Learner. Human. Joyologist.
In the meantime, that cup of coffee the airport post heartbreak tasted truly delicious. May we remember to delight in life’s small daily joys. Delicious coffee, a blooming tulip, the smell of a candle on a cozy evening, the sight of a dog with his head out the window and ears flapping in the wind.
Thank you, PAATA, you inspire me. Keep shining.
It could mean any number of things but instead of assigning meaning to it, I focus on what people can’t take away from me: my learning.
In all the doing, I’m grateful for the reminder of being. Human beings not human doings. Without the being part, the doing is pretty hollow.
So, I’m simply asking us to really think about making sure we prioritize what matters in our curriculum and small moves to measure those somethings that matter along with time for teachers to collaborate and learn from each other in this work.
So, this week, be on the look out for your something wonderful and if it was made possible by someone else, please be sure to let them know. Thank them three times. Make it weird, haha. Overdo it.
As destructive as bad gossip can be, imagine how powerful good gossip can be. What would happen if kids caught us hyping them up to another adult. What would happen if teachers caught each other raving about their contributions at the lunch table just as they entered the room. What would happen if principals overheard district office administrators marveling at the way they facilitated their most recent staff meeting
I’m simply asking us all to approach this week with an additional breath. Enough breath to create a little space between that triggering email or unfair something that has occurred and our reaction to it. Then, use the space you’ve now given yourself to look upstream a little bit to see a bigger picture, who is impacted, who may need to be involved in the conversation or next steps, why this may be occurring, and what may be causing to reoccur if that’s the case. It’s this type of thinking that leads to more strategic and thoughtful responses.
This is what having a legacy of learning is all about. One learner at a time. One conversation at a time. One room at a time.
Our students don’t just notice how we treat them or how we treat other students. They learn from how we treat each other too. Whether we realize it or not, we are modeling what it means to be an adult.
MEGHAN LAWSON 