If you're just joining in on this series, here's what's going on:
I'm using the quotes as a basis for reflection on a shift in my professional journey. You see, for 12 years I was an elementary music teacher and now I've found myself to be an assistant principal. In a time that I anticipate to be filled with much personal and professional growth, I'd like to be sure and carve out some purposeful reflection time. As an educator, I've personally benefited from purposeful reflection through blogging and I can only imagine that I'll still benefit from reflective blogging as a leader in education.
My goal is to spend some time in each post writing about the quote, about the author of the quote (when possible), and about how I see the quote and/or the background image of the quote applying to my day-to-day world.
As a gal who always credits a source, I'd like to give a shout out to a dear friend, Kara Lowery, for coming up with the name of the series. Kara is a fabulous special education teacher who specializes in working with children who have autism. Not only is she a gifted teacher; she's also terrifically punny.
Read on; enjoy!
For example, I always thought that Emily Dickinson was surrounded by bright flowers in vases and crisp linen clothes. And possibly fingers stained from ink.
NOT THE CASE! Wikipedia informed me that Dickinson was a recluse. And didn't like to talk to people. And only had relationships with outsiders via correspondence.
MENTAL. IMAGE. SHATTERED. (and that's a terrific feeling because it means I learned something new!)
I'd like to take this quote and break it down by line:
"Hope is the thing with feathers"
Being that it's November in my first year as an assistant principal, I have a lot of things I'd like to be doing each day at school but aren't getting done. One example of something I'd like to do but haven't gotten done is sending thank you notes to different people in the district that have helped me find my way. I didn't know how to send inner office mail at my school until today, so now I feel like I have a handle on how to do that and hope to actually send a thank you note before the end of the week. I walk into school each day with things on my mind that I'm hoping to accomplish, and this line from the quote gives me HOPE to accomplish things. Because my professional focus, which is rooted in hope, can remain buoyant even when I don't yet know where to find more inner office envelopes are located.
"That perches in the soul"
My number one reason for being in education is to make the world a better place for children. The list of things I am hopeful to influence or accomplish live deep within my soul and are highly organized in an elaborate vertical file cabinet. I take refuge in that the feathered hope of Dickinson's quote will perch in my soul until I can find a proper landing place for it and release.
"And sings the tune without the words"
Ah, this part of the quote REALLY speaks to me (or should I say "sings to me"). To be able to just sing a tune without words is something that signals to me ultimate freedom of the spirit. If hope is singing a tune without words, then my hope for my short- and long-term goals should be rooted in pure joy. Even the small steps I'm taking to accomplish a goal should make hope spring from my heart and sing the tune of hope without any words--simple joy.
"And never stops at all."
Once I reach a short-term goal, I look to set the next goal. The inside of my brain sometimes feels like a professional Couch 2 5K program for things I'd like to do as an assistant principal. My goals are rooted in my hope, my hope has a foundation in the yearning to create a better world for children.
And I never want to stop at all.
#teamjowell