I decided to break my posts up for this week's reading, especially after reading Chapter 4. This chapter is one I wish I had many years earlier in my career. The title: Determine how to do what matters most and let go of the rest.
When in college, I had a vague idea of how to do "academic" lesson plans. I believe there is a place for these plans, but it was not made clear that I was not going to be able to sustain my well-being if I planned every lesson this intensely. A teacher can definitely think in this manner, but writing it all out takes an enormous amount of time in one's week.
What we did not discuss was prioritizing, which is the theme of this chapter. I believe it might be the early destruction of too many teaching careers. I hope it's being addressed better now, but I doubt it. As I am embarking on another student teacher's journey, this chapter reminded me that this is a topic I must address.
I see teaching as a marathon that one never finishes. I used to think there should be a feeling of being finished. Early in my career, it was not unusual for me to pull all-nighters in an attempt to get everything done. The last time I did so, three months later I was looking at a home pregnancy test and panicked as to the idea of not caring for my physical health at his earliest stages of development. Luckily, that baby boy is in college, but it was a wake up call that this craziness had to stop.
Watson recommends a prioritized to-do list. Some of what she mentioned reminds me of Seven Habits training, especially the subheading, Urgent and important aren't always the same. It reminded me of the four quadrants Covey uses in Habit 3. That book was a game changer for me, and probably saved my life when I read it. Theme: not everything is of equal importance.
I find writing down my tasks to be very important. I am at my best when I write them on Post-Its or cute note paper and toss the Post-Its when I have completed all that is necessary. There's something about physically throwing them way that assists in the great feeling of getting them done. Plus, Post-Its are mobile. If something is an urgent action (as in something that must be done at the end of the day before the students leave), my colleague and friend, Maureen, places the Post-Its on her door so she can see them as she leaves her room.
I like the question Watson recommends to ask: What would happen if I didn't do this task? I have a task on my list that I have placed lower in priority that is now gaining importance on my list because it is time-bound in nature. I have said to myself all week, "You don't need to do this now." However, this weekend, it is top priority. Pushing it lower allowed me to get a great deal done that needed to be done.
Her recommendation about grouping similar tasks together is an interesting one. I think there is a limit to that. I used to be mainly an ELA teacher. Grading a group of student writing at one time was NEVER mentally acceptable for me. In fact, it drove me nuts. I did not feel I was fairly grading student papers when I kept pushing through just to get the task done. So, I think this depends on the task one is considering.
Watson makes a great suggestion when she discusses celebrating accomplishments. When she said, "Celebrate yourself the same way you'd celebrate a student who persevered through a dreaded task..." I immediately thought of how many times a week I do that very thing for kids. I must start doing it for myself!
I agree with Watson 100% when she states, "...the kids are the most important thing, and the work is secondary." Ultimately, I don't care of my room is decked out like an apartment or if a bulletin board is in seemingly urgent need of being changed. I need to be sure I do what is needed for the teaching of the students FIRST. The rest is icing.
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