Looking Ahead: Positive Collaboration and Good Work

As the summer sets in and I think back to the school year, I am proud of the good work our team at fifth grade did. I am also moved by the wonderful investment, creativity, and result demonstrated by so many committed colleagues and friends at the school where I teach and elsewhere. I'm fortunate to work amongst so many wonderful educators.

As I look ahead, I want to do the following:

• Be open minded and willing to focus on individual and collective goals to better the work we can do with all students.
• To work for good development and collaboration around ideas that will help us to teach better.
• To listen carefully to the colleagues and administrators around me to hear their point of view, needs, good work, and ideas related to teaching well.
• To be empathetic to the varied commitments and vision of many, and to be supportive in ways that I can be.
• To focus in on the goals I've created, and to finesse those goals in ways needed to work with colleagues and others to reach our collective, school goals.

For the rest of the summer, I'll prepare to do this good work in the year ahead--work that will bring the satisfaction that I'm working on my own and with others to serve families and students well. 

Trump Talk

If you know me, you know that Trump is a worrisome and troubling President for me. I wrote a lot about that yesterday as I tried to make sense of it all. There's rarely been a moment during his term that has been uplifting, promising, or convincing that he cares about American people, instead day after day we hear suspicious news, disrespectful and dishonest tweets, and discouraging actions--I've yet to see what I hope for which is a president that cares about our children, health care, education, the environment, positive global partnerships and opportunities, and a will to better life for all Americans, not just a few.

His constant negative and troubling banter and action can make make those of us who are proud of our country and our ideals confused, worried, and troubled. People generally want leaders who look out for all of us not just a few.

Yet, we can't let him take us down. We have to continually urge our law makers to use their intelligence, knowledge, and position to question, investigate, and act so that one man doesn't harm our country, break the laws, or take advantage of us. And, at the same time, we have to look deeply at our own capacity and responsibility to do what is right, contribute, and live good lives.

So as I move forward I'll recommit to family, education, and setting the personal stage for simpler, more Earth-friendly living. I'll continue to read, research, reflect, and speak up with regard to the kind of country that supports all of us to do the good work possible by loved ones, neighbors, and fellow national and world citizens.

Mid Summer Ramblings

It's mid summer. There's already been time for a short vacation, reading, family time, and some chores. The days are filled with all kinds of events big and small. I've never had this much free time since my 8th grade summer, and I am not having any trouble staying busy and getting things done.

As I look ahead, I realize I've leaned in my favored directions of reading, research, writing, and family time, and I've procrastinated on a number of less attractive tasks such as making doctor's appointments, cleaning the garage, and a few other more personal tasks.

Next week I'll urge myself to put the procrastination aside and complete some of those less attractive tasks as I know that once the school year starts, I'll be busy, busy, busy with rarely a moment to take a break or get those jobs done.

Do your big ideas match your performance?

As I wrote about and responded to big ideas today, I had to ask myself the question, Do your big ideas match your performance?

If you live or work with me, you might say no as you would be someone who knows well my longest of shortcomings. I'm the first to admit that my actions trail my vision and not the other way around. I can see far more than I can do, and sometimes a vision that arises does not translate into action for years.

Yet I think it's important to embrace my way of being as long as I'm truthful and honest. Yes, I am a big dreamer who loves to entertain big ideas for all aspects of life. As I say often, I see limitless potential and promise and can think of thousands of solutions to the world's issues and write about those solutions with detail.

Yet as one brother always cautions me when he says, "Ideas are cheap, it's what you do with them that matters."

I respond to that brother with a yes and a no.

Yes, it does matter that one truly forward ideas when and how she can. For example I have to continually work at my language, processes, and actions to forward ideas I see as promising and fruitful at school. I've yet to find the golden path of idea-to-reality path at school though some of the ideas I've forwarded on my own and with others have translated into betterment. I will continue to use school, home, and community as places to forward good ideas into meaningful action. This is good work that teaches me well and helps me to contribute.

I say not to my brother, however, when it comes to only sharing ideas that you have the capacity to turn into reality. I've actually had the experience of sharing a good idea with people who either made it happen or tried to make it happen. I believe a good idea not expressed or shared is a good idea wasted. Just think about it. If you share your wild and crazy, but good ideas, you could actually improve someone's life--people don't have to take your ideas, but if you have a good one, I say share it. The more positive, imaginative, and creative ideas that are out there, the better the chances we'll solve some of the big and annoying problems we face.

So to answer my initial question, I would say that my ideas don't always match my performance as my ideas vastly outdistance my capacity, but that's not going to stop me from sharing ideas as well as working on the ones that I feel passionate and capable of forwarding. What about you?

The Teaching Journey Continues: Next Steps

The summer has been a dynamic time for reading and research to empower the teaching days ahead. I'm very excited about the many good ideas and experiences I'll share with students in the year to come, ideas and experiences that include good books, field studies, expert visitors, learning resources, and project/problem based learning. This preparation reminds me of the prep I do for a good trip--I read all about the places I'll travel to and map out the itinerary with care. I always leave room for spontaneity and I coach myself to have an open mind to new opportunities that might arise.

The school year is like a wonderful adventure and we make the most of that if we prepare well and embark with that right balance of well thought out plans and prep and an open mind to what opportunities and challenges students, families, colleagues, and systems will bring.

In the days ahead, I'll continue both my professional and personal prep for the busy year ahead, prep that includes reading, writing, research, setting up the classroom, making sure my personal obligations are fulfilled, and more. Too often our struggles in school come from the fact that we don't have the needed time, space, or support to do the job well, at this juncture in the road, I'm feeling like I have the privilege of working with amazing colleagues and terrific support from so many that I know the year ahead will be a wonderful year of teaching and learning. Onward.