HELP!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who knows me knows that the Rose family is in love with Walt Disney World.  Seriously, as a family, we’ve been to WDW almost 30 times, we are annual pass holders, and are a part the Disney Vacation Club.  I know it may sound silly or ridiculous, but I always counter that with the fact that most people who make fun of me for going to WDW every year go on a beach trip every year. Many people have their “go to vacations” and for us it is Disney World. I really am unsure why folks feel the need to make fun of my family’s choice in vacation, but nevertheless we are a Disney vacation family. 

Through the last ten years, I’ve helped many people plan their own Disney vacation. When you know the four parks like you know your own home, it is easy to give advice or assist others when planning their own trip. I know the best restaurants. I’ve stayed in almost all of the WDW hotels and can tell the pros and cons of almost them all. I’ve had amazing experiences and I’ve had some that I would hope not to have again. I know some lesser known tips that I’ve learned through my own planning and research through the years.  I also follow several blogs, chats, and websites that give information on the latest WDW news. I have a lot of experience. 

Yet, this year, the Rose family is branching out (pause for the shock value). It is our desire this summer to make a trip “out west”.  Our family wants to go to Yellow Stone and the Grand Canyon.  We started talking about this trip in July. I started reading online and went to the public library and got a couple of books. I immediately was overwhelmed. I spoke to a friend who made the trip last year, but her trip was so different than mine because they hiked and camped out (and the Rose family works too hard to go on vacation and pretend we are homeless).  I spoke to a staff member who went last year and she gave advice and let me borrow two books. However, I am overwhelmed. I have no idea where to start. Where do we stay? When is the best time to go? What companies should I use for white water rafting, mule trail riding, animal exploration, and hikes? What other activities are ones that certainly should not be missed? Virtually, I am so consumed by information that I am almost paralyzed by that information and don’t know where to start with this planning.  The circumstances surrounded with planning this trip and ensuring that we spend the least amount of money, see everything we need to see, experience all the things that will make this trip a family favorite memory for years to come is daunting. So overwhelming is the planning that I have done nothing-other than going to what is normal-looking at a Disney vacation.  Yet that is overwhelming because I’m told that if I don’t make decisions soon, it will be too late.

Last week, I reached out to a travel agency. As soon as I started talking to the agent, I felt like the weight of this trip was slowing lifting off my shoulders. I randomly picked a travel agency by her website. Her website was pretty and I liked the song that was playing as soon as you opened the page.  As I told her about my family and about the location of our desired trip she started telling me that she had lived in Wyoming until she was 30 and she worked on tours for years. She knew exactly how to help us. I wanted to reach through the phone and hug her. But then the fear of dollar signs started making me worry. The Rose family lives and dies by the budget. Well, to be completely honest…...Coach Rose lives and dies by the budget and in an effort not to divorce…I try to live and die by the budget.  That’s when she blew me away.  She said she doesn’t charge us money. She receives her money through where and what we book. Now, I am no fool. I understand one way or the other, I’m paying for her services. But she is working for me on my behalf with the same goal that I have-to make this a memorable family vacation that we will hold in our heads and hearts for years to come. Then I worried about her not knowing the dynamics of our family and how we vacation. Does she understand that I have one child scared of his own shadow and one who would sky dive off a cliff? Does she understand that I have one child who requires a special diet? I thought of all the reasons why I should not be using her. We talked some more.

When I got off the phone with her, I went from panic to peace. And I immediately thought of us here in our schools. I’ve been an educator for 23 years. If you add the couple of years of student teaching and college practicum hours, it is a quarter of a century that I’ve been a part of the public-school system. It has changed in ways that I can’t even begin to describe-and many of those changes have been nothing but positive-painful at times, yes, but positive changes.  

One of the most positive changes of all is support. Just like my angelic travel agency, we now have a magnitude of support in our schools within the brick and mortar and outside of it that enables us to go from panic to peace and ensure we are giving our students nothing but the best every single day. No longer do we teach in silos. We are surrounded by a team where we are expected to collaborate. The expectation should be that that team is a “safe place” where you can place your fears, your failures, your misunderstandings, and your successes.  We have specialist within our school who can help. Then we have Facebook and Twitter groups. I have said it before and I will say it again-Twitter has been the best form of professional development that I’ve ever had. I’ve been to many conferences, PDs, and talks and nothing beats Twitter PD. But the thing is, we must first admit that 1. I don’t know and need help and 2. Be willing to grow.........and we must 3. trust.

I had to do this with my trip planning. I had to be honest with myself that I was unable to do this alone. I couldn't possible figure out how to plan this trip by myself. I also needed to understand that I may need to do things differently than my family is use to...my color coded laminated plans are just not going to work for this trip. And I have to trust that this travel agent listens to me, uses her expertise, and will not steer me wrong. 

You are not alone. No one expects you to figure out the massiveness of this job alone. No one expects you to know it all. No one expects you to ever feel that way. But our standard is excellence. And what is expected is that you seek the support that is needed so that you can be everything that is needed for your students every day.

I am going to admit. I have been planning our WDW vacations for years. I love nothing better than presenting our color-coded spread sheet with our daily plans to our family. The fact that I couldn’t plan a trip out west was a personal failure for me. I wanted to do this for my family.  But I could not do it alone. I had to reach out to someone who either by experience or time could do it along side of me and I have to trust that she is helping me. In the next few weeks she will give me itineraries with costs and I will counter and scratch out items and rearrange events and TOGETHER we will come up with an amazing trip for the Rose family. And nothing sounds better to me than doing this together. I don’t ever think we are expected to do life alone.

And we certainly should educate our students alone either.