Tuesday, August 11, 2009

That one day of panic...


Each year about this time I have a day of pure panic. It's late summer - school is nearing and I am certain that I should have so much more done than I really do. I wake up early in the morning and stay awake late at night running in circles trying to prepare.

So, my normal pattern is to make lists and spend the day making sure I have all the things I need to jump right in and get ready.

Today was that day! But, this year my patterns are different. I don't have a classroom to get ready - instead I have two libraries.

So - I woke up at 4:00 this morning, wondering and worrying about what this year will hold. I stewed and I worried and I pondered because my confidence was pretty non-existent!!!

Then I grabbed a hold of myself and starting doing something productive! I spent some time cruising the listserv and seeking out the advice of seasoned librarians. I looked back over my notes and idea files from classes. I started feeling a bit better

Mid-morning I decided to go to the High School and spend some time in the library working on the website and getting caught up on some paper work.

And it was there that my panic really changed...

When I arrived one of the media secretaries was working on another project. I am so fortunate to have two very positive, very capable, very dependable and very amazing ladies working in the HS and MS libraries. My stress level drops each time I chat with either of them. They know these libraries and are dedicated to making all the pieces fit! WOW!

After chatting for a bit, I felt so much more focused and excited!

Then a little later the high school secretary stopped in my office. My stress level dropped another notch! Both of the buildings have very positive, very capable, very dependable and very amazing secretaries! (I tell you M-P is a great place!!!) Chatting with her helped me feel welcome and relax a little more.

Finally, our district Tech Director stopped in to ask me to help out with a tiny project. After he left, I was down right peaceful!

Each of these three conversations put things in perspective for me. Each person gave me a bit of concrete advice to apply immediately, and I was ready to go!

So, although it's really early in the morning and I should have gone to sleep looooong ago...I am past my panic. Instead, I am just excited!!

1 comment:

kts9600 said...

And I would add, you have a lot of skills and ideas to consider as you go through the year, so with that and this type of peer support in your schools, it is going to be a great year!!