2023 is a Year to Acknowledge Limits
My last post was in July (oops…), and a lot has happened since then! I got a promotion at my software job and am now a team lead. I have been teaching Math 101 at Simmons University again, but this time with their remote program serving adult students. I have worked hard to keep both TriTutoring and TriTogether chugging along, less concerned with growth and more focused on giving everyone a positive experience. The list goes on.
One thing I have become incredibly aware of over the last 6 months or so is that we all have limitations. There are things that, when we stretch out of our comfort zone to reach new goals, won’t work out. A friend of mine was just saying to me that when we try, when we reach to see what we can do, we grow from that whether we “succeed” or not. I have always agreed with the growth part, but I think the potential for failure is scary for everyone. For me, fearing failure often leads me to fixate on the details of the situation that could lead to a bad outcome. The what-ifs are a killer!
Why am I going through all of this on my TriTutoring blog? What does this have to do with our students, tutors, or families? Everything! As I go into the new year, I plan to transition how I handle many of my responsibilities and reprioritize with the goal of still “succeeding”, but acknowledging that this success may look different.
As I said, I’m far more focused on making sure those involved in TriTutoring, on both sides, have a great experience and leave with a new level of confidence, than with growing the company. I’m happy where we are, my goal has never been to take over the universe and redefine tutoring, and I think we are doing a great thing for our students and families. With TriTogether, I am trying to have a similar mentality. The goal is for the students involved to grow as learners and for us to help contribute to a more equitable system. I think we are doing that, and I have to remind myself that we don’t have to work with thirty students a week for that to be the case.
With regard to TriTutoring, I’ve been racking my brain since I started in May 2020 for ways to not do it all myself. How can I offload some of the responsibility and stress - I do have a full time job, a part time job as an adjunct, a small business, and now a nonprofit - without feeling like I’ve lost control of the what-ifs that could cause us to fail? Luckily, over the last two and a half years, I’ve learned a lot about what those what-ifs are, about what parts of the experience are important to our students, about how to help tutors grow in their roles, and about where TriTutoring fits into the world.
I’m excited that I’ll be getting a little help on things as we roll into 2023. I’m trying to remember that I’m not giving up anything; I’m getting support and expertise from someone on this project that I’ve loved so much. So, if you see another email added to a tutoring thread (of course, I’ll still be there) or if you notice any tiny changes, that’s why! This is my way of helping TriTutoring flourish beyond my limitations, and I hope I can trust you all to understand this and to give honest feedback if we can do better.