Wow. Slept in. Short post. Sorry. This caught my attention as I was traveling through the Twitterverse yesterday. Most teachers strive to get kids out of their comfort zones, and we generally do, but the trick is finding the appropriate zone once we move them beyond that threshold. Too often, teachers jump straight to the panic zone, defending the jump as rigor, but we have to be careful. Rigor is not severity or quantity. Rigor is not stress and panic. Rigor is not without support. Rather, rigor presents complexity and invites creativity. Rigor creates struggle, which requires grit and support. The struggle zone is the sweet spot, that place where kids are challenged but not overwhelmed. This is my goal for the 180 classroom. I want my kids to face challenges, but I want them to be able to breathe, to be able to learn. And that is not easy. Tough to do with 150 different souls in my day. But I try. Ever in search for that sweet spot.

Happy, Thursday, all. Sorry for the short post.