Principal’s Eye View

I love WORDLE!

It feels good to get that out. I’ve only been playing for a few weeks, but I am hooked and I can’t stop talking about it. WORDLE is a 5 letter word game/puzzle that can only be played once per day. Players get up to six chances to find the correct word while receiving clues after each attempt in the form of letters that are either in the word and in the correct spot, in the word in a different spot or not in the word at all. WORDLE also tracks your statistics and allows you to share on social media, although I prefer to just share with friends and family.

I like that WORDLE is self-contained in its own small world and only offers one play per day. Unlike so much else WORDLE will only take up so much time in a day and then players must move on. There is no deep dive, no getting lost for hours like when I scroll Instagram. The WORDLE format gives me a break from the day for a few minutes and then it’s back to reality. My need to concentrate on the letters and on 5 letter words means I cannot focus on the litany of things clawing at my mind. WORDLE helps me be mindful and requires presence within it to be successful.

We all need to find the breaks in our days to reduce our stress and that includes our children. Our days are filled with stressors and none of us can maintain any significant level of stress for a full day without a break. I want to find productive stress releases and WORDLE fills that bill for me. There are others of course like the gym, going for walks, watching my favorite show to name a few. I think the key is making sure they are all time bound. When I watch my own children I can see them getting lost in their leisure activity and losing time leading to more stress. I don’t want my children to avoid Netflix or social media, I want them to know how much time they have to disengage when they need and then return. I need to work with them on strategies, not avoidance.

I have, over the years, listened to parents talk about how late their children stay up doing homework or studying. Some students come to school, move immediately after to their after school activity (for my kids that was dance), return home, eat and begin their school work. My daughter, a high school senior, is often getting into the shower and starting her homework at the same time I am going to sleep (no one’s home is perfect). I worry about burnout for her and I worry about the same for some of our students. Where is the break, even a few minutes? Where is the balance? When do things have a negative impact that is hidden because we cannot always see their exhaustion?

When I speak to students about what to do with an off period I make sure to tell them that going to the cafeteria to be with friends or watch YouTube is acceptable. They don’t all have to go to the library and do work. If they need a break they should take it. We should teach our children to recognize when they need a break and how to structure it. They could and should start with WORDLE.