ME Time - Mindful Educator

I like to be in control of most situations in my life. Planning for my family, organizing and knowing specific details regarding events in my families life or work events simultaneously relieves and enhances my anxiety. I am not a very spontaneous person. I feel more in control by keeping my Google Calendar up to date with personal and work meetings/appointments, activities and reminders readily reminding me of what needs to get accomplished throughout the day. Daily, I'm adding to my calendar, checking my calendar and adjusting events that I may need to cancel, move around or push back for another time.  I'm not good with just being. I have "to do" lists for regular household chores, work responsibilities and getting to the gym or studio routines. As a mom, leader, wife, I feel like I am constantly multi-tasking and sometimes I feel like everything is important. However, there are other times when I get too over scheduled, which then enhances my anxieties, because th...

Part of being a successful leader, is reflecting on what went well each school year and what you need to change in your own actions, instruction practices and personal or professional development. The phrase "We've always done it this way" is a dangerous mindset that hinders progress and innovation. We don't need to change for the sake of change, but we use data from assessments as well as the collective needs of students or staff as well as patterns of challenges or successes to develop possible action plans and solutions, for what's best for the school community.  Summer break for a school leader is not just for fun and downtime, which we desperately need to balance out our lives, but for deep reflection and development as well. There are times where I am all by myself in my building; all secretaries and custodians have left for vacation, project contractors are working on other schools and teachers are nowhere near coming into school to work in their classrooms...

Several times in my life, I've been told "you can't do it". One of my core memories is my high school college counselor telling me that I shouldn't even bother applying for college because I wasn't the best student behaviorally and my grades reflected my challenges with my social emotional mindset. I then became hell-bend in proving him wrong. When I became a principal in 2015, I wanted to find him and tell him that he was wrong, and that I did become successful. I was enough and I did have worth, even as a difficult student. I had become a strong woman, effective leader, loving wife and mother. But, it turns out that he passed away and I wasn't able to rub my success in his face.  But truthfully I didn't make the goals, sacrifices, appropriate choices or personal developments for him.  I did it because I truly believed in myself and knew that I could be more than the delinquent high school student. I had a fire within me!!!  Sometimes we thrive within...