Making Hard Choices

"Making hard choices can actually be liberating because it helps you define who you truly are and demonstrates the power we all have to shape our lives." 

These words have been on my mind since they popped up in my inbox this week.

These words come from Susan David, Author of Emotional Agility. Someone who knows her way around humans and the role of emotional intelligence and agility in our lives. 

These words brought me to this point in time specifically.
A time in which teachers, school staff and students are heading into a new academic year.
A time that still holds so much uncertainty even after a year and a half of turbulence.
We are moving from an extremely challenging year only to follow it with another.

We already know that the most challenging decisions to be made are the norm. As teachers continue to make considerations about how to accommodate their learners in their spaces, let's envision for a moment that teachers begin with one immediate hard choice.

To do more, with less stuff. 

Less, not just because we need to be mindful of the spacing requirements necessary during a pandemic, but...
Less, because we want it that way.
Less, because it helps us focus.
Less, because this practice can change our lives. 

What will this mean to you as an educator this year?
Will this give you a sense of satisfaction knowing you are ridding yourself of some burdens?

This choice is not to be made for admin, other teachers or parents.
The choice for you.
For you to begin your year with a little clarity. 

When you commit to making this kind of hard choice, you are preparing yourself to create space to focus on what matters.
You are committing to changing something that you know means to be changed.
​And that says a lot about how you need your teaching life to be.