Category Archives: Causes and Friends

Posts regarding causes–mine and those of some friends.

Hammers and Nails

“I don’t want to be a COVID cop,” wrote a substitute teacher. She envisioned the job of a sub this fall as focused on enforcing facemask wearing and social distancing, taking temperatures, and a host of other activities which she saw as unrelated to teaching and perhaps a bit degrading.

In my reply, I observed that we’ve always had several challenges, many of which we (subs) share with regular teachers. One of them is the myriad and range of what we are required to teach. Add the reality that we do not have a lot of choice in the what and sometimes in the how and it is easy to conclude this is not an easy job.

My teaching philosophy is that I teach students, not topics or curriculum. The curriculum is a tool–not some holy grail worthy of unquestionable worship. After many years of teaching, I’ve also figured out that sometimes teaching (or learning) is unintentional–both in a good and not so good way. I’ve had students occasionally tell me, “I’ll never forget what you taught me,” and when they describe it, I honestly don’t remember teaching it.

One of my favorite “cage rattlers” years ago asked me if it wasn’t a bit arrogant to assume I had the right to decide what students will learn under my direction.

There’s also the challenge of enforcing school policy–particularly in an environment where students do not see the policy as important. “Mrs. Regular Teacher lets us…” puts the sub in the position of deciding whether or not we will reinforce the lesson that the rules don’t matter.

Beyond the obsession and hysteria, I’m not–at the moment–seeing COVID-19 as being much different. Given the uncertainties, I suspect there will be some unrealistic expectations of teachers and subs–but that’s also not anything new. I also suspect the students are going to need a lot of support in learning new policies and practices.

I wouldn’t be thrilled with being a “COVID cop” if it meant just standing in the hall and making sure everyone was wearing a mask. Although it would be an excellent opportunity to interact with students. One of my best days subbing was the day we had a bit of a school crisis. I was told to roam the halls and be available to teachers who needed a break or students who seemed upset. I did a lot of teaching that day without a curriculum or plan.

Yet another challenge I’m finding is that many see online teaching as a panacea. Management (admin) is attracted to it because they see it as an opportunity to reduce costs and risks. The old “nothing is difficult for the person who doesn’t have to do it” thing rears its head again. Even most of the public adult ed programs I work with are on the verge of insisting I teach online.

I recently had an adult class of about 12 running online using Zoom. One student was a public school teacher. We ran into some problems with everyone trying to talk at the same time, then no one wanting to speak for fear of stepping on somebody else. I joked that if 12 adults were finding it difficult, could he well-imagine how difficult it was going to be with 25 seven-year-olds?

Some of the private training companies are using 2-3 people for online training sessions. The roles vary, but one “teaches,” a second manages material and production, bringing things in as the instructor needs them. A third manages student participation using the chat feature and feeds comments and questions to the instructor. That allows for reasonably large groups, but those same challenges exist with smaller groups. Online teaching is a production. Creating engagement and interaction requires planning and effort.

My colleague may not look forward to being a COVID cop. I would hate to see us oversimplify online teaching and learning. Like a curriculum, it’s a tool. We can use it, and we can abuse it.

Lowering the risk from COVID is an admirable goal, but we need to guard against one-dimensional thinking. Or, as Maslow said, “When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail.”

Real estate peeps beware!

If I posted every scam warning, I wouldn’t have time to do much else! Be cautious! Be suspicious! Be smart! Try not to scare easily!

Since I teach real estate licensing courses, I thought I should share a warning issued today by the Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation. It appears, by the way, this may apply to anyone holding any Maine Professional or Occupational License.

Scammers are using a spoof phone number that looks like the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) or the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation (DPFR). These scammers are contacting licensees in an effort to get licensees to share personal information. The scams are likely to vary but they include telling the licensees that the licensing board or other regulator has opened an investigation and their license has been suspended or revoked. The scammer then asks the licensee to share or verify personal information over the phone.

If you receive a suspicious call, you should not share any personal information over the phone or by email. Licensees who think they may be a victim of a scam or attempted fraud should contact the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General toll-free at 800-436-2131 (TTY 711) or online at:  maine.gov/ag/consumer/complaints/.

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A short film by Liv McNeil

Watch. Think. Since this will appear on Mr. Boomsma’s Facebook Page I’ll request that you watch and think. It takes three minutes to watch. You’ll want to think about it longer than that before commenting. You might also want to read Liv’s explanation on YouTube.

Liv also posted an important resource in her comments: “This is a COVID-19 youth mental health resource hub if you’ve been negatively affected by isolation, https://jack.org/covid.”

After watching, thinking, and commenting, share it. If you have children, consider watching it together and asking them what they are thinking and feeling.

Congratulations, Liv… on the completion of this important, helpful, and extremely well-done project.

