To connect and disconnect

To start the year, I was inspired by Happier with Gretchen Rubin Podcast #254 which included a discussion of setting New Years resolutions by making a list of “20 for 2020” and/or setting a word theme for the year to guide the months ahead.

Last year was busy and  I thoroughly enjoyed our second year at St Luke’s Catholic Early Learning Centre (CELC.) However my health was not the greatest and I know I wasn’t looking after myself as well as I should have been.

Upon starting 2020, I aimed to look after my health, improve the work/life balance, to learn more as well as  to facilitate professional development and growth for the CELC team. Summarising this into a one word theme for the year was not easy.  

To formulate a one word theme I wrote a list of my “20 for 2020” combining both personal and professional events/goals/wishes. From this my one word theme was easy to identify.

My list of 20 for 2020

1. To strengthen the connections between St Luke’s Catholic Early Learning Centre and St Luke’s school
2. To introduce inquiry walks to the CELC children to build their connection with the school community and see themselves as part of the St Luke’s community of learners.
3. To further my connection with the CELC team individually through developing my  coaching  skills, supporting teachers in their professional growth.
4. To strengthen the connection amongst the CELC team through regular meetings (weekly room meetings and monthly whole team meetings); shared professional development opportunities and shared professional readings.
5. To strengthen the connection for the children at the CELC with the St Luke’s Pillars by embedding this throughout our practises.
6. To facilitate children’s connection to their learning through child led inquiries
7. To form connections with wider professional networks by attending conferences, participating in network meetings and visiting other children’s services.
8. To stay connected with research and innovations through professional readings
9. To connect Professional Development (including professional readings) to pedagogy including child led inquiry and the Reggio Emilia approach
10. To share my work regularly through Twitter (inspired by Austin Kleon, “Show your work.“)
11. To ‘climb down from the ladder’ and not make judgements from what is first observed.
12. To exercise regularly and commit to this in my weekly routine.
13. To keep Saturdays a work free day – no emailing, no working on my blog and minimise thinking about the week prior or the week ahead.
14. To strengthen connections with family through planned “family time” (not in a Brady Bunch kind of way.)
15. To connect with friends by calling/messaging each week and seeing them more often
16. To read a book a month
17. To reduce my rubbish/waste
18. I will try to focus on one thing at a time so that I am more ‘present,’ and not to think what is still ahead for the week.
19. To not worry if I do not cross off everything on my ‘to do’ list each day and transfer unfinished tasks to the next day/week list.
20. To regularly disconnect from work. This is just as important as connecting.

From this list, my one word  theme I am trying to work towards in 2020 is Connection.

From writing the list and considering how this shapes my personal and professional experiences, I realised the equal importance of disconnection as well. Disconnection is equally important because it provides time to reset and to ‘take a break.’ After disconnection, quite often a clearer view can be seen before reconnecting.