Going the Distance!

What is the longest distance that you have ever walked or jogged without stopping?  Hopefully, your answer is not “from the couch to the refrigerator!”  We have several staff members who are active runners and who have completed full marathons.  Here’s the old coach in me coming out.  There is a vast difference in training for a marathon (26.2 miles) and the shortest sprint in Track & Field (100 meters). It means very little to a marathoner if he or she covers the first 100 meters in 10 seconds (but if they did, I can tell you that they are in the wrong event!). The finish line is still over 26 miles away.  It’s not about where you start. It matters where you finish. The best coaches will plan training for their athletes in a backward manner starting with the ultimate championship race.  They schedule training by then working back to day one. The end goal is always in sight and all work is directed toward achieving that goal.  For a long distance runner, it is the ability to stick with it mile after mile that counts. Being steadfast, not just short sprinting, will determine the outcome. 

You may want to spend time with your classes impressing upon them that the long-term goals are what they are shooting for and that the daily goals factor toward achievement. Use a backward approach to teaching = determine what the desired outcomes are, then script the assessments, and finally plan your instructional route.  Of course, be mindful of informal and formative assessments to guide your plan along the way.  This school year is not a sprint, although some days and units will feel like it.  It doesn’t matter where you start. In fact, it is far too late to change that.  It matters where you finish.  No one remembers who won the first race, but they do remember who the state champion was (missed that personally by one place…still bugs me). Always keep the end goal in sight and all work is directed toward its achievement. Right now, we are just past the three-quarters race that we call a school year.  That’s like lap 7 in the 3200 or the gun lap in the 1600.  This is no time to take your foot off the pedal!  Be intentional. Be purposeful. Be prescriptive.  Be inspiring. Be creative. Be logical. Be a critical thinker.  Nothing can stop you with a great plan!