Training Wheels

You remember ’em.  (Or maybe you were a bad ass/some biking prodigy and don’t? fine then.)

Our stepping stone.  The small but critical support that helped us not only build skill but confidence–and develop a love of riding on our own.  They say you never forget how to ride a bike, which makes me think it’s not so much a skill as it is an innate ability.  Like, you were born to find your balance, to feel the wind in your hair, and to propel yourself to speeds far faster than you could do with just your own two feet.  But you gotta get there in baby steps.

I swear there is a point to this metaphor.

Today I just sent off my proposal to the VPs of Institute, the SMDI of my team, and my own manager. It’s a “soft” release–we have a call on Wednesday to discuss, but as I sit here thinking about what I just accomplished, it’s striking what I’m feeling: calm.  You would think that after spending 3 months drafting, revising, brainstorming, context-gathering, feedback cycling, re-starting, testing, and polishing that I’d be more nervous.  This is where my training wheels come in.

This year I was promoted to being a Director of Design–and it was a surprise.  I knew that my role last year was supposed to be a stepping-stone to this (a sort of training wheels in and of itself), but I expected the process to take longer.  But, an opening came, I was a good fit, and here I am, a Director at last.  But when I look at the project I was given, I see both its enormity and incredible impact, but also the training wheels.  Yet I also feel like I’m tapping into something I was born to do as well–design.  In an attempt to both give myself credit for the feat I just pulled off, but also to acknowledge that I sure as shit had support, I want to name it all.

The Training Wheels:
An external org that developed the model we will use (this is huge–I’m not creating new content, and thus have much less to test).  And the fact that the model is still similar to the one we used before, which means less institutional learning for us.  An org structure that essentially ensures Institutes say “yes” to my proposal.  A general willingness to trust me as an expert in this because of my unique experiences in classroom management positions.  A manager that supports me (and who I adore), and is willing to not only support me but talk me up to anyone she talks with.

The Bike: 
While I didn’t develop the model, I am certainly developing the methods.   This will be a full-scale institute revision.  That means 9 institutes, hundreds of staff members, nearly 5,000 new teachers, impacting hundreds of thousands of students.  An entire strand of training, 4 sessions, plus a fully revised staff-training Scope and Sequence.  A topic that makes most new teachers cringe, and is considered C-R-I-T-I-C-A-L to their ability to succeed in the classroom.  Modifications for ECE (pre-school) and Special education teachers so that ALL of our learners get the support they need from their teacher.  A proven ability to collaborate, flexibly revise ideas, put my nose to the grind stone and get.it.done.  A finesse in working with others, and navigating difficult conversations. An opportunity to prove I can handle a full-scale project and that you can give me another.

Even with the support, I’m riding the bike.  I’m doing the peddling and steering the handlebars and am propelling myself forward.

After this comes sharing with the SMDIs, staff conferences, and the actual work of session design itself (!!!!) so I know there is still a LONG way to go.  But this is big, and so until the road gets rough again, I’m going to slow down and enjoy this ride.

Someday I’ll have a job that I love.

Since this is in fact a place where I attempt to make “someday” into “today”, I figure it’s time to update on one of the biggest areas of my life: career.

I never pictured myself in my current situation.  When I was younger I had it all figured out: I’d go to law School, become some high powered attorney who would consistently crush my competition with my incredible logic, knowledge of the law, and my charming wit… 🙂 (side note: thank GOD shows like Scandal and Damages didn’t exist when I was younger… I didn’t need that kind of encouragement!)  I would have a corner office in some big city, wear super nice (but professional) clothes, make tons of money, feel challenged every day, and I could go home each night knowing that I had done my part to restore justice in the world.

As with most 20-somethings, I’m finding that my reality is nowhere near the dream I held.  As it turns out, it is better.  Let’s break it down:

Career Field: I may not be a member of the legal field, but I have found a different kind of calling: education non-profits. WOOO!  Doesn’t it just make your heart race with excitement?!  After joining TFA I really felt like I found a home, and an organization that–while it doesn’t always get it right–will always try to do and be better. Especially when I compare our org culture to other people I know, we have it good.  TFA is so open and receptive to feedback, and will literally do whatever it can to retain talent, and make them feel like they can do their best work.  I make a fantastic salary for being at a non-profit, and still have so much room for growth and career development.  While “office politics” still matters to some degree, it is MUCH easier to navigate than I would imagine other settings, and I can see myself here for years (and years) to come.

Office: I may not have an office on the 89th floor of a large city, but I do have the corner, and a view out to our sunny backyard.  The commute is short (unless one of the pups decides we HAVE to snuggle for an extra five minutes) and the hours are extremely flexible.  Yep, I work from home.  While this is definitely a blessing and a curse, once I figured it out, it’s turned out to be so incredible and so perfect for my working style.  I LOVE that I can work from wherever feels most comfortable (coffee shop? my desk? couch? somewhere else?!) and that I can do different types of work when I’m most effective (for example: I do most of my writing/creating in the AM, and save calls for the afternoon).  We always have plenty of food/snacks around and if I forget to bring a lunch, it’s totally fine!  Oh, and did I mention my office-mates are pretty darn adorable?  (although they do tend to sleep and snore a lot during the day…slackers.)

Fashion: Soooo…. I definitely have traded in my dreams of stilettos and form-fitting blazers for a reality of boxers and hoodies.  But that actually is way more practical for me, and helps save precious moments getting ready in the morning (which either allows me to sleep in or end the day early).  While I do admit I want to develop my fashion sense quite a bit more, the occasional conference still gives me the opportunity to dress to impress every once in awhile, which is good enough for now.

