness when you’re overwhelmed, but you can reset and reignite your energy for teaching.
Do you wish you had more time to share new books with your students? We know you don’t need fluff or pretty activities. Instead we get to the heart of what you need to thoughtfully share new books in your classroom.
NEW! Our book guides are created and vetted by in-the-field educators. They hold true to the tenets of giving students choice and voice in their reading lives, while empowering a teacher to expand the representation of books shared with students. Click here to see all of our new book guides.
How To, written and illustrated by Julie Morstad, is a collection of invitations to do a variety of things that, when paired with the illustrations, offer a unique perspective on some otherwise ordinary actions.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Vivian Chen is inspired to create a joyful toolkit for educators. While there can be a certain draw to wallowing in killjoys in education, ultimately, we need to disrupt the downward spiral for our own mental wellness.
Choice Numeracy | Jodie Bailey makes a case for purposeful play with her middle school students. To strengthen reading habits, we offer exposure to a wide variety of books, time to read, and opportunities to discuss ideas. In math classrooms students need similar opportunities to explore and play.
Katherine Sokolowski explores the challenges and joys of co-teaching with special education colleagues.
In this Quick Take video, Ruth Ayres cautions us to not let our pet peeves get in the way when working with student writers.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Mary Brower shares a process to uplift teacher voices in professional learning. The effort is small, but the payoff is astronomical!
Kimberly Tsai Cawkwell shares the vital role of joy for educators and reminds us that bringing joy to the job is an act of resilience.
Quote It:
Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
—Karl Barth
That’s all for this week!
