The birds' fire-fangled feathers dangle down. #reflection #edleadership

It's important for me to take a moment to reflect on the past year in terms of insights, takeaways, ideas, next steps, action items, successes, etc. This is an opportunity to practice what I preach. If I'm going to ask students and teachers to be reflective, then I should too. I've been thinking about the year a lot.

Last night, before the board meeting, I went to dinner with a colleague. As we were talking about privilege, equity, recent events in the news, our professional goals, vacations, etc. the following quote came to mind, "The birds' fire-fangled feathers dangle down." It's the last line of the poem titled, Of Mere Being, by Wallace Stevens. It's a poem my dad used to say from memory to my sister, brothers, and me when we were little. The last line has always stayed with me- maybe because of the alliteration, maybe because it's the end of the poem. 

Insights: Relationships matter. This theme emerged for me this year, especially at the Equity at the Core conference I attended. Change and progress cannot take place without respectful, trusting relationships. Each relationship is different/unique/complex.

Successes: I'm proud of the work I did to further the research/thinking from my Master's thesis on the SCASA SMP/SEP post. I'm proud I completed my Ignite at the CMC-North Asilomar Conference. I'm excited that I am starting my Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at SF State. 

Takeaways: Breathe. Be concise.

Ideas: What if we lead with curiosity that is truly genuine? Positivity and optimism are important. Build on your strengths. 

Next Steps: Look at science and math through the lens of equity. Talk about and recognize privilege. 

Action Items: Continue to support teachers with math, science and ELD instructional practices.