Moments

Blogger’s block. I fully intend to write in my blog at least once, if not twice a month, but it has been over a month since I have written anything. I have felt completely out of my element, struggling to find words or even a coherent topic, despite my mind racing thousands of miles per hour daily. I have, from time to time, jotted down quick notes or even written that blog post in my head while getting ready in the morning. But inevitably, by the time I sit down to write, my thoughts are jumbled and my notes lack the clarity I need to form cohesive thoughts.

So here I sit, writing about the lack of knowing what to write about. I’m hoping by sitting and typing, the epiphany will hit.

With that said, there have been many great happenings and accomplishments so far at school. Our district had an impressive professional development day at the end of September, starting with a keynote from Matt Miller, author of Ditch That Textbook, followed by fabulous learning about blended learning and collaboration among grade levels and departments district-wide. I was so fortunate to be a part of the planning process alongside fantastic technology leaders Kelly Clifford and Lance Yoder. Even more than that, in just this past week, I have witnessed our classrooms moving toward blended learning, literally overnight, and my teachers rejuvenated with new ideas and sharing, something I haven’t seen at this level in quite some time. It is definitely something worth sharing and celebrating!

And yet, I have felt stuck. Why?

I started to look back through old blog posts, searching for inspiration. Nothing hit me, but I did begin to see a pattern, soon realizing that my past reflections were grounded in one thing, moments.

I have finally come to this conclusion. Through it all, I have been searching for these profound, deep thoughts to reflect upon, and yet, the moments have been right in front of me. The everyday accomplishments are those to celebrate, reflect on, and write about. I have clearly been searching for the wrong thing! The moments all around me, occurring daily, ARE the profound, thought-provoking happenings to share. We need to grab every moment and share it!

The interactions, continual learning, and growth among students and staff are to be celebrated and shared, something I preach and strongly believe in, but I somehow got off track in doing. These moments happen every day, and while they may seem ordinary at the time, are truly the extraordinary and profound to reflect upon later. I’ve been searching for the research, the culture-shifting statement, the thought-provoking analogy, only to find that the best practices have been staring at me in the face, the culture shift I seek to build is happening all around me, and there are no thought-provoking analogies I need to find because my staff and students are taking the amazing journey daily to grow and build a foundation of life-long learning opportunities.

In my reflection, I need to take a moment to stop, look around, and then celebrate and share the adventures of learning happening in front of me. I feel back in my element again, and am ready to get back to what I know and can share.

Even more than that, it is EVERY EDUCATOR’S job to celebrate our work with students. We need to share the fabulous activities and growth of our students daily, posting pictures, making phone calls to parents, and being the positive voice of our schools. It is not ONE person’s job; it is EVERYONE’S job. It only takes a moment to share a moment. This is how we will create a culture of sharing, celebrating, and growth.

Image credit: https://pixabay.com/en/photos/letter/