We get one beautiful, important shot at living a good life.
Quieting Our Insides
Modeling What We Expect
I'm writing this as a reminder to all of us. What would happen if instead of jumping to criticism, we instead paused to ask ourselves: how we are modeling what we expect? What would happen if we were ridiculously in charge of our own learning, personal behavior, and growth?
People before Workers
Rather, if we take the time we need, we will be better rested and more emotionally available for others. This looks different for everyone. There is no one right way to recharge. But knowing ourselves and giving ourselves what we need is the first step to taking care of others as well.
Falling Down the Stairs
What would happen if every time we slipped down the metaphorical staircase in one area or another, instead of rushing to shame and judgement and self-defeating thoughts, we instead allowed others to pick us up. What would happen if we dusted ourselves off and then allowed our experiences to teach us how to be better next time?
Overfunctioning
As Jim Elliot said, "Wherever you are, be all there."
Every Educator Deserves Champions
Let's do what we can to change our systems. And while we do that important work, "How might we nourish the hearts and minds of our educators?"
Nourishing Blooms
Yes, let's take care of our daily business. Let's make sure our leaves are healthy. But in doing so, let's not cut off the blooms. The bloomers who shine bright and make school and this profession look fun and worthwhile.
Manifesting Calm Care
So, take a moment to uncover what might trigger those feelings of danger inside of you. And if seems reasonable to assume that you can lean into a sense of psychological safety, take a deep breath, and lean into it.
We Learn by Doing
What would happen if we decided to dream a bit smaller? What if our dream was to get really curious about what was happening in our schools? What if our dream was to suspend judgement and to merely notice and wonder about the student experience? To truly talk to kids to find out what school is like for each of them? What if that curiosity and listening drove our next moves?
We Grow Through Rest
Perhaps we aren't utilizing our teams to their fullest capacity. Perhaps we are hyper-focused on perfecting things that are not urgent or important. Perhaps, we are assigning work to students in a way that is making our grading feel impossible. I heard a high school student say, "You know, she complains about all of the papers she has to grade and about how long it's taking her to get through all of them, and I keep thinking, 'Aren't you the one assigning these papers and setting the due dates this way?"'
MEGHAN LAWSON 