Am I Okay?

You don’t have to know me too well to know that one of my favorite questions is “Are you okay?” During this pandemic, it’s become a more important question and I’ve found myself asking people the question in various forms.

Unfortunately, I forgot to ask myself that question until recently when, I realized that, for various reasons, I was not okay. In short form, I was allowing “things” outside myself exact a mental and emotional toll that was less than healthy.

I kicked some self-care strategies into gear and am pleased to report I’m better. I’m not inclined to declare myself “okay” yet, not fully. But I’m a lot more okay than I was a month ago.

In a strange irony, the writers’ group I belong to posed some interesting survey questions recently. “What did lockdown teach you about yourself, your creativity, and your author business? For those that are now moving through the unlocking phase, what will you do differently creatively, personally and business-wise?” Since it’s a writer’s group, they were open-ended questions, not survey style.

While the pandemic is far from over, let me share with you some of the lessons I’m learning.

I’ve already at least hinted at the importance of “self-care” and asking “Am I okay?” It’s important to figure out what “centers” us–what keeps us grounded and focused. It’s about calming our emotions and slowing our minds. For me, writing is very effective and I realized that I hadn’t been. So I started writing–following my own advice regarding writer’s block. Just write. Don’t think. In the past thirty days, I’ve produced an amazing journal that, hopefully, no one will ever read. I’ll continue writing for myself but it has prepared me to start writing for others. If you haven’t noticed, this is my first blog post in some months.

Lesson 1: Ask yourself if you are okay. Spend some energy getting centered using whatever techniques work for you.

While it conflicts with the traditional writer image, I also have come to realize that human contact is important to me. While there are many times the idea of locking myself away to write, write, write, I know I wouldn’t last very long. I consider myself an introvert–that surprises many people–but I also like and need human contact. We all do. Solitary confinement is a punishment. Terms like “lockdown” and “quarantine” are troubling. If I could change the vocabulary, I wish we’d talk about physical distancing instead of social distancing.

Lesson 2: Make a conscious effort to reach across physical separation to stay close and connected to others.

When restrictions were implemented, I was teaching three real estate courses with a total enrollment of about 75 students. I’ve always said that I teach students, not courses but the reality of that became undeniable. Since we couldn’t assemble for classes, it took time and creativity to stay on track. Thus, I became acutely aware of the importance of technology as we move forward–not just through COVID-19 but through life as we know it.

There was a strange dichotomy in this–while I was physically distant from those students, I became more “intimate” with many of them as they shared their challenges… a single dad who suddenly found himself with homeschooling his three kids, a mom who works in health care and is afraid for her child who has asthma, students who found it difficult to concentrate. The list at times seemed endless.

I do not believe, as many do, that technology is a solution to most problems, but it becomes an important tool. I’m a bit amazed at how much technology I’ve adopted in the past several months. We didn’t have classes but we did have email, texting, phone calls, video conferencing, social media… I adopted the slogan that we would “stay the course.” There was never a question of what we would accomplish. We did have to keep asking how we would accomplish it.

Lesson #3 Embrace technology without making it an all or nothing proposition. Technology is a tool–it doesn’t replace anything and shouldn’t be the only tool we use.

Humans love predictability–we actually depend on it. We are currently living with a lot of uncertainty. When I started writing in an attempt to get “centered” I realized how important it is to occasionally focus on what hasn’t and won’t change. I didn’t write a list but once I started thinking about it, there’s a lot that won’t change. The law of gravity is a place to start, there’s no indication that’s going to change any time soon. It might seem silly but it’s about getting started and recognizing it’s not something you finish. It’s really about changing focus.

Personally, I’m learning to hate the phrase “new normal” almost as much as I find “we’re all in this together” annoying. While it’s true that COVID-19 affects everyone it’s equally true that it affects everyone differently. For that reason, I believe we each have the ability to largely control and develop our own “new normal.” We just have to get centered and focused, stay connected to others, and use technology and other tools as we move forward through time.

Conclusion: We do not have to be a victim of COVID-19 or anything else that comes along.

NAMI Maine Launches teen text support line

Lots of things are different right now for teens in Maine due to COVID-19, and that can feel overwhelming. It’s important for Maine’s teens to talk about their feelings and get support from another young person.

You are not alone!
Send the Teen Text Support Line a text at (207) 515-8398.

We’re here for you every day from 12pm – 10pm. This peer support text line is for youth 14-20 years old and staffed by individuals between 19 – 23 years of age. 

Please note, the Teen Text Support Line is not a crisis line.
If you believe that you or someone you know could be in crisis, please do not hesitate to connect with these local and national resources:

  • Maine’s Statewide Crisis Line: (888) 568-1112 (call or text)
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (or online chat here)
  • National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741