The UNPOST

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that someone else's good news made you feel worse?  I have.  In fact, at times, I struggle with jealousy, both professional and personal.  How does that teacher get so much done in one week? How do others get grades done so quickly? How does that person always look so put together when I just crawled out of bed? Doing work (or workouts) BEFORE school? Oh, how I wish I had the energy others had! 

Have you ever tried that new activity in your classroom and it failed miserably (the first time)?  But you kept on revising and changing it so that it worked better and better the more you tried it?  I have!  In fact, I have failed many times in my life and career. I try to learn from my mistakes (they be but many) and keep on moving.  Yes, I usually have a good cry, and sometimes my recovery time isn't as quick as I'd like, but something inside tells me not to give up because those kids, or now I think, those teachers, are just to important and they deserve another try.  

We can often be our own worsts critics, talking to ourselves in ways we would never talk to someone else.  We beat ourselves up if we make a mistake or if we don't think we compare to others around us.

If you are at all like me, you might need to remind yourself that it's okay.  We all mess up, we all struggle--that's called learning. While you feel you are struggling, someone else is looking at YOU and wondering how YOU are so awesome and how YOU keep rocking every day. Recognize this feeling when working with students. School makes many students feel like failures, and they get discouraged and don't want to try anymore either.  This video is not new, and many of you have probably seen it already, but I encourage you to take the six minutes to watch it again.  It is a beautiful example of what listening to feedback and making revisions can do for our kids and for us.  So, as we are ending one year and starting the next, please take some time to be proud of how you've grown from the difficult, uncomfortable times in your life. Reflect on the lives you have touched, the smiles you've put on faces, and continue to persevere!  Keep going, keep learning, keep teaching and thriving.  And remember, while you just might not be where you want to be yet, someone is looking at YOU and wanting to be where you are. ​