Photo by Dimtry Asmotiv: The salmon in the photo did NOT get eaten. At least I don’t think he did.
Salmon. We’ve all seen photos of their plight. We’ve heard about how “small percentages” ever make it upstream. Most perish on their journey because they get stuck, starve to death, or get eaten by a ginormous hungry bear. The salmon that make it? They beat the odds, arriving gaunt, battered, bruised… just like the innovators.
The stream of education flows a bit like Niagara Falls. It’s not a stream, a creek, or even a river. It’s a gush of gallons that will knock you down. Pulling so much with it. Dragging every educator, school staff, and community down a long trail of powerful ‘traditions,’ the way things have been done, and ideas that are run by big businesses focused on making more cash. Driven by budgets, preconceived notions, and cultural expectations.
But, then there are the salmon. The ones who see possibilities where others see status quot. The ones who know that if they just keep going, something will happen. The ones who don’t even think about that, they just believe it. An idea will spawn more ideas. Change will plant and grow. The hardship. The plight of the journey. It will all have mattered. It will have been for something. Not to make them famous, or better, or king of the world. It will make a difference for a child, another teacher, the world.
Of course, most salmon give up.
Some even get eaten alive. By giant bears.
But just knowing that some make it?
It’s enough to keep me going. Sure, the force of the stream will knock you down on somedays, but there will be something that can’t be shaken.
The life jacket that keeps you afloat. Still swimming. Even if it’s not a graceful swim and more of a crawl. The life jacket is there.
Hope.
You will continue to believe that if you just keep going. Keep trying. Keep your focus on what you believe in. You will reach your goal.
And that? Nobody can take it away from you.
Not the people who hate the way you have to do things differently. Not your 1st grade teacher who said you ask way too many questions. Not the folks who shun you because your different ideas get noticed and they assume you’re showing off. Not the people who are a bit timid because they aren’t sure themselves. Not even the people who cling to the way it’s been done, because they feel safe there. Not one single person can take it away.
Sometimes your hope is big enough for all of them, too. And it has to be.
Because there’s a lot more than a salmon dinner riding on this. There are kids, colleagues, and your heart.
So keep swimming. I’m sure even the salmon wondered some days if the journey was worth it. I’m sure the salmon finds himself in a different stream, on a different path, because that’s just where he ended up in his struggle. And that’s okay. I’m sure the narrow miss with a bear claw and the scrapes from the rocks will shake you. Tear you up. But hope always wins.
At least I hope it does, because I’m counting on that.