I don’t know if slow and steady wins the race, but I let my learners set the pace. And that pace varies considerably, at all stages of the experience. Adverse to prescribed pacing guides, which are often sold as part of the “follow-with-fidelity” package or imagined as sacred sacrifices to the coverage deities, I look to my learners to set the speed at which we make our way through our learning. And while that may seem a sensible–maybe even noble–approach, If I am honest, it’s both a blessing and a curse as I try to reconcile the pace race that hovers and taunts from the outside with the “human happenings” on the inside.
And the outside pressure is prevalent. There are things that will be on “the test” that we will never get to. Never. And though that may impact some of my kids’ scores, I have resigned myself to this reality. Malpractice? Maybe. I suppose I have a duty to cover content. But, in truth, I have never once made it to the prescribed finish line in my twenty-four years of racing. I have never won that race, and now I have accepted that I never will, for I have given into the pressure within.
Inside the classroom, is the realest of realities. For inside the classroom is where the learners reside, and they provide the guide for the pace necessary for our work. So I keep up with them. Some days they speed up, even sprint. Some days they slow down, even crawl. Some days we make great strides forward. Some days we take giant steps back. And as we make our way through our some days, we take each in stride, for no two are the same. But each day, we experience learning, “humans happening” side-by-side, letting that be our guide.
I don’t know if that makes me a tortoise–maybe it makes me an ass, a stubborn one–but I can’t get into the pace race. Never have. Never will.
Today’s (slow) Trail
Along today’s trail we will experience…
…connecting through Smiles and Frowns.
…cultivating culture with Kindness Cards.
…publishing our personal values.
…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.
Happy Wednesday, all.
Do. Reflect. Do Better.
I am a tortoise, also. An ass wouldn’t think (or overthink) like this! Ha! Thank you for your perseverance. Sometimes, I feel we are surrounded by hares, taking naps on the side of the road, appearing to have it all together. I’m not usually there when/if they lose the race, but I have to believe that in the end, the tortoise crosses the finish line. I like to imagine there are many different finish lines and today, for example, I’m going to cross this Monday finish line, even though the hours seem much longer than usual. My best, KW
Thanks, Kristin. Glad you made–hope you made–the finish line.