Thank you, PAATA, you inspire me. Keep shining.

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. ​

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.