1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,440 Hi there and welcome back to life's next lesson plan. I'm so glad you're here. Today 2 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:14,760 I'm sharing something extra special, a sneak peek into the very first episode of my live 3 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:20,600 and learn Patreon podcast. My Patreon is designed for content that deserves to be behind a 4 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:27,200 paywall, more intimate stories from my life, deeper dives into topics we all wrestle with, 5 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:32,680 and exclusive offers just for my live and learn Patreon community. Like the episodes you hear 6 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:39,800 here on the weekly basis, these Patreon episodes include a thoughtful lesson, an engaging activity 7 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:45,240 to help you connect with the topic, and some optional homework or action steps for you to 8 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:52,280 take. In this episode I follow up on a topic I mentioned back in episode 3 of life's next 9 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:58,200 lesson plan, probably the most powerful writing lesson I taught in my 29 years in the classroom, 10 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:05,080 and the fastest way I built community with my students. This lesson does reveal some deeply 11 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:11,200 personal details about my childhood, and honestly it is definitely the most engaging writing 12 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:17,000 experience I ever shared with my students. So if you're interested in joining my live and learn 13 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:25,800 Patreon, it's very simple. I offer one tier at just $5 a month, which gives you full access 14 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:32,280 to all episodes and exclusive content. Or if you prefer, you can purchase single episodes 15 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:38,880 or themed collections such as our January Sunday Scary series where we tackled those 16 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:45,080 end of weekend anxieties, our February self love series, which was dedicated to nurturing 17 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:50,200 our mind, body and spirit, and coming up in March we're focusing on heart and hormone 18 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:56,920 health as a follow up to episode 16 with Tracy Danielson Mitchell, certified Mayo Clinic 19 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:02,840 health and wellness coach. This series will feature a Q&A session with Tracy, you can 20 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:08,440 already start entering your questions there, a deep dive on how I balanced my hormones 21 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:14,280 in my 50s naturally, I'll share all the tests, supplements, and lifestyle swaps that made 22 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:26,480 a difference for me. To join just visit Patreon patreon.com slash live and learn podcast and 23 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:32,320 sign up for $5 a month. Or like I said, you can explore individual episodes and collections 24 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:37,880 tailored to your interests. You can also gift someone in your life a membership, someone 25 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:44,480 who enjoys the podcast or who might benefit from one of my series. My hope is that by 26 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:50,080 learning these lessons and hearing them woven in with the real stories from my life, you'll 27 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:54,680 walk away with a deeper connection to the human experience and what it truly means for 28 00:02:54,680 --> 00:03:01,400 us to live and learn together. So let's dive in. Here's your exclusive listen to my very 29 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:10,840 first episode of live and learn. 30 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:17,400 Her earliest memories don't conjure up Disney World, American Girl dolls or the zoo. But 31 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:22,120 her earliest memories do know the warmth of a grandmother who taught her to read, to tie 32 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:31,080 her shoes and to iron, dust, vacuum, wash dishes, work hard and to care about people. 33 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:36,280 Her earliest memories remind her that without these two people, she would most likely be 34 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,680 dead or never have existed. 35 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:47,560 Wow. Thank you for wanting to spend extra personal time with me. I'm already sweating 36 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:55,520 in anticipation for this episode. Okay, so ready or not, let's jump in. I'm going to 37 00:03:55,520 --> 00:04:01,680 explain the writing exercise first and I actually think this could be a powerful exercise for 38 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:07,360 anyone listening. It could be cathartic for you to hear other stories and pour some of 39 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:13,280 your own feelings and memories onto the page. I learned this when I taught a summer journalism 40 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:18,920 workshop at the University of South Carolina. I'll never forget it because I love palm 41 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:24,880 trees and it's the only college campus I've personally been on with palm trees on the 42 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:33,080 campus. It was there that I discovered the 300 word story form in a workshop. Again, 43 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:38,080 this is a journalistic form but it could be easily adapted for sharing any kind of personal 44 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:43,440 stories or memories. As you will see in my example and the student examples I will be 45 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:50,320 sharing today. The 300 word story format was crafted by a Florida reporter named Brady 46 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:58,080 Dennis. It packs a lot of storytelling elements and stylistic flair in its short format. I'm 47 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:04,200 going to read to you his article called After the Sky Fell that was published in January 48 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:14,800 of 2005. Just a warning, you might need to grab some tissues. After the sky fell. The 49 