#LAX18: A Life Event, Part 1

#LAX18: A Life Event

There are many times in the career of an educator that are cherished, at least for a time. Life happens, changes roll in in heavy doses, and those once cherished times are filed a little deeper down in the mental filing cabinet. Perhaps they’ll be recalled when a statement, event, person, or even a smell triggers a memory. Perhaps they’ll be lost forever… The 2018 LAX edition of the Google Innovator Academy diverges from the (unfortunate) cycle. It was very clear, very quickly that the academy would not be just an event. It was an life event.

Before

Three times in life I’ve decided to give something one more try I took a break. First, after a first year teaching that nearly broke my spirit, I applied for one more teaching job. I was hired in the district where I still work with colleagues that are like family. Second, I had decided maybe dating was something that should just wait… but that second teaching job just so happens to be where I met the wonderful woman who is now my wife. Third, I received two notices that my application was appreciated but I had not been accepted into the Google Innovator Academy. I reached out to friends and recentered my innovation project to align with my way and simply felt different when submitted my “one more” application for #LAX18 and…

It is one thing to read about a growth mindset and grit, but it’s quite another to see it play out in your own life. In each scenario above I had truly reached a point where I didn’t know if another try was worth it or what I should do. Was this the way it was meant to be? Maybe I’m not at that level? Trust in my friends, family, and professional learning network (PLN) proved these notions wrong as well as the inner drive that continues to push me every day. We must all seek to elevate the volume of our inner positive any chance we get. Let it make the inner naysayer a dull whisper that cannot even be heard. Believe that failure is but the spark of inspired creativity, just a stepping stone to growth and success. Even a failed attempt is growth as each attempt is different in its preparation, content, and presentation. The only true failure is letting a dream or goal end after only the first attempt. Without failure, there can never be growth. Without growth, we can have no breakthroughs, no innovation. Failure is and should always be a beginning, never an end.

Patrick B. Hausammann, M.S. Ed.

Believer in the power of learners to change the world. Co-Founder of #EdcampNSV and Certified Google Innovator (#GoogleEI, #LAX18), Trainer (#GoogleET), Administrator, & Educator Levels 1 & 2.

Website: www.epedtech.com

Twitter: @PHausTech