The week before Thanksgiving Break seems to be one of the most chaotic times of the year for everyone; whether it’s finishing up midterm projects, planning a family gathering, or traveling long distances, I’ve noticed that many people are frazzled and unhappy. As a Senior in college this semester, the finals are rolling in and the work is piling up. The end is in sight, but it feels like there is still so much busy work to do to get there. I try not to think of my daily interactions as busy work, but it can be hard to stay positive when every day seems to be the same.
Despite the similarities, I try to remind myself that there are individual aspects— good and bad— of every day that make living an enjoyable experience. Without the negative experiences, there would never be growth. I aim to implement this belief in my daily life, especially as my workload seems to get more intense as the semester goes on. I am so tired, but it is because I am so fulfilled. Sometimes, I feel like I spend every weekday creating the next day’s workload, which may sound terrible, but I’m able to use today’s information to make tomorrow even better. Even when the days do not seem to go according to plan, I’m able to use the things I learned to help me tomorrow. I stay thankful for the little things that remind me I’m growing and learning every day.
I think a lot about how I would have dealt with this stress a year ago. While I am hardworking and academically driven, I think I would have folded under the pressure already. The experiences I’ve undergone in the past year have helped me grow in ways I notice and in ways I don’t notice until I reflect on myself and the things I’ve gone through. Back in February, I had to record myself teaching and react to it. What a nightmare that was! I hated watching myself teach because it made me cringe. Now, I am a Senior Education major and I am currently completing my edTPA Teacher Evaluation. A required portion of this evaluation is recording myself while I teach, and reflecting on how I engaged students and helped them work through the content I was instructing. I am so serious when I say I’ve grown so much as a teacher in the past 9 months; it’s literally insane to see the difference in confidence between the videos from February and the videos I recorded last week. I feel so amazing about myself as a teacher, and I would not have had these feelings without the negative aspects that taught me how to move on.
On a more personal note, I feel like we all just need to take a second and recognize how far we have all come in the past year. What a journey 2024 has been— full of love, loss, grief, happiness, and learning. A year ago today, I did not feel nearly as happy or confident in myself. I was floating by as an anxious mess, just trying to complete my daily to-do lists while I worried about the future. Now, I can see myself thriving, recognize my hard work, and give myself a damn break! I do not constantly think “What’s next?” anymore; when I’m done with my task, I know that I’ve earned my free time. I learned how to balance my work and personal life so much better through trial and error, too. There were some days this past year when I felt entirely swamped and unable to contribute anything to my personal life. Those days were so hard, and I thought that I possibly couldn’t continue if every day was to be like this— and I’m so glad every day isn’t like that anymore. Those learning experiences— learning to do my homework while I was on campus and not at home, leaving ample time for myself, and not rushing my work— helped me to become the person I am right now. Things might change in a year, and I hope they do!
A lot can take place in a year— a lot of good, bad, beautiful, and ugly. Our daily experiences may seem short-term, but the things we learn each day help us to do better in the future. Hell, maybe if you spilled your coffee on your shirt today, it will make tomorrow (when you don’t spill your coffee) even better! In all seriousness, please take time to reflect on how much you’ve grown and changed in the past year. Stay thankful for the experiences that shape you, and be the good that the world needs right now. You will learn something every day that will help you tomorrow.