Trash and Triumphs
Soaking up the sun and on a regular run i noticed two ladies picking up books from the curbside collection.
"Ni Hao" i thought politely wanting to ask in mandarin what was so special about the books.
I was approaching the famous Eastern Beach stairs and needed to stop before the ascent . The younger lady offered "these are too precious for my boys not to read, they don't belong here..." I noticed a range of popular children s titles. Even i was surprised at the amount of books "donated" to the curb.
That image stayed with me as i pondered the timeless message " one man's trash is another man's cash.."
How often in teaching have you and i encountered situations that were "trash" and later, months, years... something triumphant emerged? There are so many terrific Trash to Triumph teaching stories. I plan on documenting a few- another blog.
Perhaps it is just me that often hears of other people who talk about their successes and in that recount refer to a teacher in the past who said they would never amount to much or a producer or talent scout who at the time turned the young upstart or protege away. Early rejection, discouragement and even failure is often a stepping stone to later and greater triumph... It has been so encouraging, lest i say liberating to see the surge in the last two years of the teaching profession normalizing failure as part of a process towards achievement. I once googled Famous Failures when contemplating a unit on pathways to success. Now i teach a wonderful Level 1 film unit on the Rocket Boys ( October Sky). The students love it.
I can fully relate to many failures that lead to many of my own successes. Perhaps this is why i am a great classroom teacher. I echo statements and comments that students feel and can relate to, Talk to your students about what failure or disappointment feels like.This in my opinion normalizes what they are thinking and feeling.
I know what it is like to fail an academic course...in fact three... and i know what it is like to be awarded an honors degree...when students ask me about my journey and i get opportunities to tell them, I tell the truth. This is the power of an authentic journey and it always paves a way for a reflective relationship. My first teaching post was at a primary school in 1989. Now after 17 years of experience i fully agree with John Maxwell's famous challenge "they don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
"Ni Hao" i thought politely wanting to ask in mandarin what was so special about the books.
I was approaching the famous Eastern Beach stairs and needed to stop before the ascent . The younger lady offered "these are too precious for my boys not to read, they don't belong here..." I noticed a range of popular children s titles. Even i was surprised at the amount of books "donated" to the curb.
That image stayed with me as i pondered the timeless message " one man's trash is another man's cash.."
How often in teaching have you and i encountered situations that were "trash" and later, months, years... something triumphant emerged? There are so many terrific Trash to Triumph teaching stories. I plan on documenting a few- another blog.
Perhaps it is just me that often hears of other people who talk about their successes and in that recount refer to a teacher in the past who said they would never amount to much or a producer or talent scout who at the time turned the young upstart or protege away. Early rejection, discouragement and even failure is often a stepping stone to later and greater triumph... It has been so encouraging, lest i say liberating to see the surge in the last two years of the teaching profession normalizing failure as part of a process towards achievement. I once googled Famous Failures when contemplating a unit on pathways to success. Now i teach a wonderful Level 1 film unit on the Rocket Boys ( October Sky). The students love it.
I can fully relate to many failures that lead to many of my own successes. Perhaps this is why i am a great classroom teacher. I echo statements and comments that students feel and can relate to, Talk to your students about what failure or disappointment feels like.This in my opinion normalizes what they are thinking and feeling.
I know what it is like to fail an academic course...in fact three... and i know what it is like to be awarded an honors degree...when students ask me about my journey and i get opportunities to tell them, I tell the truth. This is the power of an authentic journey and it always paves a way for a reflective relationship. My first teaching post was at a primary school in 1989. Now after 17 years of experience i fully agree with John Maxwell's famous challenge "they don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Gems
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