Pruning the Path Towards Effective Work

If you've read my posts you know I like my work to be effective.  You also know that my dreams and vision far outweigh time and energy.  Hence, one main issue I contend with regularly is prioritization.

When it comes to prioritization, I like my time and energy to be spent effectively.  I don't like to waste time or work on redundant tasks.  Instead I like to move forward with as much fluidity, focus and care as possible.  So when what may seem like inefficient, unnecessary obstacles are placed in my way I become easily frustrated as I work to remove those obstacles with speed so I can get back on the road toward effective work.

In any large organization one is going to contend with multiple viewpoints and many perceived obstacles, hence it's essential to define the task at hand and prioritize actions in order to move towards that task with care. It's also important to recognize what you're going to spend time on and what issues you're going to ignore.

As I move forward as a classroom teacher, I've identified the following goals and efforts as priorities.

• Students First: This is such a simple statement, but one that clearly puts educators on the right path when it comes to the work they do.
• Streamline Systems:  Create streamlined systems with students for classroom routines leaving most of the time for collaborative, engaging learning tasks and endeavors.
• Effective Communication: Establish effective two-way communication systems for family, student, educator (local and global) communication related to the classroom program.
• Knowledge: Spend a considerable amount of time reading and researching so that the classroom program reflects state-of-the-art, student-friendly academic practices and endeavors.
• Collaboration: With respect to student endeavor and growth, seek out and collaborate with like-minded educators with a similar students-first focus.

As I move forward as a classroom educator, I will put my energy and time into the tenets above.  And, as stated in an earlier post, I will center my summer study on learning about education practices that include optimal brain-friendly, cognitive strategies that optimize students' ability to navigate the knowledge-laden world we live in with strength, care, confidence and success.


Note:
I hope to use this post by Shawn Blakenship to guide my work as well.