Addicted to Learning

This is my first year as an assistant principal.  Before this, I was in the same role for five years.  A couple years ago, I had a not-so-great year.

I was frustrated all of the time.  All. of. the. time.

I still worked very hard and did my job well.  And if someone asked about my job, I would have said that I loved it - because I truly did.  So why the conflict?  Well, the position I had was great.  I believed in what we were doing.  I loved the people I served.  But, I was so frustrated and I blamed others or the situation, which really isn't like me.  I tend to own all problems, even ones that I shouldn't.  I was frustrated with decisions that were being made, lack of progress and change in certain areas, people that were leading me, just a bit of everything.

Fast forward to this year.  I am learning something new all of the time.  (I joke that I don't learn something new everyday, but every few minutes!)  I do NOT love all of the parts of my job - but I do love learning about all of the parts of it.

Enter epiphany... I was not frustrated with my job or other people before.  I was frustrated because I wasn't learning anymore.  Or, at least, not at the rate that I like to learn - which is fast.  The moment I realized this was such a freeing moment.  It wasn't anyone else's fault but my own.  I was, in some way, stagnated and bitter for being so.  Now, I feel like if I were in this position again and started to feel the familiar ache of frustration creeping in, I would have some tools with which to face the problem.  I would take on a new project or challenge myself in a new way, or better yet - request a challenge from someone else!  

#whatarelief

As a follow up:  I'm sure others sensed my frustration that year; I am sure it manifested in my presence for those that knew me well or that I opened up to.  I wonder how many learners are in classes feeling this way - unchallenged, and it manifests in their behavior...

In 8th grade Language Arts this week...

Over the last couple of days, I have popped into about six or seven classrooms. Not for evaluative walkthroughs - just to stop by.

I wanted to share something I was inspired by...

I walked into an eighth grade Language Arts classroom. It is completely silent. Everyone is reading. There is a string holding a sign across the middle of the room that says "Warning: Do not enter". I ask the educator what the sign is for. She tells me that the learners haven't been told. There only directions are that this is a "catch up" day and that they can read, but talk to no one except their "family" - which is their table group. 

The plans are over the next couple of days, that the sign hanging across the room will become a divider that they will not be allowed to cross.  At one one point the school resource officer will come in and escort some of the families out to work elsewhere -without much explanation. The educator goes on to describe a few more things that the learners will be experiencing in the upcoming days all while they read and learn in class. 

They are reading the "Diary of Anne Frank". These underlying activities are designed to give the learners experiences to relate, even if in a small way, to the the segregation and targeting in the text. I was so excited for these learners! 

We know that connecting emotionally while you are learning deepens that experience.  What a fantastic way for these learners to CONNECT with a text!