Vision Board

Oh, dang.  I've just left behind Little League for the Majors.  This is my first time participating in a Linky Party!  (Insert loud gasp from my readers…well, three readers wouldn't really make a loud gasp, but you get the point).  I decided to participate in The Ordinary to Extraordinary Classroom's Meet the Teacher Monday by Trina because the questions forced me to do some reflection.  I definitely had a diary growing up so I thought this might be like old times. Except all of you are going to read this and my diary was always locked up for fear of my deepest darkest secrets ramblings and misspellings being revealed. I might have hidden the keys (it came with a spare) on the hoops of my earrings for safe keeping as a child. It sounds worse than it looked.  I think…Back to the Linky Party!  Check out my Vision Board and answers below!

Where did I win in 2013?

If you haven't heard this before, the military moves us every 2-3 years.  This can make creating & maintaining meaningful friendships difficult.  While in CO from 06/11-07/13, I made some pretty awesome friends at work, at the gym, and through my husband's job.  I'm talking STRONG women!  I don't just mean they could shame any man at the gym on the pull-up bar.  I mean they were healthy, passionate, go-getters that were really living life.  I've worked hard to maintain these friendships long-distance after PCSing (military lingo for moving b/c they told you to) to SC.  The women that I met in CO pushed me to be the best me possible, and that my virtual friends, is winning in my book!

Where did I lose in 2013?

This is so opposite of how I won.  I didn't work hard enough at maintaining the friendships I made at my school in TX when we moved to CO.  When you spend so much of your time and energy at school with co-workers, special bonds are bound to be formed.  My TX teacher BFF and I keep in touch, but not enough.  I feel like I lost out on many laughs that could have been shared through phone calls and I let the stress of work stop me from taking the time to email her ideas and games for her to use in her classroom back in TX.

What did I learn in 2013?

Risk.  Take risks.  What's the worst that's going to happen?  I fail?  What does that mean, anyways?  It doesn't mean I die or I'm punished in some way.  What it means is that I've LEARNED.  I can adjust  so that next time I'm closer to succeeding.  I learned that I've got to execute and not be afraid.  Who cares if only 3 people read this blog post?  Who cares if I pick a weight at the gym for the WOD (CrossFit Workout of the Day) that's heavy and I don't get as many rounds as others?  I'm so bad about holding back during a workout because I'm afraid I won't be able to finish.  Who cares if some of the plants in the square foot garden die.  If I don't plant the darn things, ZERO will grow.  If I don't take risks AND fail, I hardly think I'll learn anything.  

Where do I want to be this time next year?

I could say that I want to know exactly what I want to be when I grow up.  I love working with kids in educational settings, but I don't know what I want to be "when I grow up" (when we stop moving and I can actually settle into a long-term job) .  Do I want to get be a reading specialist?  Do I want to be a principal?  Do I want to work with kids with Autism?  Do I want to stay in the classroom?  But instead, I'll say that I want to be closer to finding my niche in the teaching world.

I could also say that I want to be able to do a muscle up. It's considered THE holy grail of movements in CrossFit. I could say that I want to Rx every workout and stop doubting my ability to finish.  But instead, I'll say that I want to be more confident of my ability and be stronger and healthier.

I could say that I will write one letter each week and make one phone call each week to the friends I've made but moved away from.  I could schedule in FaceTime dates on my calendar.  I could say that I will follow a schedule to maintain these friendships.  But instead, I'll say that I want to make those connections a priority, and our interactions genuine and heart-felt.

I could say that no plants in my soon-to-be-planted square foot garden will die.  I could say that I won't let bugs or mold or critters wreck havoc.  I could say that I won't have to buy produce from the market. I could say that I won't over or under water and possibly kill a few plants.  But instead, I'll say that I want to plant, grow, and learn.

I could say that my blog will have thousands of followers and that I'd make thousands of dollars on TPT.  I could say that I'd be on the top of the lists.  I could say that I'll make x number of posts per week, and x number of products, and pin x number of items.  But instead, I will say that I want to share my experiences with other teachers in meaningful ways.

Click on Trina's button to learn more about Meet the Teacher Monday and to link up!