A Look Back: ADHD Diagnosis, Bullet Journal, Cube Timers, Brain Dump, Growth Mindset, Katie's Teacher Tea, & Encouraging Words

At the beginning of 2018 I had the goal of trying to a monthly post, but I had such a difficult time trying to keep up with posting on the last day of the month...whenever I do blog, it takes me a long time, usually several different times of sitting down and working on the photo collages I make, the subtitles, writing, and adding links.  I got so very discouraged...this post was originally started back in April, but wasn't close to being ready to publish...then I thought I would combine April & May, then I just abandoned it...I want to put it out there though, even if just one person benefits from it, then it is worth it.  I am sorry for my lack of consistency.  I hope to share a few more things as I look back at the 2017-2018...if nothing else I will have a record for me to look back at in the future.

April 2 I got my official ADHD Diagnosis...so what does that mean now?  Well, I have been watching lots of videos on YouTube, these are all channels that I have subscribed to...

listened to podcasts, these are some I subscribe to...

I subscribe to ADDitude Magazine's email...they send multiple great articles a week...

I also have been reading several books as well Answers to Distraction is by Dr. Hallowell {two of the podcasts above are his, & I have heard him as a guest on other shows} The Healing Power of the Breath was recommended by Dr. Hallowell, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is mainly because I teach at  Leader in Me School, but it fits with so much of what I am learning about my brain & more...now, I did also buy Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Dr. Russell A. Barkley, but ....hmmm...not sure where it is!! {very ADHD}

I am learning all I can about ADHD, how my brain works, and how to make my life better/how to address the challenges I have struggled with my whole life...so, these are some of the things I am doing/using....

I had seen on Instagram & Pinterest pictures of Bullet Journals & I thought it seemed like way too much work, but then I watched the How to ADHD episode about Bullet Journals and saw them in a whole new light...it has structure & flexibility...everything is in one place...it can be simple or creative...I first started with a 70-page spiral binder to see if it would work for me...I really liked it and switched to what you see above..I have my mission statement taped to the inside cover, the next picture is of my index {the beauty of the Bullet Journal...you can put things anywhere, you just list it in the Index so you can find it easily}, next is a picture of half of my weekly/daily log {including my tracking of being In the Word before in the World}, next I have a page about my Word for 2018~Joy, as I shared above, I am reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People & as I was reading I was struck by his idea of there being 'Lighthouse Principles' & so I did my own sketch note for that idea, one of my traits that seems to be a common ADHD trait is that I get really excited about things...for me frequently it is something new I have discovered, usually tied to learning &/or technology...I decided to periodically write down what I a currently excited about and date it, at the back of my Bullet Journal I am keeping a Book Log & Tracker...so far I am really liking my Bullet Journal & I feel like it is the right balance of organization/structure & creativity/freedom for me.

I can't remember where I first learned about the cube timer, but I started purchasing them as a part of my subscribe & save with Amazon, and I am loving them...for me it is a great tool to keep me on track for short amounts of time before and after school {more about that in the next section}...I like that they are tactile & I am not focused on the countdown like I sometimes am with a digital timer...I also love using them with my class!

I created this in the fall to help me get focused on what I need to do RIGHT NOW...I tend to use this before & after school, and at home on the weekends...I try to list only a few things at a time on the left with how much I want to accomplish {grade 5 papers} or for how long {7 min. organizing a specific area of my classroom}...as I am tempted to pull away to another task or when something pops into my mind when I am working, I list it in the brain dump~right side and that way I can come back to it later.  It has been a simple helpful tool for me.

I have been fascinated by Growth Mindset for several years, I love ClassDojo's video series about Growth Mindset is one of my favorite things about ClassDojo!  This board is a hybrid of two different sets that Amie has to offer...the first is from her store Glitter Meets Glue...I saw the glittery brain & got so excited that I bought it...I didn't take the time to READ the whole title...

then I found in her other TpT store PhotoClipz she had one for any classroom, but I couldn't resist using the glittery brain from the first set!...also, our school is a Leader in Me school & with Habit 1 we talk about using Proactive Language which fits with Growth Mindset perfectly!  This is one of my favorite boards in my classroom! {Amie has given permission to share this on my blog post...there just may be a new glittery version coming for regular classrooms ;-) I will add a link for it if and when that happens}

Katie Knight is one of the sweetest and kindest people I have met in the online teaching community...this spring for the third year she hosted a lovely tea for Southern California teachers in her beautiful home...it was wonderful to visit with old friends and meet new ones...and the food was incredible!  Such a wonderful afternoon!

To end this post, I have this taped into my Bullet Journal, it comes from the end of Jessica McCabe's TED talk and it is a reminder that I frequently need to reread.