As I am writing this blog post, we are about a year and a half into this pandemic. It is the start of the 2021-222 school year and most of us have our students back in our schools face to face after being virtual for quite some time. I am hopeful, but it feels harder than I thought it would. It feels like our world is divided just a little more with the stress of what the right thing to do is. It feels like our hearts are a little heavier and things don’t quite feel as light as they used to. It feels heavier. But…amidst it all, so much hope is burgeoning. It is just waiting to be let out, if we are intentional about noticing hope’s presence. Let’s switch it up a little in this heavy world. I read the Book of Awesome by Neal Pasricha a few years ago and this book came to my mind as I wrote this blog. He talks about the importance of reframing our mindset to find the positive sides of our world that are hiding right in front of our eyes. Going through this Co-vid pandemic taught me a lot. Most of all, it taught me to not take the little things for granted. Let’s reframe and look at what is awesome and the type of hope that still exists shall we? Why not twist the script and have a little fun! Here is a list of some of the little things that became awesome after going through a pandemic:
01. We are all together again and we made it through the storm of the virtual abyss. Holy cow did we learn a lot in this past year! We learned what live streaming was and became experts in google classroom. Microsoft Teams and Zoom are just a part of the way we do things now. We realized the power of connection and how much we love being together with our students and colleagues. We don’t take quite as many small things for granted anymore.
02. High heel shoes and work clothes are not that bad! Who knew that I would miss dressing up for work so much. I used to complain about getting out of my sweat pants and lulus to dress up for work. But now…I actually enjoy it. I love the clicking of the high heels down the hall as busy teachers bustle about their day. The sound of the clicky heels represents energy, urgency, and joy.
03. Hearing the laughter and voices through the halls and the screeching sneakers are not as piercing to our ears as they used to be. Speaking of clicky heels, the squeaking sound of sneakers are also something that is awesome about working in a school. More often than not, they are running through the halls when they shouldn’t be, but I really missed that sound when we were virtual. Now I see it so much differently than a student trying to drive us crazy with the sound. It reminds me of the lives and youth that crowd our halls. The laughter and the slamming of lockers are also a sound that is awesome to my ears;
04. Group work and collaboration. This one was huge for me! The fact that we get to work with students and teachers collaborating, masterminding, and learning together with the purpose of growing contributing citizens to our world is one of the most awesome parts of our job. Learning alongside and hearing the ideas that people contribute inspires me each day. When we went virtual, it just wasn’t the same as sitting, laughing, and learning together face to face.
05. Line budging. “I was here first!” “Hey she budged me.” “Get to the back of the line!” Sound familiar? If not, then you may not be the principal of an elementary school. If you are, then you know exactly what I mean! And you know what, line budgers are awesome. They represent a ‘go gettem’ attitude and the courage to go first and lead. However, we still need to teach them the right way to do this rather than budging. But who knew, line budging would be something I missed!
06. The smell of hotdogs weiners wafting through the halls on hot lunch day. That smell was awful before the pandemic hit. It smelled like wet dog but you know what…I actually really appreciate that smell now. In fact, it is another awesome part about leading a school. Don’t get me wrong, the smell of weiners boiling does not get me hungry but it does bring an energy amongst the kids when they smell the hotdogs. They can’t wait for hot lunch and that is awesome.
07. The endless times a school bell rings throughout the day. It used to drive me crazy. But now, it signifies a transition which means that there are actual humans in the building who need to transition to somewhere else. It represents new beginnings – a new day, new class, new transition to sports or home. It represents momentum and momentum is always awesome.
08.The inspirational posters that are hung throughout the halls. To be honest, I have always thought these were awesome. However, I know there are some of us out there who might think they are a little cheesy. But now, after going through a pandemic, I look at them with a little more intention. I think about the words more and I appreciate them. In fact, they give me a little boost in a moment where I may need it. And to me, that is awesome and exactly what I need.
09. Staff meetings and professional learning. Ok, let’s be honest. I did not appreciate these learning times like I do now. I missed learning alongside the community. I missed them checking out on their phones (ok…not this part) lol. But I am now way more intentional about how we spend time together and we now appreciate mental health even more because we are all in this together. Hard times always brings a community together and these professional learning communities become the space for us to check in and learn together. That is awesome.
10. Gum chewers and coffee breath. Yep, you know what I am talking about. We all love to chew our gums a little more boldly and smacky then we mean too. Or perhaps we have drank a really stiff cup of coffee before teaching a class. And we have all smelled those smells from others. You know…the minty gum smell or the coffee breath. Well, masks covered that and you know what those smells are awesome to me now. This is because if I can smell these smells that means I can see their smiles. These smells represent smiles. Smiles are always awesome.
11. Carpets. Ok, another elementary school thing again. But you know the value of a carpet in the younger classrooms. When they were taken away from us, it was painful. The kids were just….too…far…away. Therefore, they became even more wiggly and hard to keep their attention. Carpets allow us to gather closely together to read or learn and allow the students to be close for the constant barrage of reminders to stay focused. So yes…carpets are super awesome.
So there you have it. Some awesome things that became awesomer (is that even a word?) after the pandemic. Now, here are your action steps. Write down 10 things that are awesome for you in your leadership and I think you will be surprised what you write down! In fact, share them with us in our Principals and Leadership facebook group!
Even If You Miss..... 