Meet Mrs. Kay Pham
Sharpen the saw means keep sharp! Sharpen the mind, the body, the soul, and the heart. We have all heard the saying "Work hard to play hard." It is about balance. We must seek to find a balance of purpose, passion, and pleasure. It is easy to get lost in the deadlines and the practice. Quite often it is my car that is the last to leave the parking lot, or my laptop that is the last light burning in the dark, but I recognize that at times even I need a break. In the pursuit of trying to perfect work and home life, I need to stop and perfect myself too. The body: Take a walk. Breathe in the fresh air. Look around, have you even noticed that the leaves are beginning to change color? Step away from the technology and focus on your body. This is something that is challenging for me. I will admit I do think of health and consider what I am eating or drinking, but finding the time for exercising is challenging for me. Fitting in all my roles and obligations means a busy schedule. I will make the commitment set aside an hour a week (to get back on track) for exercise. The mind: Clearly, being in a masters program is a challenge to keep the mind sharp, but beyond that I seek to have challenging or deep conversations. The more I think I disagree or can't relate to the person the more intrigued I am to converse with them. Now, a conversation that challenges me to understand is the best way to sharpen my mind. The soul: For me, that means doing for others. Sharpening my soul means fueling it with inspiration and good will. Helping someone in need definitely sharpens my soul. It keeps me grounded and connected to the world around me. The heart: My family and my students fill my heart like nothing in this world can. Seeing the joy and laughter in my own kids and family is uplifting. Sharing those laughs and good times are exactly what lifts me from a hard day or stress-filled schedule. When I think of my students, their innocence and silly conversations fill me with joy. There are no words to express how it heals my heart to laugh with a six-year-old, or to see the light in their eyes when they truly understand a new concept for the first time. It definitely keeps me sharply tuned in to their feelings and mine I will commit to...continuing to remain focused in obtaining a balance of using the saw as well as sharpening the saw. The last thing I strive to be is the dullest pencil in the box! I don't know why I thought of superheroes when I learned of this habit. Superheroes each have a super power that is incredible which can be extremely helpful when rescuing those in trouble. Now, think of all those superheroes each with their own super power coming together! The possibilities are endless! Together they are able to accomplish the greatest of challenges. Each of us have strengths. We are each passionate, knowledgeable, or talented in something unique. When we bring those strengths together, we become stronger. It is an incredible concept to consider that several strengths can come together to become a super power of strength that can take on many challenges. We know this level of partnership is valuable. Yet, why is this so difficult for so many of us to accept? I believe the barrier that keeps us from coming together and becoming a powerful force is trust. We must trust that the other team member's strength is sufficient as well as trust they will use it to the fullest extent when it is needed. The concept of synergizing is already alive in our classrooms. It is what I ask my students to do every time I ask them to partner talk about a possible solution to a problem. I strategically group them by strength and ability. The hope is that they pull their super powers together and find a solution. They are young and innocent, so they still trust that their partners will share and believe their peers are capable. We, cautious adults, are those who hesitate and distrust our peers. We must model what it is that we expect from them. We ask them to collaborate, problem-solve, and discuss respectfully. We can do it too. Release the inhibitions and let your super power shine. Super heroes unite and SYNERGIZE! I commit to... recognize and value my colleagues as the trained professionals they are. I commit to surround myself with those who believe in synergizing. I will serve as a model of part of a collaborative team and in so doing teach them how to be a valuable member of a team. I will also commit to teaching my students the language of collaboration to ensure they are valuable members of a team. Reference:
Covey, Stephen R. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic. New York: Fireside Book, 1990. Print.
The habit of seeking to understand before seeking to be understood immediately brought back memories of one of my favorite classes in college. It was a communications course. I learned so much about the power of our words and the connotations they carry with them. We may not even be aware of the messages we are sending with the language we choose when we express ourselves. Whether it is a formal or casual setting, our words matter. The idea of seeking to understand made me think of being a careful listener. Communication is both listening and speaking (and let's not forget about the body language that also carries messages all by themselves). Seeking to understand means that we also need be aware of how we are listening.It is easy to say we should listen with an "open mind", it is something entirely different to do it. Focus and listen to what is being said by the voice tone, the body language, and of course the words. Take it in and presume positive intentions.
Since the moment I was introduced to the deeper understanding of how we communicate and the value in our words, I have become more aware of how I communicate. I want to be understood, and I want to be perceived as an understanding person. I don't think it is ever anyone's intention to be misunderstood, but often we misunderstand each other. How does all the miscommunication or misunderstanding happen? It must be a combination of our listening and communication skills or lack thereof. A skill like paraphrasing what was just expressed is important. As leaders we must seek to understand and know how to correctly obtain clarification. If we don't understand the situations, feelings, or problems, it wouldn't be possible to lead effectively. "Seek to understand, then to be understood." I love that quote! I will definitely keep it in mind as I head out into the world to communicate with others. Win Win. I have heard this said many times. "It's a win win situation." Finding a true win win situation takes effort from all involved. As I thought of my current situation this year, I reflected on my feelings. I am most comfortable keeping to myself and working at my own (often accelerated) pace. This year, I am new to a grade level, with new members. I am that teacher who works all the time. My car is usually the last to leave the parking lot. I am planning lessons or looking for resources on weekends (I actually look forward to long weekends so I can spend more time reflecting and planning.) I also work through my lunch. Honestly, I don't like to be in the staff lounge. In the past, I've been at sites where I found myself defending my profession, defending students or parents, and defending curriculum or practices. I am not one who likes to complain or vent. I like to be focused and to find solutions. With that being said, you can imagine my anxiety when one of my team members purposed having lunch together at least three times a week. Initially, I was ready with the excuses: "I don't eat fast food." "I like to work through my lunch." Oh, trust me, I have many more where those came from. Something I learned in my last course kept me from holding strong to my no answer. With a friendly smile, I reluctantly agreed to one lunch a week off campus.
