"Good morning, Cori...how are you?" "I'm good, and yourself?" "Doing well." "Great! Have a good day." "You too." 30 seconds and the moment is gone. That is a familiar "outward conversation", but what is the "real conversation" that is hiding behind the niceties? "Good morning, Cori...how are you?" "To be honest, I'm struggling." "I understand, how can I help?"... 30 seconds and the moment is changed, impact is made. I have been thinking quite a bit about time, lately. It is something that we seem to never have enough of, it is something we are trying to conquer, it is something that we are "up against"...BUT it is something we ALL have and it is free. So how are we spending our time? On Monday, a small group of teachers, including myself, will be embarking on a new adventure and WE ARE EXCITED!! Our district is "piloting" a new summer school program for 5/6 graders. Each student will be taking part in a two hour "Math Academy" (which I am teaching) and a two hour "STEAM Camp". Here is what is unique: ANY child that will be entering 5th or 6th grade is welcome, they don't even need to be from our district. Students are not placed in classes for remediation nor are they placed for extension. Their placement in our classes are totally random. To me, this is an amazing gift! But it is also an amazing responsibility. Because these students are from all walks of life, come with varying skills, confidence, understanding and experiences with math- culture matters more than ever. I often say #cultureovercurriculum - spend the time to build culture up front or it will be very difficult to get students to understand the curriculum. But we have a hiccup... time. The goals for the Math Academy are this: - Change Mathematical Mindsets - Foster Mathematical Discourse - Build number sense - Make math fun -Make math sticky -Build confidence Well- here is the kicker- we ONLY have 18 days! 18! Part of my role, which I was sooo excited about, was to help facilitate the PD for the teachers to get them ready... but how can I act pumped up about it, when I couldn't wrap my mind around that short little time frame? And then I had a "switch flip moment" which I shared with the group. I thought to myself, we only have 18 days. And then it clicked. Oh my gosh, we HAVE 18 days...to make a difference. We can make a difference in just one moment...how many moments will we have in 18 days? We can do this... Let's make a difference! And so with that, I have been walking around with a new lens. I have tried to tune in to life more. I have been focusing more on the small moments, because those are the ones that often produce huge gains, but if we don't slow down, they go unnoticed. Here are some small moments that have made a difference to me personally, over this last week: - someone sharing a quote that reminds them of me - someone reaching out to me to share something they are struggling with and asking me for help - someone checking in on me on a regular basis - someone allowing me to do what I love to do, on a whim - someone telling me they believe in me - someone sharing appreciation for something I didn't even realize - someone taking a chance on me and providing an opportunity - someone listening to my stream of consciuoness - someone sharing a risk they have taken - someone letting me know that they read what I write All of these things took only moments on the other person's part, but their impact is ever lasting. I love this TED talk by Drew Dudley- Everyday Leadership . In this he describes what he calls "Lollipop Moments". Well, when this was shared with me a few years ago, the person shared it with this message "Made me think of you." - right there- that person gave me a "Lollipop Moment" herself. Here is my call to action: First, reflect and find those small moments, those "Lollipop Moments" that have impacted you. Now, keep those in mind as you move through your day today. How do you want to use the moments your are given? Whether it is with students, staff, adults, children, friends, colleagues, strangers. How can you make an impact on others?
1 Comment
Judy Bowers
7/1/2018 04:54:20 pm
Nice, Cori. Inspiring and realistic. Sounds like summer school will be full of wonderful, wondering moments! Good for you.
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