 The Desert Rose Labyrinth at Ivins Utah (October 2008). Retrieved on February 4, 2015 from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: Desert_Rose_Labyrinth.jpg |  Anza Borrego: Desert Hike, Spring 2014 |
Start with the End in Mind
The Labyrinth represents the often complicated, irregular network of paths to navigate to find one’s way. The traveler on this journey has only one choice, to enter or not to enter. Once the choice to enter is made, the traveler is constantly challenged by decisions and frustrations; some that lead to dead ends and need to be rethought in order to reach the end. The Desert Rose Labyrinth, pictured above is an eleven-circuit labyrinth in the Coyote Gulch Art Village in Utah. There are similar one’s in the Anza Borrego desert, including the maze of slot canyons, a type of labyrinth. My husband and I are fascinated by labyrinths and enter one when an opportunity arises. We also love to hike in the desert and explore the slot canyons to enjoy the calm, reflect, and rediscover our center. Hiking in the desert involves planning, as it is easy to lose one’s way. Like the labyrinth, live is filled with choices. From the time we are born, we are told to be proactive, plan for the future, and make the right choices to reach our goals. This requires staying focused on what’s important, prioritizing our goals, and planning time accordingly to get results. However, I often find my personal aspirations outside of work are often put on hold because of circumstances outside of my control or because I am so focused on professional goals. As I get closer to turning fifty, I find myself feeling like I am running short of time to align with what Jerry Patterson and Dr. Pumpian refer to as my True North, and I am constantly questioning whether I am making the right choices. When one is younger, it seems there is always time to make changes in our own behavior.
According to Dr. Pumpian’s presentation, starting with the end in mind is a habit of vision, and the best way to predict our future is to create it. Beginning with the end in mind comes easier for me as a teacher, both in terms of lesson and unit design, and it is beginning to get easier in leadership roles I have chosen, at least where the purpose and vision is already defined and I am charged with making it happen. In terms of areas I need to develop, these include the type of leadership I want to model and to be a part of and my authenticity as a leader. I have goals I want to achieve and several projects in mind, but sometimes have trouble following through with all of them.
A current goal this year, which came out of my needs assessment last semester is to use Asset Funds (not that money is available) to set-up a computer lab for students who do not have access to computers at home and need time to work after school. I need to better define what this will look like and the resources needed to make it successful. Viewing the end in mind and developing a blueprint will allow the project to be more successful.
My commitment this week in terms of teaching the habit—start with the end in mind—is to continue to teach my AP World History students. Last week, we looked at management strategies to be proactive in their workflow and in goal setting to improve their writing. This week we will focus on starting with the end in mind.
Steps: Have AP students
1. Start with an end goal to increase their learning
2. Select a goal to improve communication and prioritizing to get the results they want.
3. If the result isn’t what they intended in order to reach their goal, what will they change?
According to Dr. Pumpian’s presentation, starting with the end in mind is a habit of vision, and the best way to predict our future is to create it. Beginning with the end in mind comes easier for me as a teacher, both in terms of lesson and unit design, and it is beginning to get easier in leadership roles I have chosen, at least where the purpose and vision is already defined and I am charged with making it happen. In terms of areas I need to develop, these include the type of leadership I want to model and to be a part of and my authenticity as a leader. I have goals I want to achieve and several projects in mind, but sometimes have trouble following through with all of them.
A current goal this year, which came out of my needs assessment last semester is to use Asset Funds (not that money is available) to set-up a computer lab for students who do not have access to computers at home and need time to work after school. I need to better define what this will look like and the resources needed to make it successful. Viewing the end in mind and developing a blueprint will allow the project to be more successful.
My commitment this week in terms of teaching the habit—start with the end in mind—is to continue to teach my AP World History students. Last week, we looked at management strategies to be proactive in their workflow and in goal setting to improve their writing. This week we will focus on starting with the end in mind.
Steps: Have AP students
1. Start with an end goal to increase their learning
2. Select a goal to improve communication and prioritizing to get the results they want.
3. If the result isn’t what they intended in order to reach their goal, what will they change?
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