School supplies are my kryptonite. Notebooks, fresh Ticonderogas (iykyk, right?), cute little fake-succulent magnets, inspirational saying pencil pouches, and the annual “THIS is the planner that will change my life” purchase. (Spoiler alert: it will not, in fact, change my life.) I love the idea of order, even though I realize that my life trends more towards chaos, no matter how I try to organize it.
September is the perennial “this is the year I get organized” moment for a lot of teachers. Along with new students (and maybe new curricula), we set up new systems, try out new attention-getters, and put up new bulletin boards. We have ASPIRATIONS. This year? 100% our year.
And then…things happen. Our own personal chaos demons show up and disrupt our systems and processes and our shiny new plans disintegrate before our eyes. Some degree of chaos returns and with it, frustration, exhaustion, and just a pinch of “why can’t I get it together?”
Hear me out, though. What if we stop planning and start just…participating? Could it be that the chaos isn’t chaos at all, but rather a natural system doing exactly what it needs to do?
Systems thinking– a “sensitivity to the circular nature of the world we live in; an awareness of the role of structure in creating the conditions we face; a recognition that there are powerful laws of systems operating that we are unaware of; a realization that there are consequences to our actions that we are oblivious to”- give us a new way of understanding how our experiences are shaped by our choices and the things that are beyond our control so that we can be more intentional about where we put our most precious resources (time, energy, and money).
Personally, I’m a big believer in finding the funny in the chaos. Carrie Fisher’s wisdom, “If it’s not funny, then it’s just true and that’s unacceptable, so it better be funny.” There’s something remarkably centering (and connecting!) about a deep, shared belly laugh when things go sideways and we build deeper relationships with our colleagues, our students, and ourselves. A good laugh can lift a heavy burden and bring light to a dark moment.
In this month’s newsletter, I’m sharing some resources to help you make meaning in whatever degree of chaos you find around you and I’m wishing you laughter, joy, and creativity in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
Best-