Start of year professional learning

Guess what...
I'm back! Today our team is engaged in professional learning with Dr Marion Sanders on writing. This is our third day together as a staff. One of the tasks Marion just asked of us was called looping. We had to reflect on our prior two days of professional learning together, and then write a paragraph of our thoughts. We then had to choose our favourite sentence from that paragraph, share it with a colleague, and then use this to frame our next paragraph.
Here's what I wrote -

I feel invigorated by the professional learning time we spend together.
I get great energy and invigoration from framing moral purpose, reflecting on the big picture and dreaming of what can be. I find it inspiring to be learning, growing and gaining energy alongside those I work with. The positive buzz of possibility is like fuel that helps to drive me throughout the year. I believe we do the most important job - and I also feel that we are privileged to do so. Our work is also very challenging, and through the strength of the unity we generate in our days together, I feel invigorated. I hope others do to, as it is through our collective spirit, drive and passion that great things will occur. I hope that each year is better than the last - that the learning opportunity and outcome builds further our community.

The positive buzz of possibility is like fuel that helps to drive me throughout the year.
Once we begin our year with our learners the focus of learning together tends to take on subtle changes. I guess it might be selfish, but during these three days the focus is on challenging our thinking, being creative and dreaming. Next week, we will take greater cognizance of the challenges we face with our learners. Maybe someone not having lunch, or someone not treating another person respectfully, or the marriage break up that is effecting a child. Although we have been imagining this reality is some respect, the reality of it will impact our head space maybe more than we expect prior to the year beginning.

I enjoyed this - and it's prompted me to get back to my blog. To again be a writer - to prioritise this as a tool for my own reflection and learning. I hope to achieve this with more regularity - maybe you, because you're reading this could support me in doing so. Ask questions, make comments, tell me to get on with it if I haven't written anything for a few weeks.

Anyway, back on with it now... and on the running front (if you're interested), a 26km run in National Park on Saturday (The Tussock Traverse). Hope that will be fun and invigorating too!