What was the purpose of my human?

– Hannah Gadsby, TED Talk

This is something I think we all pondered all throughout PD today. What is the purpose of my human? What role do I serve as an educator in the classroom? What role do I serve in my students’ lives? What connections do I share with them? As we delved into Social Emotional Learning (SEL) today, we focused on ourselves and what it means to be mindful. I think as educators we are just so focused on what’s happening around us, that we forget to be aware of ourselves and how we are feeling at the moment, which ultimately affects our students and classroom environment. To be honest, self-reflection is something I need to do more of. I just wish I had more time to do it. We are always in such a rush to get things done, that we ourselves don’t take a minute to smell the flowers and blow out the candles. Thus, my goal this year will be to engage in more self-reflection as well as self-awareness. I am better able to serve my classroom and community when I take care of myself first.