I don’t remember such a crazy time in education and although no life is the same, we are living stories never written before. In my last post, An Unwritten Map to Impact, I wrote about honoring our daily journeys and allowing them to guide us to a destination. This post honors the idea that sustaining the energy necessary to make the impact we desire can be challenging. I have learned the importance of self-care outside of work and like many New England educators heading back tomorrow, am grateful for the last nine days. I have also discovered the power in being able to refuel at school.
Giving Students the Wheel So They Can Give to Others
One of my favorite questions is one John Spencer has asked, “What am I doing for students that they could be doing for themselves?” I would love to offer an additional question. “What I am doing for students that they could be doing for others?” I recently decided to coach about twenty 7th graders to create a class with me. Our WIN block is titled, “Digital Leadership” and I am challenging these young leaders to use their strengths, passions, curiosity, and drive to make a difference to positively influence our school community.
Regardless of your role, and no matter how big or small the adventure, there is nothing like gaining energy from our students and all they have to give. Whether co-designing a class or club, trying Innovation Time or Genius Hour, joining forces for a kindness challenge, or simply taking five minutes to ask students what they would like to change, the fuel they provide doesn’t just energize our purpose. It gives them purpose and that changes everything.
Steering Into the Hard
The week before vacation handed me a mental toll I hadn’t felt in years. Talking with colleagues would mean I would need to admit the difficulty of the week, that it might be seen as complaining, and something perhaps I was struggling to handle. As passionate as I am about finding and making moments of joy, I decided to give myself permission to steer into the hard. I had conversations with teachers and principals I will never forget. I learned, moved on, and took with me energy that may have otherwise been depleted. Sometimes we find fuel on an unexpected road and learn to make room for every person willing to ride with us.
Giving Yourself the Green Light
After revisiting Brené Brown’s segment on “The Man in the Arena Speech” from her Ted Talk, Power of Vulnerability, I knew this year, my “one word” would be arena. Not only does it inspire me daily to show up as me, but I am confident that colleagues, students, administrators, and the families in our communities will only thrive with all we have to offer each other. Whatever it is that drives you, that tells you to go instead of stop when self-doubt and fear creep in, I encourage you to use it as often as possible.
With all that is currently going on in the world, I realize how fortunate we are if we are able to find energy and the mental space to use it. My hope is that we can share it as we never know the impact unless we try. This post was intended to capture a few discoveries that are helping me and I will do my best to write more soon. I wish anyone reading this health, safety, and happiness as we continue 2022 the best we can.
It took one person to encourage me to write my first blog post and since then, I have decided to keep writing about anything I’m truly inspired by. This led to writing a Lead Like a PIRATE series guidebook, Lead beyond Your Title: Creating Change in School From Any Role, which is on sale now at Amazon.
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