Sunday, September 23, 2012

Keeping Many Balls in the Air

If there is one thing that I have to do every day, it is keep multiple balls in the air without letting a myriad of people down.  We talk about the many hats that teachers wear--teacher, planner, data keeper, mentor, friend, counselor, mediator.  In addition to those classroom teacher hats, I am....

  • a coach
  • a data cruncher on a large scale
  • a strategy suggestor
  • a professional development leader
  • a reflective practitioner
  • an event planner
  • the student government sponsor
  • a color guard instructor...a choreographer...the punisher...a dreamer
And sometimes all these hats have to be worn at once.  Just this past week, my high school celebrated Homecoming, which the student government association is over.  There are dress up days, a pep rally, a senior parade, Homecoming King, dealing with the 24 female members of the Homecoming court, counting ballots, and crowning a queen.  Yesterday marked the day of the first band contest for one of the groups that I work with.  We participated in a festival, so we were able to march twice.  Great for growth, but hard on the weary soul.  And last week also was a week of preparation for a visit from the federal education department to monitor our growth under the School Improvement Grant.  Talk about pressure from all sides!

The most important thing for me to learn and remember as an instructional coach is to rely on others.  As a true Virgo, I struggle to ask for help from others.  I am a firm believer in the "if you want things done right" adage.  But sometimes you can't do everything.  You have to be willing to reach out.  I am lucky to work with two other instructional coaches who willingly recognized my need for help and stepped in without pause.  Of course I carry guilt for having anyone else take over my duties, but sometimes things are necessary.  Asking for help is necessary.  Accepting that help is even more important.

If there is one thing I have learned that is that if I don't ask for help, then the many balls that I am keeping in the air (very precariously) will come crashing down around me.

And that would not be acceptable.  After all, I am a true Virgo and that means a perfectionist.