Why I Do This

As I mentioned in my blog, my #oneword is a call to action for me to be mindful of the moments that make up my day. The moments at home, the moments at work and the moments that happen in between.

For the last fifty-five school days, I have put pen to pad and shared a moment. Why? 

Since beginning this practice of reflecting on my one word for 2016, I have had several people ask me, "How?" but I haven't had near as many ask me, "Why?". 

The most popular question I receive is, "How do you find the time?".

Let me answer that. I do not have a secret way of blogging or a magic bullet. It takes time. Sitting down with my computer has become a routine, so throughout my day I am mindful of the moments I experience. I make mental notes in my head and by the time I sit down to publish, I have a rough outline completed. 

So, why don't I have as many people asking me, "Why?". 

Maybe they know. Maybe they think they know. Maybe they do not care. 

Regardless, I spent my day monitoring STAAR testing, so to say I had some extra time to reflect is an understatement. As I was sitting, standing, monitoring and walking around, I started to consider what my moment for today would be. While pondering my moment, the thought of "Why do I do this?" entered my head. It would be easier not to do it, but since when do I take the easy route...with anything?

Why I Do This:

1. Reflection - Reflection is a practice that is thrown around a lot in our profession and I believe it happens more often than we think, but we as a collective group of educators are not purposeful with it. Yes, we can reflect on our day, rethink decisions and/or plans, but if we do not do anything with our reflection...what's the point? I shared this example with a student after school today...If you are going to do your homework or classwork and then lose it or not turn it in, what's the point? Reflecting and then not writing it down or doing anything with it, is kind of the same. What's the point. My daily moment allows me to capture my reflection. 

2. Sharing - While my moment allows me to capture my reflection, I want to be able to share it with others. I want to share it with others because maybe, just maybe, there is one another person in the world who is experiencing the same thing. Maybe there is someone who had a similar experience or maybe through sharing my experience it allows a reader to gain insight in their decision making. After all, sharing is caring. The beauty behind sharing is that I truly do not know who it may impact, but I know who it will impact if I do not share....nobody. 

3. Improvement - I want to improve. I want to be a better father, principal, educator and person. Through reflection and sharing with others, I am able to improve. The comments I receive from those who have read my posts, the retweets that connect with me new PLN members and learning from my moments or in some cases mistakes leads to my personal improvement. 

4. Empowerment - I am not sure I would have included empowerment a few of weeks ago, but over the course of the last couple weeks, I have seen the fruits of being a connected leader and (I hate to even use this term, because I have such a long way to go) blogger. Modeling and practicing what I believe more educators should be doing leads to face to face conversations with educators who are interested in blogging, but have not yet taken the plunge. When I can share insight about my process and they realize a "guy like me" can do it, they feel empowered to do it...or at least give it a try. 

So, there you have it. This is my why. What is your why?

The next time someone asks me why I do this, I am half inclined to ask them, "Why don't you do this"? 

What was your moment today?