embrace the struggle

 

I recently celebrated my first birthday since my Dad died.  This of course triggered memories of lessons he would share with me over the course of my lifetime.  Like most kids, I was very impatient with my progress, especially in basketball  

Instead of feeling sorry for me, my Dad would tell me how lucky I was that I had to put so much effort into making myself a better shooter.  “Those who have early success without effort can have a hard time repeating that success,” he explained.  He also pointed out that the achievements I enjoyed the most were those for which I had to overcome obstacles. 

This subject often comes up with students who see others have an easier time with something they find difficult.  The truth is that if you figure out how to master the material that you are struggling with now, then you have gained a very important life skill—one that you can use repeatedly in different areas of your life. 

Natural talent is not always a transferrable skill, while hard work, persistence, and passion stay with you for life. 

The next time you are struggling, take a moment to embrace the challenge.  Remember that at the end, the victory is going to taste sweet. 

Vulnerability

As the new school year approached, I knew these would be stressful times. While many of us had years of teaching experience, this year few if any of us had hybrid teaching experience. I had done many review sessions on zoom in years past but that is different than teaching hybrid lessons daily. 

When you are doing something for the first time you feel extremely vulnerable and anxious. However, all of us teachers, students, parents, and administrators need to be flexible and supportive of each other. As a teacher this experience is valuable in so many ways. Now, more than ever, I am getting to feel the same emotions students have when they are learning new material for the first time. 

As with any new endeavor, sometimes the best plans fall apart. Instead of trying to hide these mistakes I have my students keep track of them. On my board we keep track of Bressler’s blunders so everyone in the class knows how many mistakes I have made so far this year. The idea behind Bressler’s blunders is to have everyone realize that making mistakes is part of the learning process. 

I am not trying to model perfection but instead trying to develop a climate in which our students feel comfortable taking risks. Answering questions which they might not be sure are the correct answers, asking questions to make sure that they understand the material and being supportive of each other as we all learn from our mistakes. 

When we get to a place where we confess to our mistakes and share our missteps then real learning takes place. That is when the trust and collaboration bring a cooperation to the classroom that makes for dynamic learning 

The challenge for all of us is when we see a mistake to be a little kinder and supportive than in the past. When we do this remarkable thing can be accomplished