Champions

     It finally hit me a few weeks ago as I had some time to change my summer closet to my fall/winter closet. I put on more weight during last year than I had thought. It wasn’t a huge surprise. I knew it last year. I knew what was happening. Having two teenage sons who are highly involved in multiple activities, I spend a few hours every afternoon either driving kids from one activity to another or at an event my son is involved in which eventually lands us eating out afterwards. Last year was also filled with a tremendous amount of paper work, reports, and a tedious amount of “desk” work. Not to be one to sit at my desk very much, this was a tremendous change for me. I also discovered that the vanilla lattes at Little River Roasting Company, just ½ a minute from school, are better than Starbucks-and they opened at 5:30am just about the time I was arriving at school last year (thank goodness they open later). Then, with the exception of only 4 weekends last year, I spent pretty much 12 hours every Saturday and 5-6 hours every Sunday sitting reading, researching, and writing for the completion of my dissertation. While I completed all of this “desk work” I did what I always do when I’m stressed- I ate. And what I ate wasn’t healthy. As one who has been on a “diet” since the age of 22, I knew what I was doing was wrong, but had little desire or motivation to make much of a change at the time.

     So here I was with very little to wear and a huge amount of disappointment in myself for what I have done-willingly. I made the determination to start the 28-day challenge- no bread, no sugar, no processed food, no dairy, no fried food, 84 oz. of water a day, and so much green tea I thought I would turn into Kermit. I was 100% successfully on this 28-day challenge. Yet, the success on the challenge only took off 8 pounds. I was disappointed yet again. As I was detailing my disappointed to my most supportive husband, he suggested, with some trepidation, that it may be what I was missing was exercise. And you know what he was right.

     After this conversation, I was thrilled when Rosebro#2 asked me to train with him for a 5K and possibly a 10K. He stated that he wants us to do the Disney 5 and 10K next January (2018) and if we train for the next year, we could do it together. I am not sure which he wants more- to run with his Mom or have a trip to Disney-either way-I’m all in.  My next step was research. I am one that needs lots of information about anything. I researched the Disney 5K and 10K program. I researched running-although I used to run as a much younger adult. I researched shoes, C25K programs, routes, times. I probably could have gotten out there are run a 5K with the amount of time that I researched. There were few websites I didn’t explore.  During my research, I came upon a quote from Muhammad Ali that really stuck in my head- “Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” The thing is, I know what to do. I have the skill. What I am missing is that unstoppable desire- or will- to get this done and be the very best me I can be. It is called passion and I am thrilled to have my best buddy as my partner as I discover this passion again.

     As most things do, this got me thinking about our work here at school.  What does it take to be a champion teacher?  I agree so much with Ali’s declarative that champions aren’t made in the gym. I believe champion teachers aren’t made just in the classroom. This does not mean that teachers can’t give their best in the classroom-you have to-just as Ali probably gave 110% in the gym, but what makes the difference in a good teacher and a champion teacher is what happens outside of the 7 ½ hours of instruction. A champion teacher is passionate about their work. A champion teacher feels that passion deep inside. A champion teacher researches, studies, and plans for exceptional practice to take place in his/her classroom every day. A champion teacher has a desire-a deep seeded drive- to provide only but the best for their students every day. As much professional learning that takes place for teachers, all teachers are provided with the skill-it is the WILL that is missing that takes a teacher from good to CHAMPION.  Passion drives people to excel by challenging and pushing your work to your limits. Passion excites you and makes the work almost like play, fuels your efforts, and helps fight burnout. Your intense passion about teaching and learning in turn ignites your students to be passionate about learning. Without passion for teaching and learning, a good teacher will never be great. You can’t fake passion. That passion shows in all a teacher does. Passionate teachers are always in my office or blowing up my email with questions. They wonder. They explore. They try new things while demanding that even though the latest and greatest says one thing, they’re proven practice has shown differently. They can defend their practice with data. They are sharing their failures, they question some of my directives, they arrive early and pull kids or they keep kids afterschool, they demand me come to their room to see what their kids are doing, they share readings, websites, new ideas, they share during PLC, they love being at school, they stop at nothing to provide what their current students need-not just the same thing they did last year. They desire collaboration with other teachers in order to share and learn with others. They want to be better every day. They stretch my budget needing items for their class. Passionate teachers are the ones that our students deserve. Being passionate isn’t the only key to championship caliber teachers but it certainly is one of the most important characteristic.