Learner. Human. Joyologist.
Portraits of a Learner are not meant to be posters on a wall. They serve as north stars for students AND staff. We cannot give to others that which we do not have for ourselves. Portraits give us an opportunity to take the chaotic world of school and make it more meaningful and coherent.
Whether you’re creating a new staff orientation day or welcoming a new member to your office team this summer, how might you make the first day special?
Maybe we don’t get one beautiful life but a series of beautiful little lives that together form a sort of mosaic. There are stormy pieces and blue skies too but when you step back and look at all of it together, it’s a full life and a pretty grand one too.
This week if something comes your way that wasn’t what your choice…even in the smallest way, allow yourself to be awake in the noticing. There might be something there for you. A small lesson, a reminder, a memory, or perhaps a jolt out of the regular and routine that allows you to see beauty that exists in this one precious little life.
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.
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.
If there is any resolution worth considering, let’s start being ridiculously in charge of our time. Too much of our time is spent being bothered. Bothered by what people say and do. Bothered by many things that don’t actually matter or won’t 5 years from now.
Often complaining is a sign of overwhelm, fear, or simply a breakdown in community. Frequently, it’s a combination of all of these things. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of seemingly disconnected initiatives coming our way. Then, we become fearful that we won’t be successful which is terrifying because we know how important this work is in schools. This lack of clarity and lack of interconnected work, interdependence, and coherence leads to a breakdown of community. Perhaps it would be easier if I just shut my door, did my thing, and maybe this too shall pass.
In a world where everything seems to be competing for our attention, one thing needs our attention more than ever. People.
In a fast-paced world of strategy and innovation, what if the most “edgy” thing we can do is to simply be grateful for this beautiful life, this meaningful profession, and the good people inside of our schools? What if instead of adding more to plates this school year, we filled our conversations and our work with more love and appreciation? What if we remained steadfast in our focus on those simple things that matter most instructionally?
MEGHAN LAWSON 