Embracing the Challenge

If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. – Fred Devito

It always seems that at early points in a school year, I find myself saying, ” There has got to be more.”

Another way to reach kids.

Another form of serving the needs of teachers.

Another way of reaching greater numbers.

Another way to affect change.

And then, I proceed to run my head into a wall over the course of the school year, trying to figure out what that ‘other way’ actually is.

So What’s the Solution?

Is it going back to coaching where many seasoned teachers make the daily task of modeling effective instruction close to impossible? Is it going into Educational Leadership where I may become a slave to my job as an administrator losing time with my own family and loved ones? Is it working at a college level where it is close to impossible to get one’s foot in the door for a simple adjunct position? Is it working for local school reform agencies or for the State’s department of education hoping that I might find a grant that will allow me to stay local in some capacity?

What Do They All Have in Common?

All of those avenues are certainly viable options but these require working with a challenging group of individuals, having an unwavering dedication to a job that can drain your time and energy, being disappointed with opportunities that are only available to a small few and having to wait to see the long term effects of the change that has been made. And then, I have that lightbulb moment. You know, the one we see, if we’re lucky, happen in our students now and again.

I am the ‘more’ I have been seeking!

Don’t Overlook the Obvious

What I have failed to recognize is that I am looking for instant results rather than stepping back to look at the entire picture or to see the light through the trees. I should know this by now. Learning is an ongoing process and it takes time to acquire and to retain the information learned. We as teachers, are no different. We require constant challenge in order to be masters at our craft. Most aptly stated by Philosoblog, “If challenges change us, the only reason not to undertake a challenge is if we feel we are already as good as we want or need to be in that part of our lives.” Although many teachers think they’ve reached that pinnacle of perfection, let’s be real. Why else would we have taken on this artful and insane endeavor of teaching if it weren’t for the fact that we too love to learn? Challenges in our students’ learning are the thing we are most passionate about. It is the process of learning that we relish, that of our students and in ourselves.

So, I posted a sign in my classroom this year, (one of many anchor charts and motivational quotes) and mentioned to my colleague, Farrah, about the placement I chose for it. The sign sits on the back wall of my classroom where none of the students see it. Guess who does see it everyday? Yep… me. (She laughs maniacally at the irony.)

Conclusion

The message is loud and clear. Embrace the challenges. Feed yourself with learning about your subject, your craft of teaching, and new and innovative ways to deliver your craft. Go so far as to embrace the controlled chaos that takes place in your classroom each day. What I believe you’ll realize, like I have, is that what they are doing is learning. They are being challenged in a way that they might not have ever been, and although you may not see the fruits of your labor right away, as time passes throughout the year, even throughout the grade levels, there is change. HUGE amounts of change.

I have learned, and continue to relearn this same thing each and every school year. Those daily challenges that bring you to the point of exhaustion and frustration may appear to be your barrier. Most likely, you overcame them. You, like I, researched ways to work around them or found a colleague to help you solve them. That’s called learning. Never stop learning because life never stops teaching. This school year, not unlike any other, you and I have become more. We’ve become better. We’ve become changed.

The question is, will you embrace it?