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:22,280 loneliness of the overnight shift at a Suncoast Parkway toll booth. Lloyd Blair, 71, sits back 50 00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:28,120 and waits for the next driver to come by his station. The few drivers on this dark lonely 51 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:34,200 stretch of the Suncoast Parkway in Pasco County pull up to the toll booth, hand their dollars 52 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:40,040 to Lloyd Blair and then speed away. None of them knows why the old man sits here night 53 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:47,280 after night working the graveyard shift. Well, here's why. Because years ago on a freezing 54 00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:53,360 winter night at a party in Queens, New York, he met a woman named Millie because he fell 55 00:05:53,360 --> 00:06:00,440 in love with her brown hair and wide eyes and 100 watt smile. Because they got married, 56 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:07,320 moved to Staten Island, had a son and worked for decades in Manhattan. She as an accountant, 57 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:13,480 he as a banker. Because it had been their dream to retire to Florida and so they saved 58 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:19,080 all their lives to make it possible. Because just as they began to talk of leaving New 59 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:24,520 York and heading south, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and they spent their time 60 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:32,400 and money traveling to New Jersey, San Diego and Mexico in search of a cure. Because in 61 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:38,840 the end, they came to Florida anyway. Because they finally bought a house in Spring Hill, 62 00:06:38,840 --> 00:06:44,560 although she was too weak that day to get out of the car. Because she died nine days 63 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:54,040 later on January 5th, 2002, a day the whole sky fell, he says. Because after she was gone, 64 00:06:54,040 --> 00:07:03,800 he found himself alone and $100,000 in debt. And so he took a job collecting tolls. The 65 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:09,640 drivers who passed by see a smiling 71 year old man with blue eyes and a gray mustache 66 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:15,680 who tells each of them, have a great night. They don't know the rest of Lloyd Blair's 67 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:22,160 story, or that he keeps Millie's picture in his shirt pocket just under his name tag, 68 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:29,480 just over his heart. I've read that story so many times and it is still as powerful 69 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:36,160 as ever. So along with the raw emotional details of the story, you probably also noted the 70 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:42,880 use of repetition, some direct quotations and a lot of vivid imagery, which is something 71 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:49,840 about it that it's different, right? So for this writing exercise that I did with my students, 72 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:55,440 which you will be able to access in the show notes, I broke up the story into chunks and 73 00:07:55,440 --> 00:08:01,480 added lines for students to emulate the model story. Because the sentences and paragraphs 74 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:08,880 are short and simple, it's fairly easy for the students to mimic the original piece. 75 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:14,480 So once you have the template set up, if you use this with any other piece of writing, 76 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:20,080 it's time to write. Before I read you my piece that I wrote years ago, I'm going to share 77 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:27,040 two student models that came out of this assignment. You'll likely notice that the student models 78 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:32,440 stick a bit closer to the original story format, where I took a bit more creative liberty in 79 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:39,160 mine. You should be able to notice the use of imagery, repetition, and similar sentence 80 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:45,080 structure. In the student models, the names were changed since these are real students 81 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:53,800 sharing personal details of their real lives. Student sample one. The serenity of freshly 82 00:08:53,800 --> 00:09:00,920 brewed latte at a cozy Starbucks coffee shop, Linda Ryan 52, sinks into her chair and sips 83 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:07,440 her caramel macchiato. The Macwan moms in this overpriced capital of Southeastern Wisconsin 84 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:13,760 park their black suburban's, rattle off their precise orders, and then drive away. None 85 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:18,240 of them acknowledges the woman sitting there, easily blending in with the stereotype of 86 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:25,240 the crowd. Here's the difference. She grew up in a rundown two bedroom house with two 87 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:31,160 sisters and two brothers. She grew up with a father who cut meat for a living and only 88 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:37,880 earned minimum wage. She grew up with a mother constantly battling lupus unable to give her 89 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:44,760 children her all, wishing she could be healthy. She grew up on welfare and so her family never 90 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:50,440 really had enough to eat. She grew up patching the worn down thrift shop clothing that was 91 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:58,100 worn out worn out of necessity, not humor. She grew up living by her father's philosophy 92 00:09:58,100 --> 00:10:03,680 that education was the key to success. So she studied hard and did well in school in 93 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:10,520 search of a better life. She grew up to attend the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. She 94 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:18,760 grew up and got a job at WeEnergies on September 8, 1976. A day the future for herself and 95 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:26,520 her children would change, she says. And so she relaxes at Starbucks. The mothers who 96 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:32,080 struck by see a confident woman with glowing skin and jet black hair who flashes