Promotion
What words of wisdom
or last minute lesson
can I give?
To the class
who has taught me as much as I hoped
to have taught them:
Let’s take a moment to recap what we learned
The first step of learning is to memorize
So: memorize
Memorize your math facts, root words, and so forth
As routinely as you have memorized this next sentence:
If there is a problem, then there is a solution
And, since you memorized these,
let’s jump to our next step of learning, which is understanding
Understand
that the solution to your problem is not often written in an answer key
Anything worth learning requires productive struggle, perseverance,
making mistakes, and learning new ways
Understand
It won’t be easy. You will be frustrated. But, it is worth the journey.
Understand
The only person you have to be better than is the person you were yesterday
And today, you are ready for the last step of learning,
which is applying
So, everyday apply a growth mindset.
Everyday—grow to be better and better
Until one day—in 2028—when you will again cross the stage
But on that day, you will be high school seniors
Ready to make a change in this world—giving it your best.
Only to be better and better—day after day.
And, perhaps one day, I can honestly say
You have learned all I could hope to teach you
Simply because you learned how to learn
with three basic steps
that I hope you do not forget
As you continue to
memorize, understand, and apply.
Reflection
I came into my profession hoping to make a difference. To help every student who entered my class. To inspire the next generation. Little did I know that before any of that could happen, they would be the ones to teach and change me. Because of them, I learned how to be a better teacher and, more importantly, how to be a better person.
At the end of each year, I always reflect on what I could have done differently. The teachable moment I let slip due to time, the scaffold I should have included to make the lesson more accessible, the student I didn’t support enough to meet grade level standards. Despite all the would’ve/could’ve/should’ve, I hope that I was successful in at least one area: developing a growth mindset.
As much as I would love to have the highest SBAC scores, I know that tests cannot measure the growth that matters most. But, that is a story for another day (or perhaps another podcast).
Prompt
For today, I want you to think about the most important life lesson you learned. It could be from experience, an elder, a friend, a teacher, or anything in between. It could be about friendship, money, love, failure, death, hope, or countless other themes. Share your insight, wisdom, and values. I hope to learn from you.