Closing Tabs

Teachers and school leaders are some of the most artful ringmasters I have ever seen. When you walk into the classroom of a teacher who is committed to and focused on student engagement, it is truly beautiful to watch the way all the pieces fall together. It's also exhausting.

It's been quite a ride working with teachers the past several months and observing the artful transfer of instruction from a physical space to a virtual one. As we collaborate together and engage in professional learning sessions, I've shared my laptop screen with them as a facilitator and many of them have shared their screens with me and the group as well. I must say, teachers have elevated their ringmaster status to a completely new level.

I thought I had an extensive amount of tabs open on my own internet browser, but teachers have multiplied that threefold.

I want to nudge educators (just a little bit) to close some of those tabs and give yourself permission to focus on the things that are most important for you and your students. Press pause on the things you don't need right now.

Go ahead. Pause. It'll be there tomorrow; it'll be there next week. You can open up that section again and come back to it when you're ready.

When we have too much on our plate, it amplifies our feelings of stress and overwhelm. We feel as though we are never making forward progress even though we are. If a tab doesn't need your immediate attention, if it's not going to help you with that very next lesson or section of students - go ahead and close it. It's okay. I won't tell anyone.

Give yourself a breather, give yourself an opportunity to pause to relax. Focus on what you and your students need most - each other.

Share one tab you plan to close this week.