Passion

Passion

This weekend I took a personal day and headed out of town to unwind, relax, and regroup.  Although I was able to relax and have fun, my mind often drifted to thoughts about my students and to my future. I reflected on recent Twitter chats that I have participated in and those who have encouraged me to grow as a learner.  What is my purpose on this journey?  Am I passionate about it?

Personally, I am so passionate about my next career move.  I try to learn and soak in as much as I can.  The thought of being able to help others at a greater level is so encouraging and motivating to me.  So I dug deeper into this as I sat by the pool… what can I do now?  

I then thought about the Special Olympic Athletes that I have been given the honor to work with recently.  These athletes define the word passion.  Their excitement for what they do, their excitement of being with their friends, their excitement period, motivates me.  They have such passion for life! Thinking of them ignites me!

My mind drifted to my current students.  How do I support their passions.  Several things came to mind.

• Find a mentor for the students.  There are so many willing adults who want to help our students.  I have a student who wants to be a fireman, so a quick text to a Columbus Firefighter friend and we have a plan for him to come in and meet my student in the future.

• Go to their events that aren’t school sponsored.  Not all students participate in the traditional school sponsored activities.  Find out what they do and attend these events too.  Theater and the arts are events that students participate in outside of school.

• Keep in mind your differently-abled students too!  Attend a Special Olympics game or event.  Trust me, your heart will be happier than theirs!!

• Connect with others within your district.  Match elementary students with high school students that share the same interests.  We do this for learning purposes, and at-risk students, but let’s do it for ALL students.  Let’s find a student who loves to sing and match him with a choir student at the high school.  Many of our schools are within walking distance.

I encourage all my edufriends to find ways this week to ignite and support the passion within their students. I know I am!  They are, after all, what drive me to be better!