"Solving wicked problems takes time. It takes hundreds, even thousands of baby steps along the way." (Brookhouser, 2014) When I first heard hear of the 20 Time project through our graduate course, I immediately felt excitement. Ever since 2010, I've been diving into a lot of reading. Mostly self-development books such as the Power of Now, the Power of Positive Thinking, fitness books, finances, etc. I try to work on things or weakness I find within myself and I do my best to improve on those flaws. Since I've been doing this for a while and slowly but surely getting out of my comfort zone, I didn't know exactly what to do my project on. I know I want to help others with a certain project and I know I want it to be something that takes me out of my comfort zone.
The Bad Idea Factory
Then I began to read the 20 Time Project by Kevin Brookhouser to understand the concept thoroughly and help guide me toward a project. Initially, the ideas that came to me were good ideas I believe but I just didn't feel like it was time to pursue any of these. (See "Bad Idea Factory" below) I believe in trying new things and immersing myself but I also believe in timing. To get the thoughts flowing, I would go for a run or go to the gym just to get away and let the project come to me.
I As I was working out on a Sunday, I had another idea that I have had for some time. As teachers, we constantly pour into others and help our students to the best of our abilities. We invest so much time and energy into our craft that we tend to forget about ourselves. We stay in our classroom hours after that students have been dismissed just to grade papers, prepare for the next day, clean, decorate, make copies and many more responsibilities we have as teachers. Unfortunately, this takes us away from taking care of ourselves. So, my 20 Time Project is to create an awareness and the understanding that as busy as we are, there is always time to take care of ourselves. Not just during our vacations, during the grind of the school year as well.
Personally, I've struggled with my weight my entire life. It wasn't until I began my teaching career that I was finally able to take some time to take care of myself and it was during my first summer vacation. I immersed myself into countless hours of YouTube videos about nutrition and workout regimens. I began with a lot of trial and error and still going through it as I type this paper. I feel healthy but I still have a lot of work to do to reach my personal goals so I want to share that journey with fellow educators. I am 5'7 inches tall and currently weigh 170 lbs and want to lose about 10-15 lbs but more than just losing weight, I want to reach goals that sometimes we feel are impossible due to our hectic calendar or profession.
Questions
1. How do we find time to take care of ourselves in a profession that emphasizes putting students first?
2. How does stress impact our nutritional decisions and overall health?
3. Should I start a committee or a group at some point?
4. Is the lack of time the reason for choosing convenience over the best foods?
5. In a profession where we spend so much of our personal finances on our students and classroom, how does personal finances affect our nutritional decisions?
6. Teaching takes a lot of our time away from our family, does this balancing act affect our nutrition and physical activity?
7. Will people be accepting of a health/fitness community?
8. Will it be easy for teachers to accept that they need help?
9. Is there a lack of knowledge regarding health?
10. Is there a lack of support at home?
Proposal #2
My second proposal is to start a toy drive in the community I work in. I work for a title 1 school, all of our kids qualify for free to reduced lunches. In the 5 years I have worked in this community, I've noticed the need for good news and hope. Our school has experienced numerous lock downs in my time there due the high crime activity in the neighborhood. I would love to create moments of joy for families by starting a toy drive for the Christmas season.
Questions
1. Do I need to register or apply for a permit to hold a toy drive?
2. Do I need sponsors?
3. If I choose a church to team up with, will my school be open to that?
4. Will my school be open to a toy drive?
5. Do I go to the district first or ask our principal?
6. Are there start up costs?
7. Will I be able to get a toy drive started by this year?
8. What is the best way to advertise an event like this?
9. How do I go about asking for toy donations?
10. How do I get volunteers to help with the drive?
Timeline
Losing weight too quickly can be just as harmful as putting on the extra weight so I want to lose about a pound per week so hopefully in about 2 months, I will be very close to my goal. I want to lead by example because I believe people watch what you do, not what you say. I want to share this process with the use of technology, blogging, taking a before and after picture of myself and consistently post YouTube vlogs about my experiences, practices, trials and successes.
References
Brookhouser, K. (2014). The 20time project: How educators can launch Google's formula for future-ready innovation. San Bernardino, California: 20time.org.