Envy. 

I think it's easier now than ever before to be envious of someone else. Social media gives us a quick glance into a person's life through snapshots. Unfortunately, it makes it easy for us to assume that because they are smiling in a picture that they are happy. Or that they have life so easy because it appears that they have what we do not.

When in reality, success is like an iceberg. We only see a small fraction of the amount of time and effort people put in to have what they have. There is so much more below the surface.

In school, it's especially easy for some of our kids to get frustrated when things do not go their way.  For example, that moment in school when the teacher passes back a test. You fail it but your neighbor got a 100%. Now, it may have been easy for them - maybe they did not need to study. But reality is, I'm sure they put in the time and effort to get that good grade.

I talk to my kids a lot about taking their time, doing their best and being persistent when things get tough. Teaching is not just about teaching kids their math facts or how to spell words. It's about instilling in them good work habits, a growth mindset and ....well the list could go on. 

Our job as educators is to light a fire - or at least spark a fire. Whether it keeps burning or not - that is their choice. But our job is to spark it and allow our students the opportunity to develop into more than what they thought possible. 

To me, this quote was a showstopper.
 
I can honestly say I've said it myself - that we need to prepare our students for the real world.
 
But in reality, most of them are experiencing a world we will never understand.
 
We need to prepare them the best we can to fit into a world where technology is at the forefront.
 
Where life changes in a blink of an eye.
 
Where new jobs are being created that people 50 years ago never thought of.
 
I get frustrated when I see popular Instagram accounts where picture after picture is a cute new worksheet or activity that you can purchase off TeachersPayTeachers for your students to do.
 
Yet, those “activities” do not instill creativity.
 
In fact, they limit it.
 
Let’s look at education and see how we can change it for our kids.
 
I’ve said this once, and I know I’ll say it again, create small changes.
 
Take it step by step.
 
Put away the old worksheet you’ve brought out year after year and allow students to live in a world of creativity and innovation.
 
Where they are guiding their learning.
​
Filling their minds with possibilities by collaborating and researching.
 
Where they do not have to fill in the blank.
 
That is preparing them for the future
 
That is creating a better tomorrow for our youth. 

As a learning coach, I asked the girls I work with what they wanted to learn more about. The request paper! They wanted to find out how paper is made. To begin our journey, we watched a youtube video from National Geographic Kids. It was all about how paper is made.