#Highlight reel series#

That doesnвЂ™t mean that those people donвЂ™t have that one class (or several!) that canвЂ™t seem to keep X, Y, and Z together, or that parent who sends 70,000 e-mails, or the disrespectful outburst that cut to the core, the daily struggles, etc. Other teachers learn a lot from them, and itвЂ™s overall positive. The voice that speaks the loudest about ourselves is usually our own вЂ“ we need to be kind.ДonвЂ™t get me wrong вЂ“ people blog, post, tweet, and present on aspects of their teaching that are successful really well because theyвЂ™re excited to share. Our work is innately very personal but, itвЂ™s important to be choosy as to which pieces we attach to our identity or not. вЂњHmmm, I should do thatвЂ¦вЂќ is much more workable than, вЂњI didnвЂ™t think of that because IвЂ™m insufficient,вЂќ the latter being a very easy conclusion to jump to. But even in their worst years, Cubs fans have always looked forward вЂ“ вЂњNext season, itвЂ™s going to be their year! IвЂ™m telling you, next season!вЂќ If we take that to the micro level of our classrooms after our worst days, pushing ourselves towards positivity and the growth process, we can be mini Cubs fans: вЂњTomorrow! Tomorrow is my day, I guarantee it.вЂќ In education, if not for process and optimism, what else is there? We cannot watch other classroomsвЂ™ clips, photos, project results, etc., and feel insecure.

My father, 74, never in a million years (or 108!) thought heвЂ™d see it in his lifetime he did, and it was pretty special.

#Highlight reel series#

If you know the Cubs, you know that winning the 2016 World Series was a BIG DEAL.

If you grew up in Illinois as I did, you had three baseball fan worlds to choose from: the White Sox, the Cardinals, or the Cubs. No one is because no one is meant to be, and thatвЂ™s OK. So, why do we expect it from kids, or from ourselves? We sometimes expect them to bring their very best every single day, or, we see othersвЂ™ tremendous contributions to our field and assume that they are like that every single day. If we maxed out at the gym lifting newer and heavier weights every single time, our muscles wouldnвЂ™t have a chance to rest. Proficiency has made me a better teacher, and a better understander of my students вЂ“ understanding proficiency versus performance has truly helped me see that there is an ebb and flow to language, especially production, and that we canвЂ™t all be leveling-up all the time. But being awesome and expecting to bring your A-game every single day isnвЂ™t sustainable, for them, for us, for students, period. But also, we all are in our own, different way(s). IвЂ™m pogo sticking, high jumping, catapulting myself towards conclusions, and internalizing the verdict that 1.) theyвЂ™re awesome, and 2.) I am not awesome. I am not jumping to conclusions psh, come on. Their strategies are proven, their classrooms warm, their student results impressive - but, how does that make us feel about ourselves? For me, not always awesome. Teachers attend sessions, read blogs, send tweets, listen to podcasts, and more, from the World Language Education all-stars weвЂ™ve come to know and love. Coming off of ACTFL weekend recently and looking into various PD endeavors for the spring, I canвЂ™t help but juxtapose our highlight reels and how we highlight real.

Beyond just thinking, I find that reflection, true, intentional, pointed reflection, is critical, and as tiring as anything else.

IвЂ™m tired just thinking of all that went into this semester, and IвЂ™m not actually sure how it all got done.