Fierce Conversations- An eye opening experience

There are many skills that I still continue to try and strengthen throughout the year, and communication is a constant! This year has been a big change for our district and myself. I changed building, grade levels, and joined the TLT. I stumbled upon the Fierce Conversation class offered through GWAEA and immediately got excited. 

After just one day I was inspired! This inspiration came from the leaders of the class, as well as the peers who I was attending with. There were many different quotes of the day, but this one stuck with me the most:

“You can lead a horse to water but can’t make it drink. But- you can salt the hay.”

{Our job is to encourage others to think outside the box and then let them find the paths themselves.}

Which makes me reflect on how I have encouraged others by "salting the hay" in our building/district. In our building, we have tried surveys, quotes, and even a bathroom bulletin board. Our talks lately have been a lot of about goal setting and feedback based from our Ventura training. Both goal setting and feedback are CRUCIAL piece in being...anyone who aspires to do better with their lives or the lives of others. If you stop by our staff bathroom in Atkins, you will now see a line of goal setting sheets, tips, and ideas to help with personal goals and student goals. I am so thankful our MT team has a common (yet a little silly) place to share resources!

I know how important goal setting is. I see it in my classroom, my personal life, and my profession. I am going to take a piece away from my first day at Fierce Conversation and let silence do the heavy lifting.

Silence allows us to go deeper. Memorable conversations include breathing space and people process differently.

**The person with the quickest answer ISN’T always the brightest**

I will remind myself to listen to others, be an open ear without judgement- knowing that's maybe all they need. In the hardest of times, we often just need to know that our voice is being heard.