Arcadia Unified School District has over 400 credentialed teachers. Two years ago we all packed into our beautiful Performing Arts Center and our Superintendent, Dr. David Vannasdall, led a presentation to kick off another school year. At that time I had just transferred from 18 years of teaching MS math to a new position as a TK-12 Instructional Math Coach for AUSD and I sat there wondering if I had made the right decision.
Like many, I had become comfortable with what I was doing and I enjoyed waking up every morning knowing my routine for the day, week, month and year. Those 18 years in the classroom were amazing and I never gave much thought to do anything else. I often reflected on how awesome it would be to complete 40 years of teaching at the same school. I would do the calculation (150 students times 40 = 6,000) and loved the idea of having an opportunity to positively impact so many. I have family members, friends, and some of my best teachers growing up did just that; a life that I admire to this day.
However, on this day, as I listened to Dr. Vannasdall speak I was filled with anxiety and fear of the unknown. What if I left the school and position I loved and could not go back? What if teachers would no longer want to work with me? What if someone asked me something and I did not know the answer? What if I didn't enjoy working with teachers as much as middle school students? And the biggest fear was "WHAT IF I FAILED?" It wasn't easy to focus on what Dr. Vannasdall was saying until he laid out our district mantra for the year, "WHAT IF ..."
The irony here is obvious. I was filled with "WHAT IFs ..." Hearing Dr. Vannasdall encourage all of us did not ease my anxiety right away but I left our professional development time with much to reflect on in the days, weeks, and months ahead. In short time it became clear to me that I was surrounded by a team of professionals, 10 other instructional coaches, site administrators, 2 Curriculum Directors, an Assistant Superintendent and a Superintendent that all had the same mindset. As my relationships grew and conversations were had, we all shared similar anxieties. We were afraid we might not have all the answers and we all feared we might fail. These shared feelings became intertwined throughout all we did to a point in which I became so comfortable feeling this way that I started to take control of my fears. By the end of my first year as an Instructional Coach I would find myself enjoying sitting with my colleagues talking about the "WHAT IFs"; to the point where we were attacking the WHAT IFs. I became confident with this direction and embraced it with my colleagues. One of the best parts of that first year was the development of a team that supported my failures and I supported theirs and together we have moved forward with our mantra for this year. WHY NOT?
Like many, I had become comfortable with what I was doing and I enjoyed waking up every morning knowing my routine for the day, week, month and year. Those 18 years in the classroom were amazing and I never gave much thought to do anything else. I often reflected on how awesome it would be to complete 40 years of teaching at the same school. I would do the calculation (150 students times 40 = 6,000) and loved the idea of having an opportunity to positively impact so many. I have family members, friends, and some of my best teachers growing up did just that; a life that I admire to this day.
However, on this day, as I listened to Dr. Vannasdall speak I was filled with anxiety and fear of the unknown. What if I left the school and position I loved and could not go back? What if teachers would no longer want to work with me? What if someone asked me something and I did not know the answer? What if I didn't enjoy working with teachers as much as middle school students? And the biggest fear was "WHAT IF I FAILED?" It wasn't easy to focus on what Dr. Vannasdall was saying until he laid out our district mantra for the year, "WHAT IF ..."
The irony here is obvious. I was filled with "WHAT IFs ..." Hearing Dr. Vannasdall encourage all of us did not ease my anxiety right away but I left our professional development time with much to reflect on in the days, weeks, and months ahead. In short time it became clear to me that I was surrounded by a team of professionals, 10 other instructional coaches, site administrators, 2 Curriculum Directors, an Assistant Superintendent and a Superintendent that all had the same mindset. As my relationships grew and conversations were had, we all shared similar anxieties. We were afraid we might not have all the answers and we all feared we might fail. These shared feelings became intertwined throughout all we did to a point in which I became so comfortable feeling this way that I started to take control of my fears. By the end of my first year as an Instructional Coach I would find myself enjoying sitting with my colleagues talking about the "WHAT IFs"; to the point where we were attacking the WHAT IFs. I became confident with this direction and embraced it with my colleagues. One of the best parts of that first year was the development of a team that supported my failures and I supported theirs and together we have moved forward with our mantra for this year. WHY NOT?