Some time ago, I wrote the post Better Teaching Idea: Try to Notice When the Wind Is at Your Back. That post emerged from some observations while running, and today’s post has the same origin.
This month I have been trying to up my miles again for no particular reason. I don’t run for races. I run to run. And to feel like I am at least doing something to stay in some semblance of good shape (it’s not really working). I now run 4 miles most days. Maybe a little more or less, but that’s the norm this month. The past two days, I ran from my house, which is at the top of a hill. It is more of a mountain when I am running up it. (I promise, I am getting somewhere with this.)
I often go down to the rail trail along the river, which is a mostly flat, pretty place to run. The last two days, I have been running from my house. This means that if I want to get any distance in, I need to go down the mountain. And, of course, it means I need to get back to the top. Now, I could stay at the top. It’s relatively flat on our street, and I can run a quarter of a mile down and back and stay at the top of the mountain. That’s a lot of down and backs to get in four miles. No thanks. It’s easier, but not much fun. (Note: you can follow along my running escapades on Twitter @jfershee and Nike+.)
My usual route from my house takes my down the mountain, then back up the mountain, where I turn around and retrace my steps. That means I am running up the steepest part of the run at mile 3.5. It’s not always my favorite part of the run, even if it is my most triumphant. As I was slogging my way back up the mountain, my mind wandered and I caught myself thinking again, “It would have been a lot easier to just stay at the top.” And it is. It’s true in running, and it’s true in most everything else we do.
It doesn’t matter how you get to the top. Once you’re there, it’s easier to stay there than it was to get there. It may take a lot of work to get to the top. For most people, it does. But someone can just take you to the top, too. Once you’re there, it’s easier to stay there. And once you leave, it’s hard to get back up.
Knowing all of this is important. And it is important to remember that not everyone has the same amount to climb to get to the top of whatever it is they are climbing. I did not come from money, but I had everything I needed. I am a straight, white male. The data show that starts you ahead of the game. I went to good public schools. I went to college. And law school. This required a lot of work to move ahead, but the opportunity was there for me in a way it isn’t for many.
It’s easy to start thinking that everyone is starting from the same point. And it’s a lot easier to notice the people who are ahead of you on the way up. It’s not that often that we look back, which can skew our perspective in unproductive ways.
As teachers, it’s important to recognize that we can be part of helping our students move up their mountain. And they may not be starting from the same place we were. They may have further to go. Some may have less. It’s our job to help them get where they want go. As a corollary, it’s also important to remember that just because they might have farther to go, it’s not our job to limit the mountains they can climb. To the contrary, it’s our job to help them see that the sky truly is the limit.
That’s my take away for the day: as hard as it is to keep climbing to the top, don’t ever think you’re doing it alone. Appreciate who helped you. Keep slogging. And when you get to the top, don’t forget to see if you can help someone else up.