Written by This morning I woke up with a migraine unable to go into work today thinking, how can it be April 15th already? Not in the sense that school is almost over for the year, not in the sense that the school year flew by, but in the sense that th
e final face to face is a week a way and I am feeling the Cohort21 guilt, disappointment in one’s self and a whole “shlew” of other emotions. Say it ain’t so!
I set out this year with the utmost intentions to reach a place that I had never been professionally speaking. I took initiative and got involved in as many opportunities as I could, I went outside my comfort zone yet still I end up here…feeling disappointed in myself, my ambition and the goals I had set out to attain.
When I began Cohort21 this year, I knew that my Action Plan was larger than life and that it would be an “on going” action plan. But I thought I would get a lot more “action” in the plan! Trying to develop, change, propose change can be a scary thing for individuals, for teachers, for admin and for a school culture. But I can from the school of change is a good thing, and nothing bad can come from change. The things that get classified as “bad” along the way get morphed into learning opportunities, into reflection items and into motivation to keep trucking through.
How do we meet the social and emotional needs of our students came from the experiences I had as a child as well as the experiences I have had as an adult and educator. That is we are in a community that is built upon providing everything a child needs to have academic success, why can’t we provide everything a child needs to have social and emotional success in their young lives. Say it ain’t so?
Through working on my Action Plan, I came to the realization that not everyone is comfortable providing this within a school frame as easily and as comfortably as others. I began with this grandeur notion that going straight to guidance counseling would be the best approach, but turns out that is more difficult than I had imagined. With the support and guidance of fellow “critical friends” I decided to rework my action plan to adapt a program that could be implemented first from the teachers into the classrooms to help with Character Development of students. This way, we could begin small, evaluate, reflect, continue or perhaps rework to better meet the specific needs that were not being met through Character Development program implementation. Say it ain’t so?
Although, disappointingly I do not have some elaborate curriculum development plan to share with you, but I have my journey instead. I will continue to work on developing my Action Plan in hopes that at the beginning of next school year, a small group of teachers become a professional community in which we work together on this journey, one day at a time.
Say it ain’t so…
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENXvZ9YRjbo[/youtube]
When I read the words “I set out this year with the utmost intentions to reach a place that I had never been professionally speaking. I took initiative and got involved in as many opportunities as I could, I went outside my comfort zone…” I wanted to reach out and say “You did it!!!”. If nothing else Cohort 21 has made you stretch and think differently then recognize that as a huge accomplishment and a perfect place to start from next year. Your Action Plan was aspirational and by now you have realized will involve collaborating with other BVG’ers to follow through on. Feel good about how far you have come and where you will go. I’d say this is the “Perfect Situation” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwv-iRvyDZg
@gnichols @danielleganley @shelleythomas @brenthurley @rutheichholtz
Love the song reply! Thank you. I know both you and Garth said from day 1 that an action plan doesnt mean that you actually start and end something but that it can be an ongoing process. For me and my brain, I felt like I HAD to have something tangible to show for my work and success this year which created this feeling of deeper stress and less fulfillment. When I came to the realization that I am in control of what I want to happen the stress diminished and it all became much more tangible and realistic. Thank you
Vanessa,
I started this comment first with “I hear you!” and jut now realized that what I want to say is “I feel you!”. I know that jumbled mess of emotion you describe. The high hopes dashed by the needs of so many big and little people in our lives. I like the honesty of this post and commend you for not only dreaming big but also for going at it in another way when your way didn’t fit the community in which you work. Taking a step back and seeing how valuable your journey has been is amazing. I look forward to hearing more about it on Friday.
I want to echo Justin’s comment ‘that you did it’! I can identify multiple posts of learning within this one post alone. The lessons you’ve learned through this process will stay with you, Vanessa, and they will further hone the strengths and strong instincts you already have. Take heart – you are a great educator.
