I've been amazed at how difficult it's been to get myself motivated to do anything. I can't chalk it all up to Covid-19—even though I might want to—because the reality is my feelings have been so mired in getting my house finished, moving, starting a new job, and ramping up in my role.
Can you believe it’s 2020!!
I remember when I was younger, all the ways I thought the world change by 2020. On that end, I’m a little disappointed that we don’t have flying cars yet or the ability to teleport everywhere. I guess I will have to wait another decade—but 2030 better not disappoint!
It is that time of year for my yearly review and reflection. After rereading my reflection for 2018, I would like to continue what I started and focus on a series of questions to reflect over the past year.
What significant life changes happened this year?
As 2020 rapidly approaches, I have enjoyed reading articles about the decade bests, whether that be movies, funny memes, or historical moments. As any long-time reader of my blog will know, I enjoy reflecting, and I thought I would put together my Decade list. Instead of regaling you with highlights or favorite movies, I want to share my biggest struggles over the past decade.
I traveled to Prague in May with my graduate cohort to learn about Czech human resource practices and to expand my global business acumen. The trip, which lasted a week, was incredible. I enjoyed getting to know more about my classmates, I loved wandering this gorgeous city, and I was able to expand my photography skills.
At the end of February, my case competition team and I competed against other HR programs at The Ohio State University’s - HR Case Competition. Spoiler Alert, our team did not win--for this reason, I have waited to write this post, until I could distance myself from the sting of disappointment and more objectively reflect on the experience.
I was presented with the 2018 Texas Humanities Teacher of the Year Award. The award is given by the Texas Affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and they recognize 15 outstanding teachers in the state. I found out I had won the award my last day of school in May and because I knew I was leaving teaching to return to graduate school, I wasn’t sure if I was still going to get the award.
One of the books I received this year for Christmas, is called the Book of Beautiful Questions by Warren Berger. It is a fascinating read, and although I haven’t finished it yet, it is already making me question my assumptions. For example, I am someone that traditionally has relied on my gut to make quick decisions (sometimes life changing decisions). Berger relates that there is a growing body of research that states that trusting our gut is not the best decision due to our inherent biases, decision-making pitfalls, and our sometimes irrational risk aversion. Berger’s recommendation is to use self-questioning as a way to make more balanced decisions.
The real purpose of this post is to discuss the lows and highs of the recruiting process. This process is designed to place us in summer internships. One of the reasons I chose this program is because they have 100% placement rate for internships and job placement after graduation. If I was going to leave a secure and successful career, I needed a direct path to employment.
For the past twelve years, I was the teacher returning to school, anxious to meet my new students and ready to engage and challenge them. Its been bittersweet watching all the photos this year because it has made me miss my students and school.
I've known since the end of January that I wasn't going to be returning to the classroom this fall and you might think that after 8 months I would have come to terms with that decision, but change is hard and even though I embrace change, I am struggling with this one.
