Unplugging-Reading and traveling are my jam

Unplugging can be a daunting task...in fact I’ve had a very difficult time doing so over the past 10 days. I missed our past 2 prompts as I simply could not focus on writing anything meaningful after watching the news of the Parkland tragedy. In fact, it’s the unplugging that most concerns me right now. Our collective attention to the issues that contributed to this situation must remain in laser focus. It’s not just one thing, but we can do better...and we must.

And now to the kind of unplugging that we all have to do to renew our creativity, capacity for learning and more. My favorite way to unplug is traveling. Taking in the sights and experiencing new communities, cultures and people give me energy. It’s so much fun to explore and discover customs, special places, churches, museums or just a sidewalk cafe. My love of travel began when I was young. My dad would pile us into our giant station wagon and off we would go...primarily within California at first, Yosemite, The Redwoods. Then we ventured out to the western US, and finally to Mexico. By the time we branched out to Mexico we had a Chevy truck with a camper. Our family of 6 would travel all the way down to Guadalajara from San Jose, CA. Along the way we learned about the rich cultural history, people, food, special celebrations and practices in many towns. From Nogales to Guaymas to Hermosillo to Mazatlan, San Blas, Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque we escaped into new adventures. As an adult I’ve been privileged to travel to many places, and my plan is to find many more places to explore.

Reading is my go-to easy to access unplugging activity. For me, there is nothing like losing myself in a storyline, imagining the characters in their world, navigating their lives. I’m a fan of the political thriller, simple low country beach read, and historical novels. I love reading actual books and also my kindle. One of my great fears is being stuck somewhere without anything to read...especially on a plane. 

Given the hectic nature of our work as educators it is critical to find ways to unplug...from tech, stress, and the daily demands of of creating meaningful learning environments. It’s easy to conflate multiple tasks into overwhelming to do lists. I’m a believer in the unplugging whenever and wherever you can. In fact, my office mates can tell you that I occasionally lock my door and do inversions against the wall. I can’t do headstands, but a good stretch with legs on a wall remind me of the boundaries I need to feel from time to time. Sometimes upside down can be right side up.

Professional Learning-Jump into places that give you the "feels"

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Professional learning takes place for me in conferences, but also in the many interactions I have in meetings with peers and colleagues. 

My most valuable conference learning was an opportunity I had to attend the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education.(NCORE).  I've now attended it a number of times, but my first conference was several years ago when I held a different role at another community college.

I immediately felt at this conference like I was the other. And frankly, that was one of the reasons why I decided to attend. As a person of privilege, I am almost always in that position-privileged. At this conference of thousands, I experienced for a very short period of time the opportunity to feel like I was an outsider, that I didn't belong, and that what I thought I knew about diversity and inclusion was incomplete. I attended spoken word sessions, real talk on race sessions, movie previews and more. I was a sponge, and an uncomfortable one at that. 

I returned in the following years(still at a former campus), trying to bring more people with me each time. It is an expensive conference, so in most years it was 2-3 of us. As our coalition expanded, we were able to return to campus and share our learning. It was small, but we did make an impact.

What resulted for me was a return to school to earn my Ed.D. This experience compelled me to reach much deeper into the work, and my dissertation focused on student equity practices in community colleges. (before we got the newest of resources)

I'm pleased to say that we now have a practice of sending a team from Mesa each year to the conference, and we make it our tradition to do at least one presentation. One of the requirements of attendance is to present a workshop upon your return. We have had several workshops over the past few years, and I look forward to more. 

https://www.ncore.ou.edu/en/

What I know now that I wish I’d known then....

Hello to the Blog World,
I am participating in the Reflective Writing Club 6 week blogging journey. I’ve wanted to try this for a bit, so thanks @one and @katiepalacios for the blog name suggestion.

Writing prompt #1- “What do I know now that I’d wish I’d known then?

I’ve thought a lot about this since seeing our first prompt. My first thought was...nothing...I truly enjoy the serendipitous nature of most of my life’s discoveries. Sometimes knowing what’s ahead is scary, and the ruminating and what if’s immobilizing.

Take for instance the day I found out I was pregnant with my first child...does anyone really want to know about labor before you get there...no way. When diagnosed with breast cancer, would I have left the oncologists office with hope and faith if I’d known the absolutely devastating impact of chemo and radiation?

On the other hand...I do know now that my life has meaning, my work is important, and that my strength lies in connecting and creating authentic relationships with others. At the end of the day, I work hard to give my best every day, knowing that I have much to learn.  For so many years I doubted my ability to take on the role of College President, but today I am grateful everyday for the opportunity to serve the students, faculty and classified professionals of #sdmesacollege.

So, what I know now that I wish I’d known then is this...keep your mind and ❤️ open to new things, push yourself to be vulnerable, and occasionally just jump into something new...like writing a blog. Or in the case of our new spring 18 students....welcome to #sdmesacollege!
#CCCWrite