Before you read this, read THIS, “What is sacred in education?” A post by Kelly Tenkely that stopped me in my tracks today.
We are all in education for our own reasons, our own journey, and our own “thing.” We need that. We need the mixture of people, ideas, passions, and differences. Because if we are going to collectively meet the needs of every single unique kiddo who crosses the thresholds of our schools, then we need all the “us” we can get.
I read Kelly’s post and I thought, “Yes. That.” That is what’s sacred. The kids who depend on us. The kids who are unique and special and come to us with needs. The kids who are different. The kids who fit in and blend in. The kids who don’t. The kids who have amazing families. The kids who need us to be their family. Each. And. Every. Single. One. Kids.
The dream. Our dream. The one that we believe in that makes us get up in the morning, work late at night, and push forward when we don’t know if we can any more.
That dream can get buried. It can get lost in the murky waters of life, bureaucracy, politics, and our natural human tendency to say, “Yeah…but….” Sometimes for a day, sometimes longer. Sometimes the dream fades. Sometimes we just become annoying versions of ourselves that get caught up in other things or struggle with something bigger. It happens. You know, Robert Frost’s thorns and stuff.
But brush it off, keep it in focus, and keep going. My dream started when I was a kid. I wanted school to be more than it was. I wanted, no needed, creativity.
And after a long and winding path of searching, looking, and trying to find the place where my dream could unfold it’s wings, I realized I had it all along. It’s inside me, with me, wherever I am. It’s not something every kid needs. It’s something some kids need. You have something in you that some kids need to. Together? We can reach them all.
And that? It’s important enough to keep reminding ourselves. Purpose. We keep going, day after day. Through our struggles, failures, mistakes, and all of it.
Because in each of our dreams is a child’s dream. And if you can say that even ONE dream was reached because you held on, well… worth it.
We talk so often about the what and how of learning that the actual who is left behind.
This kind of learning IS possible in our classrooms and schools, because at the heart of it is a grassroots movement, where teachers commit the time and energy to develop RELATIONSHIPS. That is what matters. Each and every time.
I often find myself resisting the urge to get caught up in the what and the how over and above all the who. It would be easy to lose focus given the state we find ourselves in right now with education. But those faces, those smiles, those heartbeats give us purpose.
Thank you for always being that light my friend… it guides me along the path that sometimes isn’t as clear as I had hoped. You are so very right. One child’s dream being fulfilled is time well spent indeed.