The Start of Something New
Over the last two decades, I have worked closely with district leaders, principals, and teachers. Repeatedly, these educators shared stories about the hardships of their work. Rarely, would I hear stories about the joy and passion they felt for their work. In my work as a consultant, I observed many moments of celebration, however, the celebration was not the story educators were leading with. They were leading with stories of the pressures of high stakes testing, imposed mandates, and society’s lack of trust for the work they do. I noticed behaviors that demonstrated self doubt, fear of speaking up, and fear of taking action. I also noticed anxiety, exhaustion, frustration and despair. What I was observing was diminishing hope, as if what could be was hidden in thick fog. Does any of this sound familiar to you?
You see, I know what it’s like to not be able to see what could be. I know what it’s like to feel powerless. Over the last two decades, I, too, have felt constricted by the profession that is my passion. As a consultant, I visited many schools and observed in many classrooms across the country. What I saw left my mind, body and soul feeling lost and confused. I knew that if we truly wanted children to grow up to be productive citizens something had to change. At the same time I felt like there was nothing I could do. That was the story I was telling myself. The system was too big for me to try to change it. The conflicting feelings had me paralyzed. I was in the grips of fear-fear that no one would listen to me, fear that my idea couldn’t be successful, fear of failure. I told myself that I was not an expert. I told myself that it would take too much work. I was letting my fears get in the way of me living my best life, living my purpose.
But I had an idea that would not leave me alone.
There was a quiet voice inside of me whispering, “You can do better.” The voice kept interrupting the fear stories I was telling myself. But every time I heard the voice my fear would scream loudly, “You are going to fail!” This was the dialogue going on in my head until nine months ago when I quit my job. My soul was dying and I had to do something to save myself, help other educators who were feeling like me, and the children in the system I loved.
I floundered for two months. I spent my time looking for a new job but refusing to make myself small for the job. I showed up for interviews fully as my authentic self making no apologies. During this time I was also introduced to coaching. This introduction became the wind beneath my wings. With the help of a coach, I got clear about what I stand for. It taught me to trust my intuition and how to make space for my fears instead of trying to ignore them. I learned to align my values so that my mind, body, soul, and spirit acted in concerted effort. Most importantly, I was able to take action and bring my dream-the idea that would not leave me-come to life. My coach held me accountable for my actions.
I always believed that deep inside of me I was part of something bigger. I knew that there was more possible then what is currently happening in education. I knew that my purpose was to impact a transformation in our education system.
I see COVID-19 as a gift. It has provided space, opened a door to what else is possible. Are you ready to explore what’s behind the door? I invite you to join me in taking a step into discovery. Go ahead, take a deep breath and push the door open. I know how scary it is to step into the unknown. I promise to be right there with you standing strong when you can’t. Together we can let imagination soar about what is possible. We can play with ideas, try them on like an item of clothing. If the idea doesn’t fit, we can take it off and try on something else. As we are playing, we are resting, healing, and recovering so that we can reconnect with joy and our sense of purpose.
If this resonates with you, connect with me and let’s get to work being the transformation we want to see. Let’s start the revolution!