I got to work on our snow days. I got to go to an AMAZING meeting in which Sharon Esswein graced us with her infinite wisdom and positivity. She shared the video below. It's about one minute and twenty seconds and it says it all.
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I know the statement “one word can change your life” is true because it’s happened to me.
Five years ago, I read Jon Gordon’s book One Word and my life has never been the same. Prior to reading the book I hadn’t thought much about the power that just one word can have on a life. After reading the book, I decided to try it out and what I found was my One Word opened my eyes to a new reality. I thought about my word all the time, I noticed things that happened in my life that related to my word. My word was everywhere. Over the years, my words have been Connect, Celebrate, Journey, and last year my word was Joy. As 2019 began to come nearer and nearer, I found myself trying really hard to find my next word. I tried out a few words-gratitude, inspire, and a few others but none of them felt right. Then, at the beginning of January my kids got sick and I missed three days of school. In the grand scheme of things I know that this shouldn’t seem like a big deal but to me it was. I was consumed by anxiety. I felt like everything was out of control. But, at the same time I knew that I was being completely irrational, I just couldn’t control my thoughts and anxieties. Over those three days that seemed like three weeks, I discovered my word. It was amazing because when it came to me I instantly felt at peace and I knew that this word was just what I needed. My word for 2019 is PERSPECTIVE. This year as I focus on my word I will keep things in perspective as I build skill to help keep my anxiety in check. I also want to consider others’ perspectives. Many times I’m quick to think that I’m right and my ideas are best. I am going to work really hard to stop and understand the ideas and perspectives of others. I also want to consider my own family’s perspectives. Many times I bark orders at my husband and kids because I have an agenda in mind and just want to check things off my list. I expect them to have the same priorities and I don’t take time to consider their perspective on things. I am excited to see what my word will teach me and how I’ll grow this year. We work hard. We are laser focused all day long at our school. It is easy to be so zoomed in that we forget about the amazing work we do! On Thursday, we had a visit from Teresa Scholl and some 5th grade teachers from Pleasant Local Schools. This visit gave me the opportunity to slow down and zoom out for a little bit.
Scott, Tasha and Whitney talked to the teachers about the reading and writing workshop and the why behind what we do. I got to be part of these conversations which reminded me that we are truly living our ONE WORD---PURPOSE. Scott and Whitney eloquently shared their purpose. They were asked questions about what standard they were teaching and what our test scores were. And, their answers made me so proud. They shared that at our school we care about kids and building readers and writers. They shared that the know their standards and certainly allow standards to be a guide but our main goal is to create independent readers, writers, thinkers and problem solvers. The funny thing is that earlier that morning I had told these teachers the same thing. Scott and Whitney had no idea about this conversation but when asked the same question, gave the same answer! Our arrows are so aligned. We are so lucky to have to be part of the amazing things happening at JW Reason. When you’re in it every day, it’s easy to lose sight of the amazing things YOU do. So, give yourself a few minutes to zoom out, reflect on the work you do and your PURPOSE for doing it. I think you’ll be happy with what your hard work has helped you accomplish. We are an amazing team. I have been gone for 3 ½ days and you guys have not missed a beat! What an amazing place. On Wednesday, I found this quote and I feel like is sums up our “circle” perfectly. Your dedication to kids shines through in all you do. Thank you for hitting the ground running on this first week back from winter break!
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