an easy 97 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:38,280 going smile. They don't understand Linda Brown's difference in upbringing or that she is the 98 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:44,120 result of a determined father yearning that she would succeed yearning for her better 99 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:57,000 future. This was a first draft, which is again just unbelievable storytelling from I think 100 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:05,760 this student was 16 at the time. And just using the original story as a model. The second 101 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:14,760 example is similar just a couple of stylistic changes. The morning sunlight hits Barbara 102 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:20,400 Shannon, a 76 year old woman, as she carefully applies her makeup and curls her thin white 103 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:26,440 hair before embarking on her daily breakfast at George Webbs. To those who see Barbara 104 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:32,880 out and about town, she is just a familiar face with an easy going smile. They know her, 105 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:37,320 but they don't know the little details that truly define her. Well, here's what they 106 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:42,960 don't know. That Barbara raised three children in a little Wisconsin town with little money 107 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:49,840 to spare. That Barbara loves SpongeBob, Downton Abbey, and Breaking Bad. That when her nine 108 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:55,240 grandchildren were younger, Barbara would spend hours picking out back to school prizes at 109 00:11:55,240 --> 00:12:00,760 the target dollar section. Also, she could see her grandchildren smile when she put on 110 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:07,320 a visor and hosted the annual bingo night. That Barbara, with her sarcastic humor, has 111 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:13,040 the ability to make anyone laugh. That Barbara never misses any of her grandchildren's soccer 112 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:19,280 games, school concerts, or birthday parties. Barbara is also the first one to call and 113 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:25,560 congratulate her family when something good happens, no matter how trivial the achievement. 114 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:32,640 That Barbara, after her first husband died, struggled with being alone until, at age 67, 115 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:39,680 she found her soulmate, Jean, and they met at the Ace Hardware store. After a few years 116 00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:46,200 of dating, they ran off to Vegas and eloped. That Barbara and Jean complete each other. 117 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:51,120 They wake up each morning and watch the squirrels come and visit her grandchildren each week 118 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:56,040 and keep each other laughing every second of the day. They are in the midst of planning 119 00:12:56,040 --> 00:13:03,600 a trip to Disney World. That Barbara had been feeling sick. She assumed it was the flu. 120 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:09,720 That Barbara found out just last week that she has advanced stage four cancer. The doctors 121 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:16,040 say it has spread throughout all her organs. And so her family copes with how to spend 122 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:21,640 their final months with the person who has always been a source of laughter and a confidant. 123 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:26,640 They all know that life will go on without her, but it seems so bleak to think that soon 124 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:32,960 enough her name won't be showing up on caller ID. Her floral perfume will no longer linger 125 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:38,200 in the air and her soothing presence will only be a memory. 126 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:47,280 Typically, if I try to get kids to use this much imagery, it takes draft after draft after 127 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:55,520 draft. But because I think they were able to connect with a deep emotion in their lives, 128 00:13:55,520 --> 00:14:02,400 it just poured out of them. So we're going to take a little break here 129 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:14,400 before I share my own story. 100% of men and women have hormones. And with the increased 130 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:19,600 presence of processed foods and environmental toxins, it's more important than ever to make 131 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:26,400 mindful choices in the products we use every day. That's why I trust hue and grace. High-performing, 132 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:33,440 clean products designed to support hormone health while reducing exposure to harmful chemicals. 133 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:39,840 Because this topic has been my primary focus since ending birth control in 2024 in an attempt 134 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:45,600 to regulate my changing midlife hormones, after making healthy swaps in my diet, personal 135 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:51,520 care products, and exercise routine, I've been able to lower my dose of anxiety medication 136 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:57,760 I once relied very heavily on and have restored balance to my nervous system and cleared up 137 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:03,920 the brain fog I was experiencing in perimenopause. Hue and Grace has played a key role in this 138 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:10,120 transformation, offering safe, effective, non-toxic solutions that support my wellness 139 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:16,040 journey. If you listened to episode 16 with certified Mayo Clinic health and wellness 140 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:22,080 coach Tracy Danielson Mitchell, you heard our talk about the importance of hormone health. 