What is Jessica Doing? v.1

Okay, folks. Maybe you are wondering what Jessica is doing. Maybe you are not wondering this at all and you're here for ridiculous and rambling thoughts on Emerson, change theory, and general figuring out of it all. Either way, here you have it:

Reading:

• School Finance: A Policy Perspective
• The Picus Report: Surprisingly engaging. Talk about one's reading experience being based in context! I'm so interested in VT and the system as a whole that this report is very interesting. I am no where near finished with all 300 pages, but so far I don't want to bash my head in.
• Leading Change in Your School: I put down another ed. book for this one because I'm loving it so much. It was casually tossed to me in a meeting which made discovery that the book is very good that much better.
• Strengths Finder
• MaddAddam (must have one fiction text in there!)
• Lots of articles on collaboration, organizational dynamics, adult development, etc. Check out my Diigo and Twitter for some samplings. 

Writing:

• Lots of wild and fun journaling, note-taking, agenda-drafting, processing, one-woman think-tanking. Nothing too formal happening...yet.
• Emails...
• Reflections for the two classes I'm in (1.) School Leadership 2.) Financial and Legal Management of Schools). I'm loving both classes right now. Betcha can't guess which one I'm surprised I like. 
• Blog posts, obviously. This is harder. I have to push myself to actually capture my thoughts and then share them in all of their messiness. It's good exercise. I imagine I'll be in better shape soon. 

Fueling the fire:

• Right this minute, the pellet stove in our living room that was just installed this morning. One surprisingly satisfying perk of such a flexible schedule is that I can be present for things like pellet stove installation. Mat is no longer the only one on-call to rearrange his work schedule for home-related stuff. I no longer feel guilty for constantly asking him to do so. Win-win. 
• Students are signing up for YATST!!! It was all hypothetically exciting when Scott and I were dreaming about this little group. Now, it's on! Students are applying. They are so thoughtful, balanced, engaged, and energized in their few application questions (1.) Why do you want to be a part of this group 2.) What is one change you would like to see at U-32?).  God, I love this work. 
• Autumn coolness. Finally, the return of blanket weather! I feel like a hobo sleeping when I have to sleep with a sheet or thin blanket in summer, but I run too darned hot not to.  
• A particularly poignant class last night with Peter Evans. Everyone had a few minute to tell the story of what brought them to this class and how their life experiences have shaped their pathways to leadership. I was captivated. So much humanity and interconnection was in that room. I'm not sure the last time I saw that many people deeply engage and be vulnerable like that in an academic setting. Sure, at a Courage retreat, but in a graduate class on day two? Nope. I'm loving the gentle and open nature of this class. There have been brief moments when I have to remind myself that I'm digging it, but that means I just get to enjoy it all the more once I slow down and become present again. 

Dreaming about (see also: "cloud talk," as in with no obligation to reality or often begins with "imagine if"):

• A real, live lab school (lots more in my head on this one)
• A doctoral degree...probably inspired by my wonderings of what I could do if I stayed on sabbatical forever researching, planning, collaborating, and creating. Then I remember that second bullet up above--I'd miss students too much.

General real-world earth talk of plotting and scheming:

• I registered for ASCD's Ed Leadership Conference and SRI's Winter Meeting. 
• I'm organizing our team to go to the Rowland Conference. 
• Scott and I are getting YATST off the ground. 
• I'm trying to plan a very meaningful, worthwhile kick off meeting for the steering committee and advisory committee. 
• Planning a trip to London...! Mat has a good friend who has been living there for the year for work, so with a free place to stay it would've been ridiculous not to make this happen. There were some false starts and stops (Do we really need to do this now? Yes, they're not going to be living there much longer. Aren't we traveling a ton already this year? Yup. What fun?! Let's experience gratitude over overwhelmedness. What about Anna? She has family friends there and would love to go. Maybe we should bring her. What about school?), but we've finally jammed it into the calendar and will make it work. 

I deem the first two weeks of sabbatical a success. Here's to setting the foundation!

The G.K. himself would say: be well, do good work, and keep in touch.