Thank you Jill, you always know what to say in even the most difficult times! Thank you! I truly did have an eye opening transition last Friday while posting these two entries. I am not a fan of failure so somehow, somewhere inside of me said… “okay Vanessa enough, come at this from another angle, one that you can manage”. Turns out that it immediately reduced the stress I was feeling and made the end goal seem much more manageable because it started and ended with me and my own teaching practise. Yeah for me! haha
Vanessa, you have a great vision for what you want for your students and for the school, so it is natural that your action plan was/is “larger than life”. I can’t wait to hear about the progress you’ve made and your plans moving forward. I love your line: “I thought I would get a lot more “action” in the plan!”. I am right there with you and I’m sure many others are, too. We’ll find out Friday!
Wheezer! That song was in heavy rotation on my playlist when I was in Grad school for all of the reasons you describe in your post. Isn’t this a challenging time of year for all of us as we look at goals and achievements and attempt to reconcile our emotions with what has happened this year. You are not alone in this that’s for sure! I think you should applaud yourself for bravely heading towards discomfort, through ambiguity and uncertainty and fear with a hope and a plan to create change. I think your idea to “provide everything a child needs to have social and emotional success in their young lives” is right on the money and I remember being impressed by this when you spoke about it. Lets talk at the Face 2 Face if we can, I’d like to learn more about the challenges you faced. Don’t be afraid of baby steps to move change forward and be proud of your initiative. Sometimes you have to sneak things into the community to get them off the ground–maybe you will create a guerilla-style student support system?
Robin, yes lets chat Friday! That would be great! Starting something new always presents various challenges and I think getting it started and off the ground is the hardest. Once you begin, looking back at the fight is rewarding but also eye opening to how much ‘dwelling’ or ‘struggling’ it took to get you to the point of success. I hope I will get to that point by September! Thank you for your support.
Stop beating yourself up! I get this, totally. You have a vision and you believe strongly in it, and you’re surprised when it turns into an uphill battle.
Well… patience and persistence, my friend. You have to lay enough ground work that people are familiar with your ideas – that’s happened this year. You have to continuously show passion for your project, and you have to sustain it over time. Bright ideas get thrown at administrators all the time… to make yours a lasting idea, you have to keep at it. Keep educating those around you, send them articles, talk about it in the staff room, educate the parents. Bringing about change is a long game… but persistence wins over resistance so don’t give up just because you haven’t met your goals yet!
I think building a committee next school year could lead to guidance counselling in the following year… totally possible.
Let’s chat more on Friday, and swap stories! I love coming up with strategies for managing up! 🙂
Also, C21 is the place to ask for inspiration and moral support – stay involved via twitter & blogging next year for more of that when you need it!
WOW! You most certainly know how to harness motivation in someone! After reading your comment, I had this sense of “yes totally, I can do this!” Thank you for your support. I love technology and love that we live in an era of being able to connect any time of the day. But I truly love sitting down and just hashing it out in a conversation that ultimately will get somewhere. Looking forward to Friday.
Vanessa,
This is certainly both an admirable and an import initiative. I look forward to seeing who gets on side with you and the outcomes that result. Always timely, and perhaps even more so these days.
Thank you for the support Bryan. I know it is an invaluable piece that all students would truly benefit from. Thank you again.
Hey Vanessa,
Welcome to the #cohort effect! It’s one of many and we can’t quite figure out how they’ve come about but you have a lot to be proud of, as discussed in the prior comments. We have a Leadership & Character Development program here at the school and we also have Leadership Character Values infused into all grades. I’ll bring a few docs to the face to face on Friday and you’re free to use if you like or discard if not.
Your desire to make the the learning experience better for students is undeniable, and it’s just the start of the journey. Be sure to keep blogging and touch base with @timrollwagen who is our Grade 9 LCV leader.
Looking forward to Friday!
Thank you so much Derek for your motivation and for providing me with information on programs that have been implemented and work at your school. I am very excited to begin this new journey and I hope that I will be able to accomplish what I have set out for myself.
Thank you again. I look forward to chatting on Friday.