The Notebook

Last year I started a "notebook" for the year, not a binder but more of a journal of the ongoing projects, to-do lists, professional development notes, and "ideas" for my job.  It's full....it is actually very full.  As summer comes to an end and we begin to gear up for a new year, I realized that it is time to start a new "notebook".  The funny thing about having a "notebook" is that I am one of the most digital people you know.  I have everything on my devices and in the cloud in multiple places. (Sometimes too many places to be honest.) Having all of this information in a format that I simply can flip through and see the progression of thoughts and actions is a neat experience.  Something that I can't really see in the same way on my devices. It's my handwriting, my doodles, my crossouts and it is personal.  I realized this week that it was time to start a new "notebook".  No big deal, right?  Wrong... looking back through my notes, lists, learning moments and to some extent "hopes" over a years period has been very interesting.  I can see things,  tasks that were accomplished, things that flopped, items that I never got to, and ideas that I never acted on. Reading notes from blog articles and personal pd journeys brings back knowledge that I acquired and found interesting and then never used.  The resources that my PLN have led me to are all organized elecronically in Evernote, but my handwritten thoughts are what exist in the "notebook".   The time to reflect and look back through the year has been a gift.  It's full and the year it has served has come to an end. It's time to move on.

My new "notebook" is out and I am  ready to start a new journey in the 2015-2016 school year. I hope to add a section of unfinished business to this new "notebook".  I am excited to see where this year's journey takes my school, my learning, and my growth.