Jann’s Jottings #1
Jann’s Jottings # 1
“The most practical pages for perusal on the web”
Jotting (defn): short details of significant events, behaviours and conversations about wellbeing, growth, and career.
Wellbeing Jot: Being and doing
Wellbeing can’t be measured by finances or be traded on the stock market. It is a state of being, not doing. It is about a feeling of satisfaction, comfort, or ease within ourselves, beauty in our surroundings, the quality of relationships, time spent in peace.
Ponder this: What is possible when you give yourself time to be?
Growth Jot: Imposter alert
“We don’t have to wait for our confidence to rise to achieve challenging goals. We can build it through achieving challenging goals” (Adam Grant). Is Imposter syndrome holding you back?
I’d love to help with that, let’s chat.
Career Jot: Work/life Rhythm
We all strive for work life balance. But what is that and is it even possible? Certainly, in the world of education where school bells, timetables, excursions, carnivals, data collection, reporting, meetings, family responsibilities make up the pattern of each term, there is little control over the way in which a teacher can influence their own work-life balance. Instead, I prefer to think of the school year as a rhythm and each week within that as having a rhythm of its own. Once we know the rhythm, we can work with it and not against it.
I love a good metaphor: Think of the ocean. Waves form a regular pattern of larger and smaller waves. The larger waves are called sets. The smaller waves a lull. Term 1 starts and with our new swimmers on, warm sun and we are ready to jump in the water. We crest the big sets of first parent-teacher interviews, negotiate tricky currents of children with different needs, persevere and overcome the rigours of a couple of sports carnivals, excursions, and experience the camaraderie of colleagues before coming back to the beach for break. After a few Easter eggs and board games we are back in the ocean with bigger sets of waves like reporting deadlines to add to the mix. The waves more strident, more demanding, more accountable, the time is short, we feel an urgency to keep up, to keep giving of our best and sometimes wondering why we signed up for this swim in the first place. We catch ourselves daydreaming - perhaps a different adventure is calling us, perhaps the grass is greener, perhaps the road is flatter and easier in another pursuit? But we are teachers, we are resilient, purposeful, generous, and giving and we know we have the mental fitness to finish the race.
Term 3 begins, and we are in our stride. Weather and water are cooler, but we are prepared – we can do this, and we are encouraged by our companions along the way. Third term also has a few big sets perhaps a dance concert, another sports carnival, significant community event, staffing and a bit of wind and rain, but we feel the rhythm of achievement in our teaching and our strokes are strong. As we look towards the beach, the weather is warming, there is promise in new growth and we are happy with our progress so far. By now we are not fighting the rhythm of the year, we know a rest stop is just around the corner, we have learnt to use the lulls to ease up and we know self-care is important.
Fourth term arrives. The end of this marathon swim is within reach and although we have reports and other commitments we will finish. Here it is our mental fitness that comes into its own and we know that even though our time is short, and our lists are long, our bodies are weary, and the waves keep coming, we have the endurance to complete the marathon, and the school year, well and we do.
From the vantage point of the massage table, the deck chair or bush retreat, we look back at the rhythm of the year and can see the steep, peak waves, the steady slower times, the times in between and we know that we would not be fulfilled if we were not doing this wonderful, purposeful and meaningful work of giving the gift of a love of learning and belonging to those in our care.
So instead of striving for work-life balance, work-life rhythm enables a longer more satisfying perspective, and we can stop striving and go with the flow.
Easier said than done. Let’s chat.
“You are loved, valued and worthy. Keep up your great work!”
