There are lots of things we cannot control. Sometimes absolutely zero control. People who aren’t in education for the right reasons. Testing mandates. Kids’ troubled home lives. The media’s portrayal of schools. Poverty. Kids dealing with survival over learning math. Budget cutbacks, and then more budget cutbacks. Feeling unsupported by the world.
But there are things we can control.
The way we treat children when they’re with us for the day. The connections we build with our kids. The daily lessons we shape. The story we share that’s our story. The photos we post on our blog. Modeling digital citizenship for our kids. Creating global connections in our schools. The comments we spread through social media and open dialogue. The message we share and live. Reaching out to support others who might not be feeling supported. The way we treat our colleagues every single day. Getting learning out of the textbook and lighting fires in kids’ minds by helping them see just how amazing the world really is. Things we can control.
Above all? We can control what we see when we look at a situation. Education. Do we see a hopeless outcome where it all seems lost? Where the bureaucracy creates some kind of cloud of doom? Or, do we see education is not hopeless. In fact, it’s so full of hope that it’s busting at the seams.
That hope? It’s in the kids we teach.