Жизненный Урок #2: Подход к планированию
Life Lesson #2: An approach to planning

Like for some of you out there, the first time I visited Washington D.C. was thanks to the WorldStrides educational travel agency. The group reaches out to schools across the U.S. to provide students and educators alike with an unforgettable opportunity to explore (among of other cities) our nation’s capital. That year, our fabulous Mrs Seacrest navigated the organizational nuances, but this past year I took over organizing and promoting this adventure to our Culler family and its community.
And boy, did I underestimate the amount of restless hours that I had to put into orchestrating our plans.
I hope you hear this in high school too, but there is an art to being organized and marketing yourself, especially when it comes to communicating with businesses to ask for their assistance with something as uncertain as a middle school fundraiser. I say “uncertain” because not all people exactly know how to act as salespeople, especially not many middle schoolers, and businesses tend to want to make profit. But because you did your best as salespeople; because of Eileen’s Cookies’ and Eagle Hollow Haunts’ kind collaboration with us; and of course because of your families’ and our community’s tireless support through all of our financial endeavors, we were able to make it happen! It’s heartbreaking that a few families dropped out or conflicted with the emergency dates of the trip, but even with some turbulence on the way there, our destination felt rewarding because of the organization and love we all put into it, including our essential WorldStrides representative, Molly!

And although I may not have felt my 100% before or even during the trip, your company and the spirit of American History (also, nightly calls to Pat) helped me forget any aching that was left!
Ms. M’s ever-evolving approach to planning:


- Daily MindUp. I try to start out each morning with at least fifteen minutes of stretching or an hour of yoga if ever the time allows or if I’m up extraaa early, then conclude the process with MindUp just like at the start of our lessons! I don’t know if you’ve noticed this about yourself, but the pace I start my mornings at is often the same pace I’ll record my brain at by the end of the 24 hour lap. So if I wake up as a Sengi, I’ll spend all day making tunnels at light speed. Instead I want to channel the levelheaded and grounded Galapagos Turtle so we could really take charge and make something of each day! That’s an animal lesson from Patrick!
- Write it down! ADHD or not, most of us can benefit from writing down our plans to stay a little more organized. I definitely gave my brain too much credit whenever I told myself “I’ll remember it,” which is why you always saw me scribbling memos down on the board or on note pads, later to be transferred from the classroom to the little bunny planner that still helps me remember every approaching due date. Recording things down helped me the most to plan for D.C.: what needs to be turned in when, whom to email, and the next steps in the process.
- Always communicate each of your steps. Especially if you are organizing something that involves others besides yourself! Make sure to include all parties participating in your event and be clear about everyone’s intentions. That’s something I had to learn based on trial and error. I’m a confident actress, but a less confident communicator. Something that I’m working on improving every day!
- Which brings me to #4: BE CONFIDENT! If you are the leader in facilitating an inclusive and memorable event, make sure to communicate and follow each step of your assignment with confidence and positivity. Most of us stumble and doubt ourselves a bit (or even a lot) when faced with an important responsibility, just remember to slow yourself down, get grounded, and stay confident because there is probably a reason why you were entrusted with something paramount in the first place!

What are some of the things YOU do to stay organized or calmer in life? Please send any comments or follow up with email so I could edit the post with YOUR lessons, as well! :D Remember, be confident! We can all learn from each other!
