A Rubric for Living
I just finished teaching a class on assessment and evaluation – two words most of us don’t necessarily use in our day-to-day unless we work in education. But I would say that we are ALL constantly assessing and evaluating, be it squeezing fruit at the grocery store or determining how to respond to a social media post on our phones. In that vein I decided to experiment this week and take another educational concept forward into life beyond the classroom: the rubric.
My sister recently shared another writer’s newsletter with me. She likes the author’s use of diagrams documenting her life. For example, Friedman will use a pie chart to represent her emotional state. So, inspired, in the chart below I’m playing with a visual element to help represent my own internal state of mind. It’s been a messy few weeks here in my head so a nicely organized chart feels like self-care. And since I write so much about care this rubric feels very on brand.
The internet tells us that a rubric is typically an evaluation tool or set of guidelines used to promote the consistent application of learning expectations in the classroom, “to measure their attainment against a consistent set of criteria.”
The criteria I’m using to rubricize my life in this chart is borrowed from a Grade 12 “Healthy Living” class I found online. If 18-year-olds can use the learning intentions in this rubric for their own healthy living goals, so can I! Feel free to borrow this rubric as you look ahead to your summer. Where do you want to put your effort and participation? What does safety feel like to you these days? I’ve filled in the chart as I see fit. I’d love to learn from you as to its usefulness in your own life.
Check it out:
A friend of mine, Dr. Diane Vetter, has a new book on student mentorship coming out very soon. For the educators reading this newsletter I encourage you to check it out here.