Friday 1 September 2017

Perspective

My Grandfather died this week at the respectable age of 95. He – my Poppy - was the most laid-back person I knew. He never got worked up about little issues and always seemed to have a different perspective, from just about everyone else, on most things. But this never bothered him.  Attending his funeral this week gave me the opportunity to chat with the family and the many friends he had and to listen to their stories. Everyone had a story about Poppy. And as sad as it was, it was a great opportunity for me to reflect on my relationship with him and the way he had chosen to live his life. This then led me to contemplate my own life.

At the start of this year I had very specific goals and things that I wanted to achieve. We are nearly 3/4 of the way through the year and I have already achieved most of those, plus more. I have happily put in lots of extra time and thought into my projects and experimented with some creative learning opportunities for the students, their parents and, even the staff. Professionally, I am very proud of what I am doing and where I am headed. But perhaps I have let other areas go unattended.

In my haste to forge ahead, I haven’t taken the time to reflect on where I have been. While I pride myself on being an innovative Teacher, always looking for ways to make my lessons more exciting and engaging for my students. However, taking more time to reflect on what we did in class and points which can be improved, might just make those lessons more innovative, engaging and exciting - adding a little more clarity and refreshing the ideas. Just last week I read the book, The most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires to my Pre-Prep class.  It is a story about a girl trying to invent something magnificent but struggles for ideas. Finally, she goes for a walk, taking the time to reflect and consider what she has done and what she could do. Suddenly I realised that this simple lesson from a picture book was one I could take on board myself. 

On my desk I have a quote from George Couros. It says “In a world that is constantly moving forward, if you are standing still, you are falling behind.” I love this because it gives me motivation to keep pushing to be a better teacher for my students but this is only part of the story. Instead of blindly surging forward I need to learn from what I have done and from what my students have taught me. Perhaps a better quote for me would be one from U.S. businessman, Peter Drucker, which says: Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action. Definitely worth thinking about!

Beyond the classroom, I need to take the time to count my blessings for the wonderful opportunities afforded to me and for the people in my life who take the time to encourage and support me. Without them I would not have had the confidence to move beyond my comfort zone and grow as both a person and a professional. Once again life keeps moving forward and all too soon the moment to say ‘thank you’ has passed and so this is another area of my life on which I would like to reflect.

My Poppy was not an educated man. He worked hard his whole life but he also took time to enjoy his life. By the time I came into this world, he already had 50+ years’ experience and so, to me, he always seemed to have his priorities sorted. He appreciated the simple things in life and took the time to enjoy them. Poppy made time for others, not just to have a chat but to really listen to what they had to say. In short, Poppy took the time that I have often thought I don’t have. So, although it has been a sad week for me, it has been in reflecting on my Grandfather’s life that I have learnt a great deal about my own. Thanks Poppy!