Jenna's Journey

I'm late.  This was due Monday.  It's Wednesday at 5:20 and I'm just making it happen.  That's not like me, but this week it's what I needed to do.  It's not because of time and the inability to get it done, but because I'm sitting in a fast paced funk of a leadership stint where things are completely out of my control and they are damaging to my heart and soul. The things I really need to share are not able to be shared. So for that, I'm sorry.  You'll just have to sit in the funk with me and know the place I'm talking about from your own experiences as a leader.  It's the funk that is lonely and isolating because you can't speak. Those are the rules.  You can't create narrative.  You can't act.  You can't inform.  You can't protect and defend.  That's a funky place we hate to be.  It's counter to what we are meant to do.  It drives us crazy. It's also ironic that my last post was about not wanting to always s...

I reflect a lot.  If there is anything I am taking away from this process, and especially my mid year conversations, it is that I reflect and analyze a lot.  I love the study of human behavior and I ponder what people are doing and why they are doing it more than I like to admit.  I can't escape it.  Not even at brunch. I love to understand what's happening.  I also apply this to myself as a learner, as a leader, and as a human. I'm a processor of information and the humanness of the work we do.  I think through my decisions and my actions with precision of detail and consider the impacts of every move I make. That is great.  I see myself and I see others with sometimes too much clarity.  While great, it's also my achilles heel. My brain doesn't shut off.  When I'm learning, I'm processing.  When I'm acting, I'm processing.  When I'm trying to sleep, I'm processing.  What if? What's next? Why in the first place? I spend so much...

Coming back from winter break is always hard.  That taste of stillness and freedom always creates a mini depression in me coming back to work.  I miss my family and the quality time with loved ones.  It's the time I always miss being back home most.  It's the time I find it hardest to anchor into my bigger purpose of service.  It's the time I want to continue resting and serving myself for a minute.  I linger on that thought.  I, as you do, spend so much time pouring into others and I am incredibly resilient and able to separate my work from my personal well being most of the time.  That said, winter break reminds me how important self care is and how hard it is to serve well when you're not rested and taken care of.  Our collective stamina is so impressive.  The way we continue to get up and give our all is not matched in any other group of people or profession I've encountered in my life but I would be remiss not to mention how much ge...

I love this time of year.  Things are busy but in a different kind of way than the normal muss and fuss of the daily grind.  People are moving around for family and friend events.  People are seeking to bring joy to others. People are gathering to celebrate and find joy in being together as humans.  The busy nature is hectic but in a way that seems to bring peace and prompt the quiet silence and stillness that is winter break and holiday celebration.  Given our work in the APA cohort around holidays, I've been more reflective through this time, paying attention to details and celebrations that highlight particular cultures and practices.  I've noticed how the celebrations and events that I love may isolate others and how we need to do better as a system to celebrate all voices, traditions, and experiences.  I find myself wondering about the feelings and thoughts of those that go unnoticed through the celebrations we cherish and the spaces we create to ...

Ten years ago I was sitting in my classroom at my previous school on the verge of tears, frustrated, and disheartened.  I became a teacher to serve, to make an impact, and to use my brain and heart to grow students.  My entire life, I envisioned my classroom.  I thought of all the amazing lessons I could teach, the projects I could lead, and the students I could reach.  My dream was not my reality.  Teaching was hard.  The situation I found myself in was impossible.  The support was lacking, the innovation was stagnate, traditional structures limited what was possible, the culture was weak, and everyone felt it. I felt I was making no progress in my own practice or in my student's lives. I hated most days of that journey. After a particularly challenging day, I sat there at my computer and decided I was done.  I Googled other careers and found nothing that could get me out fast enough.  I then clicked enter on the most important Google search...

Prompt: What are you noticing about the level of cultural responsiveness in your school rituals, routines and celebrations? What are the implications for your leadership? As I reflect on the level of cultural responsiveness in my school my thoughts consistently land on the need for a school wide common definition of what it means to be culturally responsive. While many of the aspects of who we are tip toe in the realm of cultural responsiveness (i.e EL curriculum designs and CREW structures), we are just beginning to use the term to define our work and give depth to our collective purpose. We cite cultural responsiveness in our work plan in both faculty learning targets and our leadership goals for the year, but we have not come to a consensus on what that means. The moment is here for a looks like/sounds like unpacking for classroom practices and school wide systems, structures, and supports. As we begin to design the next professional learning cycle and redesign our work structure...