I am an eternal "beginner" yoga student. I accept that I may not ever be able to lower my heels all the way to the ground while doing downward dog. A handstand seems an unlikely possibility.
Despite my lack of physical progress in yoga, I have progressed from the mindset that yoga practice helps us to...well, to practice. One of the powerful practices that I have taken away is that of setting intentions. Miraculously, like a handstand, I do find that when I set my intentions, I achieve them. Motivate the mind; the body will follow.
Today as I organized my desk, preparing mentally for my 21st academic year and 2nd as Head of School, I thought often of setting my intentions for the new school year and for the day. My desk is loaded with tasks that are important to accomplish, correspondence that requires response, and articles that should be read. Where to begin? How long do I have to get it all done? The work of an effective educational leader is never done --- "ongoing" we like to call it --- so how can we know when we have accomplished enough for the day, the week, the year? And as I waivered between productivity and a sense of anxiety about all that should get done, I stopped and scribbled down four tasks that had to get done today. Four tasks on a neon yellow post-it note. And as I found myself getting distracted, I came back to my intentions for myself at my desk today. And my intention for the year. ONE THING AT A TIME.
And as I finish this last line, I also cross off the last of the 4 items on my neon yellow list. Writing. My last item on the neon yellow post it, the most rewarding of my day, get back to the blog. Picking up where I left off, getting back to what I set out to do: sharing my passion for education based and my joy in working with smaller and younger people who wonder, demand, mess up, learn and create.
As I look forward to a new school year, I hope to remember to share with teachers, students and parents the power of setting intentions. Call them what you'd like: goals, learning objectives, student outcomes or simply intentions. When we are clear about our intentions, and we keep our course set to achieving them, we are able to do it. I hope that the new year will be filled with talking about our learning goals or intentions each day, so that each day, each student will do, learn and create something new and of value for themselves and others. Why bother coming to school at all if not to do just that?
Despite my lack of physical progress in yoga, I have progressed from the mindset that yoga practice helps us to...well, to practice. One of the powerful practices that I have taken away is that of setting intentions. Miraculously, like a handstand, I do find that when I set my intentions, I achieve them. Motivate the mind; the body will follow.
Today as I organized my desk, preparing mentally for my 21st academic year and 2nd as Head of School, I thought often of setting my intentions for the new school year and for the day. My desk is loaded with tasks that are important to accomplish, correspondence that requires response, and articles that should be read. Where to begin? How long do I have to get it all done? The work of an effective educational leader is never done --- "ongoing" we like to call it --- so how can we know when we have accomplished enough for the day, the week, the year? And as I waivered between productivity and a sense of anxiety about all that should get done, I stopped and scribbled down four tasks that had to get done today. Four tasks on a neon yellow post-it note. And as I found myself getting distracted, I came back to my intentions for myself at my desk today. And my intention for the year. ONE THING AT A TIME.
And as I finish this last line, I also cross off the last of the 4 items on my neon yellow list. Writing. My last item on the neon yellow post it, the most rewarding of my day, get back to the blog. Picking up where I left off, getting back to what I set out to do: sharing my passion for education based and my joy in working with smaller and younger people who wonder, demand, mess up, learn and create.
As I look forward to a new school year, I hope to remember to share with teachers, students and parents the power of setting intentions. Call them what you'd like: goals, learning objectives, student outcomes or simply intentions. When we are clear about our intentions, and we keep our course set to achieving them, we are able to do it. I hope that the new year will be filled with talking about our learning goals or intentions each day, so that each day, each student will do, learn and create something new and of value for themselves and others. Why bother coming to school at all if not to do just that?
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