If nothing else this week, if you listened, you did the work. Don’t underestimate the power of good listening.
Vulnerability is Magic
An Overlooked Durable Skill
Remain in patience pursuit of what matters most. And be patient with yourself and others as you work to make it happen.
Break in Routine
Productivity isn’t always doing. Sometimes it’s simply being, sitting with thoughts and the thoughts of others.
Naming the Good
As I say in the conclusion, “Thank you for your commitment to nurturing the potential of other people’s children and each other. Every time someone goes out into the world to do good, those who nurtured, inspired, and stretched them along the way are part of that person’s story. Educators are changing the world through others every day. This is our legacy.”
This Little Light
I’m not saying we stop thinking critically or stop offering constructive feedback. I’m just asking us be those people. The light shiners. The people who unearth that one remaining burning ember inside educators and nurture it, so it can burn bright and light the way for others.
Be the Culture
Be the culture you are trying to create. Lead yourself first.
Celebrating Returning Staff
There are no small acts in a school. Don’t talk yourself out of extending a kind word of appreciation. It can fuel and accelerate both trust and connection but also positive momentum and progress.
Bring Your Human to School
I loved this quote from George Couros this week, “I’m not an educator who happens to be a person. I’m person who happens to be an educator.”
Who We’re Meant to Be
And when the work feels like it’s more than we can bear, too much for us to handle, perhaps we have overcomplicated things, and we need to get back to who we (collectively) were meant to be. Back to what we value. Together.
Let’s Be Sunflowers
Let’s not forget to acknowledge the good. Not just the good around us but the good within us too. And to trust what we know is right and good in our hearts.
MEGHAN LAWSON 