With only 5 instructional days left, it's hard to be reflective, but when something or someone helps clear the way, you just gotta go there and be there for the long haul. The last two years have been hard with my particular class of students - mostly related to maturity levels, pettiness and evasiveness notwithstanding, but also a sense of entitlement (another topic for another time). I don't know what it comes down to because it all matters, but the bottom line is they are really good at living in the moment and they have this overriding sense of "eventually's" as their guide. It goes something like this:
Eventually I'll make that transition . . .
Eventually I'll clean around my desk . . .
Eventually I'll start writing . . .
Eventually I'll respond to the prompt . . .
Eventually I'll read that article . . .
Eventually I'll get around to the topic . . .
Eventually I'll keep track of my homework . . .
Eventually I'll finalize that project . . .
It's as if their lives are ruled by ellipses and a habitual use of hesitations, creating a build up of anticipations and expectations that turn a 10 second moment of calm into 10 minutes of angst - not for them, but for me. In my fast paced day where even 10 seconds makes a difference, it's a good lesson for me to practice as the year winds down . . .
Live in the moment.
Eventually can add an element of suspense to my day.
Ellipses can mean there's goodness ahead.
So . . . I actually wanted to share some of the work from last week and why teaching matters and how a student of mine was the epitome of forever living the eventually's. The kid wrote a personal letter to me that reminded me dead-on why I teach. His letter was prompted by a poem written by one of my closest friends and teaching partners who admits she is not a poet nor does she make her feelings public, but she did as she read it out loud to the class. Kate's sharing was then followed up by a lot of kids expressing gratitude through spoken word for our class as a team with family being the redundant theme. The entire experience was like a calling to every kid and every grown-up about spitting out the verses in your head - 'cause when you do, you get substance and heart and you get to reframe the eventually's and ellipses into something more optimistic like living in the moment.
Check out this student's letter - it's pretty sweet, and he also wants to beat me in the pull-up contest.
To hear Kate recite this poem she wrote for me, well, lets just say me and several students were not dry eyed at the end of it. It's a little blurry, but just know my favorite line from her poem was "A woman's strength can be her greatest weakness," because she brings up the paradox of some of my closest women friends, herself included, who are unafraid to live life, however complex it can be.
"And I've got somewhere to dress for, and I've got no need to stress for, and so I'll always put my best forth and count my blessings." --Nas and Damian Marley
Ellipses can mean there's goodness ahead.
So . . . I actually wanted to share some of the work from last week and why teaching matters and how a student of mine was the epitome of forever living the eventually's. The kid wrote a personal letter to me that reminded me dead-on why I teach. His letter was prompted by a poem written by one of my closest friends and teaching partners who admits she is not a poet nor does she make her feelings public, but she did as she read it out loud to the class. Kate's sharing was then followed up by a lot of kids expressing gratitude through spoken word for our class as a team with family being the redundant theme. The entire experience was like a calling to every kid and every grown-up about spitting out the verses in your head - 'cause when you do, you get substance and heart and you get to reframe the eventually's and ellipses into something more optimistic like living in the moment.
Check out this student's letter - it's pretty sweet, and he also wants to beat me in the pull-up contest.
To hear Kate recite this poem she wrote for me, well, lets just say me and several students were not dry eyed at the end of it. It's a little blurry, but just know my favorite line from her poem was "A woman's strength can be her greatest weakness," because she brings up the paradox of some of my closest women friends, herself included, who are unafraid to live life, however complex it can be.
"And I've got somewhere to dress for, and I've got no need to stress for, and so I'll always put my best forth and count my blessings." --Nas and Damian Marley
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