Reflections on Learning

It’s been a year of change for me. New position, new routines and so much to learn. My situation reminds me of a previous principal of mine. During his first year at my school he spent much of his time “learning about the place” as he called it. No big changes occurred that year. A few people thought this was odd, but looking back I think it was brilliant. He wanted a clear picture of how things worked and an understanding of people's roles before introducing changes in year two.

I find myself in a similar situation. A good chunk of my time has been  spent learning how things work and “who does what”. There have been changes made out of necessity, but I see more changes in year two and beyond. Having said this, the learning process has still been eye-opening. Having spent several years in my previous position, I now realize how little I learned over that period; I had become complacent and taught like I was on autopilot.

Now my brain is absorbing new content on a daily basis. There has been Google apps, Moodle, iMovie, Seesaw & Chromebooks to learn about. There are staff members to help and supervise.  It has felt overwhelming at times, but all of this learning has been invigorating as well.  

Not all of the learning has been smooth. I’ve been improving my own knowledge in order to be “certified” by various organizations. The last “test” I wrote I failed - even though I felt quite confident going in. I was a little disappointed in the outcome, but the preparation process had me learning so much that I consider myself ahead of the game. As for the test, it can be rewritten.

Another benefit of all of this learning has been empathy. I have a better understanding of how it feels for students and staff who are learning something new. My experiences guide my preparation & planning and I have become more patient as well.

I hope my learning doesn’t stop and I look forward to the challenges and opportunities that will present themselves in the days and weeks to come.