Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed. (hmmmm.... sound familiar.... perhaps YOU might be the one complaining that you don't have any support from your administration.... that your class is constantly full of the troublemakers or underachievers...that the pressure of expectations in the classroom is too much or maybe you just know someone who is this miserable).....
Back to the story.... so anyways, Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.
He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.
After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”
“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she hastily replied.
“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water.
However, each one reacted differently.
However, each one reacted differently.
The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.
The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.
However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.
“Which are you,” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? “
So I ask you my friends..... Which one are you? When educations gets hard.... do you crumble and quit? Do you cry about it? Do you make excuses for why your students aren't growing? Do you easily shirk back and put your goals off till next month? Do you forget why you started and figure it doesn't matter? Do you get overwhelmed by your to do list that you don't even start in the first place? Do you waste time on social media that you fail to see when you do have pockets of productive time?
Or do you pull up your britches and figure out a unique way to face the situation head on?
----------------------------
Action Point....... Think of at least ONE unique solution YOU could try when you hit a "breaking point" in your classroom. For example....could I revamp my blocks of time in my classroom and mix up my strategies? Could I make an effort to spend "Five for 20" with "That One Kid?" (Five minutes a day for twenty days solely focused on personal attention and relationship building.) Can I implement a new game/program/activity in my classroom that could bring fun for both my students and myself? Can I arrange coverage in my own classroom to go observe a colleague that I know has a similar educational philosophy, but a different presentation?
