So at this time of the year schools often begin finalizing their summer maintenance projects, looking for ways to improve the facilities for the kids and for the teachers, and for us this year is no exception. It’s an exciting process to go through for sure, knowing that we will arrive back after the holiday to a few upgrades or builds that will enhance our day to day experience at school. The idea of course is to look critically at the current facilities, identify areas that need some attention, and then put a plan together to begin the work. It’s the same thing that we as educators should be doing every summer with ourselves…looking critically at our current practices that may need some attention or improvement, and putting together a plan so that we come back next school year as better educators for our kids and for each other. It’s all about reflection and action, and there is no better time than the summer to work on your game so to speak. I wrote a post a few years ago that speaks to this, and I want to share it again because it’s an important reminder to do some work over the next couple of months…think of it as your own personal summer maintenance project. Here’s a piece of that previous post…
With the holiday in plain sight, I want to talk briefly about taking some time over the next couple of months to reflect, and to think about the ways that you can become even better…a better educator, a better colleague, and a better person. In my opinion, the act of reflection is the most important part of learning and growing, and the summer break is the perfect time to do this. Whether it’s a personal or professional reflection, the power of looking back cannot be overstated in my opinion. Thinking about your actions, your beliefs, your attitudes toward others, your reaction to things that may not have gone your way, or even the way you see yourself (your worth, and your value to others and the world) is remarkably profound. Without reflection, the opportunity to discover or to re-discover yourself and your potential is lost.
So, as you’re sitting on the deck of your cottage, or swimming in the lake, or playing a leisurely round of golf, or even engaging in some summer professional development, I’m asking that you think about the ways that you can emerge from your well-deserved holiday a better version of yourself. What are the areas of your life, and your teaching, that need a bit of a push? Are there ways that you can enhance your lesson planning and delivery…are there ways that you can build stronger relationships with your students, particularly the ones that you find the most difficult to engage…are there ways that you can become a better teacher leader…are there ways that you can push yourself out of your comfort zone and take more risks…are there ways that you can become a better teammate and colleague…and are there ways that you can become more innovative in your approach to instruction? My bet is that the answer is yes to most if not all of these questions, and the challenge that I’m giving to you is to not just think about them, but to act on them, and come back in August armed with concrete ways to make next year the best year of your professional life.
There are too many educators out there that get so comfortable and complacent in their job that they end up delivering the same year over and over again, and the only thing that changes are the beautiful and eager faces in front of them…please don’t be that educator. Think about specific ways that you can improve upon this year, and to never deliver the same year twice. Keep the best aspects of your teaching, and stretch yourself to improve on the areas that might need some attention. Everyone has room to grow, and everyone has the opportunity to reflect, to plan, to act, and to become better. I’ve already identified a few things that I need to work on to become a better leader, and I’m excited to think critically about these over the next several weeks in order to make next year my best one to date.
So with that in mind, and with the end in sight, I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for what you gave to our students and to our community over the past ten months. I recognize how hard you have worked to give our kids the best possible school experience, and it has been inspiring for me to watch the effort that you put into building such strong and lasting relationships with students, parents and with each other…thank you. You have made my first year at ASP a magical one, and I cannot wait for year two! Come this week full of smiles and energy, and give our amazing kids the best last week ever…summer is coming and I couldn’t be more proud of the work that we’ve done as a team over the past year. Have a wonderful final week and remember to be great for our students and good to each other.
Summer Sun
– Robert Louis Stevenson
Great is the sun, and wide he goes
Through empty heaven with repose;
And in the blue and glowing days
More thick than rain he showers his rays.
Though closer still the blinds we pull
To keep the shady parlour cool,
Yet he will find a chink or two
To slip his golden fingers through.
The dusty attic spider-clad
He, through the keyhole, maketh glad;
And through the broken edge of tiles
Into the laddered hay-loft smiles.
Meantime his golden face around
He bares to all the garden ground,
And sheds a warm and glittering look
Among the ivy’s inmost nook.
Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true,
To please the child, to paint the rose,
The gardener of the World, he goes.
Quote of the Week…
Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.
– Henry James
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