News from the Eastern 2 Region
Sue Vohrer, Eastern 2 Regional Director
Summer 2017
Reflections on ….the art of doing nothing! We are all teachers, whether in the classroom, a coach, a supervisor, etc. And as teachers, we are always busy doing something…planning lessons, creating activities, writing curriculum, whatever it takes to support our students and schools. During the summer, we are busy taking care of everything we did not do during the school year! According to trainer Eric Papp, today’s culture has equated being busy with self-worth, so the more we do, the more we feel we are worth. A different way to think of this is "What is my impact?" instead of "How much did I do today?" In order for us to reflect upon impact, we need to perfect the art of doing nothing-nothing but think. Clearing our minds for new ideas to surface, bringing back memories that make us smile, and just thinking can open the door to new possibilities for the coming school year. Papp suggests these ideas when first starting to develop the art of doing nothing:
- Sit and do nothing-and put all electronics in another room! See how long you can last before the need to do something makes you move!
- Set the timer for 10 -1 5 minutes. Think of only one thing, such as an obstacle or your impact. Let your mind free flow on this topic. Over the next few days, you may be surprised at how new ideas will surface!
- Schedule small bits of "do nothing" time throughout the summer.
This can be an amazing gift to yourself. Why not try it this summer and see what happens?
Save the Date! It is not too early to pencil in these amazing conferences on your calendar!
Association of Mathematics Teachers of New Jersey (AMTNJ)
Growth Mindsets in Mathematics and Implementing the New NJ Standards
October 26-27, 2017
East Windsor, NJ
amtnj.org/2day-2017
Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM)
October 7, 2017
Northeast High School, Pasadena, MD
www.marylandmathematics.org/annual-conference.html
Introducing our Eastern Region 2 Team Leaders
We are so appreciative of having these dedicated team leaders working in your state! Feel free to contact them (or me!) if you need information or have questions.
- Delaware: Crystal Lancour () and Jamila Riser ()
- Maryland: Ed Nolan () and Andrew Todd ()
- New Jersey: Jill Perry () and Dianna Sopala ()
- Pennsylvania: Please contact me if interested.
- Washington DC: Michael Barnhart ()
- West Virginia: Please contact me if interested.
Connections: Please let me know of any upcoming events in your area so we can send the message out! This will be an exciting year as the NCSM Annual Conference will be in our backyard-Washington, DC! Make plans to attend this "must-do" event!
Have a wonderful summer-enjoy and do a little bit of nothing!
Sue