Most of life is grad school and work right now, so today’s monthly systems post is a simple, unordered list. As I love lists, these are reminders to you (and future me) to:
- Make shifts in environment, therefore fostering:
- Play (because life is hard, but it doesn’t always have to be)
- Learn from a new point of view
- Care and meet folks where they are
- Remember work and worth may feel related, but they’re not the same:
- Not making a goal isn’t failure (This month, I ignored most of my 2024 goals)
- Crying expresses humanness
- Worth isn’t tied to the days (rest days, leap days, or whatever), it’s tied to who you are
- Care for yourself first. It’s the only way to care for others. You don’t have to carry it all. I promise.
Take care of yourselves, fam.
Kaylie a really great point that work does not define us, and that we are more than how we make money
Thanks for this note, Jonathan. Yes, we are multi-potential beings and more than what we do/what we make.
I also have realized within the past year that I need to meet people where they are. In a mental health PD group for work, we read a book “Fostering Resilient Learners,” and my biggest takeaway is that students (and people in general) do well if they can. In an education sense – students WANT to do well. Nobody wants to fail or look “stupid” in front of their peers. If they are not succeeding, there is some need of theirs not being met, and that is our job as educators to figure out what that is. I am shifting my perspective outwards to apply that to others in my life who frustrate me. They are doing what they can with what they have at that moment in time (energy, patience, resources, mental health, etc). Side tangent – I am also continuously trying to stop taking things so personally. Others’ attitudes and behaviors rarely have a direct connection to me.
I also think the main objective of making goals is to connect with our humanness-our desire to strive for improvement and growth- something to look forward to and strive for. But it is also so healthy to acknowledge that goals can change and timelines can be fluid, otherwise we are setting ourselves up to feel unfilled! We all owe ourselves grace. As long as we *have* goals, we are living life and fulfilling our purpose.
Thank you so much for these insights, Allie! Yes, as educators, our job is to be there for our students as PEOPLE, not projects, not grades. How can we meet them where they are, without knowing the full situation? I remind myself that sometimes, people are having a bad day, or perhaps they don’t have the resources to complete an assignment or know the words for what they’re feeling.
It’s incredible to see how you’re applying this grace to both students, peers, and yourself. Life can be so hard, and you do not have to do it alone! Finding people who care and have similar values/life paths is really important, not only for confidence but to feel belonging/even home in those shared experiences. I like surrounding myself with people who are both grounded and striving for more (awareness, perspective, more life in general). I am grateful you are one of those people! Thanks again for this comment and making me look at growth and goals in new ways.
Hey, Kaylie!
I agree with you when you say to take care of yourself. I hope you are doing that, too!
Thanks, David! Hope you’re taking good care. To me, self-care is being outside, reading or running.