Oh, man. September is over. Queue the music. Breathe. ... Right?
This first month of school has brought with it many adjustments in my world. I'm at a new school, teaching a new grade, working with a new staff on technology goals, and getting used to the workload involved with two graduate courses. Needless to say, September has been a bit of a whirlwind. Mix those together with all of the things I was already doing and that is a recipe for an imbalanced disaster. A month later, I'm just starting to finally feel like I'm on top of these new demands. My absence from blogging has been due to my attempts to normalize my new realities. Something had to go on the back burner for the month. But now, I'm in control.... for the moment.
This first month of school has brought with it many adjustments in my world. I'm at a new school, teaching a new grade, working with a new staff on technology goals, and getting used to the workload involved with two graduate courses. Needless to say, September has been a bit of a whirlwind. Mix those together with all of the things I was already doing and that is a recipe for an imbalanced disaster. A month later, I'm just starting to finally feel like I'm on top of these new demands. My absence from blogging has been due to my attempts to normalize my new realities. Something had to go on the back burner for the month. But now, I'm in control.... for the moment.
Balance? What's that? People often ask me, "How do you have time for all of that extra stuff?" These questions always spin me into a state of reflection. Of course, I've asked myself the same thing. How do I have time? Is my life in a perpetual state of imbalance? Am I happy even though I work practically every waking moment of the day? Is burnout inevitable?
If you've ever been in a similar situation, you'll relate that reflecting on this is extremely difficult. When you're so entrenched in the status quo, it's hard to see how far you can bend before you break. While connecting to new people and ideas is important, it's also important to take a step back to understand what you're capable of and why it matters to you. That's what fuels my passion -- the "why" I do it, not the "how".
So here's why it all matters to me:
If you've ever been in a similar situation, you'll relate that reflecting on this is extremely difficult. When you're so entrenched in the status quo, it's hard to see how far you can bend before you break. While connecting to new people and ideas is important, it's also important to take a step back to understand what you're capable of and why it matters to you. That's what fuels my passion -- the "why" I do it, not the "how".
So here's why it all matters to me:
- I absolutely adore my students and want to deliver the best educational experience they can possibly have.
- I love learning. I love finding out new information. Between my PLN and the MET Graduate program, I am consistently forced outside my comfort zone, and that's a good thing.
- Growth is essential in our profession. If you don't set out to improve yourself, no one is going to do it for you.
- I am passionate about meaningful technology integration in the classroom. It needs to be relevant for the future, not the present, and certainly not the past.
- Throughout this journey, I've made incredible connections who have given me consistently overwhelming support every step of the way. I want to pay it forward and inspire others to connect.
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