The Idea of Urgent vs. Meaningful

Hello again my fellow teacher friends! Welcome to another week of school and inspiration. 

I'm sure by now we are starting to adjust to our schedule, settle into the routine, and get used to the surprises that pop up everyday. As teachers, we are used to this, and it often throws us off our game a bit. There's also this to consider; how many emails, spreadsheets, surveys, and other tasks do we have to complete in addition to the regular planning and organizing we have to do? If you think about it, we are always working through a sense of urgency, and many times the meaningful work is pushed to the side because we believe that the tasks deemed as "urgent" take preference. 

This week I want us to consider an idea by Valorie Burton. She shares with us her wisdom on the John Maxwell podcast episode entitled 5 Questions Every Resilient Leader Asks Themselves. One of her recommendations was the idea of urgency vs. meaningful.  As teachers, we are asked frequently to complete a multitude of tasks, all within the same timeframe... “immediately.” 

What I would like to see is both teachers and administrators consider if the task at hand is meaningful or simply urgent. Valorie Burton reminds us that meaningful tasks are the ones that we will be glad we completed; a week, a month, and even a year from now. Tasks that are “urgent” don’t always carry the same value. Let’s consider two things this week; let's work together to spread this idea to other teachers so we can continue to unify in our efforts to push for more meaningful tasks, instead of just urgent ones. Secondly, the more we spread this as a mindset, the better our chances are of change, and we grow as resilient leaders. 

For me, the first part begins with a soulful reorganization of my tasks, and considering what is the most meaningful to me as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, and teacher leader. Since I love making lists, I want to prioritize the tasks that I know will have an impact on me (and others) in the future. Somehow, analyzing the same data on the fourth different spreadsheet doesn't cut it. That I have to learn to save for my prep time or during our PLC meeting. 

As teacher leaders, I encourage you to share this idea with an educator friend who needs to hear it, and think how we can all work together to refocus our energy and inspire our administrators to do the same. Remember that change starts small and then grows, and if we want to continue to be resilient, we must be meaningful in what we do.  Resilience does not happen overnight, but rather, it's a slow process that we must continue to work on. Think of it more of a lifestyle change rather than a short-term diet.  After all, we all have the same goals in mind: to serve our students well, continue to grow and learn, and inspire others along the way. Continue keeping “meaningful” at the forefront of your mind, heart, and to-do list, and you will be well on your way to resilient teacher leadership!

Final Thoughts: Keep sorting and organizing tasks based on this question: is it meaningful, or is it urgent? Keep trying small ways to put the meaningful before the urgent, and notice how it affects you. Keep striving to encourage others to reframe their thinking to this, and be resilient in spreading the word; even one person jumping on board is progress! Finally, keep thinking of yourself as a teacher leader- you got this for sure!