141 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:26,640 Coming in March, I'll be doing a deep dive into heart and hormone health on my Live and 142 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:32,760 Learn Patreon, where I'll list all the tests, supplements, and product swaps that have helped 143 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:38,200 me balance my hormones in my 50s. Plus, Tracy will be back to answer all your heart and 144 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:43,000 hormone health questions at the end of the month. If you're on this journey with me 145 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:49,320 and are interested in exploring Hue and Grace's trusted, non-toxic products, visit my link 146 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:57,240 at hueandgrace.com slash lessonplan to receive 10% off and free shipping. You can also reach 147 00:15:57,240 --> 00:16:04,640 out to me at any time with questions at nextlessonplan.com. Live and learn with me as we focus on living 148 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:11,880 fully and feeling our best. Visit hueandgrace.com slash lessonplan to see how easy it is to start 149 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:17,560 making some healthy swaps on the way to non-toxic living. 150 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:22,200 To those of you who have followed me for a while, you know that I value mental and physical 151 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:26,720 wellness. Personally, I've worked with a few different coaches over the years and even 152 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:32,480 been one myself. If you are looking for education and support in your own wellness journey, 153 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:36,660 I would love to invite you to the wellness community I am currently in that keeps me 154 00:16:36,660 --> 00:16:42,120 accountable daily with my nutrition and movement. If you are a Facebook user, you can search 155 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:49,240 for our free group called TeamMG. This group is led by my coach Megan Grimord, who is a 156 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:54,440 certified trainer and nutrition coach. She offers lots of education and support for your 157 00:16:54,440 --> 00:17:00,200 wellness journey. If you want to get to know Coach Megan more, you can follow her on Instagram 158 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:10,200 at all lowercase Megan M-E-G-A-N underscore Grimord G-R-I-M-O-R-D or even listen to her 159 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:16,400 on episode 10 of the podcast. She has also created a discount code for my listeners. 160 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:26,920 Just go to her website www.team-mg.com and enter code LESSENPLAN10 to get $10 off any 161 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:32,800 of her premium coaching packages for the first month. Coach Megan is a busy mom like me who 162 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:45,120 works full time, so I appreciate her practicality mixed with some tough love to keep me going. 163 00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:49,040 Now we have reached the part of the episode that is slowly becoming my favorite, which 164 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:56,560 is Ask the Teacher Anything. This week I got some questions from my current seniors, which 165 00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:03,720 is fun. So question number one was if you were back in high school as a senior. I had 166 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:09,840 to think about this for a little bit because again, I think I've really enjoyed a lot of 167 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:17,120 parts of my career and I could see going back and teaching again, but maybe not for 29 years. 168 00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:25,040 The other thing that 35 years ago, there were a lot of jobs that don't exist today that 169 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:30,800 I think I would really enjoy that I'm now kind of discovering through this journey, 170 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:38,240 like content creation or more aspects of journalism. Now they have the different majors like strategic 171 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:46,920 communications. I could see doing something maybe with PR. So it's hard because I guess 172 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:52,000 majors that were available back when I was a senior in high school are different than 173 00:18:52,000 --> 00:19:02,360 today. I still think that I have a lot to teach, but maybe not as long of a career as 174 00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:09,680 I had because you get kind of burned out and run out of patience. Second question, what 175 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:15,200 was my favorite part and my least favorite part of each grade that I taught since I've 176 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:23,160 taught freshmen through seniors? This is another great question. So freshmen are basically 177 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:30,360 middle schoolers when they come in. So I probably don't need to say more than that except for 178 00:19:30,360 --> 00:19:35,760 this is always the one phrase that I had to repeat with my freshmen boys, which is stop 179 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:41,640 touching each other. So you know, there's that. What I loved about teaching freshmen 180 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:46,960 is that everything was kind of new when they came to high school. They were still eager 181 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:52,480 to learn for the most part when I taught freshmen. And so there's that kind of newness and that 182 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:58,080 eagerness, which I think you still kind of see sophomore year, which is why after years 183 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:03,480 and years of teaching seniors, I thought it might help me to go back and teach sophomores 184 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:09,800 again, which I've been doing for the last couple years. And they're still kind of getting 185 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:16,400 ready for that big junior year push. And so there's some of the eagerness there. And they 186 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:24,000 haven't gotten to the point where they're totally burnt out. I would say my experience 187 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:30,200 has been that there's been a big jump between freshmen and sophomore years. As far as they 188 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:37,400 have said, they think the expectations go way up and they're not prepared for that at 189 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:42,240 the beginning of sophomore year. So that's been something that our department has been 190 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:49,720 looking at. Junior year is hard. I feel bad for those kids because they are worried about 191 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:56,320 the ACT. They're typically taking some hard classes