Remember the day you decided to be a teacher/librarian/administrator/educator? Why was that? I hope it wasn't because of the holidays and summers (although that is a most fantastic side benefit!). I'm willing to guess it was because you either excelled at a certain subject and wanted to share it or you just had that passion to be in the classroom to emulate a role model. Perhaps it was because you wanted to change the world. Hopefully, it was something awesome and audacious that made you want to not only pass on knowledge but to learn as well.
Oh, but let's not forget the bumps along the roads that can slow you down. Sometimes we land somewhere at the wrong time and it left a bad taste in your mouth. It could have been the responsibility may have been too heavy. More often than not, it's the change that's the biggest bump. Changes come gradually or be all up in your face, but change itself is a fact of life. We go through it everyday, so really it shouldn't be a surprise.
What's the most worrisome is slowly but surely, the lack of enthusiasm or even passion begins to wane. People become entrenched, set in their ways and don't want to conform because they'd rather stand in than stand out. It could also be the same old same old day in and out that slowly chips away at the passion. If neither of these fit, it may just be the passage of time. Whatever it could be, the energy runs low.
I know... I keep saying "you" but really, this is also the story of me too. I've come against the monsters, bumps, and deficits. I've been somewhere at the wrong time and have hit the wall full-on to change. But what I DIDN'T do was refuse to give up. I am not only the sum of my personal life, but my professional one as well and I wanted to be audacious. But more than that all is the curiosity I had making me wonder the two biggest words that changed my professional life..."What if"...
Everyday I still face the giants of responsibility, change, and my profession. But it's also those same days that I continue to work on my audaciousness, my what-if worlds of possibilities, and my wonder to see what's around the corner. And all of this comes from learning from those I am in awe of, teaching something new that has so much potential, and making my environment (the library! YES!!!!) as fresh and alive as possible.
I don't think anyone really wants to live in a dark, windowless room. We didn't start out that way. So if there is such a thing in your life that is affecting your professionalism, the best place to start is the very first day you fell in love with your job. Slowly, those dirty panes will slough away, but guess what? You're the only one that can make that happen.
Let's make it an audacious year, day by day!! Happy 2014-2015 school year!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment