Looking for Classrooms! in My Calendar

I keep three tabs pinned on my browser—a triad of productivity and accountability. One is my calendar, which has documented my attempts at organizing my life for several years.

Green is the color that books our family events on a calendar called “Chips and Salsa.” Part of me feels I should rename that to something more like “Patton Family,” but I don’t want to let go of our dating memories and when that calendar started. Work events (grape-colored) take over like spilled water between the months of September and May. And, since March 2023, pink signals Elena’s calendar, mainly for doctor’s appointments.

Those three colors ruled my calendar for a while. But on Sunday, as I reviewed the week ahead, I saw a new carnival of shades, indicating a flip in how my time is spent, like a well-organized Monopoly bank with its colorful money.

This new role changed the function of my calendar from organizing sporadic work meetings to projecting what and when. Projecting meant that things could change, and what started as a solid plan at 8:00 may look very different at 4:00 before I head out. Perhaps my calendar is meant to be a planner… What If I create a few labels to help me see where I was investing my time?

Lovely, more colors.

Labeling felt as good as unwrapping birthday presents. As these labels came to life, I started noticing a feature called Time Insights, which gives you a summary of your working hours. The colored labels help me identify periods I spend in the office (creating something or on emails), in meetings (with teachers or other members of our admin team), or in the classrooms.

It’s interesting to see how one’s calendar evolves and how flexibility balances itself with commitment. Is it a see-saw? Or maybe more like a tug-of-war?

I start each day by looking at the day ahead and what I’ve planned. When I look at the calendar again before going home, I record what pulled me in different directions while honoring those blocks that I protected. The flow of colors also serves as a reminder to prioritize the complex layers of this role, and when I don’t see light purple (classroom time), I make sure I plug some in.

When I decided to leave the classroom to reach further, I knew that I would miss it, and I also knew the goal was to leave my classroom so I could be in every classroom. I look at the first week of school, then the second, and I ask Time Insights if I’m keeping my north clear. I look for that label that will bring me near students and teachers, an exclamation mark to maintain urgency, and a color to hold me accountable.

Classrooms!