For several years, I have enjoyed collecting and thinking about quotes, so the Slice of Life quotes and words of the day appeal to how my linguistic brain works.
Today’s quote (above) appeals to me because I value perseverance as one of the top “mega skills” needed to change our lives for the better... and better... and better. Our best should be constantly evolving; although it might look different day-to-day, over time, bit by bit, we become better.
So today, I would like to share and reflect on some other quotes about perseverance because I find them motivating. A well-timed quote can cause us to take pause and look within ourselves for answers about who we really want to be vs. who we are today. The next step is figuring out how to get from Point A to Point B.
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“Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.”
― John C. Maxwell
Rick Warren calls this the difference between being successful and significant, saying that you can be successful (make money, have material possessions, be in a marriage, have children, etc.), without understanding the significance of your life. This is why so many people who seemingly “have it all” feel so empty. To reach the highest level of living is to recognize your purpose for being here—then you find significance. He says, “Being successful and fulfilling your life’s purpose are not at all the same thing; You can reach all your personal goals, become a raving success by the world's standard and still miss your purpose in this life.”
To me, this is the difference between how the world views success and reaching your potential. Regardless of the world’s message about success, we must persevere to reach our full potential. We need to find ways (and people) who help us recognize our potential and who will encourage us to find strategies for reaching it.
A blessing as a coach is that it is my job to help you fulfill your potential as a teacher. It’s not that I know more than you—not at all. It’s that I’m available to help you determine your goals, to recognize your potential by linking new strategies to what you know, and to provide support for stretching yourself into reaching them. It’s my job to help you succeed, by being another viewpoint—another brain and caring soul—whose purpose is simply to help.
A couple of teachers recently asked me, "How do I become a 'master teacher'?" Well, I'm not sure we ever master something so complex as teaching, but I do think we have to persevere in our quest to specialize as educators. Things I have found helpful as I persevere include:
- Reading a lot! I love professional books. (My friends will tell you what a "cool nerd" I am; my daughter says, "You're the only person I know who reads textbooks for fun.") I love all kinds of books, from picture books to "chapter" books to novels to nonfiction on many subjects. I love magazines from People to professional journals. All of these shape my knowledge of literature, informational texts, and best practices.
- Writing a lot! In a world that seldom slows down for reflective practices, writing allows us a moment to make something so intangible--our thinking--visible. It helps us remember who we are and what we believe in any moment. Over time, we can see patterns in our thinking and build on them or work to change them. If we're really lucky, we can even work on the craft of becoming better writers.
- Seeking professional learning opportunities. As a coach, I attend workshops that teach me new things about coaching, literacy, and coaching literacy. I also attend workshops with teachers from my district so that we can mull over learning experiences together, imagining concrete ways to apply new strategies right away, as well as how we might sustain them over time. I work with a team of coaches from NE Indiana; we meet monthly to learn together, discuss challenges, and to celebrate successes. I also have the privilege of offering some PD opportunities for our district's staff, including longer-term coaching cycles, short-term instructional learning and coaching cycles, round table discussions, book studies, and more.
- Joining professional organizations. Our local reading council (Pokagon Reading Council) is a division of the ISRA and IRA. The best part has been getting teachers together from districts that encompass 8 counties and two states to enjoy dinners, fellowship, and learning from fellow educators.
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“Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others. Humble people are so focused on serving others, they don't think of themselves.” --Rick Warren
To me, thinking of others and focusing on their needs embodies what literacy coaching is all about. When I come to work each day (and yes, even in the “off hours”), I am thinking about what teachers need in order to reach their students while attaining their instructional goals.
I never feel comfortable; I never feel secure that any certain strategy will work exactly as planned or that any lesson will be flawless. Instead of seeking or believing that comfort or perfection exist in education, I think, instead, that our jobs are to decide which best practices make the most sense for the task, plan and put them into action, then examine our implementation of them to find where we can do better and to determine why--and then to build on that. The focus is always on the work of teaching and the outcome with students. The work itself is humbling and can only be done with humility…
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Don Miguel Ruiz (THE FOUR AGREEMENTS) discusses always doing your best:
“In your everyday moods your best can change from one moment to another, from one hour to the next, from one day to another. Your best will also change over time… Regardless of the quality, keep doing your best--no more and no less than your best. If you try too hard and do more than your best, you will spend more energy than is needed and in the end, your best will not be enough. When you overdo, you deplete your body and go against yourself, and it will take you longer to accomplish your goal.”
He also quotes a Buddhist Master, "You are not here to sacrifice your joy or your life. You are here to live, to be happy, and to love… Do your best, and perhaps you will learn that …you can live, love, and be happy."
I wonder if we sometimes forget that we can live, love, and be happy if we persevere in giving our best every day, knowing that our best might look different depending on circumstances and situations. But if we trust and accept our best, we can live without guilt, self-judgment, regrets, or frustration. For many teachers, that would be the biggest gift they could imagine. As a coach, I can try to help teachers give their best, stretch their best, and imagine even more. If in doing so, their lives become more satisfying, more peaceful—all while becoming more cognizant of their magnificence and significance as teachers—then I will be humbled by the magic of our collaborative relationship… and that is the BEST.
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