DoD (Degree of Difficulty): This is probably the best part.  While I don’t get to continually be challenged with the puzzle that is the law, I do get to design, and create, and write, and refine.  I can’t always say this about all of my roles in TFA, but this one is just SO right for me.  I feel both challenged and humbled by the opportunity to be a designer, and the resident expert in my field.  I get to create things that will be used by thousands of teachers, and impact hundreds of thousands of students each day, for years to come.  When people have questions, they reach out to me confident they will get their answer.  When something doesn’t sit right with me, I have the genuine power to research and find a solution.  It is incredible, and a position I thought would take me many more years to acquire.

Making a Difference: I still go (stay?) home every night knowing I’ve done my part to restore justice in the world.  It’s just a differnt kind of justice, for a different kind of deserving party.

Do I have the type of career I always thought I would? Of course not.  But the type of happiness and fulfillment I have always wanted “someday” is happening now.  I may not have my “dream job”, but really, who does?  Some people waste years chasing one, only to realize that your dream job is not a role but rather an impact.  I have a job that challenges me, brings so much joy and happiness to my life, AND allows me to do good in the world.  That kind of seems like a dream to me.

30 Before 30: Ride a Segway!

This to date was one of my more expensive items on the list, but SO MUCH FUN!

Riding a segway has been a silly dream of mine, ever since I first saw them in San Fran. I also knew that crossing this item off while visiting a new city would be a great way to double dip: ride a segway AND get to travel about a new place–in style! It’s also a fairly pricey one, so when Scott and I realized how much dough we had saved up in the travel fund, we knew this one was happening.

Then, when I found a company that did “Gangster Hot Spots” tours ON A SEGWAY, I knew it was pretty much meant to be.

Riding one of these bad boys was seriously one of the more fun experiences I’ve ever had while on vacation. THEY ARE SO COOL! Super easy to ride, and I have never had more fun seeing a city as I did gliding and zipping through the streets of Chicago. While the Gangster tour itself was kind of a let down (our tour guide was kind of lame), that did not take away from the fun of the evening. I’m so glad this was on the list, and so happy to have it crossed off…now if only I can talk Scott into buying these for us to use in Denver… 🙂

30 Before 30: Workout Streak

Another 30 before 30 item can be crossed off the list: 30 day workout streak!

Here’s how this one came to be:

I have seen a lot of people do “run streaks”: running AT LEAST a mile every single day for a given number of days.  Some peeps get cray and do 100+ days.  I was intrigued by this idea and wanted to do something similar, though I knew my poor old knees would never hold up.  Enter the 30 day workout streak!

For 30 days, I had to do some form of exercise.  But it had to be legit–a dog walk on its own wouldn’t cut it.  I pretty much did cardio five times a week (35-35 minutes of it), a 1 or 2 mile dog walk almost every day, and on the non-cardio days I did 30-45 minutes of strength training.  It surprisingly wasn’t as difficult as I thought!

Once I realized that the CHOICE of going to the gym was gone, it became a normal part of my day.  I wasn’t dreading it, and found that I really began to enjoy the time I spent there.  I also learned a lot about myself and my workout habits along the way, most notably:

• While I don’t LOVE it (because it’s hard): running is by FAR the most effective way for me to lose weight and stay in shape.  I lost more weight in a week of running than 2 on the elliptical
• There are VERY few valid reasons for not working out on days I should.  Over the course of 30 days nearly EVERY excuse in the book came up (with one exception–being sick).  I had some small injuries, packed days, nutrition-poor moments, travel, and even hangovers, but all were combated fairly simply.  It showed me that in the future, I really don’t have a valid excuse for not meeting my workout goals, other than “I don’t want to”, which leads me to my next point
• Unless I want to be there, the workout may not be worth it.  I did find a few days where I was ONLY there to keep the streak going.  Those days sucked, and I don’t feel like I got a good workout in, even though I put in the time.  This tells me a lot about my mindset, and reminds me that my heart really has to be in it.  Otherwise, I’m better off doing something more enjoyable, like walking the pups!
• I can stick with something.  The last three days of my streak were in Chicago, while I was at my work retreat.  Not only was I TIRED of working out every day, but I had to make drastic changes to my workout schedule.  Whereas I generally work out in the afternoons, I had to wake up at 5:00am MST to get my run on!  That was ROUGH, but I’m proud that I did it and was able to finish the streak.

This was one of the longest items on the list, and I am GLAD it’s done!  I do hope to keep up the workout regimen, but maybe bump it down to 4 days a week 🙂  The streak was fun, and it’s one more item off the list!  WOOO!

Watch out 30, I’m comin’ for ya!

CHICAGO!

Childhood dream of Wrigley fulfilled. On top of the world with my love. Rollin’ around town in the most ridiculous yet fun contraption ever. A GIANT bean and an even more giant wait list at a restaurant named after a farm animal. Incredible cocktail concoctions, leisurely walks along an ocean-lake, and gliding along the river while viewing come of the most beautiful sky scrapers in the world. A magnificent fountain, top chef meals, long lines and a trip of a lifetime.

Such an incredible (yet exhausting!) trip to Chicago! I kind of can’t believe everything we managed to do in three days, yet STILL had time for naps, hours of wandering around with no agenda, and an afternoon watching football in a sports bar 🙂 Certainly sets a high bar, and I’m even more eager now for the trips and travel that lies ahead for the Fellows!!