Mindful Monday: Tiny Nudges

Over the summer, I read Becoming Better Grownups: Rediscovering What Matters and Remembering How to Fly by Brad Montague. 

He speaks to the fact of wrestling with his own insignificance and wonders if he’s doing anything with his '​little' life to help shape a better tomorrow. He talks about feeling small and helpless in a world so big that what impact can he really have?

In his book, he recalls a conversation that he had with NASA astronaut, Ron Garan. Montague asked him, "Are we doomed?" Garan's response was this, "If an asteroid were heading straight for our planet, we have been conditioned to think, the obvious solution is to do something big. Blow the thing up. We’ve gotten in the habit of thinking that all challenges must be met with something forceful and grand." This thinking, he explained, is not true. "If an asteroid were hurtling toward us and it meant certain doom for people we love here on Earth, NASA’s solution would be to send a small aircraft. The small aircraft would get close enough to the object and just give it a slight nudge. Yes. It would just give a little nudge with nothing more than the force of a feather. This little nudge would completely shift the course of the object and save all human life on Earth." 

Montague goes on to say, “Now, not a day goes by that I don’t think about the tiny nudges. The little things that completely altered the trajectory of something seemingly impossible to move. The small, insignificant pushes that alter the course of my life and the lives of people around me. Though we might want to do big, grand things to make our mark on this universe, maybe the boldest, biggest thing we can do is propel a brighter future forward with little, tiny nudges.” 

So, as you start another school year, don’t doubt your impact. You don’t have to be teacher of the year. You don’t have to be teacher famous on the Gram or TikTok. You don't have to be the next Rita Pierson. And you don't have to be every student's favorite teacher. I assure you, you are nudging our students in genuine, intentional, meaningful ways each and every day. No matter how small of a gesture or kind act, YOU are altering the course of their future in the best possible ways you can't yet imagine. "To provide little loving nudges every day is to do something very big," states Montague. 

On a side note, I highly recommend Becoming Better Grownups or anything from Brad Montague for that matter. If you are interested in reading more from him, check out his site, The Enthusiast. 

Mindful Monday: Finding Your Marigold

 As you start to settle in this year, have you found your "marigold"? 

If you garden, you may be familiar with the idea of companion plants. This is an idea that you would grow ​a secondary plant that enhances and/or protects your main plant. For example, rose gardeners plant garlic near their roses because it repels bugs. Likewise, marigolds are used as companion plants in vegetable gardens for their ability to repel pests, attract pollinators, and improve soil health.

Stay with me, I promise I have a point. 

In order to thrive this year, you need to find your "marigold". Marigolds in teaching are those cheering you on. They are staff members lifting you up. Marigolds are co-workers that are spreading positivity. 

In order to flourish and shine your brightest this year, be sure to plant yourself near marigolds. ​

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This idea is from a post titled Find Your Marigold from Cult of Pedagogy that I ran across many years ago. If you have a few extra minutes, it's worth the read. 

Mindful Monday: It's Okay to Pass the Baton

At the start of a new school year, administration often tells staff something along the lines of, "Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself. There’s a lot that has to happen before now and May." And while they are not wrong - there is a lot that has to happen between now and May, I no longer think of a school year as a marathon. Instead, I think a school year should be looked at as a relay race.

Marathons are long. No one can run it for you. All 138,435 feet have to be run by you, and you alone. And let's face it- not everyone who starts a marathon finishes it, despite their best intentions. 

Teaching should never feel isolating. It's not all on you to get your class to the finish line. We can’t do it by ourselves. Therefore, we must start thinking of teaching as a relay. It's something we do together where we each play a part. We each have a time to shine and a time when we can pass the baton. We have to lean on each other. At the end of the day, we are better together.

So before we start with what's sure to be another great year at 'The Creek', here are a few thoughts from Todd Nesloney’s recent blog. He writes, "The way we begin shapes the story we write." So let's write a memorable story. There’s no need to start with rules and procedures on day one. There will be time for that. Capitalize on the excitement this first week of school holds. Consider doing something unexpected. Teach them a new game, get hands on with an experiment, or start a read aloud. Get. Them. Hooked. Whatever it is, get them just as excited to come back the 2nd week of school. Here is a one minute video from Thomas Murray that I shared several years ago that speaks to capitalizing on this excitement.  

I leave you with this final thought, as you envision what this year holds for you and your students, know that it’s not about creating perfect moments, being the perfect teacher, nor having the perfect results.

Wishing you all a year filled with heart, filled with passion, and filled with purpose! 

Mindful Monday: Finding the Joy

I’ve never known anyone to call teaching easy. Is it fun? Absolutely! Is it unpredictable? Almost always. Is it ever changing? You can count on it. But easy? Anything, but! 

So if teaching isn't easy, then it must be hard. And if it's hard, then chances are it's tiring and even daunting at times. I don't say all this to get you down. Instead, I say this to remind each of you that despite the hard times, we must chose to focus on the light. It’s absolutely imperative that we find joy in the journey.

We must find joy in the everyday moments. Find joy in the small things. We can't just wait for the big moments to come along. And we certainly can't wait till the end of the year to celebrate our accomplishments. We must acknowledge and celebrate the daily wins! 

Soak it in when your students' faces light up when they realize that they get to have you as their teacher this year.

Celebrate when you are able to finish your cup of coffee before it's completely cold. 

Find the joy when you're teaching your favorite subject.   

Wishing each of you a school year filled with lots of joy found along the way.