Reflection

I had just walked in the door and set down my things yesterday when I got a text. I'm pretty sure that my eyes rolled at the thought of what was about to disrupt me from taking a second to unwind. It was one of my professors from ECU. The text read, "What three obstacles have you overcome on the way to earning your degree?" I didn't expect to be prompted with a question. I thought I was done, but there was one last task. It took me a second to think about it and maybe that's the point.

At the end of each year, we hurry to finish our final classroom observations, PDPs, and we complete our summatives. The final standard of the summative talks about reflection. It's the one you can't really observe in a classroom, but I think this year, more than any, it's really important. Taking a few minutes to answer my professor's text made me think about how far I had come, what I had learned, and how I have changed. I'd bet that most of you could do the same this year. If you're like me, some of the obstacles that you overcame this year were external. Maybe it was learning Canvas or communicating with parents when you didn't have good contact information. External obstacles are easy to spot because they are the day-to-day problems that we encounter. But if you really think, you'll also find some internal obstacles. These are our thoughts, habits, or behaviors that have to change. These require personal growth. I've seen SO MANY of you struggle and grow this year as you continuously rose to the challenges that were thrown your way. So at the end of this Teacher Appreciation Week, I'm forwarding the question your way. What 3 obstacles have you overcome this year? It's a harder question than you think, but there's no way you don't feel a sense of pride in your answer.

For the record, here was my answer:

1. Communication: It was hard at times to get what I needed when I needed it. I had to pull from other people to get the info I needed to move forward. 

2. My Own Stubbornness: Working on this degree was some of the most work that I have had to do where I wasn't the one in charge in recent years. When things don't go my way, I have a tendency to dig in and I had to learn to get over that.

3. The Paperwork Process: I had to redo my dissertation submission 5 times. I am still convinced that something is going to be wrong and I won't graduate!

Send me your answers if you're up for sharing.