in the junior year. They're still 192 00:20:56,320 --> 00:21:04,200 pretty motivated. So I like that. But I think the stress of kind of watching them get bogged 193 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:10,480 down. Now they're in their third year, they're starting to worry about college and the ACT 194 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:15,720 and maybe starting to get pretty exhausted and stressed out. So I think that part of 195 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:22,240 teaching juniors was hard, but a lot of them are very motivated by the, I'll call it the 196 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:29,560 college carrot. So if you can help them and add value in the class classroom to help them 197 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:37,800 through that, I think that's fun. Seniors, which I have taught a lot of in my career, 198 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:45,640 senior electives are pretty fun because students are typically choosing to be there. Especially 199 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:50,240 some of the senior electives that I taught, some of the more upper level like AP literature 200 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:58,520 or AP research, you can have some amazing conversations. I would say conversations that 201 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:05,200 I haven't even had with adults that just, they taught me so much in those classes. And 202 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:10,640 so I think that's my favorite part. The least favorite part about teaching seniors is that 203 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:16,080 they're done. They want to be done. Senioritis is a real thing. It strikes all different 204 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:21,920 times of senior year. And once they're accepted into college or they know what they're doing 205 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:28,920 post high school, it's hard. It's very hard for them. And so I found that when I was at 206 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:33,640 the end of my career that this was actually difficult for me as well, because we both 207 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:38,520 kind of had the same mindset, which is why I thought maybe going back to teaching some 208 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:45,720 sophomores might help bring that spark a little bit. But I think I was just too beyond exhausted 209 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:51,520 by that point. So I love these questions. There is a spot on my website at Life's Next 210 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:57,960 Lesson Plan.com where you can drop more questions or feel free to reach out on social media 211 00:22:57,960 --> 00:22:58,960 as well. 212 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:09,720 Okay, I suppose I can't delay this any longer. So I'll just read my sample and then we'll 213 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:16,200 unpack a bit. I'd also like to remind you of the topics I covered in the Life's Next 214 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:21,520 Lesson Plan podcast, episode three, with the danger of a single story TED Talk and the 215 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:27,840 book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, that served as the catalyst for this assignment. We never 216 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:34,880 truly know a person until we really get to know them. So here we go. 217 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:41,560 The facade she presents today masks the reality of her childhood. Miss Rachel Rauch, teacher, 218 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:47,760 faces students whose lives represent the antithesis of her own when she was their age. The faces 219 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:52,320 she sees every day in wealthy suburban Mechwan would never guess the road it took for their 220 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:58,640 teacher to stand before them today. None of them know the true story and if they did, 221 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:03,600 it wouldn't mesh with the one they had already created in their minds. Well, here's the 222 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:10,720 real story. Her earliest memories don't involve a loving mom and dad. Her earliest memories 223 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:18,080 recall yelling, hiding, and crying. Her earliest memories involve white lines on a mirror, razor 224 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:24,960 blades, and fists. Her earliest memories don't conjure up Disney World, American Girl Dolls, 225 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:30,000 or the zoo. But her earliest memories do know the warmth of a grandmother who taught her 226 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:36,960 to read, to tie her shoes, and to iron, dust, vacuum, wash dishes, work hard, and to care 227 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:43,880 about people. Her earliest memories involve a brown teddy bear for a best friend. Her 228 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:49,520 earliest memories depict the tree house her grandpa made, her favorite spot at her grandparents' 229 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:56,240 table, and her grandmother's voice each night. Good night, Rachel Annie Bananny, as she closed 230 00:24:56,240 --> 00:25:01,840 her eyes against the dark. Her earliest memories remind her that without these two people, 231 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:07,600 she would most likely be dead or never have existed. Her earliest memories serve as a 232 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:15,320 haunting reminder that all we have in this world is ourselves. And so today, she teaches. 233 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:22,040 The students, colleagues, and parents see an aspiring teacher with a welcoming exterior, 234 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:28,080 growing goals, and a confident, we've got it covered. They don't know the rest of Miss 235 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:35,240 Rauch's story or that it plays throughout her mind like a CD on repeat. All you have 236 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:41,080 is yourself. But if you believe in yourself, that is enough. 237 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:49,920 Okay, so there you have it. As I mentioned, it was a bit quiet in the room after I shared 238 00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:55,080 this at school. But I think it drove home the message I was teaching about assumptions. 