Many times I find myself saying, "I will try." Shortly after I hear those words leave my mouth I am reminded of the great philosopher Master Yoda.
How often do you find yourself in that same position? Isn't that just a way to allow yourself an out?
I am going to cut down how often I use that phrase. I don't want to try to get things done, I want to get things done.
Are there other phrases we use to give us the chance to back out of doing work? What about students? We do not allow students to say "I will try to do my homework." We want them to do the homework. We know they are going to have issues, they will struggle at times. We should realize the same for ourselves. We are going to struggle at times, but we can't let that darken our outlook.
As educators, we are great about getting things done. When charged with teaching students, we don't say "I'll try." We take it personally. We don't give up on them. When students struggle, we find ways for them to succeed. We find the tools to get the job done, and many times we end up buying it out of our own pockets.
As Yoda would say, "Do or do not, there is no try!" I would take it one step further and just say when it comes to helping students be successful and leave out the do not.
Need ideas? Need inspiration? After returning from the NAESP conference this past summer I have been following the posts from @kidsdeserveit on twitter and their website
How often do you find yourself in that same position? Isn't that just a way to allow yourself an out?
I am going to cut down how often I use that phrase. I don't want to try to get things done, I want to get things done.
Are there other phrases we use to give us the chance to back out of doing work? What about students? We do not allow students to say "I will try to do my homework." We want them to do the homework. We know they are going to have issues, they will struggle at times. We should realize the same for ourselves. We are going to struggle at times, but we can't let that darken our outlook.
As educators, we are great about getting things done. When charged with teaching students, we don't say "I'll try." We take it personally. We don't give up on them. When students struggle, we find ways for them to succeed. We find the tools to get the job done, and many times we end up buying it out of our own pockets.
As Yoda would say, "Do or do not, there is no try!" I would take it one step further and just say when it comes to helping students be successful and leave out the do not.
Need ideas? Need inspiration? After returning from the NAESP conference this past summer I have been following the posts from @kidsdeserveit on twitter and their website
Indeed, I too found myself with the same dilemma! And so for many years in school, I would 'do.' There were many times I failed, though. There were many successes too. However, it got to the point that I started using the word 'try' again into my 'do' statement. After all, not being a 'Jedi' and lacking in the force all I could do, and continue to do, is try my best to be there for all students. Therefore: "try do I; succeed or fail matter not!"
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