Remember the last great idea you had? Did you see that idea carried out or did it fizzle? The truth is, life is really about fizzling. I watched my daughter participate in “Extreme Pig Racing” a few weeks back and watched her excitement when her pig got second place. There were only 3 pigs. Technically she didn’t win, but in her eyes, what was more important was that she didn’t lose. Her pig was not the fastest, but she stayed in the race.
I look at the world of education and standardized testing and it really is just one big pig race. We push our kids along the track…pushing, pushing, and pushing. We focus on “finishing pages” and getting “high grades”. When did we lose sight that all along, it’s about the race, not the finish line? It’s not about the trophy, it’s about what’s gained along the way.
Maybe someday education will allow us to stop focusing on the “pig race” and instead focus on how to plan real, authentic learning experiences for kids. We’ll spend meetings talking about how to motivate and engage them, instead of talking about raising test scores. We’ll share questioning techniques, unit plans, and online projects that bring the world into our classrooms. The kids? They will run all on their own. When we find ourselves struggling to keep up the pace with them, we’ll know that we have finally won.
