I just finished up my final student-led parent conference of the spring. It's a process during which I get to observe the self-reflections of my advisees. Some of them are awkward, some of them side step the truth, some of them are at a loss for words...but then I realize I am awkward. I side step the truth. I am at a loss for words. My students are just so human, and I have watched them grow from naive middle schoolers to reflective, thoughtful young adults on the brink of high school.
I love so much about these conferences. I love hearing parents say, "I am so proud of you." I love grabbing a box of tissues for teary eyes. I love hearing students wax poetic about the things they've loved and the challenges they've conquered.
But this year, what I loved most was one particularly resilient and optimistic student's response to my question, "why do you think this year has been so successful for you?"
The student paused.
Thought deeply.
Started to speak.
Stopped.
Reconsidered.
Inhaled deeply.
Then, finally,
and with a shrug,
admitted,
"...I just love trying."
We fumble through life as it humbles us again and again, but is there anything that spells success and growth better than that phrase? In a world that celebrates winning and besting and defeating...let's celebrate trying.
When Will McDonough was a little boy, he loved to learn. In fact, he still does. Will is a teacher now, and every Thursday he writes about something he's learning in the classroom. He's pretty busy, so he takes just 30 minutes to free write; then, regardless of how polished the ideas or mechanics might be, he publishes it. It's incomplete. It's a start. And it feels good.
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