What I hadn't done recently is look back at those process steps to keep myself on track. Van Edwards recommends revisiting your Goal Wheel and the associated goals every couple of weeks, which I think is a piece that I have been missing. My progress toward 40 books had slowed recently, so The Science of Goal Setting refocused me and gave me the tools I needed to get back on track. 

Have you taken your emotional temperature recently?  If not, print off Van Edwards' worksheet and get to coloring. You might find just what you needed to rekindle your own goals or set new ones with the confidence that you have what it takes to accomplish them! 

Let's be accountable to each other. Share one of your goals in the comments or on Twitter with #40_by_40.

I can find inspiration in some unlikely places. This quote from Just Listen is a prime example. While Sarah Dessen is a lovely writer, I prefer dystopia to suburbia when reading YA, but this line from a decade-old novel for teenage girls has really hits home when I think about how we function in a team.

I hear from teachers about their fear of speaking up in planning meetings, PLCs, or the teacher work room. This is especially true of beginning teachers, who are still learning the norms of their buildings. Teachers--new and veteran-- often keep ideas to themselves, protected from the judgement of colleagues who aren't always good at hiding disapproval.

New ideas often mean change, which is scary. It's even scarier to think that maybe change is necessary. While new and better are not synonymous, teachers often scrunch their noses with suspicion of anything touted as the latest and greatest.

Ever uttered the phrase, "What we've always done is..."? Yeah, me too.  It's a creativity crusher.

Colleagues learn to keep ideas to themselves bypassing judgment. But what they are also bypassing is the opportunity to grow as  professionals, being part of a community, and building relationships.

So how can we support beginning teachers--or any teachers-- who want to try new things?  I think these questions might be part of the secret sauce. 

If you're a teacher who has an idea to share, spend some time thinking about the answers to the following questions. It will help you determine if your idea has legs and give you some selling points when you talk to colleagues.

If you're working with a beginning teacher, consider asking these questions to the newbie to help develop the idea. It will help the new teacher grow as a reflective educator. These questions are not about judgement; they're about understanding each other's perspectives.

Just working through these questions will support you as a growing professional, who wants to be part of a community and build relationships. 

Knowing the root of an idea can be the key piece of information to help everyone understand. 

2. Who are other folks who have tried this? 

Whether it is a pillar of educational research or the teacher down the hall, knowing that a strategy or lesson has been successful elsewhere can often sway the seemingly unswayable. 

3. What do I have to know about myself for this to be successful? 

New strategies can rarely be effective if the teacher is not mentally prepared for the task.

Motivation

Often, just answering the first question can open up a dialogue between teachers. Figure out what itch you're trying to scratch.  There is rarely an easy answer for challenges we face, though we may operate under that belief. The new idea should be one of several that the team of teachers should explore as a solution to the problem. Seize the opportunity for community building as teachers share their own experiences tackling similar problems.  Read more about how we can get in the way of our own creativity.  If the idea still seems viable, move on to the second question.

Research

Know Thyself

“Sometimes it seems safer to hold it all in, where the only person who can judge is yourself.” 

Putting yourself out there can be a scary place. One of my heroes, Brené Brown wrote a whole book on it. But that doesn't mean it's not worth it.

Reflect on times in your career where you've pushed yourself to try something new. How did that work for you? Are you holding back something right now because it feels safer?  How's that working for you? Share your stories in the comments. 

That statement stuck with me. Honestly, I reread it multiple times and was so excited to share that with future induction teachers. Of course, I hadn't realized that teacher was speaking as much to me as she was her fellow newbies. She understood intention better than I did.

I am certainly no expert, and I still have to make a conscious decision to set positive intentions. Sometimes I forget, but I've learned I can set an intention at anytime, even if it's halfway through a meeting.

For me, it's a work in progress. One statement I am leaning heavily on during those must-do activities is "I intend to learn something new or expand my understanding." Mostly it's a mental intention, but reflecting on my experience with Elena, I think more written intentions will be helpful to me as well. I've even tried to incorporate some intention setting for participants at the beginning of PD sessions that I am leading.

Want some resources? Here is a great beginning step to setting intentions. Just three things to consider as you create and set your intentions. Tip #1 is the antidote for the grumpy meme above. :)

This week is my 39th birthday and, like most people approaching a milestone birthday, I've started making a list of what I'd like to accomplish before the big 4-0. First on my to-do list: Read 40 books by my 40th birthday.

When I told my husband that, he said, "Altogether? Like in a year?" It's ambitious for me and, apparently, for most Americans. A recent survey reported 12 books to be the average, but about a fourth of American adults hadn't even read one book in the last 12 months. Yikes! I've never officially counted how many books I've read in one year before, but I do try to keep track here. 

In my family, I am known as a reader, the bookworm. As much as I love reading, I can't say that I am always reading something. My tendency is to read in binges, often reading a whole series in succession--the year of Harry Potter and Hunger Games weekend come to mind. 

Parenthood has dramatically changed my reading habits in recent times. Since my daughter was born, I've noticed I'm a more prolific reader when I'm forced to sit and be still with all other entertainment options removed. I read bunches while nursing my child and during that phase where I had to sit in her room until she fell asleep every night. eReaders are a lifesaver in those situations. But now sustained attention to any task with a three-year-old around is a challenge.  Vacations filled with books on the beach are distant memories, too. 

Knowing that I'm unlikely to invent more time to read, I realized that there would have to some behavior changes on my part if I'm really going to digest roughly one book a week until next December. Austin Kleon's recent newsletter mentioned year-end lists and linked to his post on how he read over 70 books in 2014.  I was inspired! Based on his seven tips and a few of my own ground rules, I've come up with a plan. Here goes...

 1. Runs from December 2015 to December 2016.
 2. Books can be counted as long as they are finished by my birthday 2016 regardless of start date.
 3. Professional books (nonfiction) and personal books (fiction and nonfiction) count.
 4. Children's books do not count, unless they are chapter length.
 5. Format is irrelevant - eBooks, audiobooks, traditionally bound are all fair game.
 6. Books before Facebook. Limit social media and read a book instead.
 7. Go to bed earlier and read. See also #6.
 8. Travel with books. Always.  See also #6.
 9. Talk about books and ideas more and less about people. See also #6.
10. Remember this is not a chore. You actually like reading. A lot. It's like being forced to eat ice cream and wear soft pants every day. Enjoy it, dadgummit! 

Ready, Set, Go! 

Written as a part his Typewriter Series, Tyler Knott Gregson's poem is as true for teaching as it is for anything someone felt inspired to begin. Teaching certainly has its fair share of tasks that keep us treading water, working hard for very little progress.  It is exhausting and makes us long for an ending. How many Facebook posts do you see with teachers counting down the days until the next break? Don't get me wrong--I am among those who look forward to time off to spend with family and friends and a reprieve from the daily tasks of school and work.

But there is a difference between escaping something and recharging your batteries. 

Even 16 years after joining the profession, I look forward to coming back after a little R&R. Granted, I don't say that out loud too often--people look at you funny if you say you like your job--but I can still find the thread that connects me back to why I became a teacher. 

So as you prepare for an upcoming break, think about Gregson's poem, Reflect on why you became a teacher in the first place, whether you made that decision months, years or decades ago, May breaks be a time of rest and reflection where you can remind yourself how much you have always loved to swim.