A Frog In A Well

Does anyone remember that math problem from back in the day about the frog in the well?  It went something like there is this frog stuck in a well and every time he takes a few steps up toward the escape at the top he slips back down a certain amount of steps. The trick is figuring out some sort of formula to help you determine how long the poor guy will be stuck in that well before finally reaching the top and launching himself into freedom.

For some reason I keep coming back to this problem.  It is so odd to me how this came into my brain.  I mean years have gone by since I grappled with this problem.  I remember always being "good at math". I was in the "high" math group.  I went to Mr. Moore's math group in elementary school and was a bit "ahead" along the way.  I am not generally one to brag and boast about such things, but I find it interesting how something you may be "good at" can also be a burden. For although my mind found patterns and problems to work well in my brain, I didn't really LOVE math.  I do remember this problem though for as much as I was supposed to be "good at math" this problem stumped me at the time.  I was confused by it and wondered why my "good at math" label wasn't working for me here.

The other night our good friends were sharing their woes about a recent progress report their first grader brought home.  He was discouraged and feeling like he was not "good at math".  First grade and already feeling this way.  I have been thinking about him and my students at school and how we have SO many standards and a warp speed pacing. There is never quite time to slow down and help them build the stamina to grapple with how long that poor frog will be stuck. For if they don't "get it" that day the pace says, "we're moving on tomorrow", oh and by the way you need to have mastered yesterday to move on with us today, so if you were sick or needing more time, so sad for you.

I think we need to stop and remember that learning is a journey.  I was just sharing with my students the other day about things I have learned as an adult, like how to be a gardener, a rower, a singer, a public speaker, a writer.  It would be great if things could sometimes have a "quick fix" happy ending, but I feel as though some of my greatest accomplishments and successes are those that I worked the hardest to find, and in reflecting and relishing in the discovery I learned something about myself that surprised me, because I never knew that side of me existed.

At times, it is hard to be that frog stuck inside that well.  Yesterday at work I was scraping the bottom of that darn well.  I may even have been in the water, but today somehow I was back on the uphill climb.  Then after lunch I slipped again.  By the end of the day I was moving on up. You just never can tell where you'll end up.  I still can't seem to figure out that formula.

This year, this stage that education is in, challenges us as educators, parents, and life-long learners to seek out and practice ways to bring joy to "the art of the journey" to our students, our children. In the world of "Don't worry about the ones that seem hard, just do the best you can." A.K.A. if you have no clue there will always be something to mindlessly bubble in, we must seek and find ways to bring learning to a higher level.  For in life true success is not multiple guess. Someone, or many, may say you are "good at ______", but it is far greater to earn it with a little blood, sweat, and tears. To know, for true, what you are and what you know you can do.  To live up to yourself, not what others perceive you to be.

It is this that sent me to a complete high as I headed out to recess with my storytelling 4th graders this morning.  My heart soared as students that usually are busy finding ways to do everything, but engage in what we are doing, shared, "I thought it would be hard to be a storyteller, but now I see that it isn't and I am thinking next time I want to be inside that circle."
and "I noticed that people inside the circle took a risk even though they were nervous."
and "I was nervous, but I ended up having a lot of fun."
and "I like how you put a lot of excitement into the story."
and "I noticed that everyone was quiet in the audience so we could hear the story."
and "I liked how no one was trying to make a joke just so people would laugh, they were being serious about the story."
and "I like being a storyteller with more people around because it is way more fun than just telling your story to one person."
and "I noticed that even though we made some mistakes at times, we just kept going and it worked out okay."

Isn't this what it is all about? We make mistakes, but we just keep going and keep trying to work it out. That darn frog may still be stuck in that well, but he keeps looking for his next uphill climb. Next time you are faced with your challenge, your "I'm just not good at _______." Think about how you will bring it toward that escape at the top.  It is so sweet to escape those labels those "holes in our bucket" of life.  Never in my wildest dreams, 11 years ago, would I have predicted I would be leading our whole school Morning Sing assembly or dancing and singing with my class with utter joy, but I am. It is what surprises us most about ourselves that helps us soar.