#DailyWritingChallenge: Purpose

Day 21: 13/04/2020

Throughout my career, my professional purpose has been clear to me: enabling all young people to achieve academic and personal excellence. As schools closed and we waved our students including Year 11 goodbye, life as we knew it changed overnight. My very purpose seemed to disappear or so I thought.

For those who know me, it won’t be news to say I am most enthused when I’m in the classroom or when I’m discussing anything about teaching and education. I spend many of my weekends at educational conferences or reading books about teaching and leadership or engaging on #edutwitter. It is part of my personal identity as much as it is about my professional identity.

However, while teaching as we know it may have paused, what has helped me regain my sense of professional purpose is still being able to engage with and teach our young people. Remote teaching & learning, via google meet and DPR, has enabled me to interact with my students, to check in on them and also continue doing what I love best in a different format. I have continued to attend virtual CPD both offered by my school and other organisations like the TDT, #CPDConnectUp and SENECA courses. It’s been a great way for me to keep connected and keep my routine to help drive my purpose.

What I have, however, found most interesting about this time is having those moments of routine alongside those moments of doing nothing much. For someone like me who likes to keep busy, I have felt content just observing, thinking and reflecting. I have loved spending my time speaking to my family and friends and reading more books and watching all those shows I’ve been meaning to catch up on. I have also felt a depth of purpose by reconnecting with my faith and spirituality.

You see, what I’m learning is that my purpose is in my being, not just my doing. I don’t need to always fill up my time to have the same sense of purpose I do when I’m at work. Whatever I choose to do with my time, as long as my intentions are clear, I’ll be living my purpose.