Okay, so maybe the actual saying is more like "Another day. Another dollar." And sure, we have to make money to make a living. Trust me; I know. However, I make it a point to go into my day a little differently. I have created this spin-off I like to refer to as "Another Day. Another Scholar."
Cheesiest thing I've ever heard.
Definitely a bit cheesy, but if you want, just stop reading. I go in to each day looking at the opportunities I have with each person (student, teacher, or other faculty member). How can I help them learn? or How can I make their day a little bit better? It's not a terribly easy thing (especially the learning part). But it's worth the effort.
I had a moment while teaching the other day where I had just had enough. Students had been a bit restless that day; oh well, that's teenagers for you. But I had heard the statement, "I'm not good at math," (okay, it was probably more like, "I suck at math," but that's just details) far too many times. This was said as I was doing a problem with the class on the board (topic that we were spending our third day on due to failure to grasp or master the concept). As soon as I heard this student say that, I just stopped mid-problem and chucked my marker straight into the air (right or wrong, it got kids' attention). I instantly went into big-time fiery speech mode.
I was all fired up, but surprisingly not in an angry manner. I saw this as a moment to dig a little deeper and work extra hard to motivate those kids that day. I asked several students what they liked to do or were good at doing. After receiving their answers, I asked them why they enjoyed it. I got answers such as:
Competition, fun, challenging, etc...
Then I asked them what they did to get better at those things. Predictably...
Practice, effort, time, etc...
From that moment, all I did was ask each of them to apply those characteristics to math. I told those who enjoyed things that challenged them to look no further; math is a challenging subject. Conquer a problem. Do anything necessary to solve something you have to struggle with.
For those who were of the competitive spirit, I told them to challenge one another. Don't be happy with letting your friend next to you get a better grade. Don't shoot for a 3.0 when you can do better. Don't let that problem scare you; beat it.
As I concluded my speech (this had lasted about 5-10 minutes) I told them what we were going to do. We were going to conquer this topic through practice, effort, time, and belief. My final line was one similar to that of San Francisco 49ers Head Coach, Jim Harbaugh. "Who's got this better than us?" Nobody!
The kids have worked their tails off. And have mastered it. They come to class with a little pep, a little swagger. I realize we can't always take multiple days on a specific lesson, but I honestly feel that we (yes, myself included) learned more than just one lesson throughout this process.
I'm blessed, folks. Blessed with the opportunities I have. And with our God in control, who's got it better than us?
NOBODY!
