Frustration

The last two weeks have been challenging.  I just felt like at every step I took, I would be knocked back two or three steps. I felt like I wasn’t being heard. I felt like the things that I have discussed countless times with so many were either forgotten or ignored. I struggled with data. I was restless with lack of engagement. I felt like I was fighting for what I know is best for students.

Just like Alexander said, in the best children’s book ever, “some days are just like that.” But unlike Alexander, I needed to understand why. I needed to know what was the cause of my frustration.  Like, does this job ever get easy? Then a friend who is in his second year of being a principal sent me a text the other night that said, “does this ever get easier?”  I just laughed that he was asking the same question that I was. Realizing that he must be having a hard day, I gave him a call and the answer for him and the answer for me had been staring at me on my quote board above my desk the whole time.

The quote I copied from a book years ago reads, “It’s easy to have a mediocre school. Having high expectations for all children takes courage.” You see, I am not frustrated because people aren’t listening or data is difficult to wrangle with. I am frustrated because doing what’s right for students and giving every single student what they need to be successful is not for the faint of heart. What you do in your classroom matters. Having the highest expectations for your students AND for yourself requires a dedication beyond a 7:45-3pm job. It requires so much more. It is hard work. It is tough with our simple preteaching training to understanding the complexities of teaching young children to read and write and compute math.

You see, my frustration is not frustration….it is the pain of the needle moving. So I will change my language….I am no longer frustration…..I am sore….I am sore from the heavy lifting we are doing of raising the performance of our students. Who will join me?