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Escaping the Present to Do Great Things for Kids

When I design for the end of mind great
things happen for kids
but when I get stuck in the present,
my creativity and passion disappear. 
As educators we are constantly victims of the obstacle of presentism. We work in the now, plan for the now and interact in the now all day and can seemingly never get ahead of the work. We are unable to get out from under presentism because, at it's core, that is how are industry is designed. Educators are held hostage by bells, calendars, assessment windows and by meetings and emergencies. However, to truly make change we will need to get out of the now and stay focused on what we want to create. Here is me present feeling:

My present reality is that our school culture is still hampered by conflict, bullying and intimidation but at the end of the year our school culture will be vibrant and conflict will be an anomaly and not the norm. 

My present reality is that I am performing my job like the person who held it before me but at the end of the year I will blend both my personality and style into the job because that is what I believe is best for kids. 

My present reality is that I have anxiety about going to work because my skill set is not perfect for the job that exists in its current form but it is perfect for the job that will exist as I develop it by the end of the year. 

At this time of year, where are you stuck? Are you in the cycle of the day-to-day or are your keeping the end in mind and designing your work accordingly? The first option is draining and rote but the second gives energy and invites creativity. I hope we choose to keep the end of mind of what we will create instead of the list of what we have to do that so often gets in our way. 

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