Photo of a sunrise over the water from the beach in Oak Bluffs, MA. The sun’s reflections turn the water and sky into multiple shades of orange. Photo by the author during a morning run in Fall 2022.
Check-In:
I claimed 24 as my favorite number pretty early in life. In my mind that was the age when my life would really begin. I would have graduated from college, met my life partner, and begun my dream job. Oh silly Mary. I still claim #24 as special to me and find it serendipitous that the one-year anniversary of this newsletter is Issue #24.
Toni Morrison famously said, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” That is what prompted me to write my book and what prompted me to start this newsletter. Toni Morrison also said that there’s an assumption that the primary audience for writing is white folks. Nope. Not here. I wanted to purposefully center leaders of the global majority so we knew that our stories are important and worthy of being the focus of reading particularly in the education space.
I have a coworker who regularly talks about working within your “zone of genius”. This past week I received a lesson on the four different zones of function developed by Gay Hendricks in The Big Leap. He explains that your “zone of excellence” is where you are highly skilled but you may not necessarily love the work. This is how I feel about facilitation. I believe I have exceeded the 10000 practice hours Malcolm Gladwell talks about in The Outliers and I know I can facilitate the hell out of a professional development session. However, Hendricks explains the “zone of genius” is where you feel liberated. I am ALL about liberation.
I felt liberated in the process of writing my book. I feel liberated when I’m coaching and advocating for my fellow equity officers and leaders of the global majority. I feel liberated every time I write this newsletter. I am thankful to put all of my favorite pastimes into one bimonthly newsletter. This regular writing practice has allowed me to share my thoughts and opinions on the world around us (I’ve got LOTS of those), shine a light on brilliant leaders in education (I have SO many more I want to talk to) and talk about books (My TBR list is ridiculous).
Even though I’m writing every issue at night and on the weekends, it never feels like something I “have” to do. I enjoy thinking through each theme and how every other part of the newsletter builds on it. It’s like a puzzle.
I want to thank you all for being a part of my journey in the past year as I played with length, format, and tone. As I move to year two of this newsletter, I would love your thoughts and feedback by completing this quick 5 question survey. I would love to hear what you like/dislike as well as suggestions for improvement and inclusion.
I’m taking off August to appreciate the journey of this past year, rest, recenter, and review whatever thoughts you may have. I will return in September with Issue #25.
“Leading-Within Wednesdays” will continue as we dive into the 10 leadership competencies…there is a question about these installments as well in the survey so please take a few minutes to share your thoughts.
From those of you who have been with me from Issue #1 to those who just signed up last week- I thank you for your support.
-Mary
#mondaymotivation: “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” -Maya Angelou
Upcoming Events:
On July 18th at 4 pm ET, I am continuing the conversations with my fellow ASCD Authors Dr. Dwayne Chism and Dr. Reed-Marshall to discuss the “what’s next?” after the SCOTUS Affirmative Action decision in college admissions and implications for K12 Education. You can RSVP here: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/stayonmission
If this is your first time reading, please go back and read my Introductions post.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. If you like it, please share it with your network!