239 00:25:55,080 --> 00:26:02,760 And it also opened them up to feel safe sharing intimate stories that you heard of their lives. 240 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:12,200 So that lesson worked. Beyond this lesson are the maybe shocking details of my real 241 00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:19,840 life. I have a lot more episodes to dig into all the details, but some of the things that 242 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:31,360 are mentioned in this piece go back to basically my origin story. My mom had me right out of 243 00:26:31,360 --> 00:26:38,280 high school. I never met my dad until I was in college. And we had a short relationship 244 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:46,440 for a couple years during that time. I'm the oldest of four girls. My youngest sister is 245 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:55,120 13 years younger than me. And we have three different dads. My middle school years involved 246 00:26:55,120 --> 00:27:02,320 changing diapers and heating bottles while my mom worked second shift. That part of my 247 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:10,120 education was a complete blur. When my mom got married around when I was in kindergarten, 248 00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:17,200 my first sister was born and her father adopted me under his name. But they were pretty deep 249 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:24,640 into alcoholism, drug addiction and domestic violence. So we'll just say that without my 250 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:30,720 grandparents, who I mentioned in my piece and some aunts, and eventually my high school 251 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:36,640 creative writing teacher who I talked about in a previous episode, they helped pave my 252 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:42,560 path to college. Otherwise, I have no idea where I might be. There were definitely times 253 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:49,080 I look back and I wonder how I'm alive. I don't share these details for sympathy. I 254 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:55,520 share them for two reasons. One, things are just not always as they seem. I have a master's 255 00:27:55,520 --> 00:28:02,040 degree, a very successful career. I have a lot of things going for me. It took a lot 256 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:09,320 of grit working three jobs to put myself through college, but I did it. And secondly, this 257 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:18,920 is a story of perseverance. You are in control of your life. You are the one in charge of 258 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:27,240 your destiny. So if this episode teaches nothing else, allow it to inspire you to move beyond 259 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:36,120 your own single story. And if you don't hear it from anyone else, you are capable than 260 00:28:36,120 --> 00:28:46,160 much more than you think. For today's homework, I'd love for you to try this writing activity 261 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:52,120 for yourself. Or if you're a teacher and you feel comfortable sharing it in the classroom, 262 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:57,840 you saw how that can turn out. I'd love for you to share any of your students writing 263 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:03,360 or if you're comfortable sharing your own. You can email it to me at nextlessonplan.com. 264 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:11,000 But if nothing else, this is a reminder that we do not know someone unless we have walked 265 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:17,520 in their shoes or have gotten to know them on a personal level. I would argue that some 266 00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:25,320 people who think they know me well really don't know me very well at all. But now you 267 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:32,280 do. I look forward to continuing to share these more personal stories with you. We are 268 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:38,400 all human. We all have stories and we can all use a reminder from time to time that 269 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:50,360 things are not always as they appear. We'll see you soon to keep living and learning together. 270 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:54,720 Thank you for joining me in this vulnerable journey on Patreon. My hope is that you see 271 00:29:54,720 --> 00:30:01,360 my human side a little bit more and find connection in the topics and resources available here. 272 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:07,320 I can't wait to create the next installment for you. For information on future launches, 273 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:12,960 please join our Instagram or Facebook community at Life's Next Lesson Plan. Don't forget 274 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:19,880 to access the 300-word story creation template to try this with your own personal story or 275 00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:29,920 in your classroom. Well, there you have it. You've heard a sampling of just one of the 276 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:36,120 types of episodes that I offer on my Live and Learn Patreon. They do vary based on the 277 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:40,240 topic a little bit, but they are definitely more personal than I'm comfortable sharing 278 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:46,160 on Life's Next Lesson Plan. So if you're interested in checking out more content, you can just 279 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:53,320 go to patreon.com slash live and learn podcast and check out everything that is available 280 00:30:53,320 --> 00:31:01,960 there. We do have a free book discussion for February's self-love topic on March 1st at 281 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:10,000 10 a.m. Central. I did send a Zoom link and the Zoom link is available on Patreon. You 282 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:15,200 can access it in there for free. I also sent it out in my email newsletter, which you can 283 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:22,920 sign up for at life's next lesson plan dot com. Or you can join us in person downtown 284 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:30,640 Watertown at Literatus Bookstore on March 1st. Next month, remember we're having a Q&A 285 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:37,280 on Heart and Hormone Health with Tracy Danielson Mitchell from Episode 16. I hope you enjoyed 286 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:42,640 this peek behind the curtain of my Patreon, and I look forward to seeing you back with 287 00:31:42,640 --> 00:32:01,600 a guest next week.