When I was seven, for some reason, I really wanted to play the piano. This was a bit surprising, considering no one in my family has any musical ability. At all. For some reason though, I really wanted to learn to play. When I asked my mom, her response was logical-"Dom, we don't even have a piano"-so, I did what any seven year old would do; I found one. My friend's parents had a huge, out of tune upright sitting in their living room that I had never seen anyone play. Looking back, it probably weighed well over 500 pounds. Somehow, I convinced them to let us have the piano and I can still remember my dad and his four of his friends rolling this huge piano down the street and into our home. My parents still laugh at this story, but what they sometimes don't realize is how much music has meant to me since. Or how much I miss playing today.
Fast forward twenty plus years. I really am a lucky, lucky guy. My wife is the most amazing person and we are expecting our first little one very soon. I have an incredible, close family. My dog thinks I am a rockstar. Believe it or not (don’t laugh!), I even recorded an album when I was in college. For the last six years, I have been doing what I love everyday; educating and working with amazing young people. Every day, I am surrounded by passionate, dedicated and driven colleagues and friends. Throughout the last year, I have worked hard to grow and learn from a great network of educators. I am fortunate for all of this and couldn't be more grateful.
However, I have to admit that for the last week, I decided to take a step back. Certainly, it's been a busy week, but that has little to do with this. Instead, I purposefully disconnected. There is tremendous value in collaborating, connecting, blogging, tweeting and learning, and as a goal I set one year ago, I have tried to learn from and share as much with my PLN as possible. And learn I have.
However, I also believe that sometimes, the most productive and reflective thing you can do is nothing at all.
That’s almost counterintuitive as an educator; we have so much to accomplish, so much to take part in that there is no way we can sit back and do “nothing.” Even as I was disconnecting, I found myself flipping through Twitter. Yet, I actively tried to give myself some time away from what I have come to love and as a result, I have realized so much...
...I realized that over the last few weeks, my students and I had spent a lot of time discussing what "success" is. College? Grades? Careers? But, the incredible thing I realized is that sometimes, our students know a lot more about what makes a successful person than we think. Just look at the three different service projects students took part in so far this break, simply because they wanted to.
...I have realized that there are so many intangibles that are important and really make people happy. This is a simple statement, I know, yet powerful. Family. Downtime. Hobbies. Friends. Just as it’s key for educators to stay connected and learn from one another, it’s also important to find a balance.
...Balance. I have realized that balance is perhaps one of the most important aspects in our lives. As educators, this is something many of us struggle to find. Particularly at this winter break, it’s all about finding that balance.
...I’ve also realized just how important goals are. Last year at this time, I made it a priority to grow my learning network, become active on Twitter and share my thoughts through my blog. I am proud today knowing that I am off to a great start. Of course, I’d like to get better and I know I will, but I am proud of the connections I have made and most importantly, how much I have learned through these connections.
So, with all of this, I look towards the upcoming year with eagerness and excitement. I look forward to helping students continue to find their voice and share their ideas. I can't wait to meet our little one. I look forward to learning, to connecting. I look forward to continue growing that balance.
And, I think I will start that right now. In reflecting over the last week, I have also realized that these last few years, I have not found the time to play piano nearly as much as I would like to. Some months, I don't play at all. It’s time to change that. Balance. Just hope my wife doesn’t mind the noise…
Happy New Year!
Hi Dominic,
ReplyDeleteBalance, as you say, is so important. I think as educators we tend to get so involved in our professional lives, we sometimes let it consume us. Just wait until your little one is born, balance becomes much easier to achieve as it becomes an absolute necessity for survival and not a choice. As for unplugging, I had similar struggles this year. I wrote about it here:
http://upfrontandcentre.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/living-vs-documenting-the-moment/
Keep playing, your little one will be so lucky to have music in her/his life.
Good luck with your goals. I think building your personal learning network is very important, and an ongoing process. That is the same with playing the piano I would imagine! Good luck with your new family member too. Perhaps another piano player?
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