Yo, Miss! (No. 8)

My Own Version of Unplugging

It probably comes as no surprise that I am very plugged into everything most of the time. So, when I decided to unplug for the week, I set realistic expectations for myself. I simply pledged to be more mindful in the choices I made over my holiday break in terms of interacting with social media or any other external parts of my life. For those of you who follow me on all the apps, I am well aware that I was posting most of the week. There is always way too much happening, even during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. However, I also spent a considerable amount of time organizing my apartment and purging bags and bags of stuff that I have accumulated in my already cozy living space over the years. I also did my best to not think about anything work related. I also got a long overdue haircut:

Ever since the pandemic first kicked in, I noticed how the boundary between work time and free time evaporated in my life. I am sure many of you can relate to this phenomenon. I already have so many tabs open in my brain all the time, so it is natural for me to keep my work tabs open at all times. However, I realized that in order for me to be more present for myself and my students in the coming year, I needed to just shut down the work tabs and focus on anything else but that.

After unplugging and purging, I feel an energy shift within myself. It is subtle. I also know that as work picks up again and I reopen more tabs in my brain, everything might start piling up again only for me to organize it again in a year. Change isn’t linear: it is sometimes two steps forward, twenty steps back.

As we step into the new year, I am hoping that we start seeing some justice served against people who are working overtime to hurt society. For example, let’s see more amazing moments like misogynist and human trafficker Andrew Tate get taken down by 19-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg. Yes, authorities now say that the Twitter War between the two of them did not lead to Tate’s arrest. However, he certainly got owned by her on the internet. It is spectacular to see a man who built his entire career on degrading women - and encouraging his followers to do the same - to get completely destroyed online by a young woman. It also looks like the stochastic terrorist owner of Libs of TikTok (Chaya Raichik) might have been at the January 6th insurrection. She revealed her face last week in a Tucker Carlson interview, where she made despicable comments about the LGBTQ+ community. We are still waiting on confirmation that the image that looks like her at The Capitol on January 6th is in fact Raichik. If so, perhaps at the very least she will finally lose her destructive platform.

So, here’s to more criminals, tax evaders, and overall evil-doers facing consequences in 2023. Merriam-Webster deemed “gaslighting” the 2022 word of the year. I am hoping that “karma” will be the word of the year for 2023.

Speaking of 2022, here’s my highlight reel for the year:

@saribethrosethank u #2022 #fyp

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My 2022 highlights include, but are definitely not limited to: seeing my family more often again, spending more time with friends IRL and not on Zoom, rekindling my addiction to group fitness classes, a full year of running without any injuries, getting attacked by so many right wing nut jobs for speaking out against Christo-Fascists, MAGA Republicans, and the banning of books as well as the banning of teaching honest history, cofounding Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence with Abbey Clements and Sarah Lerner, going to the White House to attend the signing of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, continuing our Feminist Club (the Feminist Eagles founded in 2015) at the school where I teach, getting to be on the Today Show to talk about the challenges that teachers face, getting featured in BuzzFeed, CNN and other outlets because of my activism, beginning my third season hosting the PBS NewsHour Classroom Educator Voice Series, and continuing to expand as well as use my platform to speak out against injustice and to defend teachers, librarians and school staff who are under attack in America right now:

@saribethroseSunday night homework 📚 💯#teachersoftiktok #teacher #bookban

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@saribethroseWe can never sound the alarms about what’s happening enough. #teaching #teachersoftiktok #politics

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Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout 2022. You know who you are, right? Many of you are people I met on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. I just wanted to tell you how much you all mean to me. You inspire me to keep fighting and posting. You’re the reason why I can’t let myself unplug. So,I blame you! JKJK.

Here’s to an amazing 2023 where we keep fighting the good fight and find more joy along the way.

P.S. As always, this newsletter is free, but if you want to buy me a snack or a coffee, here is my Linktree.