Life is filled with highs, lows, and all kinds of in-betweens along the spectrum of growth and achievement.  I remember watching my four-year-old in the pool last summer (he was a three-year-old at the time, because that’s how aging works – three one summer, four the next).  He refused to blow bubbles, he wouldn’t put his face in the water, he shuttered at the thought of floating on his belly or his back, and he didn’t seem to understand the importance of water safety, or the fun of safe water play.  Kids!

One of his friends was a veritable fish at the time.  I swear I saw gills on the kid.  Another three-year-old, splishin’ and a-splashin’, diving down to retrieve rocks from the bottom of the pool, pretending to be a whale by blowing water out of his mouth while floating on his back, jumping and diving around, and making it look easy.  Show off!  O.k., maybe I’m being a bit harsh.  I know the little guppy wasn’t actually showing off, he was simply swimming, and he was doing so because he was equipped and ready.   I don’t know why he was equipped and ready, and I don’t know why my child wasn’t, but that’s what was going on.  That’s what we were working with.

Tangentially speaking (but still with a leadership/learning bent) this was a good opportunity for me to celebrate someone else’s success through a lens of “not quite there yet” regarding me and mine.  Well, “not even close” might describe it more accurately, but that’s beside the point, and it may have even served to enhance the growth experience.  Envy can diminish and/or decelerate growth.  It tends to shift energy and focus away from the positive, it fights with optimism, and in many cases it produces a yucky feeling (scientifically speaking).

We are each built a bit differently from one another.  Some folks come to some things naturally, while other folks take their time and tread more complex pathaways to those same things.  However, what I need to remember as a dad and an educational leader is that both pathways (and a multitude of other ones) are legitimate and effective.  My little guy wasn’t ready to swim last summer, but he sure is now!  Yesterday at the pool, he and I were jumping up and down in the deep end.  He was taking humongous, sustaining breaths so that he could bounce off the bottom, and even blow bubbles in the process.  We were wearing goggles so that we could see one another.  We were giving each other under-water high fives and nose kisses before surfacing with uproarious laughter and pangs of joy.

At one point the kid swallowed a huge gulp of pool water while taking a snort up the nose simultaneously.  I didn’t know what would happen next.  Would he suffer a diminished ability to enjoy and understand that water is fun (and safe) when you’re comfortable in it?  Would he want to get out of the pool immediately?  Would he cry and ask for his mommy?  Would he revert?  Any were possible….none happened.  The little trooper shook it off and went back for more!  Granted, this kid has been taking weekly swimming lessons through the winter, but why not?  That’s what it took for him.  And therein lies a bulk of this reflective message:

Do what it takes to make stuff happen.

Understand that people learn, develop, and progress at unique and varied rates (even you).

Reach out in many directions if the original direction doesn’t get you to where you’re trying to go.

Understand that while some ends are far away, none are impossibly far away.

Don’t give up.

In education, persistence and fortitude can go a long way, especially when coupled with faith and compassion.  By faith I mean the knowledge that things we can’t quite reach or fully understand in this moment are possible in the next moment, even against all odds.   By compassion I mean a deep and genuine caring for yourself, those you serve, those who serve you, and the goal of positive learning and growth for all involved.  Sticking to it is a means to great ends, in and outside of the classroom, while working to deliver information and develop skills, and in fostering healthy and collaborative relationships.

Every situation is a bit different.  You might find peace and partnership with one person by way of some fundamental small talk, while others might need regular celebrations, consistent encouragement, while still others could simply need to be left alone for a while.  There are people who thrive on space and time to process.

The point is that educational leaders should be reaching for the sky with every effort.  We can’t afford to give up on any ideas, and we certainly can’t afford to give up on any people.  We do have to adapt when and where it’s called for, but we’ve got to press forward with the understanding that our energy is a powerful piece of the effort, achievement, and yes…the joy puzzle in our community.  When done well, with authenticity and an undying commitment to forward progress/collective growth, reaching for the sky can be a wonderful motivator and a effective developmental model/tool.

Dream Big.  Work Hard.  Be Well.