Thank You for the Gift

 Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt 

This was gifted to me by the principal I had in 2021. He saw that I was taking on too many things, that my plate was too full, and knew it was going to get to be too much. But, he also knew that I had to be willing to give things up of my own accord; I'm stubborn like that. This book was his subtle way of guiding me to the decision. There were many helpful things in this book, but there were also things that are hard to apply to the classroom in this book. For example: I very much know that multitasking is not productive and that doing only one thing at a time is the best way to get the best results. However, in the classroom I do not have the privilege of only doing one thing at a time. I have to teach, monitor behavior, answer phone calls, redirect, and so much more. I have to be able to multitask. Additionally, when it said that answering a phone call can disrupt your focus so much that it takes 15-20 minutes to truly get back on task; I don't have 20 minutes to get back on task, I have to be back on my game immediately. So, while some of it was helpful, some of it doesn't apply. I know the point of me being gifted this book was because of the delegation aspect, as well as taking time for myself, and I have gotten better at those things on my own. However, it did provide some insight into other ways I could be more intentional about delegation. I am grateful that I had Dr. Henry as a principal for as long as I did. And I am grateful that he knew his teachers enough to know exactly who I was (and am) and that I have to come to things on my own. That he realized this book would be beneficial for me in the long run, even if not all of it applies to the classroom setting.