As I think about the level of thinking it would take to even begin to figure this out, I am reminded of the importance of our job as educators. We are invaluable in this world. Our job, I would argue, is of the utmost value and importance. As teachers, we mold little human lives. We mold them by modeling life. Modeling how to treat others with respect and love. Modeling how to handle every situation that may come their way. Modeling how to be a problem solver and a thinker. Who would have believed someone that said, "I think injecting polio into this cancer patient's brain tumor has a chance of curing them."? Not a soul in the world in which my generation was raised. Thinking back to my years growing up, I have to be honest. Growing up in a one-way philosophy educational generation was discouraging for me. I vividly remember my inability to show my knowledge and capability through choosing the "one right answer". I was one of those kids. One who frequently ALMOST had it, but not quite! One who didn't think quite like everyone else in the box. Oddly enough, I was usually pretty confident in my thinking and could provide adequate and even thought-provoking evidence when prompted. The problem was, I was just never prompted. Hence the reason I grew up believing the lies. The lie that I was dumb, as I felt defeated trying to train my brain to fit "in the box". The lie that I would always barely be mediocre despite hard-core effort. The lie that my evidence and thinking didn't matter. The lie that some people just got "it", and I would never be one of those people. I now know that the sole person telling this lie was the same person looking back at me in the mirror. The dilemma was though, I didn't have the confidence to come to that realization until I entered adulthood. Having a career that not only accepts independent problem solvers, but heavily relies on them, has taught me that there is more than one way. Teaching on a growth-mindset campus has proven to me that my thinking, as well as ALL other's thinking, does matter and often times is another way to answer!
Reeves-Hinger has changed my life for the good in so many ways. One of the best parts of our job as RH teachers is that we learn truths in our profession that we can often apply to our personal lives as well. A giant scoop of hard work, a heap of resilience, and a pinch of a determination is the recipe for truth. This recipe excites the senses enough with a small taste of improvement, that it leaves a never-ending craving for progress. Some people define these ingredients as grit.
Grit is something inside you that drowns out the lies that you aren't good enough. Everyday I get to witness inspiring teachers using these same ingredients to cook up confident, persevering, problem-solving students. I believe with all my heart the direction we are headed is going to be ground breaking! We are not there YET, but we continuously work our way up that hill, one step at a time. Each step getting us closer to YES! Along the way (and I believe most importantly) we can ensure our students don't believe the lies, but instead know the recipe for truth. We can change lives now simply through ensuring our students know the truth and motivating them to be the best at whatever they choose to be in life! This encouragement paired with teaching them to problem solve as a valued thinker, could create a life-changing generation. Armed with these tools, who knows what this generation will be capable of...curing cancer may just be the tip of the iceberg!