As I reflect on this year and how it started with a running start in a new grade with new team members, I must admit I had the most challenging of all starts to any school year I have ever had. I feared my lunches would only add to the stress. I was wrong. My lunches are building a friendship with my two team members. I was relieved to find that they don't want to meet to vent or complain. They really want to be a positive source of support or escape from the challenges we can each relate to. I am so glad I agreed to the lunches. I knew I wanted a strong team and I wanted to be part of an effective team. I can see we are well on our way to that. This may or may not have happened without the lunch dates, but for us it is a win win situation. I entered the school year understanding that I needed to be willing and understanding. The best things happen when you open yourself to the possibilities that exist outside of your comfort zone. For me, the win is that I am building a relationship with my colleagues outside of PLC time but still within my needs, and for them the win is that they get the time off campus to build the friendship they are seeking outside of the parameters of work. It is a valuable skill to seek the middle way. In order for all to win, there must be a way that all benefit. It is there, we just need to know how to look for it. The timing of this assignment was impeccable. As I experienced a family emergency at the same time the school year was starting with a crisis unlike any other I ever experienced in my class my planned time to work on my own priority of achieving my master's degree and learning a new grade level was interrupted. Stopping to prioritize my time was hugely important. When I allowed myself the precious time to complete my assignments I was met with this idea of developing habit 3 which is to put first things first. It truly resonated with me. Throughout the last few challenging 3 weeks, I must have told myself several times to focus on what needs to be done now and be okay with pushing other things aside. Life is full of challenges and struggles. It always has the audacity to present those challenges on its own schedule. Life never considers my packed schedule nor the time of year or day. As family members we are faced with medical emergencies, family crisis, or unexpected changes. As an educator I am faced with a new group of students and sometimes new staff or admin that will bring forth their own challenge. We plan for things to be a certain way and then they are not that way at all. How dare things reveal to be out of our control. With that being said, it was important for me to reflect on this idea of putting what is important to me and my true north first. Putting first things first demands that one take the time to have that personal discussion with one's self about what is important. What is my focus? What do I need to feel successful and happy? How will I achieve that? What do I need in order to stick to my list?
It is challenging to stay to focused, but when I look up to see where I am along the path to reaching my goals it is satisfying to see it coming closer to my reach. It is also important to know that along the way there will be bumps in the road and sometimes roadblocks. How we deal with those will lead to developing my professional and personal character. Sometimes we can't change what faces us, but we do have control over how we approach it. Under all this pressure, I have been able to set aside the smaller things such as chores, searching for engaging lessons to try in the future, and the interview over coffee being done via email instead. I appreciate that I can stay calm and have the skills to focus and prioritize. Learning that I should always prioritize in order to remain focused on the larger goal is valuable. I understand that re-evaluating the list of priorities is a habit that will help me to be successful. I also understand that some things are not as important and only when I am faced with something that challenges those priorities will the true priorities appear. That larger personal goal, or my true north, will always reveal itself no matter how muddy the waters become with urgent issues. I must make it a habit to stay focused and put first things first. I am working towards living to that truth. Habit #2 Begin with the End in Mind As I venture into the realm of leadership in my field (education), I am not so sure my end is clear. I see a shift happening in education. I am excited to see this change taking place. Education has long been cemented in traditions. I am excited to hear about change and of the conversations about traditional education not being relevant in today's world. I know that in the end, I want to be a part of that movement. I want to be a pioneer in exploring what school is and should be in this new global and technologically based society. With that being said, I am not sure how to get there. I want to provoke change. I want to be a part of the creation process. I want to be in a position where my ideas and voice are both heard, but I still have a fuzzy vision of my role as a leader, and I don't have a clear end. I see details that want to be different, but I need to focus on my end result. Where will I be? What will I do to create the vision of this new school idea in my mind? What steps will I take? I know that I have taken some steps. I am in a change-driven and forward-thinking master's program. I also have made changes in my own classroom in an effort to create something nontraditional. I decided to make the learning space more learner centered. I wanted to bring student choice into my room. So, in my vision I saw tools in open spaces where children could easily access them if and when they needed or wanted. I removed the teacher desk. There is not a "teachers only" section on full blast in their space any longer. I am on a path of change. I am committed to focusing on where I see myself in the future and working towards establishing what my role will be. I am committed to beginning my process of leadership with the end in mind.
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