JUST FOR TODAY -- Daily Commitment Thread for 2021

End of 2017: 174.6
End of 2018: 189.2
End of 2019: 196.4
End of 2020: 187.4
End of January: 189.8
End of February: 190.0
End of March: 190.4
End of April: 188.7
End of May: 191.2
Today: 192.4

1. Purchases: Look for an "ugly Christmas sweater" and a long-haired doll at thrift stores. Practice French braiding. Go to used bookstore and look for On Writing (Stephen King), The Prince (tr. Tim Parks, Russell Price, or Robert Adams), The Secret Adversary (Christie), Hood Feminism (Mikki Kendall), Caste (Isabel Wilkerson).
2. E2: What should the controlling ideas be in a study of world literature? Review world lit options. Create vocabulary lists for each unit that come from the texts used: Animal Farm, Julius Caesar, Wes Moore, I Am Malala. Find a way to incorporate changing words from one part of speech to another. Students need to know how to review multiple sources and synthesize information in order to draw a conclusion. Need practice with the difference between transitions and overlapping (at end of paragraph - "another issue is Y" vs "there are other issues besides X"). Quit using "in conclusion" and "I believe" and other writing-about-my-writing phrases. Confusion between direct/indirect objects and prepositional phrases. Use the UDHR and the Declaration of Independence to study paraphrasing; use that to front-load Machiavelli and how to deal with challenging texts. Confusion between everyday / every day and similar constructions.
3. E1: Need practice with quoting & paraphrasing sources, identifying claims that would need support, use of last names for reference, and capitalization practice (common/proper nouns, titles). Difficulty using possessive nouns in their own writing. Honors: practice subject/object pronouns (my friend and I / my friend and me). Poetry: Revise "Songs are Poetry" handouts.
4. Curriculum Development: Writing mini-unit. Review scholarly research on 5PE. (I think I can have this as an intro to the research unit so that they also get exposure to how quotes are integrated and cited.) Parallel structure; use of emotional language, specific detail. Use "Write About a Pebble" lesson from Atwell. How long should each unit take? Do research on characteristics: curiosity, persistence, resilience, creativity, responsibility, optimism, courage, integrity, authenticity, leadership, self-awareness, humility, compassion - others? Include grammarly check on essays! Review assessments. What is the purpose for each unit? What should the controlling ideas be in a study of world literature? Review world lit options. Write 1 reflection weekly; type one in Classroom by Weds. Copy-paste to discussion board for comments due Friday. Homework: Online journal Mon due Tue; Reflection Tue due Wed; C&P journal in class Wed; Comments Thu due Fri. Bonus if you are the first response; further bonus if you respond to comments on your post. Grammar practice Mon & Wed; quiz Fri. Unit plan for research (Idea for regular: comparing same story on sites with different biases).
5. Professional Development: Write blog post weekly. Comment on 3 posts each week - Tu Th Sun? Check with PSC. Talk with Z about articles and/or conference proposals.
6. Medical: Dentist call to schedule cleaning – March? ObG schedule for April. Schedule PCP for May.
7. Theater: Little Princess.
8. House: Siding. Or perhaps bathroom floor.
9. Fun: Open beading on Thursdays. Coloring at library on Tuesday. Put jewelry away. Edney Hack Nights alt Weds. ASL? Spanish/Portuguese practice? Practice piano. ROL Secret Adversary. Buy bike rack for car.
10. Volunteering ideas: Theater. Library. Animal shelter. Community Kitchen. Emerge Georgia training.
11. Family: Book group. Dinners?
12. Writing: Blog post: Running, Racism and Rum: Learning to Handle Discomfort. Fanfic: Create a scene list for the Batgirl story. Finish the cafe scene for the Titans story. Open Wordpress in Safari.
13. Lifting: 15 squats, 15 deadlifts, 10 shoulder presses, 15 arm raises, 15 pushups, 30 crunches, 15 side lifts, 15 back kicks, horse stance for 5 breaths.
14. Summer: Organize photos with the family. Write Clois. Write Stuffy and Friends. Create PDFs for video lessons. Change the green room into an office.
15. Other: Practice hair braiding with D. Remind D to ask his dad about the table and check with home repair contractors. 3 posts/week? Create test for MLA format. Create test for infographics and visual information. Remember that M does not like surprises! Check dates of classes and update semester plan. She Should Run vision statement. Update standards on board. When to change bulletin board?

Reminder: Last year's WFTY was progress, and I am ... actually, I was going to say content, but it's more than that. I'm proud of myself, and I'm pleased with the progress that I made. Even without the challenges throughout the year, I accomplished things that I should be proud of; and given those challenges, I'm even happier about what I was able to do.