I'm baa-ack! If you're new, I'll catch you up: this is my second blog post...And now you're caught up. Let's move on!
You'll remember in my first blog, I mentioned I had just attended the ACTFL Conference in San Antonio, Texas. If you've ever attended a training, workshop, or conference, you might recognize this Before, During, and After-conference cycle. Before: Preparation - which for me means: sub lesson plans, sub info (i.e. rosters, drill procedures, etc.), copies, and late-night packing. During: Lots of note-taking about new (to me) websites, apps, tips, tricks, and trade secrets. After: A slow descend into the "conference blues" - this is what happens when I look at my copious notes and realize the brutal fact that I can't do it all. I can't possibly use all these cool resources. I can't possibly implement all these strategies. I can't. I just can't. These are facts...rather depressing for the one who believes she's supposed to be able to do it all!
After a conference several years ago, as the facts taunted me with "Three days and all you have to show for it is a longer list of things you can't do on Monday," I got the nerve to talk back, and my rebuttal sounded something like this: "You're right, I can't do them all, but I can do this. one. thing." (insert pointing at my notes to punctuate my determination) The facts are right: I can't do all the things on the list...and I certainly can't do all the things if I don't even do one thing.
A wise man - Curly, from the 1991 movie City Slickers - reminded us to figure out "the One Thing." When I'm a student at a session, workshop, seminar, training, or conference nowadays, I'm on a mission to figure out "The One Thing." I take lots of notes; but this time my notes aren't a list of things I can't do, they are a list of applicants auditioning for the coveted "I'm gonna use this one on Monday morning" spot. Each session's tips, strategies, websites, and app recommendations are auditioning for the role of "the One Thing I'm going to implement/apply on Monday morning." Then, once I've chosen "The One Thing," I put all my energy into an action plan that will help me successfully implement that "One Thing." No more feeling overwhelmed that I can't do everything listed in my notes. I don't have to! I just have to do "One Thing" listed in my notes.
Tomorrow is Monday morning! Whether you learned something last week, last month, or even yesterday, Monday morning has to feel the impact of it. What's "the One Thing" you learned that will affect your classroom, office, and/or home tomorrow morning? You're already thinking of something, I just know it. What does it look like for you to take a step to implement it tomorrow morning. This is a challenge to me too, of course. Sure, I implemented Whole Brain Teaching last Monday and have seen positive results in my classroom. Tomorrow is a new Monday. I get to continue what I started last Monday and I get to add "One Thing" more. I might as well tell you that this Monday, I'm going to speak kindly and not sarcastically to the children who waited until the 11th hour to care about their grade. This may require more than a week of practice!
Okay, I shared mine. Now it's your turn. I would love to read a comment from you about what "One Thing" you are adding tomorrow!
Thanks for sharing, Shelli! Keep up the good work on the blog!
ReplyDeleteAs I was sitting at the sessions in this year's ACTFL, I kept thinking: is this something I can implement on Monday? Or perhaps I want to play with it a little, and roll it out in January when we come back from break? Or do I need to continue to grow as a teacher, before I introduce it into my teaching next school year? Organizing my conference takeaways into short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals takes a lot of the pressure off from thinking "Gosh, I can't do this on Monday."
My short-term takeaways from ACTFL this year include introducing more student choice, and a whole slew of amazing strategies from some very talented teachers in Round Rock ISD ("1, 2, 3, 4.... 20" rocked!). My mid-term goals include introducing a "20 Time/Genius Hour" segment in my Upper Level class for reading self-selected Auth Res texts (inspired by Laura Sexton), and among my long-terms are to incorporate more student engagement into my everyday planning, and to shift my students' audience in the classroom from Me the Instructor to the Class, and gradually the Community. Lots of work to do in the months ahead!