My New Mantra: Growth

Next school year will mark the beginning of my seventh year in education. I'm moving districts, working with new people, and living in a new place. This will be a major adventure for me personally and professionally. After three years of being an instructional technologist, I feel much more settled in my role as a trainer and collaborator with classroom teachers. I'm definitely beyond the "survival" stage of new teaching, you could say. As I move forward, my goal is to foster meaningful growth for my teachers and for myself. Growth can be painful, but it is ultimately (hopefully) rewarding. As I've been planning my next moves in the coming months, I keep thinking about a poem by my favorite American poet: E. E. Cummings.

                         in time of daffodils (who know 
                         the goal of living is to grow) 
                         forgetting why, remember how

                         in time of lilacs who proclaim 
                         the aim of waking is to dream, 
                         remember so (forgetting seem) 

                         in time of roses (who amaze 
                         our now and here with paradise) 
                         forgetting if, remember yes 

                         in time of all sweet things beyond 
                         whatever mind may comprehend, 
                         remember seek (forgetting find) 

                         and in a mystery to be 
                         (when time from time shall set us free) 
                         forgetting me, remember me. 

My mama named me April because she thought it was a beautiful month (my birthday is in July).  April comes from the Latin "to open".  This poem says we should be open to life, to the "yes", the search, the "how" of living.  I tend to get his sing-song stanzas stuck in my head, and "daffodils who know the goal of living is to grow" has been bouncing around in my thoughts for about a month now.

Working with teachers and inspiring growth and change can be really difficult, especially when you or the teachers feel underappreciated and/or under-supported.  In the challenges that will come next year, I'm going to keep focusing on growth, on making a positive difference, no matter how small.  I'm also going to stop and smell the flowers along the way.