Do I have an Initiatives Addiction?

Is there such a thing as too many initiatives?  And can you be addicted?  Are there Initiative Interventions?  Can I plan it.....

In education we are all doing more with less, which usually is viewed as a bad thing.  But it appears that I have been forcing this upon myself with the motto "See a need, fill a need!" for a number of years.  I personally think it is exciting, fun and a good way to resolve the problems I see/encounter! But those immediately around me are experiencing Flood Initiative Fatigue.

So here is my question.  When I encounter problems (otherwise known as opportunities) - is it healthy/productive to develop district wide initiatives and programs as a response?  Or should I just let those things go and ignore them, something I am loathe to do.  I do not let go easily.  Or ignore.

Micro-example.  I received a snark-filled terse email (from someone who does not know me well enough to vent electronically or in person) in response to a call for participants (funnily enough for another initiative).  This person does not know how to be professional via email.  So I started the "January Email Resolution: 31 days to a Better Inbox" as a series of digital posters and memes to be sent out daily by campus Tech Guides.

No big deal right? Or am I on the cusp of the first step: admitting I have a problem.  But wait - isn't that how I got into this?

Life is not fair

and it really sucks learning that lesson when you are 18 and an entire world of potential is in front of you.

And I am at a loss for how to help.

You see I have this kid, and he is MY KID. Not by relation, but he is mine. And I am so proud of him and all that he has done. But now life has just slapped him in the face.  Hard. And I so much want to make it right for him, so he can have at least a few years to continue building his confidence and finding his path. But this puts all of that at risk.

My Kid has worked harder than anyone I know to turn his life around and get accepted at a major university in Texas.  But he has no "papers".  Our counselors let him down, and due to a missed dead line he is not guaranteed Texas FAFSA.  Private loans with co-signers are possible, his uncle agreed, but his father says no. He has some scholarships (the ones he could legally apply for) but they won't cover costs. He can even defer payment for a month, but the person who has ultimate say just told him No.

While tonight should be his first night at college, leading him to medical school and oncology, instead he is at home.  Hurt, and angry, disappointed and no clue how to reach his dreams.

My heart is broken.

So what do I do? I can listen.  I can give advise and tell him stories of rivers that weave around, finding ways to cut through hard terrain.  But I cannot take his hurt away. And I cannot undue the mark of cynicism that this has caused.  Nor can I close the rift between him and his family. 

I guess I just have to trust My Kid, and the strength that I know he has.

I have finally succumbed to Facebook...

and have been fully sucked in.  

Not to mean that I just now created an account.  But rather I only used it for things pertaining to the kiddo, family, food, trips, whatever.  I never used it for dialogue and discourse as I think it is a poor medium for me.  Especially when I get uppity about the topic.

But then I joined the recently formed BTA.  And now I am totally engrossed in a conversation.  One conversation. I am literally thinking I need to cut myself off, leave the group never to return, go cold turkey.

And at the same time I am thankful for the opportunity to view my thoughts from the perspective of others via this dialogue!  Too often we are insulated within our departments and circles.  This has been a new and feisty circle to dance in! It is invigorating and exciting and it is keeping me from my real work.

Because while some feel that Facebook is a medium for their advocacy and those interactions produce a satisfactory outcome, it still is just not for me. The initial spark for me to go into education was the idea that I could make education different. So for me, and many others, teaching is not just a career, but also a medium for advocacy where I see the results of my efforts impact the community I serve in a positive way.  And tonight, while stimulating and thought provoking, my involvement in discourse with a group of educators resulted in me neglecting other work that could have been done, as well as my sleep.

Which in turn sent me to blog about this new phenomenon in my life. I am trying to understand why I suddenly took to "the streets", passionately stating my position.  I can theorize that it is a combination of pent up frustration in not having similar dialogues within my sphere of influence and very strong feelings about the topic discussed (something that regularly circumvents my attempts at progress within my ISD). I am intrigued and I want to explore these thoughts.  But at the same time I am drained and fried. 

At the very least I know my sharp and obsessive focus on what interests me is alive and well, despite a strong effort to lead a more balanced life. Guess I need to work on that, in a non-obsessive manner.

Inventor Smack Down! A randomly sparked idea.

Summer time for me is like dreaming.  I have less specific daily interactions and timelines to follow, so my mind can go on walk about, producing all sorts of sparked and connected ideas.

Today was one so awesome that I just had to share!

I used to teach history of invention through research projects, kinda basic.  But I would conspire to have the kids dress up as that inventor on Halloween (since costumes for Halloween were banned).  It was fun and the list of items that they researched had extremely interesting histories.  Did you know that the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil was invented by a 21 yr old in Japan (who happened to later go on to start Sharp). And that the vending machine first appeared in the FIRST century and dispensed holy water!  And then I learned about Nikola Tesla and have forever held a grudge against my elementary teachers for allowing me to think that Thomas Edison was amazing.  So as many celebrate the birth of the man who brought us Alternating Current (Tesla) I came across this: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla and started to think about how awesome it would be to have "Inventor vs Inventor" or "Inventor Smack Down"!  With each kid accepting a role, and defending their catalog of work against their arch nemesis to the class.

Think about it, Tesla vs Edison, Darwin vs Ussher, Jobs vs Gates vs Branson!  I think it would be fantastic!

Now I just need to find a teacher who wants to jump in!

Taking a step forward

I have always just kinda gone with the flow and am pretty good at being reactionary.  And some really awesome opportunities have just sort of fallen in my lap.  While fantastic, I can't help but feel that at some point my Dude-abides luck might run out.  Or in the very least, I might need to become a little more proactive.

One of the things I have always wanted was a doctorate.  There was no rational reasoning for this, and when the idea first entered my head I had no clue what it would entail.  Indian Jones was my idea of a doctor. I really wanted to be an expert in EVERYTHING (while wearing a cool hat, having fun/dangerous adventures and opening doors with whips). While the desire is still there, the purpose has developed, and I know that I want to be a part in creating awesome public school teachers.

Ok, that's great.  But now we come back to 30 yr old me just letting things happen.  And I have let things happen to a point where graduate school is nowhere near on my horizon. So while yet another amazing opportunity has fallen into my lap (Learning Creative Learning), along with 24,000 other laps, I am going to take hold of this experience and start spending time on my own development again.  Next step, grad school.  

After that I'll start perfecting my whip skills.

Making a point of not making a stand. Ish.

In college I was forced to write an essay describing my educational philosophy.  My first draft was one word: Flexible.  I was told no, I had to make a stand and state my philosophy.  So some time later, and a lot of lessons experienced (haven't quiet learned those lessons yet), and I insist that my first draft was the correct (and better written) draft.  And because of that, it makes publishing a mixed bag for me.  I want to share (love to share) and give back to the collective that has given me so much.  But I am honestly terrified that @garystager might (huge long shot) read it and rip me a new one.  Or anyone else for that matter.  Then there is the quality of writing thing.  My father raised me to craft messages; that if you publish something it should be as smooth as high end copy.

So clearly I am past the impasse of deciding if I should blog or not, since you are reading this.  I know that I will contradict myself, that the writing will be sloppy, and that I probably use the r word too much for @BigPurpleHat to stand.  But this is my stand on education and the fun adventures I am lucky to have.

And it will be as fickle as water.

Or not.

Ish.