Jessica's Friday Five: Heated vest, Excel workshop, and candy for breakfast
Published 20 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader,
Happy Candy-For-Breakfast Day to all who celebrate. Maybe add in a little protein too, but no shame if you need a little Reese's cup to get your day going. I get you. Thanks for voting last week on which charity to donate to - on behalf of all of us, I donated $650 to Mountain Strong Hurricane Recovery Fund this week.
Let's get to your Friday Five, shall we?
Heated Vest: My friend Mariah introduced me to the magic of a heated vest a few years ago and I'm never going back for fall and winter. In fact, my 10-year-old asked me this week to get her one for this season (I haven't agreed yet...). I did a lot of research, and this is what I chose - it's been going strong, is very comfy, and has a few different warmth settings, which I like. It's available from Ororo and Amazon.
1-Minute Question Newsletter: I've been subscribed to this newsletter for a couple of weeks, and I'm a big fan already. Every couple of days, you get an interesting question to reflect on, plus a little one-minute video you can play with a relaxing scene. The idea is that you spend 60 seconds reflecting on the question in the email. It's been a meaningful little practice for me so far. You can subscribe by clicking here if that sounds intriguing to you.
Talking to Kids About Elections & Issues: I appreciated this article about three strategies for talking with kids about elections and topics like abortion policy and immigration. This line stood out: "Parents get only four — or fewer — presidential elections to focus on how high-stakes political discussions ought to look before their kids reach voting age."
Wellbeing Development for Teachers: If you're a teacher or work in education, my friend Lea introduced me to WOOF, a cool set of tools used in most schools in Denmark. It starts with a check-in, where students can anonymously offer how they’re feeling, what they’re feeling good about, and what they’re not feeling so good about. Then the whole class sees how they are doing collectively, as a group. It’s a powerful, and yet super tech-light and teacher-friendly, way to foster a shared awareness of group wellbeing. They’re seeking feedback from American teachers, measuring their impact on attendance, discipline, and student engagement. If you’d like to learn more, sign up for their newsletter here (bottom of the page!), sign up for a free trial account here, OR reach out to Lea if you’d like to be part of a multi-classroom pilot at your school!
Free Excel 101: Mastering the Basics Workshop: I love Miss Excel's workshops. She's doing some basic ones in a few weeks, andyou can sign up here(or send a friend/colleague who wants to feel less intimidated by Excel!).In just 60 minutes, Excel will no longer feel confusing and overwhelming, but more like your trusty toolkit that you can always rely on to save you on 3+ hours per week on average! So if Excel feels like a foreign language, and you're navigating it with the grace of a fish out of water, then don't miss your chance to join us for her free class, where she'll share tools that will simplify Excel and boost your confidence - even if you’re not tech savvy!
Bonus Democracy Deed: If you're wondering what these "democracy deeds" are all about, this is the last Friday Five they'll be in (at least, let's hope!), and here's why I include them.
Help Cure Ballots: Ballots received early can have a mistake (like a missing signature) - you can help notify those voters that their ballot needs to be "cured" (fixed) before election day so that it can count. Volunteer here from home for ballot-curing efforts.
Vote Early: If you haven't voted yet but can vote early, I really encourage you to do that before Tuesday. Who knows what could happen between now and then—for example, you or someone you love could get sick or injured, taking your attention away to something other than voting on Tuesday —and you want to make sure your vote counts. Details here.
Share your voting recommendations: If you're the kind of person who carefully votes for each thing on your ballot, you might not know that that's not a particularly common behavior. Many voters leave things blank because they're unsure how to vote for that judicial race, school board race, or ballot question/proposition. Share your recommendations for all those down-ballot races (and top-of-the-ticket!) on social media and via email with your community. It will help voters + the candidates and issues you care about!
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