Five Wonderful Things. {difficult takes day, impossible takes a week}

As I sit here and sip my hot chocolate and enjoy a peaceful moment from being prepared for the week, I can't help but be so excited about this place I am in. This season of self-confidence and self-assurance is so needed after feeling so unsure and so unclear about myself and my purpose. Whether it was twenty-five or my own attitude change, I am grateful for a new set of experiences. 

This week is going to be equally as great, another opportunity to take over the world a little bit more, and change a little bit of the darkness to light. As I reflect on my week, I am overwhelmed by the compliments and encouragement I have received from my administration and my team that let me know the changes I am making, both personally and professionally, are noticeable. 

So, here's to a new week, with a weekend full of fun waiting for me at the end - hope your week is as great as you are! 

1. I got a powerful observation. As a BT 3 (beginning teacher, year 3), we still have to have so many observations a year, and I had my first official observation a few weeks ago and had my post conference this week. The lesson that was observed was okay (in my opinion), but my administrator had nothing but powerful and positive things to say about me. She let me know that my lesson was well-paced, engaging, and my students were empowered and they knew the material. Those simple things are so powerful to me, and are so meaningful as a teacher in a high-needs school. Being able to say all my babes were engaged and able to verbalize what we were doing is a powerful statement, and I hope that's the first of many positive observations that I have this year. 

2. Homecoming is this weekend. My undergrad's homecoming is this weekend, and I couldn't be more excited! I haven't seen some of my friends in years, which is awful to say, but friendships as adults has to be intentional and sometimes, life gets in the way. This weekend, responsibilities get put on hold for a mini-vacation that is well deserved. 

3. A new teacher is going to observe my literacy block. Again, seems simple on the surface, but it's a powerful motivator for me as a professional. I want to make others better teachers - that's a true passion. I want other people to love it as much as I do and I want teachers to be experts at best practices, not just what looks good. A cute classroom does not mean a thing if true learning isn't taking place, so hopefully this is the first step in a path of leading other teachers to great teaching. 

4. I turned down a guy. This sounds so petty, but again it's so meaningful in my growth as a woman and as a person. I won't go into many details, but I stood up for myself and my principles as a woman. Being a born again good girl isn't easy, but what's the point of having standards or ideals if you aren't going to stick to them? 

5. I delegated responsibility. I realize all of my moments are very simple, but simple moments that are powerful are life changing - that's what makes life so wonderful. This one was hard to do, but makes me proud to admit it. I have a team this year who craves excellence as much as I do, and is willing to put in the repeated long hours to see results. In order to achieve that, I have had to pass out responsibility and be okay with it. It seems like an easy task, but anyone who has led before knows, giving out that first task is difficult, but you have to be empowered that you have created an attitude of excellence and not compliance that will carry over to their work too. I am so blessed to call these ladies teammates, because they make breaking up responsibilities so very easy.  

One of my goals this week is to update Ginger On the Move mid-week, because there are a few issues I want to write about, so stay tuned! Until then, stay fabulous loves!