The Power of the Pause
This fellow understands the power of the pause.
We saw him/her on a bike ride around one of the local lakes at the end of summer.
As we approached, he just stayed incredibly still, inert but alert!
Watching our movements assessing the situation as we carefully went around him.
Taking this pause in education is difficult to do.
But it is also incredibly beneficial.
To reflect and build awareness of the reality of the situation you are in and set intentions from this point of increased knowledge.
I have been delving into how coaching supports school leaders through research by van Nieuwerburgh, C et al (2020).
One finding that particularly resonated with me is the theme around creating time for reflection. In fact, one of the participants in the study explained how they appreciated being ‘forced’ to make time for themselves to think and explore. I think this speaks to the all-encompassing busyness that school leaders are faced with and the intentionality that needs to be applied in order to get the space needed to reflect.
As we head towards the end of the year, it is a good time to think about what your pause/your reflection could look like and what you might like to focus on.
You could……
Celebrate the successes you may have overlooked or have been too busy to savour
Gain clarity on your leadership role and the areas you would like to move forward on in the new year
Decide on what’s right for your next career move
Reflect on how to be more intentional about your well-being.
If you would like support in working through any of the above, then send me a message.
van Nieuwerburgh, C., Barr, M., Munro, C., Noon, H., & Arifin, D. (2020). Experiences of aspiring school principals receiving coaching as part of a leadership development programme. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 9(3), 291–306.
