#OneWord to Change the End of the School Year
There is a feeling that becomes so very tangible at the end of the school year. It really is a magical time of year where expectancy takes on the form of an electric sensation that shoots between teacher and student alike. it usually accompanies exhaustion, the sheer weight of testing and grades finally beginning to win the year-long battle with hopes, dreams, teacher work samples. Yet, thought the push toward the end is a very real goal, I would offer a single word that I believe has the power to shift the way we think about the end of the school year.
Why.
Such a short, though powerful word that we generally focus in on at the beginning of the year, but I would suggest that at the end of the year it is even more important that we take a moment to ponder its worth.
If We Had a Purpose in the Beginning, We Must Have a Purpose in the End
The opening of the school year is rife with excitement. The pomp and circumstances of this shiny, newest model fill us all with glee. We are giddy to meet our students. We have so many activities that we want to try. So many failures to learn from. We are dogged in our determination to make a difference in the lives of every student crossing the threshold. Yet, with standards to teach, discipline issues to stay on top of, the crushing weight of the school year can become a living, breathing monster looking to grind our educational bones into the finest of dust.
I have found that in those darkest of moments, the sword that I pick up to continue fighting the greatest of fights is the word “Why”, or more specifically, I continually ask myself what my why is. See, purpose is a powerful driver. It contributes to vision, motivation, efficacy, and outcomes. I am convinced that if I can remember my purpose, my “why”, during any moment of my life, and particularly the school year, I can stay in the moment and do what I know I am meant to do in the lives of my students.
That purpose, that “why”, has to continue at the end of the school year. While the actions might shift, it is important that our students never see us taking our foot off of the pedals. That same teacher who is crazed in pursuit of his or her grasping of the student motivation and pointing them toward whatever glorious future exists at the beginning of the year, has to continue to be the same crazed person pushing…pushing…and pushing..until the final bell sounds.
Fellow educators, don’t allow your tank to become so empty that you don’t have the strength to finish what you’ve started. Yes, it is about learning. It is about teaching like pirates while engaging in PBL and all of the other absolutely wonderful practices that we grind our minds through, but ultimately, it is about our kids. They might never tell you, but secretly the same students who gripe and groan in late May are still the students who are wide-eyed and wondering in August. They need you to be ALL of you, and in order for you to be that bastion of force and the reflection of what could be in their young lives, you need to remember your purpose.
You need one word.
Why.
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Justin Belt is a Teacher and the show host of “The WHYCast” podcast.
