Stepping Out of the Box...Was It The Right Decision?

My friend Krissy of Venspired had the perfect image to describe how and why I stepped so far out of my box this year. I was tired of being comfortable.  Sure, I loved what I was doing, and I was very successful at it, but at some point I lost track of the days and my purpose.  I was too comfortable.

I wonder how many times my students became comfortable about what we were doing in class?  Did I challenge them enough, make them squirm a little because it was hard?  Did I push my kids to never settle for the same old, same old?

I hope that I did.  I hope that I showed them that always challenging yourself and pushing beyond your limits was a learning exercise in and of itself.  I hope I showed them that if you make a mistake, you learned in that moment instead of considering it a failure.  I hope that when students received their first "B" they understood that they fought tooth and nail for it and need to feel proud.

I hope that my parents received those same messages about their students.  The message that a B is sometimes hard earned.  That if students are consistently getting straight As that maybe it's too easy.

I pray that I taught my students how to work through a struggle and find a solution - maybe not the first time, but maybe the 2nd or the 3rd.  That it doesn't always come easy - that real life thing is really messy and knowing how to power through the struggle is the real skill Mrs. Looper was trying to teach.  

I hope that I taught my students that sometimes you have to take a leap because while it's nice and warm and cozy, it's just too comfortable.