Phew. We are almost there. This week will close the third year that I have had the opportunity to work in an amazing middle school. As with any year, I suppose, there have been ups, downs, struggles and celebrations. One of the things I dislike most about June is how we sometimes lose our perspective. We’re tired. We’ve given it all we’ve got. We start believing generalizations.
Generalizations are dangerous. We will sometimes say things that aren't entirely true or accurate due to a heightened emotional state. The feeling may be connected to the statement or it may be connected to what we bring from our personal experience. I am just as guilty of this as anyone else (maybe even more so on particularly stressful times of the year, like now).
When we allow ourselves time to step back from situations, we know what we might have said isn't entirely true. Parts of it might be....but the entire statement? No. We say silly things like:
We are doing all of this all wrong.
Everyone is upset about this.
Everyone is talking about this.
That will never work next year.
The definition for generalization (from merriam-webster.com) reads:
: a general statement : a statement about a group of people or things that is based on only a few people or things in that group
: the act or process of forming opinions that are based on a small amount of information
So yesterday, when I found myself convinced that a set of recent occasions would define an entire year of work, I eventually reminded myself that a few bad incidents do not define a month. A month doesn't define a year, either.
Before this week begins, do yourself a favor and look at the ENTIRE year. I know you’ll find something in your own memory reel that you are most proud of. Hold onto that for these last few days. Let that define your work and practice.
I plan to do the same.
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