When I left Long Bay, one of the reasons I gave in my leaving speech was that HPSS is the next step in my learning journey. When I interviewed for my position, I said that I wanted to take what I already knew and was able to do and stretch it and grow it in a different direction. Being prepared for that and embracing that doesn't mean eliminate the learning pit experience - it just means that I'm prepared to go through the struggle.
You can't help a butterfly out of its chrysalis. It needs the struggle to make it strong enough to fly.
Several years ago, when I was getting upset about digital platforms changing again, and digging my heals in about transitioning, one friend said to me "don't look for work-arounds (ways to continue to do the things I'm used to, but in a new space), look for new and better ways of doing things." I think of this every day at the moment - it's such great encouragement and advice. I get excited by the new opportunities that are in front of me. I'm grateful to another friend who, over the years, has taught me how to face the world one challenge at a time. I'm also smile and remember and the words of a DP last week "we only do it one day at a time around here".
Monday was a big big day for me. I'm an introvert. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with me, it just means that being around people uses a lot of energy and I refuel by being alone. It's different to extroverts - they are refueled by being around people, and are drained by being alone. I had my eyes wide open when I came into this job. I knew that introvertedness was going to be my biggest challenge in coming to a completely open, shared environment. I'm not scared of it, or afraid of it. I'm on my learning path to find the new ways of managing it.
On Monday, every block was devoted to building relationships with my hublings - my group of 14 or so students who are mine to look after. I took breaks in the staffroom, with a couple of minutes in my pod office.
Was not my best move!
My brain was fried by the end of it, and I was barely able to figure out what to do. I had my planner in front of me all day, and my hublings were great at reminding me what we needed to do.
"Are we going to do our floor times selections?".
Great reminder! It was written in my diary, but I hadn't quite worked out what I meant by my notes!
They told me what needed to happen.
A quick email told me where to load their selections.
My favourite activity of the day, though, was getting them to tell me "how to hub". They know I'm new. I'm not going to try and fake knowing things that I haven't experienced, and so I just said to them "Look, I need you to tell me how this works. What do we do in hubs?" They all made awesome presentations, with only one dubious suggestion about wheely chair races up and down the corridor! I'm pretty sure that would violate too many health codes for me to even consider!
The kids are super great.
At the end of the day, when the community leader asked if we had any questions, I said my only question was how to find a moment of quiet during the day to refocus. She was great. She juggled the timetable for Wednesday to afford us all a block of quiet in the day, and made sure I had some practical tips for managing the rest of the year. My next steps will be
At the end of the day, when the community leader asked if we had any questions, I said my only question was how to find a moment of quiet during the day to refocus. She was great. She juggled the timetable for Wednesday to afford us all a block of quiet in the day, and made sure I had some practical tips for managing the rest of the year. My next steps will be
- to try working on a bean bag in a corner of the library in a short break,
- and
- to make sure my notes in my planner are completely clear so that I can more easily go with the flow of the day without having to spend precious brain power on searching for the answers.
On that note, I'll go back to reading through the resources for tomorrow's workshops so that I know what is going on.
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