By Stephanie Linehan
There is a saying we have in teaching - “Go slow to go fast.” Go slow to explain and practice classroom routines. Go slow to understand and apply new learning. In other words, go slow to do well. It’s usually a beginning-of-the-year thing. You eventually reach that feeling - that plateau perhaps - that steady pace. That’s the ‘fast’ part, the they’ve-got-it part, or the we’re-sailing-along part. Maria Montessori writes, “The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist.’” But also eventually, life and learning get going. The pace quickens. And before you know it, it’s December (or earlier, LOL!) and you’re like, “Whoa! We gotta slow down!” A reset is needed to revisit expectations and get back on track.
It has been within the last few weeks of P3i taking off that the same feeling has set in for me. I have been so excited. I have so many ideas, ambitions, and goals. I feel like I am bursting at the seams wanting to do it all and do it all way too fast.
Also, however, I figuratively feel a lid on my head over the past few years. I visualize a specific silver lid from my very own kitchen sitting on the top of my head. Pushing my ideas down. Keeping them at bay. Or something like that. My grandpa always popped popcorn for us on the stovetop. So a lid like that - to keep the popcorn in the kettle. Keep my ideas from popping out all over the place I guess.
Another theme in my journaling over recent years has been ‘squash.’ As in having my excitement and ideas and my passion and perhaps my overzealousness “squashed.” Taken down a notch. I get going, I am so excited, and BAM! There’s permission to be asked, perimeters to stay within, setbacks, heartache, certain standards to be accomplished in a timely manner (veteran teacher sigh …), or lastly, there’s uncertainty - “Don’t give people so much power over you that their silence leaves you questioning your worth,” - Unknown.
A new theme has developed in recent weeks and it’s not one I am happy with. Jealousy. We recently had a pretty dynamic children’s author visit Greenwood School. Dynamic in that she held a presence in front of the students that I want to hold for people - calm, gentle, warm, and inspiring. And her Instagram account? I shouldn’t have even started to follow, LOL. It’s humbly and modestly full of school visit pictures and beautifully recreated Canva quotes (two of my favorites - Canva and quotes). Some other recent life observations, thoughts, and moments have happened too that add to that not-so-proud-of jealousy.
So I’m using Spring Break, the continued snow, and my plowing-widow cozy days at home to reset. Like I often do with my (awesome!) students. I’m the one who needs to get back on track. Go slow to go fast. And do less to do more.
A mentor-friend once told me that I wouldn’t win teacher-of-the-year in my first year of teaching. I still haven’t and actually now, I never will. That's not the point. The point is, however, that all the connecting, speaking, engaging, inspiring, and creating I want to do, I also want to do authentically, truthfully, simply, beautifully, ... and slowly. ;)
“Don’t go too fast. People have to go to school, learn their craft, and build a brand. That’s the right, healthy way to do things. If you’re an overnight sensation, you can be yesterday’s news in no time. Whereas building something slowly and carefully that has value and quality, that’s what’s going to have legs.” - Anna Wintour
“You do not have to be a fire for every mountain blocking you. You could be a water and soft river your way to freedom too.” - Nayyirah Waheed
“She doesn’t beg, force, or chase. She prays, works, and has faith.” - Unknown.
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