The Intersection of Personal and Professional Growth
There are many jobs in which our personal and professional lives intersect perfectly. I think this is especially true for those of us in early childhood education. Our roles as caregivers often occurs in all areas of our lives.
When I am trying to establish why I feel so stuck in certain areas of my life, I look for research-backed resources that will help me design a growth plan. I know that this work in my personal life will help my professional life and vice versa.
As early childhood professionals, we build connections, relationships, and secure attachments with the children in our care. This could be difficult if this weren’t modeled for us by adults in our lives when we were children. We may be unsure of how to build and maintain these bonds. Finding ways to grow in this area will help us in our personal and professional lives.
While researching the use of the outdoors as an extension of my indoor classroom, I found the benefits of spending time outdoors. As someone who has struggled with depression and anxiety, I was relieved to read how many benefits the outdoors has for our mental health. My students enjoyed spending more time outside. I found tools and strategies to benefit my mental health.
Each time I design a professional development workshop, I build in time for personal reflection. We must start with ourselves and our roles in growth before we dive into the change that we want to achieve in our classrooms. Over the next few months, I will be sharing some of the books I am reading and their connections to personal and professional growth.
