A Moment of Truth Part 2

In my last blog post, I mentioned that after 23 months, I had finally  received a copy of my book in my hand.  This thrilling (and noisy) moment of truth led me to reflect on how this experience could lend itself to lessons that we need to apply into our classrooms... like the importance of trying new things.  Here are a couple of other truths that gained from this experience which I feel should be passed on to our students.

Hard work pays off

Was writing a book easy? Absolutely not. To be honest, at times it was a bit painful trying to find a way to make my voice heard in a clear and concise way that stayed true to the story I was sharing about my students.  I wanted to tell their story, but at times their story almost became an all consuming thing, overwhelming other aspects of my life. There were times where I had to take some days away from the writing in order to find myself. After all, what good would I do my current students if I lost touch with who I was because of my previous students? 

However, as I continued to write and work with my talented editor, Holly, I found that these difficult times rendered the best work I had produced. Through her guidance, I learned not only how to become an author for a broad audience, but also how to better guide my students in their writing. The results were not immediate. It was hard. It was tedious. There were times that I wanted to just throw up my hands and walk away.

In our classrooms, our students experience this same overwhelming feeling of frustration. We all have had those students who don't feel like the work is with the reward. They also just want to throw their hands up and walk away. It is our job to reassure them and guide them. We know from our experience that the hard work does pay off. We see it every day in our classrooms. Just like Holly did for me....she saw the forest when I was lost among the trees. We need to help our students see the forest. 

Time to Share

Even though I had imagined a million times what it would feel like to physically hold my book in my hand, the actual feeling was indescribable. Following quite closely to those feelings, was the feeling of showing my book to others...especially my parents. Even as an adult, it was so wonderful to receive the validation of others who valued what I had done. They realized the large investment of time, energy, sweat, and tears it took to complete this job. 

Think of all of the work and projects that our students complete everyday in our classroom. I'm afraid that so often, we are so strapped for time in our jam packed schedule, we forget to let the students take the time to share their accomplishments with their peers, other faculty members, community members, friends and family. They have tried news things. They have put in all of the hard work, inside and outside of the classroom. By forgoing the time to celebrate and receive that validation, we are missing the key element. Let them enjoy their success, their journey.  With the tech tools of today, it is so simple to let them share their projects with people from around the world. They need to revel in their accomplishments so that they begin to value the importance of hard work and personal growth.

So as we contemplate the beginning of a new school year, let's all keep in mind the importance of passing these truths on to our students. Trying new things, hard work, and having a time to share all play a key element in students learning  valuable skills not only in the classroom, but also in life.

The "C" Word

In education today, there is a lot of discussion about the four C's... collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. However, another C-word has been on my mind lately. That's the word commitment. In the last couple of weeks, there seems to be an epidemic of lack of commitment within my professional arena ranging from the professionals that I surround myself with to my students and their parents. It leads me to wonder, does commitment mean anything anymore? As teachers, what are we teaching our students about commitment? Following through? The importance of being good to your word?

Although immensely rewarding, we know that the job of an educator is difficult. It is definitely not for the weak of heart. As educators, our students are looking to us not only to lead them in the right direction for the best education that we can provide them, but they are also watching our actions. What we say; what we don't say. What we do; what we don't do. Are we teaching our students that when the going get tough, throw your hands up and walk away? Are we showing them that the behavior seen on today's reality shows is acceptable and each person has the right to trample on others regardless of their feelings, their hardwork, personal background, or life experiences? Do we play the "blame game" and not accept responsibility for our actions? I certainly hope not; the implications for the future are devastating.

Experience has taught me that for many of our impressionable students, we may be the only rational adult they encounter in their lives. When these obstacles come up (and they always do), I have found that by leading a discussion with my students, letting them draw conclusions and make lifelong applications. This is a powerful tool for them to discover the importance of these lifelong lessons. After all, we all face disappointments that we cannot control which are forced upon us by others and outside factors. What we can control, is how we react.

So when we enter our classrooms today, I encourage all of us (me included) to remember the lessons that we teach our learners that are not on our lesson plans. It is up to us to lead them towards valuing hard work, critical thinking, problem solving and staying the course regardless of how bumpy it might be. Let's teach them a lesson in commitment by staying committed to them; their future depends upon it.