Week 5

Hello,

Happy Valentine's Day & Happy Ash Wednesday!

Today, I will be discussing appreciation. 

I really appreciate many things in my life. I appreciate My life, my wife, my kids, just to name a few. I appreciate electricity, modern technology (like dishwashers, microwaves, and washing machines) like many people take for granted.

The appreciation I want to discuss today is my job, and this course.

I've worked with dozens of school districts in the last 25 years.  I now work as a teacher in my second year at North Scott and I couldn't be happier. The district assigned me an instructional coach and a mentor, and at first, I thought it was a joke.  My mentor/coach encouraged me to embrace the challenges I was facing regarding behavior, technology, classroom management, and accepting the reality that not everything is going to be perfect. He encouraged, and modeled, a growth mindset by recognizing my failures (or the things I thought were failures) that just turned out to be things that I wanted to be perfect.  The administration at North-Scott is constantly encouraging me to be the best version of myself, and I cannot express my gratitude.

The last school district I worked at did not encourage growth. They also didn't encourage employees to try new things or question the "traditional" way of doing things.  The administration, Coaches, and Mentors at North-Scott constantly collaborate with the teachers, so they are empowered to do whatever is best for learning.  My coach encourages autonomy and is consistently giving me the advice and inspiration to "hang in there" when I feel deflated. Administration uses a growth mindset to ensure teachers keep improving and if we fail; tomorrow will always be a better day.

I am most excited for my third year of teaching next year. I feel, I finally have a plan and more confidence about not being perfect, how to embrace technology, and welcome adversity.  The greatest feeling is being appreciative, and excited, about being ready to adapt to whatever challenges I may face today, next week, or next year.

Thank You, Have a Great Week!