This year, I discovered the pleasure of a never-ending to do list. <\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Before you think I am crazy, let me clarify. <\/b><\/p>\n
As a new \u00a0teacher, I struggled with the constant feeling that I was behind. That every time I crossed something off the to do list, I realized there were two other tasks that had to be added. I spent my weekends obsessing about what I could be doing. Could I be planning instead of going out to lunch? Should I be marking instead of doing groceries. My to-do list acted a lot like gray hairs…they gave me some too. Through this first year, I constantly grappled with the feeling of being not enough – of always being one step behind and never being quite done.<\/span><\/p>\n I remember venting with a co-worker about this. She was a seasoned teacher and a mother of two, she must have this all figured out. Though I can’t remember her response exactly, I think it went something like this, “That feeling of being behind – that’s just adulthood.”<\/span><\/p>\n Over time, I came to terms with this feeling – the feeling of “adulthood”. Of course, I learned to streamline and work smarter and teaching got easier. But that feeling of being “behind” still hung in the air. <\/span><\/p>\n However, it was not until this Cohort experience, that I began to relish this feeling – the feeling that my job was never \u201cdone\u201d. More specifically, the Cohort effect induced a great hunger in me. I began to realize that my teaching was never going to be done, and that was the beauty of it. Rather than something where I could tick boxes and move on I realized that teaching, real teaching<\/em>, is more about learning.\u00a0<\/span>More specifically, the teacher that I wanted to be was also like the learner I wanted to create. This means someone who is constantly working and striving, taking joy in the effort, and relishing in the possibilities.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Through my Cohort experience, I got to truly throw myself into the role of life-long learner. I began to intentionally carve out time to learn and make myself better. I became comfortable with the discomfort of not knowing, and the pleasure of finding out. Most of all, I got to see the possibility and freedom of never being done.<\/p>\n Thank you to @shelleythomas<\/a> and @lbettencourt<\/a> for being fantastic facilitators! Take a peek at my final Action Plan reflection and slide deck below!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n