One More Time

There is a video from my childhood that will never leave my memory. We watch it nearly once a year with my family and laugh. I am not sure how old I am but I can’t be older than maybe 4 or 5. We’re in my backyard and I’m playing baseball with my dad. He throws the ball, I hit it, but not well. He says “one more time” in an encouraging voice, runs over and grabs the ball. I think you can guess where this is going. About 10 minutes and 20 throws later, he is still running to get the ball and imploring me to hit it “one more time, dude”. This video isn’t just a funny artifact from my childhood, it’s at the core of who I am and the primary lens that I view our world through.

Often time we are so focused on the destination that we forget to find joy in the journey. When we watch the video, I don’t get frustrated, my dad doesn’t get frustrated, we keep going, one more time after one more time. When talking with my dad about the video, he just wanted me to end on a good hit. But I think if that is all he cared about, the video wouldn’t be as heartwarming and funny as it is. He wanted me to feel good about myself. He wanted me to enjoy playing a game that he loved as well. He wanted to build a relationship with me. He demonstrated in that moment that he cared far more about the journey than the result.

That journey hasn’t always been smooth. One of my favorite quotes comes from Teddy Roosevelt. He said “nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty”. Simply put, smooth seas don’t make skilled sailors. My dad and I have had our ups and downs, but neither of us care about the destination, we care about the journey. Next week I leave for a 4 day trip with my dad to DC to celebrate his 60th birthday and there isn’t a place on Earth I’d rather be. He was the best man in my wedding and arguably my closest friend, but we certainly had days, weeks, months and years where it was extremely tough to step up and want to hit “one more time”.

I said before that this journey has shaped the lens I view much of the world through and education isn’t any different. Each year, each semester, each quarter, each day, we step back up to throw the ball one more time. We throw a ball in hopes that our students continue to improve, continue to grow, feel a sense of worth and value, and ultimately that they “end on a good hit”. But it’s a long game. I didn’t thank my dad at the end of the video. In fact, I don’t think as I write this that I have ever thanked my dad.

In a little over a month, millions of educators across the country are going to return to a school and classroom with a group of students eager to take a swing. Will you be willing to continue to make the throw? To continue to run after the ball with enthusiasm each day? I’m not sure anyone went into education to see a particular score on a standardized test, we went into education to make a mark on students lives. When times get tough, when you keep throwing the ball, will you demonstrate that you care more about the journey than the result? Will you demonstrate that you care more about the relationship than the score?

We have a profound opportunity to leave a lasting impression on our students lives. We have a profound and humbling opportunity to help shape the lens and frame through which they see the world. Todd Whitaker says that “the best part about being a teacher is that it matters. The hardest part about being a teacher is that it matters every singly day.” When things get tough, when you feel drained, don’t forget about the journey. You didn’t get into education for the result, you got into education for the journey. Don’t forget why you do what you do. Continue each day to fall in love with the journey. Fall in love with making the throw one more time.

Educators don’t often get the thank you they deserve. For all of my teachers, mentors, and role models, thank you. Education and educators are often the greatest practitioners of delayed gratification. But when you get that thank you, remember it wasn’t about the result, it was about the journey and the thank you is simply confirmation of the purpose in your passion. Next week I go to DC with my dad. I think a thank you is on the agenda.