See the Shore

Florence Chadwick was determined to be the first to swim from Catalina Island to mainland California.  This wasn’t the equivalent of taking a lap in a pool.  This was a 26 mile swim through the Pacific Ocean.  The year was 1952 and young Florence had a goal.  She was determined to reach it.  She already had great success at long distance swimming as she was the first woman to swim the English Channel…both ways!  So, off she went on this pursuit.  The weather was chilly and the fog was so thick that she could barely make out the safety boats that were on each side of her.  Fifteen hours later, she was still swimming.  Lactic acid has overtaken her muscles and she began to beg to be taken out of the water.  Get this – from one of the rescue boats, her Mom told her to stay tough because she was getting close.  Now, the perfect ending for this would be that she overcame her fatigue, set her mind on the goal and became the first to swim across this chasm.  That isn’t what happened.  She quit swimming due to physical and emotional exhaustion.  The rescue workers pulled her out of the water.  The next day, she discovered that she was only a half mile away from the shore when she quit.  Her comment about this speaks volumes – “If I could have seen the shore instead of the fog, I would have made it.” Forever, she had to ask herself, “What if…?”

After you set goals, you never want to get to “game day” and ask yourself any question that begins with these words – “What if”.  Sadder words may never have be spoken. You need to do everything you possibly can to reach your goals. If not, they are just cutesy-dutsey idle talk designed to appease.  In the education world, our game days are summative assessments like unit tests, final exams, and yes, the ISTEP.  Once you reach the dates of these exams, it is far too late get your kids ready.  The real difference isn’t made on game days.  The real difference is made on days leading up to game days.  It is the preparation.  It is the constant reflection of evaluating how effective the preparation is.  It is the informal assessments.  It is the formative assessments.  It is taking a professional and honest look at the data and seeing what you need to change. It is about working tirelessly to reach the goals you have set well in advance of the big day.  To reach goals, all of these need to take place.  You will also need to fight through some foggy days when it would be easier to take your eyes off of goal.  You have some big games days coming up.  We have some big days coming up.  Make a decision right now that you will keep swimming with your eyes on the shore and not on the fog.  Don’t get to game days and ask yourself, “What if?”