My Journey. . . . .

During this pandemic, I decided to use the opportunity to take a few online classes and read some professional books.  Great idea, right?  Well, throughout this experience I realized I was consistently pushing myself to go out of my comfort zone.  Organizing and setting a time aside to complete my classwork I could do easily enough, but I’m one of those people that make everything so much harder on myself.  I second guess everything and quite honestly, I worry about making mistakes and consistently worry about what other people think.  As educators, we are in the spotlight, whether it’s through the notes and emails we send, or through the posts others put on social media.  The list goes on. Educators are held to a higher standard and judged on everything we do.  Don’t get me wrong, I think we should set an example and we want to be treated like professionals.  Now, we also should get paid like most professionals, but that’s another story for another time.

 

We have and will make the occasional mistake because we are humans after all.   During the school year I tell my students we learn through our failures and it’s okay to make mistakes.  I strive to build a community where students are not afraid to take risks, but I find myself not practicing what I preach. In Brenee Brown’s book Dare to Lead she talks about leading from the heart, rather than from fear.  She discusses leading with a sense of vulnerability.   Right before one of her public appearances she recalls her husband’s advice: each individual in the audience has “real lives and real problems”.  They are just people, just like we are.  

We all have something to contribute and everyone has areas to work on.  I chose to share this because there might be one person out there that needs to hear this and that makes it worth the effort.  To tell the truth it is worth it, because once I get past the nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach and I complete something I feel triumphant and a sense of accomplishment washes over me.

 

As long as I have been teaching, I have always strived to help all students in any way I can whether by providing extra help in class, tutoring after school, sharing resources with other teachers or by providing professional development, just like some of you.  I love what I do and embrace any leadership opportunity to gain experience and grow in my field.  I have applied and will continue to apply for an administration position, though I haven’t gotten one yet.  I’m passionate about teaching and love collaborating with other educators.  I say this because we often see the end result, but not the journey.  This is my journey as an aspiring principal.  I believe we can learn from each other and would like to share the things I will learn along the way and hope to gain insight and resources through this journey.  Will I make mistakes?  Yes. Will I learn from them? That’s my goal. 

 

Thanks for joining me today