Kristen Koen

When working with the Eisenhower Matrix, I noticed how I often confuse importance with urgency. In the classroom, I can move quickly from topic to topic because I want to “fit everything in.” I also tend to prioritize work I believe is important—even when it isn’t urgent. That can leave too little time for tasks that are both important and urgent.

The surprising lesson was that good intentions aren’t enough to protect the work that matters most. I can spend a lot of time accomplishing meaningful things and still lose sight of the professional goals that could have the greatest impact on my students. I don’t want to keep trying to do it all at the expense of those goals.

This year, I want to focus first on developing and implementing interdisciplinary, personalized student experiences. I want these experiences to draw on students’ individual strengths, curriculum, and community knowledge. I believe this change can have a strong impact on student learning, while also creating more meaningful opportunities to integrate technology—an area of growth in the middle school at RDS.

I’ll know this work is making a difference when students are organically drawing connections between lessons, and independently apply learning from one subject to another. I hope they’ll use those connections to solve problems, add context to their learning, and deepen their overall understanding. That kind of learning feels more connected to students’ strengths and to the world around them.

A first step is already taking shape: in conjunction with the middle school team at RDS and the Future Design School, we are planning a Grade 7 interdisciplinary student experience. This month, as the experience comes to life, I want to focus on monitoring students’ progress during the project. I’ll work with colleagues and check in with our partners at FDS so we can support the work as it develops.

The Matrix reminded me that making room for important work may mean being more intentional about what gets my attention. My commitment is to put energy into learning experiences that connect ideas, honor students’ strengths, and invite them to apply what they know in new ways. I want to make progress steadily rather than treat the curriculum like a checklist to be accomplished. The goal is not simply to do more—it is to create learning that matters more for my students.