Sophie is determined to bust out of her puppy park one of these days!Pursue more than just the things you are good at.
Today I asked my students to share some of their goals for the New Year. You would not believe how creative and daring these 12 & 13 year olds are. I was shocked.
I have a brainy girl (who doesn't look athletic at all ) announce she wants to take up skateboarding. One of my shyest students said she wants to sing at our school's talent show. And my football star (who has been playing since he could walk) said he wants to get all A's so he can go to college to be a doctor. (Lofty goal, but awesome nonetheless.)
I think its easy to listen to others tell you about your strengths and talents and accept your fate at face value. I know that since middle school I was labeled the nerdy kid and was expected to study the sciences and go on to work as a lab rat for some University.
I think I shocked everyone when I announced the environment was my passion and went off backpacking with plans to save the earth's natural resources. I think I shocked them all again when I left Env. Eng. and settled happily into a middle school science classroom.
If I could tell my students or my future offspring anything it would be that you shouldn't pigeon hole yourself. Don't choose the easy path that gets you compliments and praise (although I do love them), but rather keep growing, keep challenging, and enjoy being uncomfortable in your own shoes.
Ok, I am stepping off of my soapbox now. And on that note, I am off to the gym to be uncomfortable as I try a new workout and challenge myself to beat my mile time on the treadmill.
What are you trying to pursue in this New Year?
Wonderful thoughts! And I can't believe you time in class to talk about goals for the new year - oh, the important things my district has lost sight of.
ReplyDeleteWhat I am pursuing? I have no clue, but am going to just keep chuggin' along.
We have block on Monday & Tuesday so I have a few minutes to chat with my classes. I think it helps them see as human and not just their teacher.
ReplyDeleteI think we are all just chugging along. Heck, some days I am just happy to put one foot in front of another.
I love this post! It's so easy to be stuck "in the box" and it's a great reminder to step out every once in a while.
ReplyDeleteI totally took some time in the beginning of my class to chat about the holidays and the cold. Okay, I was actually stalling because the lab wasn't taking the entire period and I fear the suits walking in at the end of class and making a 30 second judgment on what goes on in my classroom (yes, it's happened a lot this year to a lot of teachers.)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I loved it. And I think they like the casual start too - need to do it more often!