Your Reflection

Power of Choice allows us to determine our responses to any situation. Yes, you can CHOOSE your response in any situation.

We generally have two responses in unfamiliar or unknown situations. People may feel confident or ready for whatever comes their way and feel ready to go in accepting the challenge. Conversely, you could be a pool of sweat--shaking and on the verge of hyperventilating and searching for the exit. How can the exact same challenges, experiences, or situations produce such different outcomes? 

One word--preparation. 

Here's your choice--you can choose how well you are prepared for any type of situation. And you and your reaction are a direct reflection of the level of your preparedness. 

Do you know how Tiger Woods has become Tiger Woods? The man was preparing to be the best golfer of all time since he was 18 months old. One of my favorite Tiger stories comes from when he was at Stanford and there was a huge storm coming through Palo Alto. His team mates all went to the clubhouse to gain shelter from the wind and rain. But Woods remained at the range. Someone asked why he was out there, and a team mate said he was getting ready for the British Open. It is expected that in England, Scotland, Wales & Ireland that the weather is often cold, wet, windy, and unpredictable--and they play through it all. Think about it, if you've never experienced the conditions in which you will be expected to perform at your absolute best, how in the world will you be able to call on those needed skills to come through "in the clutch" and be successful? Tiger has won 3 British Opens during his career. 

Preparing for the unexpected is in the same realm, although you may know less about what really might happen, but you will be prepared. In teaching, you have all the basic answers to questions that come up in a lesson ready to go--canned answers if you will. But the moment that a kid pops up with a controversial question or topic, or they start talking about their dog, and you immediately become a) flustered b) upset or c) defensive, and now you've lost control of the situation-just on your reaction. You were not prepared. I'm not saying you would know the answer to whatever off the wall question or comment they made, but you chose not to be mentally prepared for that situation, and it reflected in you losing the classroom for that moment in time. Is it always easy? No. But as we grow to be more comfortable as classroom and school leaders, and prepare for those situations you will look more like a cool & calm duck on the water than a spastic & flailing cat in the water. 

Choose to be prepared for all possibilities in a given situation and you will reflect the confidence that comes with the time you put in to be ready when your time comes. 

Short Sighted?

Within the Power of Choice, we have the ability to choose our vision and course. You have the ability to choose the impact of your decision to be instant and immediate, or long-term and lasting. Years ago, I was looking at the opportunity to make a huge, drastic change that would be a major difference maker in my career path. 

I was in my third year of teaching in 2005, Susan and I were married the previous spring, and we had just moved cross country to Arizona. The district we were in, Dysart Unified, set up an informational meeting for an upcoming cohort with Arizona State University. The program was a Masters for Administration and Supervision in Education. 

It was a huge decision on so many levels. We were newer teachers, just married, broke as hell, and like most newly weds, we were thinking about starting a family. Taking on a 24 month masters program was not going to be a small feat or challenge. We would be at class for 3-4 hours every Monday night during the next two spring and fall semesters, and add in 6 weeks of 4 days a week classes over the summer session as well. Oh and don't forget to throw in there the 260 hours of internship as the cherry on top. It was a beast of a program, but it would set the course for my career. 

The meeting was in November, and the program was going to start in January, so there wasn't a whole lot of time for debate and zero time for indecision. Applications needed to be made and filled out, the funding piece and all of that had to get done immediately. The more and more I thought about it, the more I talked about it, it was an opportunity that I couldn't pass. It would be in-person instruction, from a major university, they would be sending the instructors to us in Dysart so we wouldn't have to drive to Tempe, and it was directed to the discipline that I wanted. 

I was in. 

So the next twenty-four months, it was a lot of stressing, a lot writing and research, but on December 7, 2007 I received my hood from Arizona State University. 

Now, this was not a short-term or an immediately impacting decision in regards to my education and career, but it was a long-term decision that still echoes today. Having that piece of paper has given me the opportunity to lead my own school (I never say it that way, I've talked about that before--me, my and mine vs we, us and ours.), and have an impact on hundreds of kids, teachers and community members. 

So I challenge you the next time you are gifted a choice that you see the impact beyond its immediacy and envision the choice's true and long-term impact.