Renewal requires opening yourself up to new ways of thinking and feeling- Deborah Day

Spring Break is over and we are back to school today.  I enjoyed my break, probably a little too much.  We traveled to the upper part of the state to my home town to visit family and enjoyed way too much good food.  These hotdogs are the finest anywhere and I make it a point to get one (or two) whenever I am there.

In taking a break from my daily routines, I spent a lot of time reflecting on where I am and what I am doing.  I talked with some future educators at a college and encouraged them to find their passion as they step boldly forth into student teaching in the fall.  In the process, I reconnected with my own passion and purpose…teaching.

Being passionate about what you do brings vision.  Staying true to your purpose clarifies your vision. Staying true can be difficult when there are so many distractions along the way.  With 138 days into a school year, the distractions are many.  It is easy to dream about the quick passing of the remaining 42 days and slipping into summer vacation.  This is where staying true to your purpose is important.

As I prepare for the upcoming 42 days, I am reminded there is still so much to do.  I am not in a testing grade level so I don’t have those pressures, but we still have standards to master and skills to acquire.  After reading Disrupting Class by Clayton Christensen, I am laser-focused on student-centric learning and on true  innovation in the classroom with technology.

Perhaps a little spring cleaning is in order in your educational corner of the world…if you need a proverbial kick in the pants, I highly recommend reading Christensen’s book, Disrupting Class. Whatever number of days of school you have remaining, re-commit yourself to purposeful, focused and student-centered learning.  Let’s start a wave of renewal wherever we are.

I’ve started a Page on Facebook if you’d like to visit and like:  http://www.facebook.com/kristimeeuwseADE

Today, we will do exciting new things.  Let’s get to it!