April is National Poetry Month and today (the last day of the month) is Poetry in Your Pocket Day. If we were at school, I would be giving you a little piece of paper with one of my favorite poems on it! Here is one of my all-time favorite small poems:
The Red Wheelbarrow BY WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens Here is the Poetry in Your Pocket website if you want to check it out: https://poets.org/national-poetry-month/poem-your-pocket-day This year they are recommending you share a poem via social media with the hashtag #pocketpoem Our school newspaper, The Moor Weekly (of which I am the adviser), is still being published online. You can read our newest story here:
The Moor Weekly: California Schools Close Due to Covid-19 We also have a story coming soon about the new changes to the grading policy. When we are sitting down and working on online learning, it is easy to get caught up in our work and forget to take breaks. It is recommended that you take a 10 minute break every hour; did you know that? Have your legs, knees, back, or neck been hurting lately? This could be from sitting too long. Try to remember to take a break every hour and get up and move around. Get a drink of water. Maybe go outside for a minute. And don't take a break to check you phone - your eyes need a break from looking at screens. This idea of taking a break for ten minutes every hour reminded me of something I want to share with you, It is a study routine called the Pomodoro technique. Basically, when you sit down to study or work, say, at the computer, you set a timer for 25 minutes. When it goes off, you stop working and take a 5 minute break. Then you do it again. This way, you end up taking two five minute breaks every hour - which adds up to 10 minutes. After two hours of working, you take a 20 minute break. This is a study technique used by many medical students. Let's try this with distance learning! If you start working at 8:30 in the morning and end your school day at 2:40 (with one hour for lunch) your study day would work like this: 8:30-8:55: Work 8:55-9:00: Break 9:00-9:25: Work 9:25-9:30: Break 9:30-9:55: Work 9:55-10:00: Break 10:00-10:25: Work 10:25-10:45: 20-minute Break 10:45-10:10: Work 10:10-10:15: Break 10:15-10:40: Work 10:40-10:45: Break 10:45-11:10: Work 11:10-11:15: Break 11:15-11:40: Work 11:40-12:40: Lunch hour 12:40-1:05: Work 1:05-1:10: Break 1:10-1:35: Work 1:35-1:45: Break 1:45-2:10: Work 2:10-2:15: Break 2:15:2:40: School day is over! That would be something like 4 hours and 25 minutes of solid work time. Here is a video that explains it all: This article, published on the Kaiser Permanente website, is about small ways we can all destress and relax - because if it took a lot of effort it would just stress us out more!
If you’re feeling more stressed during these uncertain times, you’re not alone. Yet there are still ways to finds moments of relaxation in your everyday life. You can start by practicing mini relaxation techniques. These quick techniques can be done throughout the day — helping you to de-stress. Here are a few techniques to try. 1. Tense and release Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique that can be used to control stress and anxiety. To practice this technique, you’ll need to tense up muscles in a certain area of your body for 15 seconds and then relax. You can start by clenching your toes and then work your way up your body section by section until you reach your head. Practicing progressive muscle relaxation is also a good way to check in with yourself and pay attention to any pain you may not have noticed before. This technique can also help you at night if you are having trouble falling asleep! 2. Express gratitude Experiencing high levels of chronic stress, depression, anger, and hostility can negatively impact your health. Shifting our thoughts to more positive ones can help us redirect negativity before it can affect our mood and cause us harm. One easy way to do this is by reminding ourselves of the good things in our lives. Take a few moments every day to list out what you’re thankful for. It could be a loved one, the roof over your head, or a happy memory. It could also help to write these things down. This practice can help us focus on the positive parts of our daily lives. 