Happy Thanksgiving Chalk & Tablet readers!
'Tis the Thanksgiving season, and per the time-honored tradition of giving thanks this holiday is known for (it's not called Thanksgiving for nothing, right?), the Chalk & Tablet leadership team has assembled to share with you what we're most thankful for this year!
‘Thankful’ Doesn’t Cover It
‘Thankful’ doesn’t seem like a strong enough word to describe how I feel after the past year (heck, two years!). I’ve seen friends lose jobs, businesses, and worse, loved ones. In addition to being a mom and a business owner, I did my best to play the role of 1st grade teacher. I struggled personally with the distance from loved ones thrust upon us by the pandemic. And I struggled professionally from the stress involved in navigating our small business through this difficult time.
I…
➜ feared the loss of loved ones.
➜ grappled with the isolation of quarantine.
➜ struggled to keep all the balls in the air—business owner, 1st grade teacher, wife, mom.
➜ watched helplessly as fellow business owners had to close up shop.
➜ stressed over the change in our market and feared for the future of my business.
But out of the struggle, and with the help of my family, friends, and Chalk & Tablet team, came some incredible gifts.
I…
➜ grew closer to my kids and husband.
➜ gained a new appreciation for my parents, and how much they sacrifice for me.
➜ realized just how important our teachers are.
➜ used my eLearning gifts to serve my community.
➜ served as a mentor and friend to other small business owners struggling to survive.
➜ built stronger relationships with my team and our clients.
➜ discovered new markets to pursue when our typical market was suffering.
And for these gifts, and the people who made them possible, I am truly thankful.
I Never Want to Stop Learning
The world of online learning is a dynamic space in which to be involved. I'm grateful there is always something to learn: new tools, how best to use technology, how to keep students engaged, learning pedagogies, and instructional design best practices, to name just a few.
I'm grateful to be navigating this industry with awesome coworkers and in a workplace that values flexibility and encourages team members to try new challenges.
I've always said I never want to stop learning. This year I am thankful for opportunities that push me to learn and grow.
Is it too much of an understatement to say that these past two years have been tough? Maybe—but it's true all the same. Tough is perhaps too trite a word, but one of my resolutions this year (sorry, getting a little ahead of myself here holiday-wise) is to be more optimistic, so 'tough' seems perfectly, positively euphemistic. But enough with the tough (I think we can all relate a little too well to that word by now) and onwards with the reason for the season—gratitude!
Grateful For the Little Things
It's the little things that have kept me going this past year, and so it's the little things I want to thank here, both in my personal and working life:
➜ long phone calls with family and friends
➜ the perfect hot chai on chilly autumn days
➜ fresh clean sheets straight from the dryer
➜ solving that tricky problem
➜ nailing a sentence restructure so that the whole paragraph flows better
➜ seeing through new and exciting ideas from conception to completion
The Big(ger) Picture
While it's the little things that carried me from day to day, week to week, I'd be remiss not to express gratitude for the biggest thing I'm thankful for: my incredible job here at Chalk & Tablet, my coworkers, and all of you out there! For an English major like me, its a dream come true—and something I'll never stop being thankful for.
Conclusion
Perhaps most importantly, all three of us on the leadership team are thankful for you, our dear and important readers. After all, what’s a blog without someone to read it? And what is Chalk & Tablet without our wonderful community? Everything we do here at Chalk & Tablet is for you—and we are so grateful for the opportunity!