Hills & Homework

As an educator, each day is filled with obstacles and events. Some days everything runs smoothly, all have their homework, and paperwork flows effortlessly under your pen. During some runs, the course is flat, your muscles are limber, and you find yourself not wanting to stop at the appointed distance for that day. And then there are the days where you are sneezed on, bombarded with questions, and the lesson overall misses it's mark. These days are very similar to those where the wind cuts across your face instead of pushing behind you, patches of ice make even a slow pace dangerous, and after a mile, you're ready to call it a day.

But, as with teaching, you have to persevere, because the benefits will always outweigh the negatives.

Among the challenges and accomplishments of becoming a runner- besides the numb feet, chafed skin, and sore muscles in places you didn't even know you had muscles- are little things called hills. Some are little, some are not. It's all a state of mind. As with most things in life, preparing yourself to do hill workouts is similar to getting ready to welcome a new class. There are several steps you can follow to prepare yourself to tackle your first and second upward slopes.

* Don't look directly at the hill! By using the corner of your eye and by estimating in your mind how long it should take you, the  hill becomes manageable and obtainable. In the same manner, don't look ahead at the students who are going to be in your class. If you don't look, then everything should fall naturally into place when you employ tactics that ensure success, and eventually you will reach your goal...teaching out of the corner of your eye isn't always beneficial, but you can squint once in a while.

* Don't assume that your legs will automatically know how far to climb. Some legs have minds of their own, and they willingly turn around when you least expect it to head back downhill. In the same manner, stay true to the course of educating a large variety of diverse learners and learning abilities. If you don't keep pushing them to succeed, if you don't keep chugging away at that sidewalk, then it's way too easy to quit.

* Last but not least, remember that when it feels like your legs are solid rock, that your lungs have hardened and won't expand any further, and that this whole running things just isn't what it was cracked up to be, if you open your eyes at just the right moment you notice that you have made it to the top after all. Looking back at where you've come from, and remembering the pain and fear of failing, elation fills your soul. You have overcome the hill...when a not so spectacular day of teaching is nearing the end, after several students have forgotten their homework, are talking non-stop, or you have given up teaching how to factor binomials, one student may raise their hand and simply say, "Thanks, teacher. Now I get it."

Ah, hills and homework. After a day like today, I think I will go for a run.