3. Explore your happy place Even if we’re stuck at home, we can still “take a trip” using our imagination. So when you’re feeling sick of being indoors, imagine a place that makes you feel safe, comfortable, and completely at peace. It could be a real-life memory or something you make up — like your own private lakeside cabin. As you picture this place, try to get as detailed as possible. Imagine the scent of pine in the air or the sound of a kitten purring on your lap — whatever will help you feel calm and at ease. Take deep cleansing breaths while picturing every detail. After a few minutes, you’ll start to feel your tension melt away. 4. Take a break When you’re feeling anxious and overwhelmed, it’s OK to simply take a break — even if it’s for a few minutes. The key is to recognize when you need to step away. It’s easy to get so caught up in our work and routines that we forget to take time for ourselves. To ensure you’re making time for daily breaks, set an alarm or download an app. And when you do get to take that break, try to use the time to completely reset. Avoid looking at your phone, reading, or watching TV. Instead, take this time to be in the present moment — and settle into a true state of rest and relaxation. Maybe go outside and get some sun and fresh air. 5. Do a 1-minute meditation There are many health benefits to meditating. In fact, studies show that meditation can improve anxiety, depression, and pain, and may even help you sleep better. However, trying to meditate can be a challenge. Some people have trouble finding the time to meditate regularly. Others struggle to clear their minds or sit still for too long. This is where the 1-minute meditation can help. Simply set a timer for 60 seconds and clear your mind by focusing on your breath or repeating a mantra. This micro meditation can help you quickly relax and reset. Here is a breathing exercise from YouTube you might find helpful. And speaking of breathing... 6. Focus on your breath There are several relaxation exercises you can do with your breath. You can:
Today, April 23, is Shakespeare's birthday. He would be 456 years old!
Did you know that Shakespeare actually died on his birthday? We know he died on April 23, but we are no actually CERTAIN that it is his birthday. He was christened three days after April 23 and, in Shakespeare's day, babies were usually christened on the third day after they are born. I once won some tickets on the radio for answering a trivia question about Shakespeare's birthday. They were tickets to a Shakespeare play. When this stay at home period first began, I think many of us thought we would learn to play guitar or how to knit a scarf or speak a new language. Have you done anything like that? Don't feel guilty if you haven't - many people are finding it hard. If you ARE looking for ideas of something you can take up as a quick hobby, might I suggest memorizing a speech from a play by Shakespeare or one of his sonnets? Here are some ideas: Famous Speeches by Shakespeare Shakespeare's 8 Most Famous Sonnets Here's a link to a previous post that has a free Shakespeare Coloring Book! And here's a link to a previous post where I shared that actor Sir Patrick Stewart is reading a sonnet a day on his Instagram! Speaking of poetry, don't forget to support AHS's poetry team today at the virtual Get Lit competition! I heard we were supposed to be in Theatre 3, but the website says we are in Theatre 1. I also heard you can watch live on YouTube. We have four poets competing! Go in Poets! The counselors have been hard a work during distance learning! They even made this newsletter which is not only full or great information, it also looks nice. Check it out:
AHS Counselor's Newsletter Can you still choose/change your classes for next year? Will there still be Summer School? How do I contact my counselor? Find out the answers to these questions and more! This week is National Library Week - a week where we can celebrate the library! Of course, right now libraries are closed. But there are still many services you can access online for free!
Find out how to get a free digital library card (if you do not already have one) in my previous post here. Some ebooks and audiobooks have a wait, but you can find out what is available with no wait here. Find out more about how to access ebooks, audiobooks, comics, movies, magazines, TV shows and more in my previous post here. Did you know you can also get free music with your library card? FREEGAL MUSIC has unlimited streaming, plus you can download five songs a week! Also, this is the sand drawing I didDuring these sometimes anxious times, Buzzfeed recently posted the following article:
20 Calming Websites to Visit When You Need a Distraction Of course, getting distracted while you are trying to focus on your school work is not a good idea, but everyone needs a break now and then. I for sure have visited the This is Sand, Akinator, and Quick Draw and all were pretty fun. Below you can see the six doodles I did on Quick Draw - the computer got them all right! Also, this is the sand drawing I did. I found a free (it's a pdf) Shakespeare coloring book online here: https://shakespeareillustration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Victorian-Illustrated-Shakespeare-Colouring-Book-copy.pdf It has illustrations for 35 of the bard's plays. For example, this is the one for Much Ado About Nothing: You see, it's Hero fainting at her wedding! Enjoy!
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AuthorMs. Naylor teaches English and Journalism at AHS Archives
June 2022
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